Renowned alto saxophonist Sam Braysher to play Luton's Bear Club

A London-based musician – whose sound has been hailed as unique by critics – is visiting Luton’s Bear Club as part of a tour to promote his new album.

That’s Him: The Music of Kurt Weill will be launched at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho on July 1.

British Jazz Award-winning vocalist Sara Dowling features on the album although she won’t be appearing with Sam in Luton.

He’ll be joined by Matyas Gayer on piano, Dave Whitford on double bass and Steve Brown on drums.

And from a musician’s perspective, he believes The Bear Club is a great place to play: "The way jazz is presented makes a huge difference to how people perceive and experience the music, and the venue for a concert is clearly a huge part of that.

"Because The Bear Club is such a cool space, it feels like people are keen to hang out there for the drinks and the atmosphere – as well the music. This is great because it means that you get to play to people who otherwise might not be exposed to jazz, as well as those who might be more experienced concert-goers.

“Neil and Giles (and Justin before them) have done a fantastic job of programming great music and making it a welcoming place to hang out and perform, and I really hope that the club can keep putting on music for many years to come.”

(The Bear Club’s future has been hanging in the balance but it looks like the building’s new owners are keen for it to continue).

Kurt Weill is best known for songs like Mack the Knife (from the Threepenny Opera), My Ship and September Song.

But Sam and his fellow musicians will also be playing some of his lesser-known compositions.

He explains: “The music is fun and swinging, so we hope people will enjoy it, even if they’re not die-hard Kurt Weill fans.

"He’s quite interesting in that he began life in Germany as a formal classical composer, but in the 1930s he fled to New York in the face of increasing political interference from the Nazi party – he was Jewish and his work often had a left-wing political slant.

"He really embraced his new homeland and considered himself an American - rather than a German - composer, writing songs for Broadway shows and Hollywood films in the vein of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, etc.

"His songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Lou Reed, The Doors and Sting.”

This is Sam’s third album. He says he’s particularly interested in interpreting lesser known jazz standards and songs from the Great American Songbook, and trying to create something fresh and new from old material.

He received widespread acclaim for his first two albums, both of which feature renowned international collaborators. Golden Earrings, with New York pianist Michael Kanan, was described as ‘delightful and surprising’ by Dave Gelly in the Observer, while his recent trio album with Jorge Rossy of the Brad Mehldau Trio and Tom Farmer, was praised in Jazzwise as ‘a triumph of intelligence and sentiment.’

You can hear him at The Bear Club on Friday, May 3. Visit https://www.the-bear.club/ for more information.