MOBO and Mercury award-winning UK saxophonist Denys Baptiste has a colossal talent – based on a powerful technique and an ability to improvise fluently and effortlessly across a wide range of musical styles.
From the moment he joined the London jazz circuit, Denys displayed extraordinary talent, energy and commitment. Spotted by veteran Jazz Warriors double bassist Gary Crosby at the bassist’s regular Tomorrow’s Warriors jam sessions, Denys was immediately invited to join Crosby’s new band, Nu Troop. Since then, Denys has soared in his development as a soloist and bandleader, earning enormous respect from his peers.
To celebrate the centennial of saxophonist John Coltrane's birth, Denys can offer four very special live tributes to mark the occasion.
‘Late Trane’ – A powerful, contemporary reimagining of John Coltrane’s most daring, spiritual and cosmic period. The Late Trane is a major artistic statement from award-winning saxophonist Denys Baptiste, bringing new life to the explosive final phase of John Coltrane’s music (1963–67). This project offers festivals and venues a rare opportunity to present repertoire that is both historically significant and thrillingly relevant to modern audiences.
‘Coltrane/Cannonball legacy’ – a co-led project as Denys reunites with British jazz saxophonist and flautist Tony Kofi for a dynamic project celebrating one of the most iconic front-line partnerships in jazz history: Julian “Cannonball” Adderley and John Coltrane. The original LP was while Cannonball and Coltrane were working with Miles Davis. Miles had gone AWOL and Cannonball used the free time to cut a disc with classics including Limehouse Blues, Stars Fell on Alabama and Grand Central. The album was created in the same year as both Kind of Blue and Giant Steps, two of the most important jazz records in jazz history.
‘Gary Crosby and Denys Baptiste presents A Love Supreme’ – Bassist, band leader and co-founder of Tomorrow’s Warriors, Gary Crosby OBE teams up with Mercury Prize nominee and MOBO award winning saxophonist Denys Baptiste to lead an all-star quartet for this celebration of what is widely regarded as the greatest jazz album of all time, John Coltrane’s’ A Love Supreme. Marking the 60-year anniversary of the recording of the album Gary and Denys will be joined by Andrew McCormack (piano), and Rod Youngs (drums). Discussing the impact that Coltrane’s magnus opus had on him, Gary Crosby explains “Hearing A Love Supreme for the first time was a life-changing moment for me as a young musician. There were so many complexities in the compositions and the arrangements, but the groove and directness were real. It is musically as close to a spiritual moment as I have ever had – a message from the mountain top, mind-blowing but completely rooted in everything I believed music could be. Coltrane stands above all others as a musician. A jazz deity? Possibly. All I know is that with A Love Supreme, he preached, and we all listened!”
‘Coltrane Legacy’ – a project led by award-winning pianist Nikki Yeoh following their concert with the BBC Concert Orchestra last year. Audiences can expect to hear a broad range of Coltrane tunes from across his career, 1957-1965.
Over the years, Denys has evolved into what Time Magazine describes as “the icon of British jazz”, with a most distinctive and immediately recognisable sound. A much sought-after soloist, Denys has played/recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz and other genres, including McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, Ernest Ranglin, Bheki Mseleku, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Michael Bowie, Courtney Pine, Manu Dibango, Gary Crosby, Steve Williamson, Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello, Martin Taylor, Lonnie Plaxico, Ralph Moore, Billy Higgins, Jerry Dammers, Sean Oliver, Jean Carne, Marlena Shaw, Noel McCoy, Juliet Roberts, Incognito, Jazz Jamaica, and others of distinction.
Denys is also an enormously talented composer/arranger, whose brilliant compositions have already earned him immense critical acclaim. Be Where You Are – his 1999 debut album on independent jazz label Dune Records – earned him a Mercury Music Prize for Album Of The Year and a MOBO award for Best Jazz Act. 2003 saw the release of his third, and perhaps most ambitious, recording/touring project to date: Commissioned by the Cheltenham Jazz Festival/Jerwood Foundation, ‘Let Freedom Ring!’ is an inspirational, uplifting suite combining contemporary jazz, gospel, and blues and was nominated for Best Album and Best New Work in the BBC Jazz Awards, for Best Jazz Act in the MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) Awards, and for Best Album in the UK Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
2023 saw Denys join
The Andrew McCormack Trio as a special guest for a series of live shows, recapturing some of the magic of Denys' epic "Let Freedom Ring" project and his ‘Be where you are’ albums.