Sat 25th October, Doors 8:00pm Concert 8:30pm POLAR BEAR Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex Polar Bear are a young London based avant-garde jazz quintet. Led from the back, by the outstanding Seb Rochford, they are part of long great jazz tradition of drummer led bands stretching  back through Art Blakey and Chick Webb. Well known as drummer in the Hendrix inspired jazzers Acoustic Ladyland Seb has  played and recorded with a remarkably diverse range of people including Joanna McGregor, Adele, Brian Eno, David Byrne, Patti Smith and Yoko Ono. He also drummed in an early incarnation of Pete Doherty's Babyshambles playing on their first single. This wide range of collaborators is matched by the breadth of his musical taste that includes not only the jazz giants but also other artists such as grime artists Skepta, Devlin, Durrty Goodz, dubstep geniuses Burial and Kode 9 and awe inspiring singer Kaushiki Chakrabarty.   Their sound appeals as much to jazz traditionalists as to those people who don't normally do jazz. Polar Bear transcend genres creating a new form of British jazz that is uniquely their own and reflects UK music and life in the twenty first century. Featuring Seb Rochford (drums); Pete Wareham (tenor saxophone); Mark Lockheart (tenor saxophone); Tom Herbert (double bass) and Leafcutter John (mandolin and electronics). ________________________________________________________ "Here's something worth your time. Polar Bear are a significant ripple in the new wave of youthful, post-jazz". Independent on Sunday "This is not nu jazz, acid jazz, Jamie jazz, Parky jazz, Brit jazz, beardo jazz, post-jazz or twee jazz. It's dream jazz." Observer Music Monthly "The big-hitters of the current new wave.” Independent On Sunday ________________________________________________________ www.polarbearmusic.com Tickets: £12 / £8 concessions Tickets available from the Mercury Theatre Box Office: Mercury Theatre Balkerne Gate Colchester CO1 1PT Tel: 01206 573948 www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

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