Derek Nash - tenor/alto/soprano/baritone sax
Dave Newton - piano
Geoff Gascoyne - bass
Sebastiaan de Krom - drums
with guest appearance by Martin Shaw - trumpet
Down on Frenchmen Street - Inspired by the new centre of jazz in New Orleans, Derek's new and exciting Acoustic Quartet CD is full of lyrical melodies and infectious rhythms, with nods to Derek's jazz roots - from Blue Note to Samba to Ellington and Debussy. This CD, which takes you on a journey from New Orleans to Mexico and beyond, is the latest release from this award-winning quartet.
It features five new compositions by Nash, demonstrating, as with his previous albums, his expertise as a composer as well as an instrumentalist. The title track, Down on Frenchmen Street, inspired by the vibrant streets of New Orleans; Blue House Samba, a joyful, Latin tune inspired by the artist Frida Kahlo; October, a beautiful new ballad that could stand alongside the classics of the American Songbook; My, but you Make That Dress Look Lovely, a sumptuous baritone feature inspired by Ellington's beautiful harmonies and charismatic charm; Gmail Special a swinging romp inspired by Benny Goodman's Airmail Special.
It also features compositions by band members Geoff Gascoyne and David Newton with David's wistful, ECM styled Katy's Song and Geoff's buoyant and muscular Whisper Will.
New arrangements of two standards complete this album beautifully - Oscar Peterson's Hallelujah Time inspired by the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra arrangement that Derek grew up loving (his father, Pat Nash, having worked with the band for over 35 years) and David Newton's exquisite and rhapsodic arrangement of Moonlight in Vermont.
Derek Nash is widely regarded as one of the leading saxophonists in the UK today. He has been repeatedly voted one of the top alto players in the British Jazz Awards and has also been nominated for Jazz Musician of the Year by the Global Music Foundation. He has been a prominent member of the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra since 2004 and has played with the Ronnie Scott's Blues Explosion for over 10 years. As a bandleader, he has led the award-winning Sax Appeal for over 40 years, is a founder member of the jazz/funk band Protect the Beat and also of the Latin band, Picante. Formed with vocalist Noel McCalla in 2017, he is also co-leader of Some Kinda Wonderful, a show celebrating the music of Stevie Wonder. Derek is also regularly in demand for visiting world-wide smooth-jazz artists, including Brian Culbertson, David Benoit and Mezzoforte.
