Northern Ireland-based Lyte Records has signed saxophonist Jean Toussaint and will release his first record as a leader since 2010's Live in Paris and London on 24 February 2014.

The St Thomas-born London-based Toussaint, 53, made his name with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the 1980s appearing on such records as New York Scene (Concord) and Blue Night (Timeless) in the stellar company of Bu himself, Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, the late Mulgrew Miller, and Lonnie Plaxico. As a leader Toussaint's own albums also include The Street Above The Undergound, which won the prestigious best album accolade at the first BBC Jazz Awards in the early-noughties. Toussaint is also a leading jazz educator and the Berklee-educated player has taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and at Trinity Laban in London and in Ireland this year was on the faculty at the Sligo Jazz Project in July.

Lyte is owned and run by drummer David Lyttle, and the label, which this year has seen success with Nigel Mooney’s The Bohemian Mooney, will also release new signing Jason Rebello’s highly anticipated Anything But Look in November as exclusively revealed in marlbank http://www.marlbank.net/news/878-jason-rebello-to-release-his-first-album-in-six-years

“It's truly a milestone to have Jean release with my label," David Lyttle says. As yet untitled, the album will feature Jean Toussaint’s working trio of pianist Andrew McCormack, bassist Larry Bartley, and drummer Troy Miller who featured on Toussaint’s Live In Paris And London album. Toussaint will also tour the album extensively in March, the label indicates. SG
Jean Toussaint above