Jazz Preview: Young musicians offer an 80th birthday tribute

Many tributes accompanied the 80th birthday last month of composer and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler – including a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music – but Leeds hosts one of the most unusual on March 7.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Feb 2010, 11:06 BST
Updated 26th Feb 2010, 11:06 BST

The celebration, organised by Kim Macari, a 21-year-old Scottish trumpet player studying at Leeds College of Music, will be held at

the Seven Arts Centre in Chapel Allerton and features five different line-ups exploring different aspects of Wheeler's work.

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Kim explains: "He is my biggest influence and the reason I am studying music.

"I've been working with Kenny since May of last year in a trumpet quartet playing his music written specially for the group.

"He asked that I put on an 80th birthday concert in Leeds."

The quartet – Matt Postle, Gwen Postle, Jonny Dunn and Kim – is on a

bill which also includes her own quintet, the Mark Donlon trio and Peter Lee's trio which will recall Wheeler's trailblazing days with Azimuth.

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The great man himself is unlikely to be there. "At his age he's not big on travelling" says Kim. "But all the musicians, who are giving their time free, are admirers of Kenny's music and his spirit will be very much in evidence."

Bassist Jenni Molloy and her Bach ReLoaded trio will be taking a contemporary look at the work of JS Bach at the Georgian Theatre in Richmond tonight.

And next Tuesday's weekly jam session at Pave in Hull will be enlivened by the explosive trumpet playing of Bruce Adams.

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