Rory Jazz / Rory Bossa Nova

Rory is a professional jazz ensemble based in London, UK. Established in 2008 at the Royal Northern College of Music, the ensemble interprets a wide range of music as well as performing original compositions.

​Available from a North American-style Jazz Quartet to a South American-style Bossa Nova Trio, and everything in between, and offering quartet, trio, duo and solo options, the ensemble has expanded their repertoire to a 300+ songs spanning popular music and jazz from 1920s to today, Great American Songbook, Bossa Nova ('New Wave'), Samba and Brazilian music, Latin, salsa, soul and funk.

Rory Jazz

Rory Bossa Nova

Rory
Saxophones, Flute, Vocals, Piano

Rory is a London-based saxophonist, pianist & music producer with a background in jazz and improvised music.

Raised in Stroud, south west England, Rory was brought up on a diet of Celtic folk, musical theatre and jazz. He wrote his first songs aged seven, took up the piano aged nine, alto saxophone aged eleven, clarinet aged sixteen, tenor & soprano saxophone aged sixteen and flute aged eighteen.

Rory studied saxophone at the Royal Northern College of Music with Rob Buckland, Andy Scott, Mike Hall and Julian Arguelles as the second recipient of the Martyn Edwards Scholarship for Jazz. During this time, Rory performed with the Royal Northern College of Music Big Band, appearing with Chris Potter, Pete Long, Norma Winstone and Johnny Dankworth, and attending masterclasses with Andy Sheppard and Bob Mintzer.

After graduating with distinction in 2009, Rory enjoys a busy career performing and recording with his own projects and as a freelance musician, appearing at events (private & corporate) festivals and venues throughout the UK.

Rory has worked in a variety of fields ranging from big bands and contemporary music groups to DJ's, jazz and world music ensembles, party bands and musical theatre productions to promotional and media work, studio sessions and saxophonic / symphonic wind orchestras and quartets. Highlights include entertaining the athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games and appearing onstage in a production of The Blues Brothers: A Musical Tribute at the Arts Theatre in London's West End.

Rory has appeared at jazz clubs such as Band on the Wall, Matt & Phred's and The Hideaway Streatham. He has also played frequently at some of the big hotels such as the Hilton, Midland and Radisson, Manchester and Liverpool international airports and numerous stately homes and country estates for events (private & corporate), weddings and parties, and also being engaged by PR companies such as Blackjack Promotions and The Little Big Voice.

Chris
Piano

With a diverse musical background, playing classical piano and violin from an early age, studying contemporary composition at the Royal College of Music, electronic music in Paris and playing keyboards in the 70’s cover band Superfly Soul Collective, Chris is an individual and versatile musician, able to write and record his own music in a wide array of styles. 

Described as both 'cooly understated' and 'passionate and energetic', Chris's playing is able to cut to the emotional core of the music, no matter what genre.

www.chrisroemusic.com

Will
Bass

Will, originally from Wimbledon, has been gigging frequently on bass guitar, upright bass and piano since his school days. Will trained as a linguist (Spanish and Portuguese) at the University of Manchester, where he was highly in demand with various bands including Manchester University Jazz Orchestra, Manchester University Big Band, Superfly Soul Collective and The Open Session @ O'Shea's.


Will has travelled to some exotic destinations, including living in Brazil and Cuba (six months in each country), working as a professional agent in the Canary Islands and enjoying frequent trips to the Iberian Peninsula. Alongside the jazz quartet, Will is a founding member of Diáspora, and has played regularly with the group since 2009.

Riccardo
Percussion

Riccardo was born in Rome and his musical training began at the age of 14. From 2003 to 2006, he studied drums with Ettore Mancini and Marco Volpe. In 2010, he graduated from Conservatorio Licino Refice in Frosinone, where he studied amongst others with Ettore Fioravanti, with a BA (Hons) in Jazz. Since graduating, he moved to London where he has pursued a career as a drummer and teacher.

His musical experience includes playing with lots of Pop-Rock bands, small jazz groups and orchestras, funky function bands and tribute bands. He has also worked in recording studios realiwing albums with producers like Rob Ellis and many international session musicians. His musical capabilities go beyond then simply playing the drums; he is equally as good arranging music for original bands or solo song-writers, and as a performer he has played at international festivals in Italy and around the UK.

Ben
Guitar

Music runs in the family. Ben started learning the guitar when he was fourteen with his grandfather who was a professional jazz guitarist and a session player with Stéphane Grappelli, Gilbert Bécaud and Serge Reggiani. In Paris, Ben went on to study music theory, history, composition at the conservatoire and expanded his creative oeuvre through collaborations with painters, dancers, comedians and philosophers. Since then Ben has been performing and teaching professionally for more than fifteen years, working within a variety of styles ranging from American and Brazilian jazz to Chanson Française (French song), popular music and funk.

Ben currently works with 20 Fingers Meeting and La Boîte A Musiques, performing in London (Hilton Hotel, National Portait Gallery, Jumeirah Hotel Knightsbridge and SE11 Sessions at the Tea House Theatre) and internationally on cruises and hotel resorts in Algeria. Ben is also a qualified guitar instructor at Artpeggios.