Colin Steele Quartet

Colin Steele Quartet is a prominent jazz ensemble led by Scottish trumpeter Colin Steele, who has been a key figure in the UK jazz scene for decades. Steele, recognized for blending Scottish folk influences with jazz, has developed a reputation for his warm, melodic trumpet playing and innovative interpretations of various songbooks. The Quartet includes top-tier musicians such as Calum Gourlay on double bass, Alyn Cosker on drums, and pianist Dave Milligan, who also arranges much of the music. They are known for their jazz reinterpretations of iconic songwriters, with albums featuring jazz treatments of the works of Joni Mitchell, The Blue Nile, and the Pearlfishers, bringing a fresh, sophisticated jazz perspective to these beloved catalogs.

Steele’s background spans from playing pop with Hue and Cry in the 1980s to studying jazz formally at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and extensive travels across Europe that shaped his musical style. His work is celebrated for its lyrical and rhythmic embrace of Scottish and Irish folk traditions fused with jazz, resulting in music that appeals to jazz purists and broader audiences alike. The Quartet's projects, such as their albums "Diving for Pearls" and "Joni – Jazz Interpretations of the Joni Mitchell Songbook," highlight Steele’s ability to reinterpret classic material with new energy and emotional depth, making the Colin Steele Quartet a standout act in contemporary jazz.

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