Music

JLQ (John Lake Quartet)

Live performance of new original tunes recorded in August 2023 

Click HERE for the Showreel of new recordings on YouTube

JLT (John Lake Trio) Live at 

St Anne's Church Lewes on 28 July 2022

Click here for Trinity played live by JLT

John Lake Trio with Elizabeth Bustard 

Live at the Brunswick, Hove November 2019

Here's a sample of the band at the first full performance of new material as a quartet featuring Elizabeth Bustard on saxes, Matt Casterton on bass and Simon Cambers on drums. The track is a piece written by John Lake in 2017 entitled "Straw Dancing" and can be viewed on Youtube via this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTgKG4yjHPM

Superior mixed desk recording available here

Video of Wave of Translation at CD Launch in March 2016

The launch of the album Wave of Translation took place to a capacity audience in Brighton's eminent jazz venue The Verdict (considered by the Guardian as one of the top 10 jazz venues in Europe in 2016). The recording features Alex Bondonno on sax, John Lake on piano, Oz Dechiane on bass, Jackie Sampson on percussion and Simon Cambers on drums. The album is available to order online as a CD or download from CD Baby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/johnlaketrio2

Watch the video now on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NOTNw4HkPU

New recording for release in 2016 - Wave of Translation

https://soundcloud.com/johnbruce-1/1wave-of-translation-demo

A new CD of 10 new original compositions/re-interpretations by John Lake has been recorded by the 3 times Grammy nominated and Brit Award winning studio engineer James McMillan in his Quiet Money Studios in Hastings. The album entitled Wave of Translation takes its name from the title track, a piece which typifies the more electric and energetic ambience of the album and features Phil Paton on sax and Jackie Sampson on vocals. 

There are three new trio tracks, two of which taking their inspiration from the classical repertoire. Prelude and Interlude in E minor re-interprets a Chopin Prelude which transforms from a mood of  quiet reflection into an urgent pulsating interlude in 7/8 time, before returning to a newly transformed version of the Prelude. Asturias borrows the composition of the same name by the Spanish composer, Isaac Albeniz, but places it into a driven pulsating rhythm in 5/4 time with an energetic improvised passage in the middle. The third trio track, Cubanicity is inspired by John Lake's visit to Cuba in 2010 using the more romantic "bolero-son" influence rather than the upbeat sambas more commonly associated with the island's distinctive music.

There are 3 vocal tracks featuring Jackie Sampson. Make Up Your Mind - an upbeat jazz-funk influenced song ala the great 80's UK band Morrisey Mullen when Carol Kenyon sung with them which Simon Brewin helped write. That's Alright By Me is a groove driven jazz-funk piece which has strong overtones of Stevie Wonder's music infused in it and provides an opportunity for some vocalise by Jackie and an organ solo. The third vocal is a ballad entitled When You Put Your Hand in Mine taking the band into the territory of Weather Report's A Remark You Made.

Other instrumental tracks featuring Phil Paton on saxes include Blues at Seven on baritone, Josie's Tune on tenor and Zero Sum Game on alto, a piece which draws on John Lake admiration of the USA band the Yellowjackets, There are also 3 bonus tracks which are instrumental versions of the three vocal numbers on the album.

The CD will be released in February 2016 and will be available from Ray's Jazz Store in Foyles, London and online from CD Baby. However, Resident in Brighton have copies in stock now and are selling online at http://www.resident-music.com/productdetails&product_id=39596

The debut album - released in 2013.

Click here to order your copy

Definitely one for fans of the jazz styles of Esbjorn Svensson Trio (EST) & Lars Jansson from Sweden & the Martin Tingvall Trio & Bernhard Schuler’s Triosence from Germany. The album features strong melodic tunes & themes supported by complex rhythms & high quality sound recording mixed by Chris Turner of db1 studios, Brighton. The music swings with a driven groove, but not always in the direction you’d expect & as a result has a distinct, contemporary feel.