Ep 123-Alex Hitchcock

London-born saxophonist Alex Hitchcock is regarded as one of the UK’s most virtuosic young jazz musicians. His group AuB, which released its debut album on Edition Records in 2020, was described as ‘ready to make cataclysmic waves in the sound of UK jazz’ by Jazzwise. His quintet’s critically acclaimed 2018 debut on Barcelona-based label Fresh Sound New Talent (home to debuts by artists including Ambrose Akinmusire and Avishai Cohen) was described by All About Jazz as ‘an exquisitely subtle collection of tunes… the clearest indicator to date of the stratospheric trajectory on which this super-talented quintet is indubitably heading’.  Their increasingly burgeoning reputation on the international jazz stage was confirmed by a major prize at the 2018 Umbria Jazz Festival, as well as touring to Poland, Spain, Italy and Hungary and performances at legendary UK venues including Love Supreme Festival, the Royal Albert Hall and Ronnie Scott’s. Named in 2018 and 2019 as ‘one to watch’ by Jazzwise magazine, he has performed with Chris Cheek, Soweto Kinch, Mark Lockheart, Nérija, Andrew McCormack, Ashley Henry, Maria Chiara Argirò, legendary American group the Blackbyrds, and Turner Prize-nominated artist Marvin Gaye Chetwynd. Performing highlights include North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Jazz à Vienne (France), Fano Jazz Festival (Italy), Festival Mas i Mas (Spain) and Glastonbury Festival (UK) as well as at the Barbican, Cadogan Hall, and Glyndebourne Opera House. His latest project, Dream Band, pulled  together a pool of 15 musicians from both sides of the Atlantic to bring to life a set of forward-thinking music.  The music was recorded across three London studio sessions in Spring 2021, with a different configuration of musicians each day. The result is a selection of 12 original songs ranging from a delicate duo (featuring the sensational Midori Jaeger on cello & vocals) through to an expansive 7-piece outing with guest stars Chris Cheek and David Adewumi. The link to his full biography, along with more Resources for this episode, is on our website. Our sponsor for this episode is: Legere Reeds! To learn more about why Derek Brown, Gerald Albright, and Eddie Daniels exclusively play Legere, visit www.legere.com And for a limited time, if you live in the US or Canada, use the code  EVERYTHINGSAX for 10% off at their store at shop.legere.com. The store is only available to US and Canadian residents. We talked about: Tone matching concept and process Practicing proactively instead of reactively What he meant by 'singing through the horn' How his undergrad influenced his storytelling when it comes to playing His approach to improvisation & writing and so much more! Show your love for the podcast by… Did you know you can get a complete listing of all our shows, as well as Bonus videos and searchable transcripts? All you need to do is become a Patron! Patrons play a huge role in helping to defray the costs of storing each episode’s video and audio, and producing and hosting the show. And, with their small monthly donation of $2 or more, they help keep the great interviews coming. If you want to become a patron and support the show, head on over to our PATREON site