‘Thrilling rhythmic precision, structural rigour and an ability to express an essentially romantic conception with the full range of pianistic colours and timbres and the result is an extraordinary recital by a major talent.’ Chris Ingham, MOJO

‘Gwilym Simcock is a stupendous improviser and remarkable musician all round… left alone with a piano, he creates music which is neither jazz nor classical but simply itself.’ Dave Gelly, The Observer

While travelling the world as a member of US jazz guitar legend Pat Metheny’s quartet, British pianist Gwilym Simcock used time away from the stage to compose pieces that have become his second solo album, Near and Now (ACT 2019).

Each piece is dedicated to a fellow pianist – Billy Childs, Brad Mehldau, Russell Ferrante, Egberto Gismonte and his first jazz teacher, Les Chisnall. The music has Simcock’s signature sound of rich, modern harmony, driving rhythm, and melodic narrative.

This concert will feature some of the music from the album together with other original pieces by Gwilym.

Gwilym Simcock has carved out a career as one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the European scene. He moves effortlessly between jazz and classical music, with a ‘harmonic sophistication and subtle dovetailing of musical traditions’.