Courtney Pine, Hideaway

Revered British saxophone-and-clarinettist Courtney Pine returns to South London’s Hideaway Jazz Club for a two night run, following a sold out appearance in 2012 which earnt rave reviews from the critics, including five stars from the Independent’s Nick Hasted. Backed by drummer Robert Fordjour, double bassist Vidal Montgomery, guitarists Cameron Pierre and Chris Cobsson, and Samuel Dubois on steel pan, Pine will be celebrating his West-Indian roots, performing tracks from high-stepping, Caribbean flavoured release House of Legends.
An exploration of the musical history of the West Indies selected by Jazzwise magazine as their Album of the Year, House of Legends was met by a storm of coverage when it came out in 2012 with members of the music press falling over themselves to call it the strongest of Pine’s career. That’s high praise indeed when you consider that the reeds player, who favours soprano sax and EWI (an electronic wind instrument once played by American sax legend Michael Brecker) for this set, has 19 albums to his name along with a CBE for services to jazz and musical education (if it didn’t sound so painfully un-hip you’d probably call him a national treasure). But the upbeat melodies and hip-swaying grooves of tracks like Kingstonian Swing, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the end of colonial rule in Jamaica, and Liamuiga (Cook Up), make it difficult not to agree. Perhaps that’s why, two years since its release, the House of Legends party shows no signs of slowing down. Bring your dancing shoes.