Mornington Lockett

Jazz saxophonist and composer Mornington Lockett studied at Dartington College of Music in Devon before moving to London to attend the Guildhall jazz course. As a member of Ronnie Scott's Sextet, Mornington has worked extensively in Britain and abroad. He has recorded with guitarist Jim Mullen, singers Sarah Jane Morris (ex-Communards) and Ian Shaw, the group 'Sax Appeal', and US Bassist Joe Hubbard. In 1995 he performed with Cuban trumpeter, Arturo Sandoval at the Barbican in London and recently has played with Danish bass-player Neils Henning Ørsted Pedersen. He is working with the Stan Tracey Big Band/Quintet and the Clark Tracey Sextet.

Mornington has recorded an album under his own name for the independent 'EFZ' label released in June '94. The music is a mixture of his own compositions, exploring innovative harmonic and rhythmic ideas in a Jazz/Fusion idiom; and new arrangements of more familiar tunes. The album features Mornington's regular quartet: acclaimed pianist, Jonathan Gee; bass guitar virtuoso, Laurence Cottle; plus top jazz and studio drummer, Ian Thomas. Also featured are guitarist Jim Mullen, who joins them on two arrangements formerly played by the Jim Mullen Quartet: 'The Chicken' and 'Lush Life'; and the singer Sarah Jane Morris, who gives a breathtaking performance of 'Don't go to Strangers'.

Mornington Lockett was born in London, but grew up on the Isle of Wight where he began playing jazz, sitting-in with local traditional and mainstream musicians while still at school. At Dartington College he studied sax with Bobby Wellins, as well as classical clarinet, the North Indian Sitar, and advanced composition. He persuaded the college authorities to let him take Jazz Saxophone as a first study, becoming the first person in the UK to gain a degree qualification on the instrument. He moved to London in 1984 to study at the Guildhall School of Music and has worked professionally ever since.

About his Smooth Jazz side:

„The Roger Odell thing is smooth jazz in places. I also did an album called 'Late Night Sax' for EMI in '96. Some of it is complete tosh but the Marvin Gaye covers are cool enough for Jazz FM (London radio).

I am also working with a band called East-West Connection, who play Smooth Jazz, some of it veering towards the club thing. We just played the Love Parade in Berlin a couple of weeks ago, which was fantastic. The album (which I'm on) is coming out soon on a London independent label called Chilli Funk Records. I haven't put that on my homepage yet."

More info:

http://homepages.enterprise.net/bernardp/mlockett.html