adEIdJ – Associazione delle Etichette Indipendenti di Jazz

Press Release

• PRESS RELEASE
Prodotto da Dodicilune, distribuito in Italia e all’estero da IRD e nei principali store online da BELIEVE DIGITAL, mercoledì 20 maggio 2026 esce “Live at The Beaver Inn“, il nuovo CD del sassofonista milanese Tommaso Starace, naturalizzato britannico fin dal 1994, qui alla guida del suo “Organ Trio” con Martin Jenkins all’organo hammond e Pip Harbon alla batteria.

Registrato dal vivo nel sud-ovest del Regno Unito, presso il “The Beaver Inn” storico jazz club situato sull’estuario del fiume Torridge, nel Devon settentrionale, luogo di culto della musica jazz di tutta la regione che nel corso degli ultimi venti anni ha accolto sul proprio palcoscenico i migliori musicisti jazz del Regno Unito e le loro band. 

“I have had the pleasure of playing with Martin and Pip as an Organ Trio for the past three years. I knew Pip from my early days when I used to be invited to perform at the St Ives Jazz Club and to play with the house band. I have always admired the gusto he puts into his drumming and the sound he gets out of his kit. And to make things even better and easier, he's such a gentleman and so easy to work with! I first met Martin a couple of years ago when I was looking into touring with an Organ Trio. Needless to say I was immediately transported by his hard, swinging playing and sensitive comping, plus of course, just as with Pip, by his kindness and gentleness. During these three years we have played together in many Jazz clubs and conducted several workshops throughout Cornwall and Devon, so that we now know each other musically to the point of experiencing quite a few "magic moments” during our performances. This recording came about accidentally as Peter Hames, the concert organiser, wanted to keep a record of the evening. The event at the Beaver Inn was packed with a lively audience that gave us the right energy and positive vibe to deliver a performance full of adrenaline and musical adventure. I didn't realise until I listened to the recording how special it felt, at least to me, so I decided to 'stop it in time' and make it into a CD. I do hope that, through this recording, the listener will be able to relive a similar experience and to appreciate the exuberance of our playing, the interchange of ideas and, above all, the sheer joy of a really memorable evening that marked the end of a successful week of touring.” (Tommaso Starace)

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome this album. Tommaso’s playing on it is typically inventive and joyous and, together with the fine musicianship of Martin Jenkins and Pip Harborn, the band’s performance delighted the audience at The Beaver Inn. My thanks go to Tommaso and all the others responsible for producing the album. They have provided an excellent example of the wonderful gigs we have put on at North Devon Jazz Club in The Beaver over the last twenty years. During that time the pub on the Torridge estuary has become the foremost jazz venue in North Devon and every two weeks we have welcomed the finest UK jazz musicians and their bands. They include Peter King, Gilad Azmon, singers Liane Carroll, Christine Tobin, Tina May and Ian Shaw, Simon Spillett, Bruce Adams, Andy Sheppard, Laura Jurd, Jonathan Gee, Xhosa Cole, Nicolas Meier and many others. It has been a great ride and we look forward to many more years of jazz at The Beaver.” (Peter Hames)

• PRESS RELEASE (English)
Produced by Dodicilune, distributed in Italy and internationally by IRD and via major online retailers by BELIEVE DIGITAL, Wednesday 20 May 2026 sees the release of “Live at The Beaver Inn”, the new CD by Milanese saxophonist Tommaso Starace, a naturalised British citizen since 1994, here leading his “Organ Trio” with Martin Jenkins on Hammond organ and Pip Harbon on drums.

Recorded live in the south-west of the United Kingdom, at “The Beaver Inn”, a historic jazz club situated on the estuary of the River Torridge in northern Devon, a mecca for jazz music across the region which, over the last twenty years, has welcomed the UK’s finest jazz musicians and their bands to its stage.

• BIO
Nato a Milano nel 1975, Tommaso Starace inizia a studiare sassofono a 18 anni e si trasferisce nel Regno Unito nel 1994, diplomandosi con lode al Birmingham Conservatoire e specializzandosi in jazz alla Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Nel corso della sua carriera ha collaborato con importanti musicisti internazionali come Paolo Fresu, Dave O’Higgins, Billy Cobham, David Liebman e Kenny Wheeler, oltre a lavorare nel 2004 con il compositore premio Oscar Dario Marianelli. Nel 2008 riceve la Honorary Membership del Birmingham Conservatoire per il suo contributo alla musica. Attivo sui palchi di festival e jazz club internazionali, Starace ha sviluppato una produzione discografica ampia e versatile, incidendo numerosi album come bandleader in formazioni che spaziano dal quintetto al solo sax. I suoi progetti riflettono una costante ricerca stilistica, dal bebop alla contaminazione latina, dal funk alle riletture colte, come nel lavoro dedicato alle Suites per violoncello di Bach al sax soprano. Tra le sue produzioni più significative figurano “The Power of Three”, “Eleuthera All That Jazz”, “Narrow Escape”, “Italian Short Stories” e diversi omaggi a grandi figure della musica e della fotografia. Attualmente è impegnato in concerti e produzioni in tutta Europa.

Born in Milan in 1975, Tommaso Starace began studying the saxophone at the age of 18 and moved to the UK in 1994, graduating with honours from the Birmingham Conservatoire and specialising in jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with leading international musicians such as Paolo Fresu, Dave O’Higgins, Billy Cobham, David Liebman and Kenny Wheeler, as well as working in 2004 with Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli. In 2008, he was awarded Honorary Membership of the Birmingham Conservatoire for his contribution to music. A regular performer at international festivals and jazz clubs, Starace has built up an extensive and versatile discography, recording numerous albums as bandleader in ensembles ranging from quintets to solo saxophone. His projects reflect a constant stylistic exploration, from bebop to Latin influences, from funk to sophisticated reinterpretations, such as his work dedicated to Bach’s Cello Suites on the soprano saxophone. Among his most significant recordings are “The Power of Three”, “Eleuthera All That Jazz”, “Narrow Escape”, “Italian Short Stories” and various tributes to leading figures in music and photography. He is currently performing in concerts and productions across Europe.

Track List

• TRACKLIST
1) Introduction
2) We See
3) Groovy Samba
4) Firm Roots
5) Stablemates
6) Misty
7) Fungii Mama
8) Voyage

• COMPOSITIONS BY
Compositions by Thelonious Monk (2), Sérgio Mendes (3), Cedar Walton (4), Benny Golson (5), Erroll Garner (6), Blue Mitchell (7), Kenny Barron (8)

Personnel

Recording Data

• PRODUCTION DATA
Total time 57:49 STEREO DDD
? 2026 DODICILUNE (Italy)
© 2026 DODICILUNE (Italy)
www.dodicilunedischi.it
CD DODICILUNE DISCHI Ed619
8059772566193

• RECORDING DATA
Produced by Tommaso Starace and Maurizio Bizzochetti, Dodicilune. Live recorded 13 October 2025 by Peter Hames at The Beaver Inn, Appledore, Bideford, United Kingdom. Mixed and mastered 14 November 2025 by Anthony Galatis at Uptown Studios, London, United Kingdom. Cover photo © St Austell Brewery. Photos by Julian Warde, Giorgio Vergnano. Contact: tommasostarace.com, info@tommasostarace.com

• EXTRA NOTES
I would like to thank first and foremost Martin and Pip for the great musical adventues we have experienced so far. You guys rock and I look forward to more! Secondly I would like to thank Peter Hames for recording this concert at the Beaver Inn. It wasn't planned but I'm glad he did it, because it was a particularly enjoyable and memorable evening. This CD is dedicated to my parents, Franco and Angela Starace, without whom neither my music nor my career would be possible.