Tom Arthurs
Trumpet • Flügelhorn • Composition
Upper Flat, 77 Reighton Road, London, E5 8SQ, UK
07932 603247 • tom@tomarthurs.co.uk • www.tomarthurs.co.uk
Squash Recipe
Tom Arthurs
Bruce McKinnon
Joe Sorbara
[trumpet and flügel]
[piano]
[drums and percussion]
Squash Recipe is the result of a friendship and musical relationship that began in 2001 in
the cultural hotbed of the Banff Centre for the Arts [Canada].
The trio is shaped by common interests in multi-faceted approaches to music-making, and
their recent work together has culminated in an album of intensely playful and engaging
music due for release on the Babel Label in 2005.
Strong, mind-bending compositions are purposefully dissected and re-assembled through
sensitive improvisation, on a sonic journey that incorporates extended instrumental
techniques and unexpected timbral combinations. The influences of the group are too
many to mention here, ranging from Steve Coleman through Erik Satie to the Marx
Brothers, and from Paul Klee to Autechre via John Zorn!
This project marks the beginning of a new chapter in the creative development of each
of the artists, who are rapidly gathering individual acclaim on the emergent underground
scenes in their home cities. Tom’s work with Centripede and the award-winning F-IRE
collective in the UK has led to nomination as Rising Star in the BBC Jazz Awards and
winning the Peter Whittingham Award. Joe, as well as promoting his own series of
concerts in Toronto and directing his Pickle Juice orchestras, has toured Canada and the
US. Bruce’s CV, meanwhile, has seen him performing with the likes of Don Byron and J.J.
Johnson.
We are currently accepting bookings for early 2006, in collaboration with So.Weiss…
please contact:
Tom Arthurs
[UK/Europe]
+ 44 (0) 7932 603247
tom@tomarthurs.co.uk
Bruce McKinnon
[New York/US]
+ 1 917 862 1989
brucemckinnon@earthlink.net
Joe Sorbara
[Toronto/Canada]
+ 1 416 539 8752
joe@joesorbara.com
See www.tomarthurs.co.uk, www.joesorbara.com and www.f-ire.com for more details
Tom Arthurs
Trumpet • Flügelhorn • Composition
Upper Flat, 77 Reighton Road, London, E5 8SQ, UK
07932 603247 • tom@tomarthurs.co.uk • www.tomarthurs.co.uk
Biographies
Nominated as Rising Star in the 2004 BBC Jazz Awards, and
winner of the Peter Whittingham Award 2001, Tom Arthurs' much
acclaimed debut album with quintet Centripede was released
on the Babel Label in 2003. The album was launched with a
highly successful Jazz Services UK tour and the performed at the
Cheltenham International Jazz Festival (Jerwood Rising Stars)
and also the Bloomsbury, Ealing and F-IRE festivals. A member
of the now notorious F-IRE collective (www.f-ire.com), Tom is
also working on Freefall (with bass clarinet virtuoso Lothar
Ohlmeier and pianist Julie Sassoon) and an electronic music
project with Icarus’ Ollie Bown. Besides his own projects Tom
has recently been performing and recording with Timeline, Pete
Wareham, Richard Fairhurst, Max de Wardener, Ingrid Laubrock,
Justin Quinn, Jonathan Bratoeff, Matt Bourne, mbira player
Chartwell Dutiro, JazzXchange Dance and Music Company,
electronic music manipulators Icarus and Squint visuals.
An active member of the New York jazz scene, Bruce
McKinnon has performed with J.J. Johnson, Don Byron, Joe
Lovano, Alvin Batiste, Don Braden, Conrad Herwig, Django
Bates, Doug Beavers and Marc Mommaas. He began piano
lessons at age five in his native Calgary, Canada. Moving to
Boston to attend Harvard University, he played jazz
professionally while earning a BA cum laude in Mathematics.
The call of music led to New York and a Master of Music in Jazz
Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2002.
Bruce has studied piano with Garry Dial and Fred Hersch, and
composition with Dave Douglas, Dave Liebman and Michael
Abene. He has played in the Banff International Jazz Workshop
(2001, 2002) and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Academy (2003),
where he worked with Christian McBride, Grady Tate, James
Carter and Cyrus Chestnut. Bruce is a Midori Foundation
Teaching Artist in New York City.
Drummer, composer and improviser Joe Sorbara has
developed a reputation as a diverse and energetic musical
presence in Toronto’s jazz and improvised music scene. His
own projects include the Pickle Juice groups, and he co-leads
a number of ensembles such as i’S Open and the Bokker
Buckle Band. Joe also performs and records on a regular basis
with Glen Hall’s Trio Muo, Ken Aldcroft’s ensembles, and with
Peter van Huffel. Joe has also shared the stage with John
Abercrombie, Dave Douglas, Dominic Duval, Hugh Fraser,
Peggy Lee, Sook Yin Lee, Joe Lovano, John Oswald, Ron
Samworth, Dylan van der Schyff, and Kenny Werner. York
University awarded him the Oscar Peterson Scholarship for
outstanding achievement in jazz studies in 1999. Joe is a
director of the AIMT.
See www.tomarthurs.co.uk, www.joesorbara.com and www.f-ire.com for more details
Tom Arthurs
Trumpet • Flügelhorn • Composition
Upper Flat, 77 Reighton Road, London, E5 8SQ, UK
07932 603247 • tom@tomarthurs.co.uk • www.tomarthurs.co.uk
Quotes
…on Tom Arthurs
'If jazz is to flourish as a living art form, young musicians such as Tom Arthurs will be a
valuable commodity.'
[James Griffiths, The Guardian]
‘Fun, passionate, beautiful music’
[Ben McDonnell, allaboutjazz.com]
‘This is new music of the highest level - original, forward looking, lyrical and intelligent. Tom
Arthurs is set to become a world class voice in contemporary music.'
[Ian Latham, BBC Online Jazz]
‘Original, engaging and demanding music that’s a world away from retro-jazz’
[Kerstan Mackness, Timeout London]
'Arthurs is already an incredibly accomplished player. A virtuoso, his sound is fat-toned
and fluid… maturity is clear from the outset… it's as if he has nothing to prove’
[Tom Barlow, Jazzwise]
‘L’une des decouvertes du mois’
[AMR, Geneva]
…on Bruce McKinnon
‘...a world class performer, composer, arranger, and pedagogue. He is without question a
positive force in music.’
[Chris Rosenberg, guitarist with Ornette Coleman's "Prime Time"]
‘Can I take him on the road with me?’
[Sheila Jordan]
‘Bruce has developed his own voice on the instrument and I am sure he will
make a considerable contribution to this music.’
[Cecil Bridgewater]
…on Joe Sorbara
‘What immediately struck me about [Joe] were his formidable musical skills as a performer,
his thoroughness and dedication to the music, and his willingness to share his considerable
knowledge... His musical experience is broad, and his adaptability to diverse situations
and demands is remarkable.’
[Glen Hall]
‘drummer extraordinaire’
[Imprint Online]
See www.tomarthurs.co.uk, www.joesorbara.com and www.f-ire.com for more details