Jazz Directors Series #002: Full band lineup for Inner City Ensemble revealed

Following an open call for participation and careful selection process, the lineup for the next Inner City Ensemble has been announced, with ten emerging professional UK jazz and crossover musicians joining world-class composer, bandleader and saxophonist Chris Potter for the second edition of the Jazz Directors Series this April.

With shows in Manchester, Warrington, Morecambe and Bradford, the ensemble will feature pieces composed for his acclaimed Underground Orchestra album Imaginary Cities, released on ECM in 2015. It will also première several new compositions written by Potter specifically for this instrumentation.

Musicians announced for the lineup are alumni of some of the UK’s finest music conservatoires including the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music amongst others. Using unorthodox instrumentation, this incarnation of the Inner City Ensemble will feature two bass players, string quartet, vibraphone and marimba:

Piano: Will Barry
Double bass: Will Harris
Bass guitar: Joshua Cavanagh-Brierly
Guitar: Jamie Leeming
Drums: Simon Roth
Vibes & Marimba: Jonny Mansfield
Violin: John Garner
Violin: Simmy Singh
Viola: Lucy Nolan
Cello: Cecilia Bignall

Collectively, the ensemble have played in a diverse mixture of classical and jazz settings including Manchester Camerata, BBC Symphony Orchestra & National Youth Symphony and Jazz Orchestras; awards from British Jazz Awards and Help Musicians UK, plus collaborations with Jasper Høiby, Elliot Galvin, Bill Laurance and BBC Young Musician Jazz Award finalist Tom Ridout.

Tickets for the Chris Potter and the Inner City Ensemble tour are available now, get yours here.