Tom Bancroft Quotes:
“I met two brothers called Bancroft. They’re good.” Sun Ra in The Guardian
“the most instinctive powerhouse drummer on the Scottish Jazz scene" David Keenan, Sunday Herald
"an uproarious set calling on complex themes in the vein of Gil Evans, Sicilian Wedding bands, all get out funk, and a fine sense of Scottish mythology"
The Independent 1990 reviewing Orchestro Interrupto
"the most complete mix of invention and originality" The Times reviewing Trio AAB
“Tom Bancroft is by far the most exciting, innovative, inspiring music educator I have come across. He thrills children of all ages with his wacky, funny ideas and top quality music. He captures the imagination of all his audience, from the very tiny, to the teenagers, to the mums and dads and grannies and gets everyone involved – even the, stroppy, ‘I’m not gonna do that rubbish’ 14yr old boys ended up joining in and having fun at one of the Kidsamonium performances I saw. Our young jazz players loved working with him and learnt a lot." Gill Walsh, Youth Ensembles Co-ordinator, The Sage Gateshead
Trio Red Live Reviews:
"a simply stunning ensemble.....They are, in turns, challenging and accessible - master musicians and improvisers in true jazz style....... Astounding is the only word that applies." Shetland Times reviewing Trio Red
Trio Red : First Hello to Last Goodbye IM003 Reviews
“this great new trio....bursts with creativity... Cawley’s soloing is a delight throughout... slow deliberation...through to pyrotechnics...brings this beautiful album to a fitting conclusion...” BBC Music
“brilliant .... beautiful album....lyrical grace...fierce political intelligence. I usually advocate shorter CDs but I’d have taken another hour of this. Buy it.”
Jazz Journal ****
“The album as a whole has an understated power....an excellent recording”
JazzWise Magazine ****
“it's often difficult to reconcile the quality, strength and collective purpose of the playing with the spontaneous circumstances of the recording...beautifully understated but still buoyant and celebratory... a collection that's by turns playful, attractively melancholic, catchy, beautifully poignant and consistently absorbing.” Sunday Herald
“Tom Bancroft gambled... and his gamble has paid off....the interplay...has a miraculous ease. And the the musical range is wide, with fast post-bop improvisations alongside lyrical musings and a beautiful take on Ornette Coleman’s Lonely Woman.” Daily Telegraph ****
“The Scotland-based group pieces together its peaceful contemplations and wild extravaganzas with sharp focus” Financial Times
“Trio Red succeeds brilliantly and deserves to become more than just a one off project. In the crowded world of the piano trio this album stands out from the pack.”
Jazz Mann
“A complete audible journey from start to finish, the trio's debut is driven by a clear spark and pulsating energy amongst the musicians that offers plenty of interest without the need of blatant melodic 'catch phrases'(so that's the key to this improvisatory lark). The record features drummer Tom Bancroft, Pianist Tom Cawley and bassist Per Zanussi, a trio of musicians combining their wealth of experience with a level of technical rapport worthy of a considerable amount more than a fleeting enquiry.” Josh Jennings , Jazz Shaped Blog
Awards:
Creative Scotland Award 2004
BBC Jazz Award for Innovation 2007
Herald Angel 2007
Scottish New Music - Ginkhana Award for Innovation in new Jazz Music 2017 - as part of Playtime collective.
Trio Red - Lucid Dreamers IM005 Quotes:
“Wide ranging and endlessly fascinating CD... shifting from ...playful reggae stepping ..to soaring, classical sophistication...a masterclass in trioism. At a time when so much new jazz is predicated on raw power or endlessly repeated Coldplay-style motifs, it’s so refreshing to hear such a thoughtful, ideas driven set...5 STARS!” Jazz Journal *****
“ Excellent.... superbly musical approach....his natural way of including the listener, even in his more abstract concepts.....Each of these ten pieces presents its own strong character, along the way incorporating playfulness, quiet profoundness, robust swing, small but very effective details, a wealth of sonic ideas, subtle solo building, and on Bancroft’s title track, a gift for melody that conjures rich images and emotion in very few notes.” The Herald
“superb atmospherically grooving...a close sense of rapport and organic dialogue between the musicians...a highly enjoyable set that strikes a happy medium between playful curiosity and deep groove.” Jazzwise ****
“Trio Red has really hit its stride... developed a great rapport...successfully integrating diverse musical elements into a distinctive group sound...a delight... breezy...infectious...thunderous” The List
“impressive level of rapport which is happily in evidence throughout... ebullient and invigorating improvising...dazzling... thrillingly exuberant... consistently inventive... a highly rewarding listen”
Jazz Mann
“the chemistry still simmers on this fine follow-up...A welcome reunion for an unpretentious trio of very classy musical equals.”
The Guardian
“a record of a band, developing and growing together... intriguing ... full of humour with a touch of naughtiness... resolving into an optimistic, emotional climax"
London Jazz News
“ a wonderful trio performance with Cawley’s piano at its heart....an album sure to reward fans of the piano trio and those interested in group improvisation.”
BEBOP SPOKEN HERE
Reviews for In Common IM008
“This fusion of jazz, Indian and occasional Scots traditional music... is vividly colourful music, the opening ...somewhere between Indian chant and nursery rhyme...while the 9/8 pipe tune ... is scarcely recognisable, subsumed into rich, Shakti-like guitar and violin deliberations over bodhran flurries.... a highlight is Flower Child, with its guitar and violin prelude shifting into Bancroft-beaty mode and powerful guitar work from Stephen.” **** The Scotsman - Jim Gilchrist
“Fascinating cross-cultural project...is a very appealing listen – full of action and yet beautifully calm and reflective.....Master musicians...This is a CD to really listen
to all the way through – the whole collection is a journey into somewhere else. Love & Stillness is well-titled. For all the speed and energy of the musicians, the whole thing has a beautifully restrained quality which presents us with a delightful opportunity to breathe in, feel the world in harmony and enjoy the moment.”
London Jazz News
"Its a rich mix with violin, tabla, guitar and bodhran....It's also a trance piece, very yoga, something for the whirling dervish in you. At times it trips out, spaces out and expands all the way into the depths of the universe. Flavours of psychedelic soul and funk are sprinkled in." Vanguard Online
"Bancroft .... has created something extraordinary here....a truly intriguing seventy minutes of mellifluous music."
All About Jazz
“exquisite harmonies - tabla and bodhran take over with chanting in the background creating a feeling of mysticism and meditation....full of interest and innovation.....very interesting and enjoyable......wonderful.” Sandy Brown Jazz
“Sometimes they smoulder....but at their most animated ...the group reach out across radically different traditions. Echoes of Miles Davis and strands of Celtic folk are interwoven with Srivastava’s violin and Singh’s tabla ...and scat flavoured vocals add subtle shadings.” Sunday Times
“Bancroft makes joining the dots between diverse musical aspects seem effortless... he draws from the Indian classical tradition ...discovers overlaps with his own Scottish folk heritage, jazz and contemporary electronica without falling into the trap of treating it as a fusion of parts... if you can imagine the Roches and Stereolab getting together to sing Sun Ra vocal mantras you’re on the right track.” **** JazzWise