(Press release)
With the release of
his debut album, Perfect Circle, on Friday April 2, guitarist Tom Stephenson
becomes the latest student from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s acclaimed
jazz course to share his music with the wider jazz audience.
In common with recent successes, fellow graduate, pianist Fergus McCreadie and saxophonist Matt Carmichael, Stephenson is showing the benefit of being in what he describes as “an intense and inspiring environment with so many like-minded and equally dedicated people.”
Born in Darlington,
Stephenson took up guitar at the age of fourteen after a friend introduced him
to the instrument. Having been left disillusioned with school and academic
expectations he immediately felt a new sense of purpose and dedicated himself
to learning a broad range of musical styles.
In 2015 he was
awarded a scholarship to study jazz at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
under the direction of saxophonist Tommy Smith. While at the conservatoire he
established himself on the Glasgow jazz scene and has played with
established names including trombonist Mark Nightingale, trumpeter John Faddis
and guitarist Mike Stern.
The trio that
features on Perfect Circle – Stephenson with bassist Mark Hendry and drummer
Greg Irons – has gigged substantially, including appearances at Edinburgh and
Glasgow jazz festivals, allowing Stephenson’s compositions to strengthen and
develop.
“Each tune was
written toward the end of my time at the conservatoire,” says Stephenson. “This
period signifies an important step in my development as an artist. The goals
were to express myself in an uncontrived manner, get in touch with what excites
me about music on a personal and subjective level and embrace my own
idiosyncrasies both as a player and a composer.”
Simplicity is key
for Stephenson, who is very keen to play live dates in support of Perfect
Circle. “When composing, no matter how complex everything else gets, I want at
least one element to remain simple so that the music can communicate directly
with the audience.”
Perfect Circle is
available on Bandcamp and all major streaming formats.
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