Edinburgh based saxophonist and composer performs original music based on diverse poetic work ranging from from Virgil to Silvia Plath.
Martin Kershaw Octet
Martin Kershaw - Saxophones and Clarinet
Sean Gibbs - Trumpet
Adam Jackson - Alto Saxophone
Liam Shortall - Trombone
Graeme Stephen - Guitar
Paul Harrison - Piano
Andrew Robb - Double Bass
Doug Hough - Drums
Following on from the great success of his 2018 composition 'Dreaming of Ourselves' ('...as carefully structured and full of wit as the best prose writing...' The Herald ★★★★★), renowned saxophonist and composer Martin Kershaw now turns his musical focus to the poets who have inspired him. The result is a thrilling large-scale piece for octet that takes us through themes of war, love, death, truth and beauty - drawing inspiration from such poetic greats as Virgil, Milton, Philip Larkin and Dylan Thomas. The music features a huge variety of textures and styles, showcasing the incredible talents of all the musicians involved. In the first set, Kershaw will perform a beautiful selection of shorter poetry-inspired pieces with a quartet line-up.
Martin Kershaw was born in York in 1973. He attended Berklee College of Music from 1996-98. His critically acclaimed recordings include Fruition (2003), Hero as Riddle (2010) and The Howness (2011). He has also released two albums with experimental trio Trianglehead: Maths (2005) and Exit Strategy (2007).
In 2014 he co-founded fortnightly new music event Playtime with guitarist Graeme Stephen, which went on to win the Ginkhana Innovation in Jazz Award at the 2018 New Music Scotland awards.
'...engaging, glowing music.'★★★★★
The Scotsman
'...as carefully structured and full of wit as the best prose writing...★★★★★ '
The Herald
