Dave O’Higgins Biggish Band

At Pizza Express Jazz Club, Dean Street, Soho, London

Dave O’Higgins, with his personal and recognisable style, is justifiably one of the most popular saxophonists on the UK and international jazz scene for 30 years and has 24 albums as leader under his belt.

Dave’s tenor and soprano sax sounds are highly personal and recognisable, with a clear sense of melodic development and adventure. With an excellent sense of pacing and presentation, he has a wide palette from Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Joe Henderson through to Stanley Turrentine and Michael Brecker.

No stranger to Dean Street audiences, Dave has enjoyed an extended series of sold-out concerts here playing “The Blue Note Years” followed by his “Three Tenors” concerts – (the music of Stanley Turrentine, Hank Mobley and Dexter Gordon), culminating in two remarkable concerts in 2022 and 2023, playing the music of the great John Coltrane.

Not content with those achievements, Dave now returns to perform, for their Dean Street debut, in our Big Band Sunday Lunchtime series, with his 10-piece Biggish Band.

Original music and outstanding arrangements, with an all-star group of award-winning jazz greats, makes this October concert a “must-get-to” concert for audiences who just love great music, brilliantly performed.

Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s some extracts from the Guardian review of their recent out of town concert.

“Dave O’Higgins pieces can be sneaky. They appear to be quite polite, even restrained, but before you know it they have screamed off down a surprise avenue with a sudden change in style”.

“The material….offers a tour of jazz styles, from New Orleans street beats to the sound of swing, funk and Latin. Drawing on such a range of colours has given O'Higgins the perfect excuse to expand his palette of players, with his Biggish Band, a 10-piece group that he calls his "dream team".”

“The set is careful never to lose the crowd. If a piece starts with an exhilarating theme (such as High Price or Splatter Matter), the spirit of the opening is never lost in the soloing sections, partly because these are never too long, but also because the players' personalities are well matched to the strongly characterised tunes. O'Higgins's sax solos, like his pieces, lull with an effortless technique then suddenly let rip. And the enjoyment he clearly gets from his band is infectious.”

“This is highly accessible jazz; it doesn't stray into difficult territory or lose control, but nor does it overindulge”.

The Guardian

 

Here’s Dave, in quartet mode, with his strong tenor saxophone style, playing Miles Davis “Four”

 

Please join Dave and his Biggish Band for a Sunday lunchtime never to be forgotten

The Dave O'Higgins Biggish Band, with the all-stars line up.

Simon Lea – drums,

Pete Eckford – percussion,

Sam Burgess – bass, 

Tom Cawley – piano,

Mike Outram – guitar,

Dave Powell – tuba,

Alex Garnett – baritone saxophone & flute,

Mark Nightingale – trombone,

Martin Shaw - trumpet & flugelhorn,

Dave O’Higgins - tenor & soprano saxophones.

 

Doors Noon

Music 1pm 

Tickets £35