Jazz in the House: Chris Batchelor's Zoetic

Renowned for his melodic and warmly lyrical trumpet playing, Chris Batchelor has been composing music for almost as long as he’s been performing. Winner of the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Composers and a BBC Jazz Award, this new ensemble sees Batchelor further honing and distilling the approach he established in his writing for the influential groups Loose Tubes and Big Air.

Batchelor’s distinctive compositions for Zoetic are the outcome of his long lasting immersion in a wide range of music in London’s varied scene, from East African guitar band grooves to echoes of wistful European folk themes and sinuous lines reminiscent of Arabic music.

Zoetic is an exceptional combination of musicians who have played together for years in many other settings. Guitarist John Parricelli and bassist Steve Watts were fellow members of Loose Tubes, for which Batchelor was a key composer and soloist. The addition of violist Margrit Hasler and percussionist Paul Clarvis results in a unique and intriguing collective sound, rich in textural possibilities.