100 Years of Jazz Piano from the James Pearson Trio

(Press release)

The James Pearson Trio will play a fundraising concert ‘100 Years of Jazz Piano’ for the National Jazz Archive on Saturday 9 February, in Loughton, Essex.

Pianist James Pearson, with Sam Burgess on bass and Chris Higginbottom on drums, present a history of jazz piano, featuring Oscar Peterson, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Erroll Garner, Bill Evans and many, many more.

James Pearson is a world-class pianist, composer and raconteur extraordinaire. He is the artistic director at Ronnie Scott’s Club where his trio are the house band. His fine piano playing and arrangements can be heard on over 50 albums. With collaborations ranging from Paul McCartney to Wynton Marsalis, James is one of the country’s most sought-after pianists.

Bass player Sam Burgess is a stalwart of the UK jazz scene. As well as playing on numerous film soundtracks, his driving bass lines can be heard accompanying bands of all styles.

Chris Higginbottom is one of the UK’s top drummers and is a member of the Kyle Eastwood band and the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars. A Royal Academy of Music graduate, Chris lived in New York for eight years where he played with many of the biggest names in jazz. He has performed all over the world and has released two albums as a leader.

James said: “It seems very appropriate to bring my trio to present a concert telling the story of jazz piano to help raise funds for the Archive, which itself covers the history of jazz. We’re looking forward to it!”

The concert will include a tribute to the late Brian Browning, in thanks and recognition for the generous legacy he left to the National Jazz Archive in his will. There will be a display of some of the photos he took at the East Side Jazz Club, Leytonstone over the years.

The concert is at Loughton Methodist Church, 260 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1RB, close to the Archive’s home in Loughton Library, where extensive parking is available. The church and the archive are about a kilometre away from Loughton Station on the Central Line, and are also served by numerous bus routes. 

The concert starts at 2.30pm and tickets cost £15.

For details and to book tickets, visit https://www.nationaljazzarchive.org.uk/news-events, email events@nationaljazzarchive.org.uk or phone 020 8502 4701.