George Crowley writes:

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I’m looking forward to the opportunity to see some fantastic musicians unfamiliar to UK audiences next week, in the form of three gigs from the Rob Garcia / Noah Preminger Quartet.

Drummer Rob Garcia (Wynton Marsalis, Anat Cohen, Chris Cheek) has been a mainstay of the New York jazz scene for over ten years. Along with the highly lauded young tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger (Cecil McBee, Billy Hart, Fred Hersch) and Barcelona-based bassist Masa Kamaguchi (Paul Motian, Dave Douglas, Tony Malaby), he will be hitting London next week for three gigs as a leg of a European trio tour. On the London dates, they will be joined by Jim Hart on vibes.

Gigs like this always fill me with anticipation. Though Rob Garcia and Noah Preminger are regular collaborators in NYC, this line-up with Jim is an altogether newer thing. The prospect of witnessing musicians of a really high calibre playing and exploring together without a great deal of playing history provides, for me at least, a genuinely exciting and fascinating experience.

I’m particularly looking forward to hearing Noah Preminger. His album “Before the Rain” (Palmetto) was in no fewer than seven Best Albums of 2011 lists in the US. He has a lovely sound, an open approach and a knack for finding surprise in his lines and phrases, and I’m excited at the opportunity to hear him opening out on tunes in such great company. I don’t mean to ignore the contributions of the other members, but hey, I’m a tenor player! noahpreminger.com

Jim Hart is a musician who never approaches any playing situation with anything but an open mind and heart, and the remarkable ability to adapt and support to an incredibly high standard.

To anybody who’s feeling the January blues, and the urge to check out some great original music from some players they might not have previously been aware of, I couldn’t recommend these gigs highly enough – see you on Monday!

The Rob Garcia / Noah Preminger Quartet play at

– Servant Jazz Quarters in Dalston on Monday 23rd (NOT the Oxford as advertised)

– Oliver’s in Greenwich on Tuesday 24th

– Spice of Life in Soho on Wednesday 25th with vocalist JO WALLFISCH.

Musician biogs and more details at theoxfordjazz.com