Thomas Peter Bancroft (born 29 January 1967) is a British
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
drummer and composer.
Early life and education
Bancroft was born in London on 29 January 1967.
He began drumming aged seven and started off playing with his father and twin brother, Phil.
The family moved to Scotland when Tom was nine and he had gigs in Edinburgh from his mid-teens.
While studying medicine at
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, he composed music and continued playing gigs.
For nine months during 1988–89, Bancroft studied composition and arranging at
McGill University
McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
in Montreal, Canada.
Later life and career
Back in Scotland in 1990, Bancroft wrote for his big band.
Qualifying as a doctor in 1992, he then worked as a jazz musician and composer, in addition to doing some medical work, including in Russia.
The big band toured the UK in 1996.
He has toured extensively in various bands and has written for radio and television.
In 1998, along with New Zealander Suzy Melhuish, Bancroft co-founded Caber Music.
The first release was Bancroft's ''Pieology'', a selection of concert and broadcast performances.
Bancroft is co-leader of Trio AAB with Phil Bancroft and guitarist Kevin MacKenzie.
Their first album was ''Cold Fusion''.
This was followed by ''Wherever I Lay My Home That's My Hat''.
''Stranger Things Happen at C'' was their next album and included
Brian Finnegan
Brian Finnegan (born 20 August 1969) is an Irish flute and tin whistle player from Armagh.
Finnegan began playing whistle at age 8 and flute at age 10 as a student of the Armagh Pipers Club under the tuition of the Vallely family. He first cam ...
on flutes and whistles for some tracks.
Critic
John Fordham wrote that the trio "skids between Scottish folk music, the melancholy defiance of
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...
and the sprightly melodic laterality of
Ornette Coleman
Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist, and composer. He is best known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album '' Free Ja ...
".
Around 2012, an album by Bancroft's Trio Red band was released by Interrupto Music.
The other musicians on ''First Hello to Last Goodbye'' were pianist Tom Cawley and bassist
Per Zanussi
Per Zanussi (born 1977) is an Italian–Norwegian jazz musician (upright bass) and composer, known from several bands and releases such as with Hamid Drake, Louis Moholo, Paal Nilssen-Love, Bobby Bradford, Sabir Mateen, Franklin Kiermyer, Step ...
.
Fordham described it as "a shot-in-the-dark venture that turned into a world-class trio in a week."
A second album, ''Lucid Dreamers'', was released around 2016.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
*''Pieology'' (Caber, 1993–97)
*''Cold Fusion'' (Caber, 1998?)
*''Wherever I Lay My Home That's My Hat'' (Caber, 2000?)
*''Stranger Things Happen at C'' (Caber, 2002?)
*''First Hello to Last Goodbye'' (Interrupto, 2012?)
*''Lucid Dreamers'' (Interrupto, 2016?)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bancroft, Tom
1967 births
Living people
Musicians from London
British jazz musicians
English twins