Trish Clowes (saxophone) and Ross Stanley (piano) have been carefully crafting their unique sound world over a number of years, which includes their own material, arrangements of music from jazz, folk and church organ traditions, and free improvisations. The duo’s performances include Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royal Festival Hall (with Stanley making use of the organ), Galway Jazz Festival, Symphony Hall (Birmingham), Buxton International Festival, and Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
“These two musicians are a formidable partnership… Both players are gifted with an extraordinary musical intelligence allied to a prodigious technical ability… It was a fascinating evening… There really was something for everybody.” – Andrew Petch, The Shropshire Star
“an impressive duo set… interacting brilliantly with both energy and delicacy” – Tony Dudley Evans, promoter & writer
The duo enjoy working with material from anywhere. Their concerts often include music by Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Osvaldo Farrés, Nikki Iles, Antonio Carlos Jobim, as well as original compositions, two of which are dedicated to Clowes and Stanley’s respective heroes, Wayne Shorter and John Taylor. At the heart of their ever-evolving programme of music lies interpretations of a Marcel Dupré prelude (Prelude III from Trois Preludes et Fugues) and Herbert Howells’s Gloucester Service – two beloved works from Stanley’s time as an organ scholar at Marlborough College. The Dupré holds significance for Clowes too, as it inspired the writing of her tune ‘I.F.’ from her 2019 album ‘Ninety Degrees Gravity’.
Stanley:
Pianist and organist Ross Stanley is a Yamaha artist, Hammond endorsee and two times winner of a British Jazz Award in the organ category. After being awarded an organ scholarship to Marlborough College, Stanley studied at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and since then his musical skills have kept him in high demand, seeing him work with musicians and ensembles such as Eddie Gomez, Seamus Blake, the Hamish Stuart Band, BBC Concert Orchestra, Nostalgia 77 Octet, Tom Jones, Alfie Boe, Maceo Parker, and Pino Palladino.
Clowes:
Saxophonist and composer Trish Clowes has been described as “an improviser to be reckoned with” (Downbeat Magazine) and “one of the most agile and original jugglers of improv and adventurous composition to have appeared in the UK in recent times” (The Guardian). Lauded for her imaginative approach to improvisation and composition, Clowes has released seven critically acclaimed albums, and she is currently an Associate Artist at Wigmore Hall.
Photographs by Chris Kelly
