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Jonny Mansfield

Born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Jonny Mansfield grew up surrounded by music. His parents are both musicians and played a mix of Classical and Jazz around the house.

Jonny followed in his older brothers footsteps attending Chetham’s School of Music. This led him to being part of the National Youth Orchestra, Verbier Festival Youth Orchestra and National Youth Jazz Collective. Jonny went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music with Jim Hart, Joe Locke and Pete Churchill, where he gained a BMus 1st class degree.

He has performed at many prestigious venues with respected musicians including Chris Potter, Gareth Lockrane and Yazz Ahmed. He has toured throughout Europe and performed at major venues such at the Bimhaus, Leipzig Jazzstage and the Royal Albert Hall.

In Summer 2019, Jonny released his debut album with his 11 piece ensemble 'Elftet' aZer completing a 14 date UK tour funded by the Arts Council. Jonny's recordings have received extensive airplay and has been critically acclaimed worldwide - Press.

Jonny was the recipient of the Tebbut Exhibition Award, Richard Turner Award, Scott Philbrick Jazz Scholarship and the Principals Award from the Royal Academy of Music. In 2018, Jonny was awarded the Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize and subsequently signed to Edition Records to release his album featuring Chris Potter, Gareth Lockrane and Kit Downes.

Jonny is also a founding member of Bonsai, who have released two albums and have toured extensively in Europe. Their most recent album was released in May 2019 on Ubuntu Music. Bonsai was nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz Award in June 2020 in the Jazz Newcomer category.

More recently, Jonny has been writing and creating new original music with a new project called Florilegium. This trio features Will Barry on keys and Boz Martin-Jones on drums. Since Florilegium’s first UK tour was cancelled due to Civid-19, Jonny has been producing some of the Florilegium tracks featuring vocalists such a long-time collaborator Ella Hohnen-Ford.

In August 2020, Jonny set himself the challenge to compose, record, mix and master a whole album in a day. The reason being to capture this strange unique time in music and reflect some of the feelings generated from lockdown. Hear the music here.

As a composer, Jonny has been commissioned to write many works for his own projects and for other performers. Notably, he was commissioned by Marsden Jazz Festival to write an hour-long suite sebng Simon Armitage (Poet Laureate) poems. This was recorded for a BBC 3 Jazz Now broadcast and has subsequently been nominated for an Ivors Award - ‘Best Large Ensemble Jazz Composition’. Jonny was also commissioned to write a vibraphone and trombone duo for London Symphony Orchestra principals - Neil Percy and Peter Moore. This was premiered at LSO St. Lukes by Peter and Neil.

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19
Album Review

Paul Mottram: Seven Ages Of Man

Read "Seven Ages Of Man" reviewed by Neil Duggan


Throughout history, many have tried to divide the human life cycle into defined stages. The most famous is William Shakespeare's reference to the seven ages in Jaques' speech in As You Like It, the one which starts “All the world's a stage." This was the initial spark which gave composer Paul Mottram the idea for Seven Ages Of Man, Shakespeare's seven ages being Infant, Schoolboy, Lover, Soldier, Judge, Pantaloon and Old Age. Mottram has added two introductory movements, Origins and ...

6
Album Review

Dominic Ingham: Role Models

Read "Role Models" reviewed by Ian Patterson


Jazz violinists' role models tend to follow a familiar continuum that runs roughly from Stuff Smith and Stéphane Grappelli to Jean Luc Ponty and Didier Lockwood. British violinist/singer Dominic Ingham, however, paddles his own canoe. With a technique that draws as much from his folk and classical upbringing as it does from jazz, Ingham's idiom is a personal one. As Ingham explains in the press release, the role models in question on this, his debut as leader, are the members ...

6
Album Review

Jonny Mansfield: Elftet

Read "Elftet" reviewed by Roger Farbey


Even within the relatively short time span of his burgeoning career, vibraphonist and composer Jonny Mansfield has amassed an impressive array of music prizes. These include the prestigious Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize from the Royal Academy of Music which made this recording possible. But far from resting on his laurels, Mansfield has been busy gigging throughout Europe including Amsterdam's Bimhuis and London's Ronnie Scott's Club and the Royal Albert Hall. He's also gigged with notable musicians including Chris Potter, Gareth ...

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“There's something of a Mike Gibbs feel to Mansfield's compositions with some Loose Tubes sensibility thrown in for good measure, but none of these allusions detract from the sheer originality his music exudes. A promise of magnificent things to follow.” - All About Jazz

"Really beautiful music.” - Jorge Rossy

"A musical vision beyond his years.” - Evan Parker

Maria Schneider
composer / conductor
Gary Burton
vibraphone
Vince Mendoza
composer / conductor
Kit Downes
keyboards
Jim Hart
vibraphone
Logan Richardson
saxophone, alto
Joel Ross
vibraphone
Mike Gibbs
composer / conductor

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Air In Front Of...

Resonant Postcards
2023

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Terra Boa

Fresh Sound Records
2023

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Seven Ages Of Man

Ubuntu Music
2023

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Role Models

Self Produced
2020

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Portrait

Independant
2020

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Videos

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