Dave Hamblett - Light at Night (2013)

Dave Hamblett has emerged as a dynamic new voice on the UK music scene combining his formidable skills as one of London's most sought after young drummers with his growing reputation as a composer. Light at Night is his debut album and was recorded with five of his closest musical colleagues, featuring a range of textures and emotions.

Hamblett studied at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating in 2010 with first class honors and a host of awards including the coveted 'Yamaha Jazz Scholarship'. His distinctive yet adaptable playing has led him to work with many notable UK-based musicians including Abram Wilson, The F-IRE Collective Large Ensemble, Yuriy Galkin Nonet and Nick Smart’s Jazz Matanzas. Hamblett is also featured on the recent Ivo Neame Octet album Yatra.

As a leader Hamblett has been forging his voice by performing with his own sextet The Dave Hamblett Group, his main compositional outlet. The group features the leading lights of their generation in the UK: Ivo Neame (piano), Calum Gourlay (double bass), Josh Arcoleo (tenor saxophone), Joe Wright (tenor saxophone) and Alex Munk (guitar) and they have performed steadily on the London scene for the past three years, developing a tight, cohesive sound.

Light At Night presents music that is powerful, joyful and direct, while also sophisticated and intricate. It weaves simple melodies over unexpected shifts through harmonies and grooves while creating vibrant landscapes for improvisations that transform as the pieces develop. As the Evening Standard rightly asserts, this is "a debut album of unusual maturity."

Dave Hamblett - drums & compositions
Josh Arcoleo - tenor saxophone
Joe Wright - tenor saxophone
Ivo Neame - piano, rhodes, keys
Alex Munk - guitar
Calum Gourlay - double bass