7th March 2015: Phil Donkin launches The Gate at Pizza Express March 10th. 4 stars from The Guardian + Jazz Breakfast Review + ticket update.

Prior to the official launch of Phil Donkin’s The Gate at Pizza Express on Tuesday March 10th, we have received two rave reviews for the album:

“Phil Donkin is a British double bassist with a thundering sound and impeccable time, who has built a transatlantic reputation as a player, and then turned out to be a gifted composer too… in its labyrinthine themes and cool ensemble hipness, The Gate sounds at times like a 1990s Holland band, but with the excellent Wendel’s sax sound drawing equally on the cool school tradition and the 21st-century downtown scene’s rhythmic innovations.”
4 Stars, The Guardian (full review)

“Whether starting a groove, stating a melody, shadowing the piano left-hand, accompanying the saxophone or locking in to a complex rhythm pattern with the drums, Donkin’s bass is deep, strong and richly woody throughout these 12 tracks”
The Jazz Breakfast (full review)

There’s still time to get one of the few remaining tickets for this highly anticipated event and for booking details click here: (ticket info)

The Gate is the debut album from Phil Donkin, one of the preeminent bassists of his generation in jazz and improvisation-based music. Featuring Grammy-award nominated saxophonist Ben Wendel, drummer Jochen Rückert and pianist Glenn Zaleski, the album is a debut of depth and maturity with ten original compositions and two covers (Thelonius Monk and Dmitri Shostakovich). With The Gate Donkin not only showcases his virtuosity as a bassist, but arrives as a notable composer of breadth and originality.