Courtney Pine profile

Matching his massive stage presence with a dynamic approach to mixing hard-blowing post-bop with ska, funk, reggae, drum and bass and hip-hop that’s just as far reaching. Always backed by a seriously tight and talented band, some of them stars in their own right (stand up Dennis Rollins and Cameron Pierre), skanking, heavy beats and more soul than a shoe shop, topped off with Pine’s powerhouse playing and peerless showmanship. So the formula, (that works) hasn’t changed for years, but Pine’s skill of combining pure entertainment with a slamming jazz sound system remains rarely challenged. With his recent self-produced album ‘Devotion’ and his most recent tour de force, ‘Resistance’, consistently reworking all his favourite themes with vigour everything he plays is laced with a killer jazz punch, thus his live shows will leave you sweaty, smiling and with sore feet.