The Cockpit

Ruben Fox
Gareth Lockrane (solo)
Tjoe Man Cheung's ​​NTBM (Not-To-Be-Missed) [EMERGENCE]

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Ruben Fox @rubenfoxmusic
From the streets of Brixton to the jazz clubs of Harlem, Ruben Fox brings his dynamic tenor saxophone to Jazz In The Round. Drawing on the legacy of swing and blues while pushing contemporary boundaries, Ruben’s performances are both virtuosic and deeply soulful. A tenor saxophonist from Brixton, South London, Ruben Fox has emerged as a leading voice in both the UK and US jazz scenes. Born into a musical family, he began performing at age 10 with Kinetika Bloco, a carnival troupe founded by his father, laying the groundwork for a lifelong passion for jazz. An alumnus of Tomorrow’s Warriors, Ruben further honed his craft at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London and at The Juilliard School in New York City, developing the versatility and depth that now define his playing. His sophisticated sound draws inspiration from tenor legends such as Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Lester Young, and Sonny Rollins, while remaining deeply contemporary. Throughout his career, Ruben has collaborated with jazz luminaries including Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Roy Hargrove, and Barry Harris, as well as rising stars like Reuben James and Mark Kavuma. In 2021, he released his debut album, Introducing…Ruben Fox, recorded in a single day in a New York basement studio. The album received critical acclaim for its seamless blend of classic jazz and modern sensibilities, exploring themes of heartache, hope, joy, and empowerment.

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Gareth Lockrane (solo) @gareth_lockrane
Gareth Lockrane started playing at the age of 10 and after raiding his dad's record collection discovered jazz at 14. Early influences included Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Bill Evans and Stan Getz on the jazz side whilst also being transfixed by the great blues/rock guitarists of the 60s and 70s as a child - BB King, Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy. Learning blues guitar solos on the flute at the age of 15 was a formative experience! He studied jazz at Royal Academy of Music in London where teachers included Stan Sulzmann, John Thomas and Eddie Parker. In 1997, his band "The Jazz System" formed with Osian Roberts was a finalist in the Vienna Jazz Festival Grande Concours de Jazz. In 1998, he studied on the Lake Placid Jazz Course in New York with Joe Lovano, Dick Oatts and Jim McNeely and in 2000 was a finalist in the Young Jazz Musician of the Year competition.

As well as his own bands, Gareth has been involved in many diverse projects on recording projects and live gigs including bands and recordings led by Quincy Jones, Dick Oatts, Tom Cawley, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Nikki Iles, Jodie Abacus, Reuben James, Lianne La Havas, Michael Kiwanuka, Marti Pellow, Seal, Corrine Bailey Rae and many more. Recently Gareth has been a featured soloist on some outstanding movie soundtracks - the 2018 Michael Caine heist thriller "King of Thieves" with composer Benjamin Wallfisch, and the 2019 Steven Soderbergh Netflix movie "The Laundromat" with the legendary David Holmes. In 2002, he formed Grooveyard who went on to win the Best European Jazz Group award in the 2003 Granada Jazz Festival.  From 2006, in search of some fresh musical challenges he enrolled on the prestigious MA course in film composition at the National Film & Television School, graduating in 2008. He also founded his own septet in 2009 which won best album in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards that year.  He has formed his own big band, the band blends heavy grooves and luscious orchestrations to spectacular effect and play almost exclusively Gareth's compositions and arrangements.

Gareth is heavily involved in the music education world, as course director of the junior jazz course at the Royal Academy of Music in London, as well as regularly teaching at degree and post grad level at the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Trinity College of Music.

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Tjoe Man Cheung's ​​NTBM (Not-To-Be-Missed) @tjoemusic / @not.to.be.missed