Phil Bancroft Quartet
The Phil Bancroft Quartet
'captures the energy of tenor sax giants ...hard hitting contemporary jazz.' The List
'A quartet which could at last establish Phil Bancroft on the international jazz circuit' The Herald
Their debut concert at the 2002 Edinburgh Jazz Festival was one of its highlights and now the Phil Bancroft New Quartet are on tour in support of a new release on acclaimed Scottish label Caber. Bancroft is an impressive tenor saxophonist and has been a major force in the ongoing development of Scottish jazz, now regarded as among the most vibrant scenes in Europe.
He's surrounded himself with musicians from the top flight of Norway and the UK to play his engagingly open compositions with an instinctive group empathy, creative invention and instrumental flair. Performing music commissioned by the PRS Foundation, the quartet features Norway's Thomas Strønen, drummer of leading Scandinavian groups such as Stahls Blå, Food, and Silje Nieegard, the charismatic Mike Walker, European guitarist of choice for artists like George Russell, Mike Gibbs, and Peter Erskine plus bassist Steve Watts, a stalwart of The UK jazz scene over the last decade.
Phil Bancroft plays soprano and tenor saxophones, and various whistles. His roots are in the American jazz tradition, from Swing and Be-bop through to Free Jazz, with influences from Parker and Rollins through to Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and David Murray. He is firmly positioned in the new European movement of contemporary jaz, with strong interests in Celtic, Classical, dance and Indian music.
He has performed extensively with musicians from the Celtic/ Folk tradition, dance and experimental music, and classical music scenes in Scotland and abroad. He has studied with Steve Coleman, George Garzone and Dave Liebman, and has lived and played in the Paris, Amsterdam and New York music scenes. He teaches Saxophone and Improvisation at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama.
