Blues and Roots Ensemble Performs Mingus & More !

Event information

Ed Babar - Director/Double Bass
Tara Minton - Vocals
Tom Smith - Sax
Miguel Gorodi - Trumpet
David Lalljee - Trombone
Lynn Henderson - French Horn
Pete Letanka - Piano
Flavio Li Vigni - Drums

Blues and Roots Ensemble (BARE https://bluesandrootsensemble.com/) is a diverse collective of accomplished international musicians from South Africa to Sicily, Australia to Cuba known for its raucous, visceral and captivating concerts.

Led by bassist Ed Babar, the ensemble formed in 2016  to share the music of Charles Mingus and  has since evolved to also perform arrangements of Abdullah Ibrahim, Dorothy Ashby and other significant jazz composers. 

This new set offers the chance to shine a light on an important area of jazz history, offering a sense of hope from some of its darkest moments.

BARE has performed sold out shows at the Jazz Cafe, The Elgar Room at the Albert Hall as well as host of other London clubs. Festival performances include Wimbledon International Music Festival, Cambridge Jazz Festival and EFG London Jazz Festival 2018 for which BARE was also the education lead, with a mass participation project involving 120 musicians at the Southbank Centre. 

Blues and Roots Ensemble did a service to the spirit of the larger than life legend, Charles Mingus [...] handling the complexities of the bass-playing genius with a dapper swagger.”

Jazz Standard Magazine 

As well as a performing ensemble, BARE is a charity and has grown a reputation for its new initiatives in music education, offering creative experiences to participants of all ages and abilities, but particularly those in less represented areas, through music workshops, online resources and live performances. 

“The Stage was set for the incredible Blues and Roots Ensemble, who entertained and enthralled the crowd with beautifully arranged performances of Charles Mingus works. Now this music isn’t easy, it’s highly technical, but these cats make it simply float on air with smiles and laughter.”

EFG London Jazz Festival Audience Member