Gareth Lockrane
Visiting Tutor - Jazz Combos
Music
Email: g.lockrane@trinitylaban.ac.uk
Biography
Gareth Lockrane started playing at the age of 10 and after raiding his dad’s record collection discovered jazz at 14. Early influences included Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Bill Evans and Stan Getz on the jazz side whilst also being transfixed by the great blues-rock guitarists of the 60s and 70s as a child – Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy continue to be major influences. On flute the initial main inspirations were saxophone “doublers” like Frank Wess, James Clay, Roland Kirk, Bobby Jaspar and James Moody and later on he fell under the spell of flute visionaries like Jeremy Steig, Eric Dolphy, Hubert Laws, Paul Horn and Eddie Parker amongst many others.
In 2002, he formed the band Grooveyard with saxophonist Alex Garnett which released a critically acclaimed CD “PUT THE CAT OUT” which went on to win the Best European Jazz Group award in the 2003 Granada Jazz Festival. Grooveyard completed a successful Jazz Services tour of the UK in 2005. Their 2012 album “THE STRUT” is the ‘sequel’ to PUT THE CAT OUT and has been released on the fabulous independent jazz label Whirlwind Recordings, “THE STRUT” was named Jazz Album of the Year” in MOJO magazine!
He also founded his own septet which released the album “NO MESSIN” in 2009 and went on to win best album in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards that year. This band features Robbie Robson (trumpet), Steve Kaldestad (sax), Trevor Mires (trombone/euphonium), Robin Aspland – (piano) Matt Miles (bass) and Matt Home (drums).
He has formed his own big band, a fruition of all Gareth’s musical interests – combining his cinematic influences of greats such as Jerry Fielding, Lalo Schifrin and Bernard Herrmann with the soul jazz and unrestrained improvisatory nature of Grooveyard and the intricate through-composed nature of his septet writing. Making their debut in the 2008 London Jazz Festival and influenced by, amongst others, Gil Evans, Maria Schneider, Kenny Wheeler, Jim McNeely, Thad Jones, Basie, Mingus and many more,the band blends heavy grooves and luscious orchestrations to spectacular effect. The band play almost exclusively Gareth’s compositions and arrangements. Watch this space for an album of this band some time in the near future!
Qualifications / Educational Background
Royal Academy of Music
Film Composition at the National Film and Television School