Ian Hill – Saxophonist

Born in London, Ian`s musical roots are in the bluebeat, ska and reggae flavours of his Caribbean parents. Add to this the pop, soul, jazz fusion and bebop music of his adolescence and you start to get a sense of the style, sound and stories reflected in his saxophone playing and songwriting.

“I grew up with the Beatles, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Small Faces, Studio One and Trojan Records, Elvis Costello and Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Prefab Sprout – all poets, all preaching, all in my head.” After studying politics at East Anglia and psychology at Oxford University, Ian went on to get an MA in music at Liverpool University and studies jazz saxophone at Birmingham Conservatoire.“When are you going to get yourself a proper job?” (Quote from Ian’s mum) Ian played regularly on the club circuit in the North West during his days in Liverpool with a band called the Straight Jackets, and with co-writer Peter Brew created his first album “Songwriters’ Showcase”, a collection of original numbers. Ian has since moved on to become a regular on the local jazz circuit, performing his brand of smooth jazz and soul in the Midlands with vocalists such as Roy Forbes, Denise Gordon, Chris Watt’s Steely Dan tribute band, Gary Grace, Lizzy Parks, and many more. Ian plays with his own quartet, where he celebrates his favourite artists including Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, Hank Mobley, John Coltrane, Joshua Redman and Johnny Griffin to name a few.

Ian has several projects underway at present with local groups including Graham Dent's `Jucamaya`, `Taba Time`, which is a tribute outfit playing the music of American bassist Dean Taba, Afro-fusion outfit `Jama` and smooth jazz project with vocalist Chris Watts.