DAVE O’HIGGINS

Jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, educator

Dave is a popular & well known figure on the international jazz scene, having recorded 12 albums as leader with various lineups. He cut his teeth with NYJO, Cleo Laine, Roadside Picnic and Mezzoforte and went on to work with Jim Mullen, Ray Charles, Martin Taylor, Itchy Fingers, Frank Sinatra, Salif Keita, Jimmy Smith, Kyle Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Stan Tracey, Matthew Herbert, Chico Chagas and the BBC Big Band to name only a few.

The Devil’s Interval, the second CD with US sax legend, Eric Alexander, has just been released. This is 2-tenors and piano trio (led by Danish drummer, Kristian Leth) in the hard blowing time honoured tradition of Griff/Lockjaw, Stitt/Ammons and Hayes/Scott.

Dave teaches saxophone, harmony and improvisation at the London Centre for Contemporary Music and also runs a studio which specialises in recording live small jazz ensembles.

Currently working groups as leader are The Dave O’Higgins Quartet and The Dave O’Higgins Septet. The septet (with 4 horns and piano trio) showcases Dave’s arranging talents and features a wealth of individual talent from the UK jazz scene. They play originals and reworkings of Ellington, Jazz Messengers and Oliver Nelson amongst other material. The band has been rapturously received at UK festivals.

In his home city, London, Dave is a regular guest with the house band at Ronnie Scott’s and plays every month at the 606 Club in Chelsea with his quartet.

To celebrate Dave Brubeck’s recent 90th birthday Dave teamed up with Darius (piano), Chris (bass & trombone) and Dan Brubeck (drums) and toured as Brubecks Play Brubeck in the UK. The tour proved immensely popular and future tours are being planned both in the UK & other territories.

Solo Albums

All Good Things (EFZ), Beats Working For A Living (recorded in New York and featuring Joey Calderazzo on piano) (EFZ), Under The Stone (EFZ), The Secret Ingredient (EFZ), The Grinder’s Monkey (Short Fuse), Big Shake Up by Dave O’Higgins’ Biggish Band (Big City), Fast Foot Shuffle (Candid), Push (Short Fuse) In the Zone (Jazzizit), Sketch Book (with Eric Alexander)(Jazzizit), Relaxin’ At Mount Lavinia (JVG Productions), ), The Devil’s Interval (with Eric Alexander)(JVG Productions)

Other essential recordings

Jason Rebello: A Clearer View (BMG) produced by Wayne Shorter,

Roadside Picnic: Roadside Picnic (BMG), For Madmen Only (BMG)

Itchy Fingers: Full English Breakfast (Enja)

Jim Mullen: Soundbites (EFZ), Rule of Thumb (EFZ)

Clark Tracey Sextet: Full Speed Sideways (33)

Martin Taylor: Spirit of Django (Linn), Years Apart (Linn), The Gypsy (Linn),

Celebrating Grapelli (Linn)

Matthew Herbert: Goodbye Swingtime (Accidental Records), There’s Me and There’s You (K7/Accidental Records)

Jamie Cullum: Pointless Nostalgic (Candid)    

Countries toured

Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, UK, USA, Venezuela

For further details please check out www.daveohiggins.com

What the papers say

“A stunning player in the neo-bop vein, with an apparently effortless flow of coherent ideas, beautiful time and a highly developed harmonic sense.”

JAZZ GUIDE

“His professional presentation was an object lesson to the amateurishness of local players.  His musicianship seemed boundless.  Like his friend Martin Taylor did last year to our guitarists, Dave O’Higgins did to our sax players – gave them new and exciting challenges.  And gave us mere listeners an exceptional night.”

ADELAIDE ADVERTISER, AUSTRALIA

“O’Higgins plays with quite exceptional fluency and his fund of ideas never runs out.”

The OBSERVER

“Dazzling post-bop tenorist with a magnificent range and a dramatic turn of phrase.”

THE GUARDIAN

“one of the most vigorously compelling tenor players on the UK scene, and on this wholly enjoyable, powerful album, he nods to the great saxophonists – Charlie Parker, Coltrane, Dexter Gordon chief among them – who so clearly influenced him, without unduly compromising his individuality; In the Zone  is archetypal O'Higgins: unpretentious, accessible, no-nonsense acoustic jazz addressed with skillfully controlled energy.”

CHRIS PARKER reviewing In the Zone (Jazzizit)