Fresh from touring on the continent as a member of Kenny Garrett’s quintet, pianist Trevor Watkis is working on a new album which will be his first since 2007’s Straight Ahead...Ride For Tone.

The brother of jazz singer Cleveland Watkiss,Trevor studied in Berklee in Boston in the 1980s and is one of Britain’s leading post-bop players of his generation, specifically coming out of the Mulgrew Miller-inspired sound.

A member of the 2013 MOBO-nominated Lineage, a band that is something of a supergroup also featuring trumpeter Byron Wallen, saxophonist Tony Kofi, bassist Larry Bartley and drummer Rod Youngs and which played a range of hard bop material including Woody Shaw and Tony Williams classics and band-penned originals including Watkis’ fine tune ‘With Substance,’ commenting on touring with Garett Watkis says: “It was great fun to work with and share the stage with Kenny, one my favourite musicians and one of the greatest saxophonists out there!”

As for the new recording he says it’s looking like a trio affair with additional guests contributing and like Trevor’s earlier album it will be recorded in New York with sessions to begin later this year.

Stephen Graham

Trevor Watkis, above