Music: Tough Tenors with Ben and Dan

The tradition of two tenor saxes slugging it out in a creative and non-confrontational way is a long one in jazz, with the legendary albums by Johnny Griffin and Eddie Lockjaw Davis being the famous USA example, whilst here in the UK Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes did their thing as The Jazz Couriers. Tonight’s set will include pieces from both of these classic pairings.

Ben Waghorn and Dan Newberry are of course two of Bristol’s finest saxophonists and should need no introduction to the Be-Bop Club audience. They first locked horns in a memorable encounter at one of the Stag and Hounds jam sessions, and the rapport between the two was such that it immediately seemed a good idea to present them together for a whole gig [see video clip below].

Backing the tenors we have the hard-swinging rhythm section of Jim Blomfield, Chris Jones and Andy Hague.