Epsom Jazz Club – Sat 5th Aug 7.30pm – Nat Steele Quartet

* BONUS EVENT *

After the overwhelming success of our maiden weekend concert in March, Epsom Jazz Club is pleased to announce another bonus Saturday evening gig this August!

Nat Steele brings his quartet to Epsom with 2 sets of swinging, modern straight-ahead jazz, with a tip of the hat to the great vibraphonist Milt Jackson in celebration of Jackson’s centenary year this year. The band features pianist Rob Barron (Marlena Shaw, Benny Golson, Phil Woods), Jeremy Brown on bass (Peter King, John Wilson Orchestra, BBC Big Band), and Mark Taylor on drums (George Coleman, Monty Alexander).

He’s currently working on two new albums which should come out in late 2023 or early 2024: one a follow-up to the first MJQ album, featuring US tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, and the other a nod to Milt Jackson, whose centenary is this year, recorded with some musicians who used to regularly work with Jackson.

At his arrival on the scene, he quickly gained a reputation as a talented musician to watch out for, described by Clark Tracey as “one of the best vibes players this country has ever produced”. Principally self-taught and following in the style of Milt Jackson, Nat takes a two-mallet approach to improvisation, focusing on melodic interpretation over chordal playing. His “Nat Steele Quartet” is regularly featured at the Late, Late show at Ronnie Scott’s and as a result he has attracted compliments for his playing from the likes of Benny Green, Joe Locke, Jason Marsalis, Harold Mabern and Eric Alexander. He has studied with Mike LeDonne and had the good fortune to sit in with both Benny Green and Wynton Marsalis.