About
Musician
A top-level jazz drummer and composer for 40 years and an innovator on a traditional instrument (the bodhran), Tom has played with a huge range of classical, jazz, and traditional musicians from a wide range of European and North American countries - from Sun Ra to Geri Allen to Martyn Bennett – as well as rich music collaboration experiences in Ghana, Vietnam, Taiwan, and India.
Composer
As a collaborative creator, Tom has produced, mixed or mastered over 50 music releases; composed for film, dance and theatre; and worked in two long-term artistic collectives – the Pathhead Music Collective and the Playtime Collective.
Educator
As an educator Tom is: vastly experienced in all types of classroom; an expert on teaching drums, improvisation, composition and creativity; and with teaching a wide range of ensembles. He is currently the Drum Tutor at Edinburgh Napier University and is the most often invited mentor/tutor at the prestigious Distil programme for developing creativity skills and mindset in elite Scottish professional traditional musicians over the last 25 years.
Projects
Playtime
Live at the Village Hall feat Laura MacDonald & Gina Rae by Playtime Tangential Excursions by Playtime From 2014 this group performed every fortnight for 6 years at The Outhouse Bar in Edinburgh featuring the core group of musicians:Martin Kershaw (sax), Graeme Stephen (guitar), Mario Caribé (bass), and Tom Bancroft (drums).In 2018 Martin & Playtime…
Motian & Me
This is a new project from veteran Scottish jazz composer and drummer Tom Bancroft and is part a vehicle for his distinctive compositions and partly a tribute to one of his greatest heroes and role models. That is the American-Armenian drummer and composer Paul Motian, who died in 2011 after a long, varied, and creativity-centred…
Tom Bancroft: Trio Red
Trio Red features 3 innovators from 3 of the most vital jazz scenes in Europe. Between them they have played a key role in some of the most groundbreaking signature groupings in their home scenes over the last 15 years, as well as playing with a wide range of global music greats including Sun Ra,…