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Tomas Challenger

Tomas Challenger is a leading figure of the young progressive jazz/improvisation scene in Britain. He is both a saxophonist and composer, and leads many of his own projects. He is also an active sideman and educator, and works in a variety of contexts.

He has worked with, amongst others: John Taylor, Mike Garrick, Don Rendell, Julian Joseph, Clark Tracy, Chris Bowden, Lol Coxhill, Charles Hayward (This Heat), John Edwards, The London Jazz Orchestra, Stan Sulzmann, Gwilym Simcock, Pete Wareham (Acoustic Ladyland), The Herbaliser, Chris Bowden, Tim Holmes (Death in Vegas), Elan Mehler, Jose James and Jeremy Warmsley. As a member of the Heritage Orchestra he has collaborated and recorded with Airto Moreira, Brian Eno, Gilles Peterson, Deodato, The Bays, Plaid and Amon Tobin.

He is an active member of many ensembles including Outhouse, Porpoise Corpoise, the Hannes Riepler Quartet, the Huw White Ensemble, Roundtrip, the John Randall Band, Tierkreis (the music of Stockhausen) and the Matt Calvert acoustic project. He has also in the past year

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2
Album Review

Tom Challenger's Brass Mask: Brass Mask Live

Read "Brass Mask Live" reviewed by Duncan Heining


You need a truly modern street band in your musical life. That's a statement. Period. No “buts," no “maybes." You might not know it but it's just what you've been lacking and here it is with Brass Mask's second CD, Live. I enjoyed their first record, Spy Boy a lot. Here was a band that were investigating the tradition, not just plundering for repertoire or for musical colour or as bricolage. These guys wanted to go back to ...

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Album Review

Tom Challenger and Kit Downes: Black Shuck

Read "Black Shuck" reviewed by Karl Ackermann


The great--and often dark--writer, Neil Gaiman, in his recently published book of short stories titled Trigger Warning tells the tale of the mythical dog-beast--the black shuck--that is to be avoided at night because ..."if you see him--you die.." Well, that's fairly dark and it sets the tone for the third duo outing from Kit Downes and Tom Challenger. Black Shuck follows the pair's Wedding Music (Loop Records, 2014) and Vyamanical (Slip Imprint, 2016). Black Shuck has been issued ...

3
Album Review

Tom Challenger and Kit Downes: Black Shuck

Read "Black Shuck" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


"Atmosphere" is one of those oft-used, hard to pin down, words that music writers are wont to distribute across their outpourings. Sometimes, it's used without qualification--an “atmospheric" piece, a song that has “atmosphere"--much in the way that people speak of having “blood pressure." So when a work such as Tom Challenger and Kit Downes' impressive Black Shuck appears, laden with atmosphere, some further discussion of the term is crucial--especially when the album's own press release refers to it as “dusty ...

8
Album Review

Ma: Live

Read "Live" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Ma is part of London's endlessly intriguing Loop Collective, a grouping of younger-generation musicians and bands that includes pianist Ivo Neame, vibes player and drummer Jim Hart, trumpeter Rory Simmons and many others. Saxophonist Tom Challenger leads Ma: he's joined in the core trio by Matt Calvert on synths and laptop and by Dave Smith on drums. A quick check of the three musicians' resumés gives a hint of the breadth and extent of their careers. Challenger is ...

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'MA.' comprises of fourmusicians (Tom Challenger
Primary Instrument

Saxophone, tenor

Location

London

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Brass Mask Live

Babel Label
2017

buy

Black Shuck

Slip Imprint
2016

buy

Live

Loop Records
2015

buy

Videos

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