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04 April 2011
The Capstone Theatre
�Downes seems to have become everyone's favourite young pianist�..�
- Dave Gelly, Observer

In jazz circles, UK pianist Kit Downes is a clearly a rising star. In 2008 he was awarded winner of the BBC Jazz Awards, in 2009 the Yamaha Jazz Scholarship Award and in 2010 he was one of PRS Foundation�s Take Five Jazz Award winners. His 2009 album Golden, with the Kit Downes Trio, was shortlisted in 2010 for a Mercury Award and has won him great critical acclaim from the national press and Jazz reviewers.

Downes attended Norwich School, the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music. A member of the jazz ensemble Empirical, appearing on their debut album produced by Courtney Pine, he played internationally at the North Sea Jazz Festival, JVC Festivals in New York, Montreal and Newport and Vancouver Jazz Festival.

He formed the Kit Downes Trio in 2005 with colleagues from the Royal Academy of Music. Since then the band has played at the London Jazz Festival 2008 and 2009, Ronnie Scott's British Jazz Festival, BBC Radio 3 Live Broadcast, Glasgow Jazz Festival and Cheltenham Jazz Festival. The trio�s music is inspired from influences as diverse as Bela Bartok, Rufus Wainwright and Keith Jarrett.

Following their auspicious debut, Golden, a new Kit Downes Trio album is due for release in March 2011 on Basho Records, and features guests cellist Adrien Dennefeld and saxophonist/bass clarinetist James Allsopp.