“Finding the right musical direction, the right musicians, sounding original, authentic and — an often overlooked ingredient — having a desire to communicate: Sharp Little Bones ticks all those boxes” - Stuart Nicholson

Album Launch Celebration

Sharp Little Bones is the house band of Peggy's Skylight (a multi-award-winning jazz venue) featuring bassist and composer Simon Paterson, drummer Andrew 'Woody' Wood and keyboardist Paul Deats. Joined by MOBO- nominated, multi-BBC Jazz and Parliamentary Jazz Awards winner Tony Kofi, they form a quartet of virtuosos playing compositions that reach deep within and far outside the jazz canon. Their sound has a fresh, contemporary appeal: an eclectic audio melting pot of jazz, funk, blues, bop and electronica. 

Expect to hear catchy post-bop, beautiful sax and bass-led melodies, spacious ballads, spiritual energy and expansive atmospheres, hard swingers, and groove-led pieces full of vibe. Within well-crafted, melodic writing and tight, rhythmical arrangements, there's freedom for expressive solos and intuitive, group-led improvisation. Their debut album, Sharp Little Bones (Volumes I & II), is released on May 26th on the Ubuntu Music record label.

Reviews:

“Finding the right musical direction, the right musicians, sounding original, authentic and — an often overlooked ingredient — having a desire to communicate: Sharp Little Bones ticks all those boxes” Stuart Nicholson 

“engaging… hugely varied, well-presented double album characterised by élan and enthusiasm - this would be good to hear live - Rating: ★★★★ Peter Vacher, Jazzwise

“a very impressive début; [they] to be praised for releasing a recording comprised entirely of original music. Composer `Paterson succeeds in his mission to write jazz tunes that are both interesting and accessible and he is well served by an excellent… highly exciting live band” Rating: ★★★★ The Jazz Man 

“Paterson’s varied compositions elicit excellent, imaginative and absorbing work from each of his colleagues, with the performances sometimes fluently mixing the moods in the development of a single piece. There is nothing here that is disposable. Either disc would have made an entirely satisfying album” Barry Witherden, Jazz Journal

"Passionate… superb… heartfelt" The Guardian 

Simon Paterson "pens a superior blend of material which often hints at jazz and world-music influences" Sam Inglis, Editor in Chief of Sound on Sound 

"Paterson's playing on several instruments is deft" Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal 

The music and sound immediately felt unique and the band’s performance got the crowd whooping. The audience demanded more; This night was a pleasure to behold, London Jazz News 

Paterson’s soloing is exquisite.  A strong debut from a trio offering contemporary jazz sounds that reach back to the standards era but remain resolutely modern in feel. It’s a tricky balancing act, but this band pulls it off; a sumptuous treat, well worth a listen. Rating: ★★★★ Rob Mallows, Kind of Jazz 

“Formidable work…tunes are strong on structure…and you get a certain narrative arc within each piece” Marlbank 

The sum of all parts makes Sharp Little Bones’ prolific recording a must have release and an excellent addition to this years’ musical canon. Bebop Spoken Here 

"There is so much respect in jazz circles for Tony Kofi." Jazzwise 

"There are thirteen tracks over two CDs with no sign of self indulgence or another overlong album in sight. The band were obviously having a good time and it would have been rude of them not to share the results with us. Matt Fripp, Jazzfuel

"Despite being a “new” band, Sharp Little Bones’s music is mature. The songs bristle with energy and a certain amount of daring born of surety and delight in their music….organic and polished. This is a band to watch to see what happens next". Ben Miller, Jazz Views

“Excellent double album…packed with hooky tunes, tight grooves, and deft group interplay, it's well worth checking out” Record Collector

“You’ll be hearing plenty more from Sharp Little Bones here on Jazz FM I have no doubt” Jez Nelson (Jazz FM)

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Testimonials: 

“Just to say how much I enjoyed the gig at Peggy’s last night. The last two tunes (and performances) in particular were phenomenal. I grinned all the way home”  

“Another fantastic evening with Sharp Little Bones. Such amazing playing and so many great tunes”  

“Tremendous #sharplittlebones gig last night at a packed @peggysskylight. Great tunes by @angelsinthearch and great playing by @tonykofi and the rest of the band”  

“Simon Paterson @anglsinthearch Wow! What an amazing composer!”

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Sample Track

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