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Tom Arthurs

Former BBC New Generation Artist, and participant in Take Five Europe, the work of trumpeter, flügelhornist and composer Tom Arthurs situates itself between large scale commissions for orchestra and beyond, rich and intimate chamber jazz, and experimental, beautiful and intriguing improvised music.

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 creations of pioneering chefs Ferran Adrià and Heston Blumenthal, Tom's warm sound and all- encompassing approach are becoming increasingly well known across Europe and beyond.

Recent recordings include Julia Hülsmann Quartet (ECM, 2013), Eric Schaefer's 'Who's Afraid of Richard W.' (ACT, 2013), Miles Perkin Quartet (2012), H3B Songs No Songs (Abalone, 2012) and Postcards from Pushkin with Richard Fairhurst (Babel, 2011).

And new for 2015 will be A Clear Midnight (Julia Hülsmann Quintet, ECM), Marc Schmolling's Ticho (Unit) and Vaucanson's Muse (w. Isambard Khroustaliov, Not Applicable).

As a composer, Tom has been awarded commissions from the BBC/RPS for both the City of London Festival (Postcards from Pushkin with Richard Fairhurst), and the BBC Proms (And Distant Shore, with Richard Fairhurst and ace classical trumpeter Giuliano Sommerhalder). The Geneva Downtown Orchestra also commissioned a suite of music for 9-piece ensemble with Arthurs.Høiby.Ritchie at it's centre, and A.H.R have also performed a suite by Tom with the Elysian and Gerdur Gunnarsdottir String Quartets. 2010 saw the commission of Fire Paintings (for Yves Klein), which was premiered by the BBC Concert Orchestra with Tom and drummer Stuart Ritchie as soloists, and 2011 saw a further BBC commission for the Elias Quartet plus Swiss drummer Samuel Rohrer.

Bands range from the duo with Richard Fairhurst and trio Arthurs.Høiby.Ritchie to sideman work with H3B (Denis Badault, Sébastien Boisseau, Régis Huby), Miles Perkin Quartet (Benoît Delbecq, Miles Perkin, Thom Gossage), Julia Hülsmann Quartet (Marc Muellbauer, Heinrich Köbberling), as well as in quartet with Julie Sassoon, Lothar Ohlmeier and Samuel Rohrer.

Much of Tom's improvised experimental output is available through the Not Applicable Label, whether with the trio GLUE (Miles Perkin, Yorgos Dimitriadis), working with interactive computer software (Long Division, Ollie Bown), or in duo with electrician Simon Vincent. Tom is also associated with Amsterdam-based organisation Gallery of Tones.

Winner of the Peter Whittingham Award in 2001, thrice-nominated in the BBC Jazz Awards (Best Instrumentalist and Rising Star), and a previous participant in the Serious/PRSF/Jerwood Take Five UK scheme, Tom has been featured extensively on BBC Radio 3 as part of the New Generation Scheme and beyond, and has performed internationally with festival credits including Berlin, North Sea, Cheltenham, Moers, Bath, Jazzd'or, London, Manchester, Belfast and Jerusalem. He has been broadcast by Radio France, SWR, WDR, RBB, and ARD in Germany, P2 in Denmark and Ö1 in Austria.

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98
Album Review

Tom Arthurs and Richard Fairhurst: Postcards From Pushkin

Read "Postcards From Pushkin" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Trumpeter Tom Arthurs wrote the music for Postcards From Pushkin in 2009, according to his liner notes, “in a moment of particular calm and reflection" when he was a BBC New Generation Artist. Inspired by the works of the Russian poet and author Alexandr Pushkin (1799-1837), Arthurs and his musical collaborator, pianist Richard Fairhurst (of The Hungry Ants and Triptych), recorded the album later that year. Arthur's warm, rich, flugelhorn sound and Fairhurst's delicate, understated, piano combine to create music ...

268
Album Review

Tom Arthurs & Richard Fairhurst: Mesmer

Read "Mesmer" reviewed by Chris May


One of Britain's brightest young trumpet/flugelhorn talents--he was nominated for Rising Star in the BBC Jazz Awards in 2004 and is so nominated again this year (the results are due later this month)--Tom Arthurs' progress towards wider breakthrough appears admirably nonchalant. Indeed, on occasion he seems as focused on his skills as a chocolatier and pastry cook (and, still only 27 years old, is beginning to acquire the waistline to prove it).

A founder member of London's adventurous, self-help F-ire ...

238
Album Review

Tom Arthurs / Bruce McKinnon / Joe Sorbara: Squash Recipe

Read "Squash Recipe" reviewed by Chris May


When a young artist like Tom Arthurs--still only 26--gets feted as the Next Big Thing, the pressure to satisfy the technicolour expectations of media, record company and audience can really mess with his head. Next thing you know, he'll release an album which attempts to climb too high too fast... and then there's tears.

Following the wall-to-wall acclaim that greeted his 2003 debut album, Centripede, and his nomination as a Rising Star in the BBC Jazz Awards the following year, ...

179
Album Review

Tom Arthurs: Centripede

Read "Centripede" reviewed by Ben McDonnell


Recently nominated for Best New Act by the BBC Jazz Awards, Centripede is “Fresh and friendly music inspired by world dance musics contemporary and traditional, strategic improvisation and the compositional depth of twentieth century classical music"... at least that's how the band leader, trumpet player and composer Tom Arthurs describes the eclectic blend of styles that define his compositions. Packed with great solos and original composition that stylistically fall somewhere between the avant-garde and jazz with a little bit of ...

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'Une révélation' [Citizen Jazz, France]

'A master flugelhorn improviser' [John Fordham, The Guardian, UK]

'A world-class improviser' [Jazzwise, UK]

'A restlessly creative and experimental musician' [The Jazz Mann, UK]

'Der Glasbläser' [Ssirus Pakzad, SWR2, Germany]

'Er stößt mit dem Horn in die Stille hinein. Mit Treffsicherheit und Geschmeidigkeit verleiht Tom Arthurs... seinem Jazz durch Schönheit Bedeutung. Wie sein berühmter Kollege Kenny Wheeler bewegt er sich ohne Scheuklappen zwischen den Stilen und Genres… Musiker in ganz Europa wurden dadurch hellhörig...' [Karl Lippegaus, Deutschlandfunk]

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

In Full View

ECM Records
2013

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Mesmer

Babel Label
2007

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Squash Recipe

Babel Label
2006

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Centripede

Babel Label
2004

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