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Kevin Figes is a British saxophonist, flutist, bandleader, composer and filmmaker based in
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
. Figes began playing the saxophone in 1986 at the age of 22, studying with
Elton Dean Elton Dean (28 October 1945 – 8 February 2006) was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello (a variant of the soprano saxophone) and occasionally keyboards. Part of the Canterbury scene, he featured in Soft Mach ...
in London and later attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying with Tim Garland. He had a notable association performing and recording with Keith Tippett. In the early 1990s, he moved to
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
and began playing with Keith Tippett's Seedbed Orchestra. Turning professional he formed his own jazz quartet, writing and playing local gigs. In 1993, he won a touring award which took the band to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
. In 1997, the band won a second jazz services touring award and Lottery award to produce a CD for which he wrote a new batch of tunes. Alongside these achievements he studied classical saxophone under Will Gregory and took grade 8 and then a diploma from the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...
. From 1996 to 1999, he played, wrote and later managed the contemporary
big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
, Ultrasound, producing two CDs and playing in
Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts European classical music, classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by ...
(London), Bracknell and Plymouth Festivals. From 1998 to 2003, he played with Brazilian music combo Sirius B, recording two CDs and touring; including
The Jazz Cafe The Jazz Cafe is a music venue in Camden Town, London. It opened in 1990 on the former premises of a branch of Barclays Bank and has had several owners throughout its history as a music venue. The venue holds 450 people across both floors. ...
(London),
Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...
, and many other major European venues. In 2001, with guidance from his teacher
Tim Garland Tim Garland (born 19 October 1966) is a British jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His compositions draw from modern jazz and classical concert music. Career Garland was born in Ilford, Essex and grew up in Canterbury, Kent. He starte ...
, he attended the Guildhall postgraduate jazz diploma year. During the course he was asked to join Keith Tippett's big band, Tapestry, for tours of Canada and Portugal, and in 2004 a Norwich festival performance with the Apollo saxophone quartet and the
BBC Singers The BBC Singers is a professional British chamber choir, employed by the BBC. Its origins can be traced to 1924. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time profes ...
, broadcast on
BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
. After the course in London he reformed his quartet, wrote some new material and began playing in venues around the country, including the
Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
. He was also busy on the local Bristol scene with pianist Jim Blomfield (Septimbre and Latin Perspective) and Andy Hague (Big Band and Silverado). As well as jazz, Figes' passion's include Brazilian music, playing mainly flute with Quarteto Bossa. Since 2007 Figes has composed and produced many well-received recordings with his own jazz quartet. Recent work includes 'Changing Times' (2020) by the Kevin Figes Quartet, which was described as 'A mind-expanding feast for the ears' and received a 4* review from Dave Gelly in The Guardian, and 'Wallpaper Music' (2021) (with the addition of Brigitte Beraha on vocals) which was described as 'A kaleidoscopic blizzard' by John Fordham in his 4* review for Jazzwise. Other projects included 4 Sided Triangle (with Mike Outram), an Octet and the 15 piece big band ‘Resonation’. Figes has played at Ronnie Scott’s with Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley, Bobby Shew and Denny Ilett’s Electric Lady Big Band, of which he is a member. He has also performed on the Park stage at Glastonbury with the music of Barry Gray and major festivals with This Is The Kit. His own quartet have performed nationally and broadcast live from Glastonbury Festival on Radio 3. In 2021, Kevin was musical director for a series of concerts celebrating the life of Keith Tippett. Forthcoming work includes compositions for piano, use of experimental methods and found sounds, writing of lyrics in song form and exploring a range of genres including contemporary classical, jazz, free improvisation, folk and rock.


More quotes on Figes music

* "One of the most interesting emerging talents on the UK jazz scene" - ''Jazzwise'' * "It's this combination of rich writing with an outstanding band that gives Figes's solo LP such distinction" - ''Independent on Sunday'' * "Compelling Bristol-based altoist Figes mixes up old school bop with a contemporary attack and edgy harmony" - ''Time Out''


Discography

* Kevin Figes Quartet - ''Circular Motion'' - (
Edition Records Edition Records is an independent record label that was founded in 2008 by pianist Dave Stapleton and photographer Tim Dickeson.The Guardian - 13th June 2020Jazzwise - February 2022







Time Out

The Swanage Jazz Festival


External links


Kevin Figes official website

Pig Records official website

Kevin Figes Music on Facebook

Kevin Figes on Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Figes, Kevin British male saxophonists British jazz saxophonists Living people 21st-century British saxophonists Year of birth missing (living people) Edition Records artists 21st-century British male musicians