City of Poets with Cedric Hanriot, Jason Palmer and Clarence Penn for Pizza Express live recording

The band also features prodigious saxophone talent Danny McCaslin and a powerful rhythm section of expat Whirlwind label boss and bassist Michael Janisch and highly regarded US drummer Clarence Penn.

Keyboardist and composer Hanriot has worked with renowned American bassist John Patitucci and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, who both appeared on his debut 2011 solo album French Stories, while his increasingly high-profile sideman work includes Dianne Reeves’ latest soul-jazz infused album, Beautiful Life, from earlier this year. He often utilises laptop effects and synths to add a contemporary edge to his sound, which he also explores in his groOovematic electro-acoustic piano trio. US trumpeter Jason Palmer is also a rising star of note and has already worked with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove, Ravi Coltrane and Wynton Marsalis among many others, as well as releasing three solo albums as a leader.

The London City Of Poets performance is part of a US, UK and European tour that also visits New York, Boston, Wales, London and ends in Paris at the Sunset Sunside Club for two nights on 26-27 September. The band will also conduct master classes while in London at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music on 24 and 25 September respectively.

The Pizza Express date will see the group perform original music composed by Hanriot and Palmer who draw inspiration from Hugo Award-winning sci-fi writer Dan Simmons. They combine elements from his stories into a three-part suite that also uses Olivier Messiaen’s famed ‘7 modes of limited transportation’ as a starting point for both composition and improvisation. The gig will also be recorded for a live album that is set for release on Whirlwind Recordings in 2015.    

– Mike Flynn

For more info and tickets go to www.pizzaexpresslive.co.uk