The Benet McLean Quartet - Benet McLean, Jason Yarde, Chris Dodd and Steve Washington

Benet McLean is a dynamic young virtuoso jazz pianist with a powerful, driving style. Having toured and recorded with a number of high profile bands including Badbone and Co., Roachford and Acoustic Bombastic, McLean formed his Quartet in 2002, performing his own cutting edge compositions.

The band have very quickly established themselves as one of the UK's leading young groups and their incredible debut CD, 'Clichés (For Another Day)', which has been featured on numerous radio stations, is an ingenious synthesis of bebop and hip-hop. The breathtaking new album, 'In the Land of OO-BLA-DEE' follows in the same vein (samples above - email here to order).

Recent highlights include performances at the prestigious Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, Soho, the 606 Club, Chelsea, the Jazz Café, Camden, the Vortex Jazz Club, the Pizza Express Jazz Club - Soho, Pizza on the Park - Knightsbridge, Shinos on London's South Bank as well as at the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Barbican.

The Quartet also feature one of the country's finest saxophonists, Jason Yarde as well as the brilliant Chris Dodd on bass and the world renowned drummer, Steve Washington.

The Players:

Born in London, Benet McLean has been composing and playing since he was three years old and many of the original tunes that can be found on the new CD, as well as heard in live performances, are developments of childhood compositions. His first instrument was the violin, but soon began to learn the guitar and piano as well.

By 1991 however, it was time for Benet to choose between being a concert solo violinist or a bona fide jazz musician, but his early classical training has given him enormous musical depth and facility. In recent years, Benet has worked throughout Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom with the likes of Kevin Haynes, Tommy Smith, Jean Toussaint, Dennis Rollins' Badbone and Co, Yehudi Menuhin, Omar, Orphy Robinson, Roachford, Sir Simon Rattle, Carleen Anderson, Cleveland Watkiss, Tunde Jegede, Loose Tubes as well as the rappers MC Supanatural and Ty.

Benet McLean melds the inspiration of romantic / late classical music with the hard swinging virtuosity of Art Tatum. "I'm not interested in bebop, I am interested in gold", declares McLean in admiration of players whose musical light shines over all demarcations of style.

'Swing, hip-hop, improv, you name it,

he can make it all sound as if it was

meant to live together' The Guardian

Jason Yarde - Alto / Soprano Sax

Born in 1970, Jason Yarde began playing alto and soprano saxophones with the Jazz Warriors at the age of sixteen, making him their youngest ever member. While studying for a degree in Performance Arts he spent a year at William Paterson College in New Jersey where he studied saxophone under Joe Lovano.

Since then he has been a member of Quite Sane, of several of Louis Moholo's groups, Afro Blok, Phil Robson Octet and led J-Life, a multi-award-winning outfit that toured the world from South Africa to Sarajevo taking in India, Mexico, Peru, China and the Atlanta Olympics.

He has also worked, among others, with Dennis Brown, Phoenix Dance, Terri Walker and the RPO and played in the big bands of McCoy Tyner, Roy Ayers, Andrew Hill, Hermeto Pascoal and Manu Dibango. As a producer he has been responsible for many albums on the Dune label, including work by Jazz Jamaica Allstars, Juliet Roberts, Soweto Kinch and Denys Baptiste's Let Freedom Ring.

Chris Dodd is a highly talented, all encompassing musician. He is sought after as both player and composer having written and produced many tracks for leading artists as diverse as Will Young and Jamie Scott as well as for the American television phenomenon, Pop Idol.

Chris is also just as comfortable playing the funkiest electric bass alongside the great singer Manu-manu, and the band Jamiroquai as he is in the acoustic environement, having worked throughout the world alongside leading jazz artists including Dick Pierce, Tony Levin, Gary Burton, Bheki Mseleku, Wynton Marsalis, Julian Joseph, John Etheridge and Mark Mondesir to name but a few.

Chris' beautiful compositions are also featured in the Quartet's repertoire - especially his beautiful ballad entitled 'Truth' (see audio samples 7 and 10). His trademark on the jazz circuit is his unforgettable cry of 'Woo-hah'. In his spare time, Chris enjoys being a semi-professional racing car driver.

Steve Washington, one of the UK's most respected and sought-after drummers, was born in Jamaica and moved to London in the early 60's. He turned professional at the age of thirteen and toured with the Mack and Katie Kasson band in the 70's.

Since then, Steve has become one of the UK's leading session players working with a diverse selection of artists from all over the world. He can play a wide range of styles - but he is mostly known for his groove drumming which has become his signature style.

In his career as a professional drummer, Steve has played with many recording artists and top international bands such as Texas, Take That, Wet, Wet, Wet, and Nik Kershaw. He has also worked with the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, The Jazz Warriors and Hugh Masakela. As well as performing in the Benet McLean Quartet, Steve is currently playing and touring with Errol Brown (Hot Chocolate).

For further information

and bookings, please call

Worldwide Artists, London

+44 (0)844 3 570 750

(UK Local Rate)

Or email info@worldwideartists.com

'Clichés (For Another Day) is a CD that crackles with energy, talent and originality'.

Humphrey Lyttelton, BBC Radio 2 - click here

'Benet McLean is musically fearless with the facility and skill to back it up!

Watch this guy - he is a massive talent'.

Julian Joseph, UK Pianist and Composer

'Extremely talented and soon to emerge as a major player on the world stage is pianist and vocalist Benet McLean. This young man's love for jazz is so deep that he HAD to put it onto CD. Mad skills!'

Courtney Pine, UK Saxophonist and Composer, BBC Radio 2 'Jazz Crusade'

'Fast-rising young pianist Benet McLean has a piano technique that seems to bring Art Tatum's music into the 21st century, drawing on classical music, postbop, hip-hop and beyond'.

The Guardian

'McLean's playing is very special'

Jazzwise Magazine

'I spend my days hoping someone will ask me to recommend a rapper who can play piano like Art Tatum. Then I'll be able to say, 'Sure, here's Benet McLean's number, and by the way he has a great vibe and can really sing too'.

Django Bates, UK Pianist and Composer

'We start off wailing with a new piano star, Benet McLean. This is 'Hip 16t'. . .Benet McLean and his quartet taking some giant steps in 2004. 'Hip16t' was Benet's tune, with himself ferocious at the piano and vocal, Roger Crosdale, tenor and vocal, Chris Dodd at the bass and Nic France on drums'.

Geoffrey Smith, BBC Radio 3 'Jazz Record Requests' - click here