Part of the EFG London Jazz Festival

Hans Koller - piano

Tony Kofi - sax

Calum Gourlay - bass

Noah Ojumu - drums

Louis Koller - trombone

Pianist/composer Hans Koller joins forces with double bassist Calum Gourlay, fellow founder of the Monk repertoire band Thelonious, and with the unique saxophone virtuoso Tony Kofi, who is himself renowned for knowing the entire Monk book by heart.

Two amazing new young jazz musicians on the scene, Noah Ojumu (drums) and Louis Koller (trombone) complete this exciting group celebrating the music of Thelonious Monk, in an exploration of some of the lesser known compositions, offering their own take on this iconic, timeless music.

Tony Kofi is a British Jazz multi-instrumentalist born of Ghanaian parents, a player of the Alto, Baritone, Soprano, Tenor saxophones and flute. Having 'cut his teeth' in the “Jazz Warriors” of the early 90’s, award-winning saxophonist Tony Kofi has gone on to establish himself as a musician, teacher and composer of some authority. As well as performing and recording with Gary Crosby's “Nu-Troop” and “Jazz Jamaica”, Tony’s playing has also been a feature of many bands and artists he has worked/recorded with include “US-3” The World Saxophone Quartet, Courtney Pine, Donald Byrd, Eddie Henderson, The David Murray Big Band, Sam Rivers Rivbe Big band, Andrew Hill Big Band, Abdullah Ibrahim, Macy Gray, Julian Joseph Big band, Harry Connick JR, Byron Wallen's Indigo, Jamaaladeen Tacuma's Coltrane Configurations and Ornette Coleman.

His fluent and fiery hard-bop style makes him constantly in demand. He currently leads his own Tony Kofi Quartet, Tony Kofi Sphinx Trio, Future Passed Trio and is also the co-founder with Jonathan Gee of the Monk Liberation Front, a group that is dedicated to the music of Thelonious Monk. Tony’s latest project sees him performing with Alex Webb’s Café Society Swing, Arnie Somogyi’s Jump Monk, Larry Bartley’s JustUS Quartet, Larry Bartley Trio featuring Tony Kofi, Adrian Reid Quartet, a double leaders project with Alan Barnes called Aggregation, Orphy Robinson’s Bobby Hutcherson songbook project, Alina Bzhezhinska Hip Harp Collective, Jo Harrop’s Fever, Portrait of Cannonball (Music dedicated to Cannonball Adderley)

Tony Kofi and the Organisation, a recent project which he co leads on the Baritone Saxophone. Currently working with NYJO conducting Monk at the Town Hall.

“Passionate… superb… heartfelt” The Guardian “There is so much respect in jazz circles for Tony Kofi.” Jazzwise

Winner BBC Jazz Awards 2005 -Album of the Year

Winner, Best Ensemble, Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2005

Winner BBC Jazz Awards 2008 – Best Instrumentalist

Nominee, Mobo Awards 2008

Winner of the Jack Petchey award 2015

Presto Music Award 2020

Awarded an Honorary Professorship Nottingham University 2021

Films: King of Thieves, The Halcyon, The Cat.

Winner, Best instrumentalist Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2022

Currently teaching at Trinity Laban conservatoire, Julian Joseph Jazz Academy, World Heartbeat Academy and University of West London.

Pianist and composer Hans Koller (born in Landshut/Germany 1970, resident in London since 1991) has created a substantial body of over 70 original compositions, recorded in sixteen critically acclaimed albums. His works have been performed, interpreted and/or documented in collaboration with many of the leading lights of contemporary jazz such Bill Frisell, and Steve Swallow, with the pioneers of the early Avant-garde such as Steve Lacy, Alexander von Schlippenbach and Evan Parker, and with the genre-defining, ground-breaking composers/improvisers Bob Brookmeyer, Mike Gibbs, and Kenny Wheeler.

He was described by Chris Parker as “simply one of the UK’s most individual voices, both as a composer and pianist”.  His début big band album New Memories from 2002 was hailed by John Fordham in the Guardian as “the most expansive, expressive and exciting new jazz orchestral sound to have emerged in this country since the late-lamented Loose Tubes” while his 2011 record with Bill Frisell was named an “instant classic” by John Eyles, giving it five stars.  His triple vinyl release received five stars in Jazz Journal, as well as from Mike Gates (UK Vibe) who described the recordings as “an incredible achievement [which] have to be rated as one of the most important and musically rewarding releases of 2016.”Matt Miller, writing in New York City Jazz Record, described him as “an artist steeped in tradition but with a distinct voice of his own”, while Dave Gelly, writing in the Observer, went as far as saying that “like his piano playing, Koller’s writing for large ensemble is difficult to describe because it doesn’t sound remotely like anyone else’s.”  Michael Tucker noted that his “approach to the interplay of the historical and the contemporary is as open-minded as it is creative”.  Ian Carr, in his entry in the Rough Guide to Jazz (4th edition), remarked: “Koller is an exuberant talent, his music full of surprises”.  And John

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