Sam Braysher Quartet presents Kurt Weill and the American Songbook

“I can’t think of another alto saxophonist with a sound quite like Sam Braysher’s” Dave Gelly, The Observer 

“Saxophonist Sam Braysher is like a breath of fresh air. He has an alto sound that doesn’t sound like anyone else, and is a throwback to the classic jazz of the 1950s with a contemporary twist” Jazz Views

“a perfect showcase for Braysher’s liquid alto: oh that more modern alto players could sound so lyrical!” Bebop Spoken Here

Sam Braysher’s new project explores the work of Kurt Weill, a fascinating composer who lies at the intersection of European classical music, jazz, opera and American musical theatre.

The London based jazz saxophonist, a regular performer at jazz clubs across Europe, has received international acclaim for his warm, delicate sound and deep knowledge of the standard repertoire and American Songbook.

His latest album, That’s Him: The Music of Kurt Weill, was released in 2024 and met with glowing reviews from the UK, Europe, Japan and USA, and received radio play on BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM. Awarding it a top rating of ‘indispensable’, French outlet Paris Move described the album as a “unique, moving, interconnected, creative, and exceptional entity, all coming together making it far greater than the sum of each individual part. This is the genius of Sam and his friends, knowing how to revisit Weill’s works with all the inspiration of a vast musical culture. Each track, like a treasure hunt, allows us to celebrate the essence of the original works… close to perfection.”

Braysher received widespread acclaim for the two albums released previously under his own name, both of which feature renowned international collaborators. Golden Earrings, with New York pianist Michael Kanan, was described as “delightful and surprising” by Dave Gelly in the Observer, while his recent trio album with Jorge Rossy (Brad Mehldau Trio) and Tom Farmer, was praised in Jazzwise as “a triumph of intelligence and sentiment”.

For this concert at Peggy’s Skylight, Sam is joined by an in-demand Nottingham rhythm section who will be familiar to club regulars: pianist Matt Ratcliffe, double bassist Martyn Spencer and drummer Andrew Wood. Between them the dynamic trio have accompanied the likes of Tony Kofi, Nigel Price, Simon Spillett and many others.

Expect to hear swinging renditions of classic songs by the composer of September Song and My Ship and hidden gems from the Weill catalogue in addition to music by adjacent American Broadway composers like George Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein and Cole Porter.

“the warm-toned young London saxophonist Sam Braysher is a prize-winning investigator of the early recordings and published music of Jerome Kern, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and many others, and imagines a new jazz closely attuned to an old world.”  John Fordham, The Guardian

Line up
Sam Braysher – alto saxophone
Matt Ratcliffe – piano
Martyn Spencer – double bass
Andrew Wood – drums