Daniel Rorke/Rick Simpson Quartet

Contemporary Jazz from Australia / UK / Ireland

Daniel Rorke – Tenor Saxophone (AU)                  

Rick Simpson – Piano (UK) Dave Redmond – Bass (IE)                             

Shane O’Donovan – Drums (IE)

Daniel and Rick met while on tour with trumpeter Linley Hamilton’s group that included American Jazz greats Adam Nassbaum and Mark Egan. Hilarity ensued. These musicians share a simpatico that makes for playful and exciting musical interaction on the stage. This quartet is born of a desire to further this interplay, joined by two of Ireland’s foremost rhythm section players. Expect adventurous contemporary Jazz music that revels in the joy of improvisation in a way that invites the audience to be part of the journey.

Rick Simpson is based in London playing a wide variety of music, and leads his own group playing original jazz music. In 2008 Rick won a Yamaha Scholarship Prize for Outstanding Jazz Musicians. A recording of Rick’s band was put on the front cover of Jazzwise Magazine.

Daniel Rorke’s latest album, Naked Allies, recorded in Brooklyn NY, features renowned saxophonist Oscar Noriega, Simon Jermyn and Matthew Jacobson. Boasting a varied performance career, Rorke has worked with cutting edge European and American Jazz musicians and has won many awards including Icelandic Jazz Album of The Year in 2005.

Irish Bassist David Redmond is best known for his collaborations with renowned Irish and International groups, and musicians including the acclaimed American pianist Bill Carrothers as part of the Kevin Brady Trio, Larry Coryell, the UK jazz vocalist Ian Shaw. He became a member of The Louis Stewart Quartet, and has also performed with Van Morrison. 

Shane O’Donovan is a Dublin based drummer and producer who is involved in a number of projects alongside some of Ireland’s leading jazz musicians. These projects include Michael Buckley’s Ebb and Flow, OKO, Gamerz with Kit Downes, John Moriarty Quartet.