Pete Lee: Piano & Keyboards
Tom Varrall: Guitar
Huw Foster: Electric Bass
Ali Thynne: Drums 

& Guest Soloist Josh Arcoleo: Sax

Royal Academy of Music graduate Pete Lee leads his new band Narcissus, combining contemporary jazz with pop precision.

“My music for Narcissus aims to combine the things I love the most about pop and jazz: relentless groove & memorable melodies, dark harmonies, odd time signatures and interactive improvisations.” Pete, in his interview with Jazz Yorkshire.

Apparent from the name Narcissus, and the composition titles, the music is themed around psycho-analysis, mental awareness & human behavior. The band’s sound is striking, fiery and unapologetic, full of contrapuntal grooves, cascading piano runs, overdriven guitar, expressive bass fills and quantised hi-hat 16ths, all delivered with self-assurance.
The band members met whilst playing in 9-piece funk outfit The White Keys. Pete admired the precision, economy and the sense of conviction in their playing, qualities that Narcissus brings to a jazz context.
The band debuted in May 2012 at The Vortex Jazz Club, marking the final recital of Pete’s Masters degree from the Royal Academy of Music. Since then, Narcissus has recorded its eponymous debut EP and has produced a live video of Pete’s composition “Writer’s Block”. The buzz generated by the release of the media resulted in a feature on Jazz FM, and an interview for Jazz Yorkshire.
Narcissus is currently booking dates around the UK to support the release of its debut EP. Previous gigs include “Sela bar” Leeds, “Under The Bridge” Chelsea & “The Slaughtered Lamb” London, as part of a monthly cross-arts showcase hosted by Platform33. In anticipation of this gig, Seb Scotney posted a preview in LondonJazzNews.

bigappleyankee is following