Courtney’s 12th album not only pays tribute to the first great saxophone star, Sidney Bechet, but also marks several new forays into sound for the groundbreaking Jazz Warrior. Reviewed as some of his best work to date, the music was composed and evolved through a series of intimate shows in the UK during 2007, before Pine took his band into the studio to document and capture the energy that only a live audience can give. This will be the first extensive tour of the finished material.
Pulling together a heavyweight musical line-up that draws influences from Africa, the Caribbean, South America and Europe; the set is as deep rooted in the legacy of jazz, as it is reflective of their collective musical heritage.
"Laden with memorable melodies, his best album since his 1986 debut" Observer Music Monthly
"Pine is superb…" The Guardian
"…top of his form..." The Independent
"Pine serves up a creole gumbo of Caribbean, Latin and African flavours with the nuanced power to restore the most jaded jazz palate..the Jazz Warrior succeeds in broadening our minds as well as our ears" BBC Music Magazine
"Bursting with Pine’s typically memorable themes and exuberant soloing" Jazzwise