Radio 3 - New Generation Artists

Tom Arthurs (2008-2010)

Tom Arthurs.

Biography

The work of trumpeter, flügelhornist and composer Tom Arthurs (b. 1980) finds itself in increasingly unique territory, drawing influence from music ranging from György Ligeti to the pygmies of Central Africa, the work of film directors Andrei Tarkovsky and Jean-Luc Godard and the philosophies and creations of pioneering chef Ferran Adrià. Deeply rooted in the European jazz and improvised music tradition, Tom's music is one of assimilation rather than of fusion, and one that sets out to explore the relationships between improvisation and composition, as well as between a family of musicians with whom he has been collaborating for several years.

Winner of the Peter Whittingham Award and thrice-nominated in the BBC Jazz Awards (Best Instrumentalist and Rising Star), Tom has been featured on BBC Radio 3 several times, both with his own trio, arthurs.høiby.ritchie, and in duo with legendary pianist John Taylor, with whom he also appeared at the Electric Proms and the 2007 Bath Festival. He has performed at international festivals including Berlin, Cheltenham, Bath, London, Manchester, Moers and Jerusalem and recently participated in the third edition of the Jerwood/PRS Foundation Take Five Initiative for creative jazz musicians. Currently living between London and Berlin, Tom has released four much-acclaimed albums on London independents Babel and Not Applicable, and his current main projects are:

Subtopia: uniting old friends Ingrid Laubrock and Lothar Ohlmeier (reeds) with new faces from Berlin Andreas Willers (guitar) and Rudi Fischerlehner (drums).

arthurs.høiby.ritchie: long running trio with Jasper Høiby (bass) and Stuart Ritchie (drums). 'Explications' was released on Not Applicable in 2008.

Chamber music with pianist Richard Fairhurst: delicate and intimate duets. 'Mesmer' released on Babel in 2007. Besides his own projects Tom has also been performing and recording with Ingrid Laubrock, Richard Fairhurst, John Surman, Matthew Bourne, John Edwards, Mark Sanders, Kenny Wheeler, James Allsopp, Tom Rainey, Julie Sassoon, Lothar Ohlmeier, Stéphane Payen, Nicolas Masson, Seb Rochford and electronic music manipulators Icarus.

Tom is a core member of two of London's most innovative groups of musicians, the F-IRE Collective, and the Not Applicable artists, and studied with Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano and Jim Black at Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada) back in 2001.

'Tom Arthurs is a world-class improviser'
(Tom Barlow, Jazzwise)

'If jazz is to flourish as a living art form, young musicians such as Tom Arthurs will be a valuable commodity.'
(James Griffiths, The Guardian)

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