Superlocrian is one of the UK’s finest chamber jazz ensembles.
Led by highly-regarded composer and arranger Sam Massey, the ensemble is renowned for its high-quality performances of exciting arrangements and brand new compositions.
The Ensemble
Sam Massey
Musical Director Sam Massey is a highly celebrated composer, arranger and trumpet player based in the South West of England.
As a composer/arranger, his work is well regarded and has been performed by leading chamber ensembles formed with members of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson Orchestra and Welsh National Opera Orchestra, along with pop artists such as PP Arnold, Ocean Colour Scene and Steve Cradock.
As a trumpet player, he has performed alongside Clare Teal, Mike Westbrook, Eliza Carthy, Paul Weller and Ocean Colour Scene and been lucky enough to play at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Kings Place Hall One and the Welsh Millennium Centre.
Gavin Mallett
Gavin Mallett is one of the UK’s leading trumpet players, with a glittering CV of performance and recording credits to his name.
He can be heard on the soundtracks of ‘Bugsy Malone’, ‘Dance with a Stranger’, ‘Rough Cut’ and ‘La Vie en Rose’.
His has performed with international stars Dame Shirley Bassey, Jack Jones, Matt Monroe, Bon Jovi and Phil Collins amongst many others and has played in the orchestra of over 100 different musicals throughout the West End and beyond. We are delighted to add Superlocrian to this list of credits!
Hugh Davies
Hugh Davies is a versatile trumpet and flugelhorn player whose styles range from the baroque to jazz and big band. Hugh has recorded at all major London studios, and performed at all major concert venues and theatres in the UK and many across the world from the UK to the Far East.
Hugh has toured and performed with artists as varied as Johnny Mathis, James, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Alfie Boe, Belle & Sebastian and toured China and Japan with Chicago The Musical. For many years Hugh was a regular performer in London’s West End and played on shows from Les Miserables to My Fair Lady and many more in between.
For 15 years Hugh was principal trumpet with The Orchestra of The Swan with which he made many recordings and live TV and radio performances (BBC TV, Radio & Classic FM). He has made many recordings for commercial TV and radio on advertising jingles and TV soundtracks and theme tunes, recent work includes The Repair Shop, Pawn Stars and Location, Location, Location.
Jade Gall
Jade Gall is a highly celebrated UK-based saxophonist and flautist, hailed as having a “big, strong tenor sound with a beautiful sense of melody and swing…a musician to look out for in the future” by top UK trumpeter Steve Waterman.
Experienced in jazz, classical and pop fields, she has performed alongside top-class musicians from around the world, including: Allison Adams Tucker, Claire Martin, Clare Teal, Jason Rebello and Duncan Lamont; and has featured on BBC Radio broadcasts.
As a classical saxophonist, Jade is a Fellow of Trinity College London (FTCL) in saxophone performance. She graduated with an MA in Music Performance from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2013 and has studied with top classical saxophonists Hannah Marcinowicz, Nigel Wood and Gerard McChrystal. A regular feature of classical music festivals around the country, she premiered Marianna Filippi’s ‘Meandering Impressions: A Love Poem’ (written for her) for tenor saxophone and piano during part of the Welsh Proms on the Lefel 1 stage.
A regular feature of horn sections across the UK & Europe, Jade has performed to sell-out crowds at The Welsh Millennium Centre, Glastonbury Festival and Boomtown Fair. She features as regular saxophonist of the smash-hit Dire Straits touring show “DS:UK” and is a regular feature of tribute shows and big bands as far afield as Barcelona and Belgium.
Edward Leaker
Edward grew up in the West Country, studying the saxophone under prominent tutors and performing in a variety of musical settings. From an early age, he showed a great interest in studying jazz and classical styles on the instrument. Edward was awarded the status of Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for classical performance and later he successfully gained a first class honours degree studying with Duncan Lamont.
In 2004, Edward graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, London with a Masters Degree in Music Performance. He studied saxophone and clarinet at the Royal Academy under the instruction of Richard Addison and Martin Speake.
Edward now enjoys a busy and varied freelance career performing in prestigious venues around Britain and Europe such as The Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, The Royal Albert Hall in London, The 100 Club in London and twice for The Queen! He has also performed with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Bristol Ensemble and has appeared on BBC television’s ‘Born and Bred’.
Mike Poyser
Mike first started playing tuba with brass bands around his home town of Littleborough in the foothills of the Pennines. Between 1999 and 2005 he studied at the Royal College of Music where he studied with Owen Slade and Lee Tsarmaklis. While there he has gained a degree in Physics and Musical Performance, a Masters degree in Musical Performance, and gained numerous awards and prizes, including the senior brass prize, the Directors Special Award, the Herbert Samuel Tuba Prize, and two concerto competitions.
Now working as a freelance musician, Mike has performed with many diverse ensembles such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Heritage Orchestra, the London Musici Brass Ensemble, the Southbank Sinfonia, London Concertante, New London Sinfonia, and the World Youth Orchestra. He has also performed concertos with the London Concertante, Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band, and the Royal College of Music Wind Orchestra and given recitals across London and also in Geubwiller, Alsace. He is also a founding member of the London Tuba Quartet and Heavy Metal.
Tom Green
Winner of the 2013 Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition and 2017 Eddie Harvey Arranger’s Award, Tom Green is a trombonist, composer and arranger described as “a new rising star in the British jazz scene” by Nigel Williams (Jazz FM). A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music jazz course, Tom plays regularly in the UK at venues including Ronnie Scott’s, the Vortex and 606 club, as well as on national and international tours. His current main project is the Tom Green Septet, who released their debut album “Skyline” in February 2015 to unanimous critical acclaim. Their second album “Tipping Point” was released in April 2020.
Tom has directed his own groups and big bands on national tours, including an 18-date Septet album launch tour across the UK, from Inverness in Scotland to St Ives in Cornwall. He has performed internationally at the Casa del Jazz in Rome, La Mortella on the island of Ischia in Italy, the Budapest Jazz Club, and Langnau Jazz Nights festival in Switzerland. His quintet were invited to Tunisia by the Jazz Club of Tunis to teach for a week-long programme alongside musicians from the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra in New York, culminating in a performance for International Jazz Day 2014.
His wide range of musical experience also includes directing, writing, arranging and performing music with big bands, orchestras, chamber, salsa, soul, funk, jazz and progressive rock groups both locally and nationally, as well as tours with professional shows across Europe, on both trombone and keyboards.
Tom is a director of the record label Spark! alongside drummer JJ Wheeler. Spark! was set up as an outlet for the most exciting music pouring out of the latest generation of emerging jazz and creative music artists. Alongside releasing and distributing music, the label provides support and infrastructure to talented musicians, enabling sustainable growth and career development while granting 100% artistic freedom and retention of their rights. The label now has 8 releases by artists including Sam Watts, Tom Millar, Lorraine Baker, and Patchwork Jazz Orchestra.
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