Denys Baptiste-Gary Crosby Quartet

Denys Baptiste – saxophones
Gary Crosby – bass
Andrew McCormack – piano
Rod Youngs – drums

We are massively honoured to be welcoming Denys Baptiste and Gary Crosby, truly totemic figures in British jazz, as they mark the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth with a special and bold interpretation of his colossal masterpiece A Love Supreme.

Blessed with a powerful technique and an ability to improvise fluently and effortlessly across a wide range of musical styles, Denys has played/recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz and other genres including: McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, Ernest Ranglin, Bheki Mseleku, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Frank Lacy, Donald Harrison, Courtney Pine, Manu Dibango, Jason Yarde, Martin Taylor, Jerry Dammers, Jason Rebello, Marlena Shaw, Juliet Roberts, Incognito, Jason Moran, Cymande, Chaka Khan, the Jazz Warriors and Jazz Jamaica, Cymande, and Chaka Khan.

In 1999 his acclaimed debut album Be Where You Are earned him a Mercury Music Prize nomination for Album Of The Year and a MOBO award for Best Jazz Act. In 2003 he released his third, and perhaps most ambitious, recording/touring project to date: Let Freedom Ring, an inspirational suite combining contemporary jazz, gospel, blues, and Afro-Cuban music with extracts of the epic poem, Mental Fight by Booker Prize winning author, Ben Okri. Let Freedom Ring! commemorated the 40th anniversary of the historic ‘I Have A Dream’ oration by Dr Martin Luther King and earned nominations for Best Album and Best New Work in the BBC Jazz Awards, for Best Jazz Act in the MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) Awards, and Best Album in the UK Parliamentary Jazz Awards. In 2018 Denys was nominated in two categories, for best album and live act, in the Jazz FM Awards.

Hi fascination with Coltrane’s music has seen Denys win widespread plaudits. Here’s UK Jazz News on his 2017 release The Late Trane: “the quality, commitment and emotional impact leap out from the speakers.”

Gary Crosby OBE is an iconic jazz double bassist, music arranger and educator in the UK.

He is the founder and artistic director of the vitally important, groundbreaking talent development organisation and jazz education provider Tomorrow’s Warriors. “Few people have done as much as he has to ensure that British jazz has a viable future through the fostering of new talent”, commented Jazz Journal.

“They’ve had an incredible impact on the UK jazz scene over 30 years,” said the Music Producers Guild, handing Gary and his partner Janine Irons, co-founder of Warriors, an Inspiration Award in 2021.

Denys was among the first generation of Warriors graduates!

A founder member of the original Jazz Warriors, Gary is a hugely influential musician and bandleader, composer/arranger, record producer, company director and facilitator. He leads Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop, Gary Crosby Trio, Guava, Gary Crosby’s Groundation, Jazz Jamaica and the 20-piece big band Jazz Jamaica All Stars – and has worked with many top international artists. He was a key player in Courtney Pine’s storming, original band, which shook up the jazz establishment in the mid 80s with its essential Black British vision.
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In 2002, Gary won the BBC Radio 3 Jazz Award for Best Band for Jazz Jamaica All Stars. He was awarded the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Ensemble in 2006 and, in 2007, he received the BBC Radio Jazz Award for Services to Jazz.

Gary is the nephew of the legendary Jamaican jazz guitarist, Ernest Ranglin.

The music of John Coltrane has long been a source of inspiration for both Gary and Denys.

They said: “In this special year marking the centenary of his birth, we are honoured to recreate a live performance of this seminal work. Coltrane’s artistry continues to resonate powerfully in 2026, speaking across generations through its spirit of innovation, freedom, and profound human expression. At a time when audiences are seeking deeper connection and meaning, this music remains as relevant and transformative as ever, reminding us of jazz’s enduring ability to challenge, unite, and inspire.”

Brilliant long-standing collaborators Andrew McCormack (piano) and Rod Youngs (drums) complete this towering line-up.

REVIEWS:
“A vivid piece of political art… the music is played fiercely” – Penguin Guide To Jazz Recordings, on Let Freedom Ring! (2003)
“The icon of British jazz” – Time Magazine on Denys
“Anyone who claims that an OBE stands for Other Blighters’ Efforts hasn’t met Gary Crosby. Nobody invests more hands-on time in jazz education than the deep-grooving double-bassist honoured in 2009. A musician who leads by example” – Evening Standard
“Breathtaking stuff. Britain has its own rival to the Buena Vista Social Club” – The Guardian, on Jazz Jamaica All-Stars
ON DENYS BAPTISTE’S 2017 ALBUM ‘THE LATE TRANE’
“Classy takes on lesser-known jazz gems” – The Guardian
“This set is much more than a tribute. It throws new light on a master while creating something that is entirely its own” – The Times
“…this laterally courageous take on Coltrane also underlines ambition to match a substantial talent” – Jazzwise

Header image of Denys Baptiste by Dave Stapleton