ABOUT 😎 🤠

Rory is a saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Stroud & London.

After graduating in 2009 with First Class Honours from the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, Rory has enjoyed a diverse career combining ensemble work, solo performances, recordings and collaborations and received over 200 excellent testaments from some of the UK's top agents, promoters and venues.

Highlights include headlining Jazz Café with Diáspora, Pizza Express Jazz Club with Phasma ft. Burgandy Williams from the X-Factor and the Fiesta Latina Havana Club Tour.

Rory has released two albums in his own right plus Supersalsanova with Diáspora. Diáspora's follow up album "Verano" is soon to be released.

Rory's repertoire includes over 100 original songs which he has composed and written lyrics for himself, having started composing as far back as the early nineties.

Rory has truly come into his own as a one-man band, creating a show stopping live performance with saxophones (alto, soprano and tenor), vocals, flute, clarinet and a full suite of backing accompaniment. Supporting musicians may be booked directly via the client as an add-on (please enquire for details).

BACKGROUND 🖼️ 🏞️

Raised in Stroud, South West England, Rory was brought up on a diet of folk, musical theatre, classical music and jazz. He wrote his first songs aged seven, took up the piano aged nine, alto saxophone aged eleven, clarinet aged sixteen, tenor and soprano saxophones aged seventeen and flute aged eighteen.

Rory studied saxophone at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester with Rob Buckland, Andy Scott, Mike Hall and Julian Arguelles as the second recipient of the Martyn Edwards Scholarship for Jazz. During this time, Rory performed with the Royal Northern College of Music Big Band, appearing with Chris Potter, Pete Long, Norma Winstone and Johnny Dankworth, and attending masterclasses with Andy Sheppard and Bob Mintzer. He graduated with First Class Honours in 2009.

Also an academic, Rory submitted two theses as part of his Masters "Échale Salsita: Afro-Cuban influence on Popular Music and Jazz" and "Bossa Nova: An Ethno-Aesthetic Approach".

Rory has spent the first few years of his career mainly focusing on the Diáspora 12-piece Latin band (est. 2009) which, in turn, spawned Fiesta Latina "The Instant Latin House Party" (est. 2013). However, his long-term affair with Latin music has not stopped him from indulging in his alter-ego Phasma (est. 2017) which embodies his love of Soul, Funk, RnB and Gospel. In between times, his various Jazz, Bossa Nova and Brazilian performances have seen him entertain athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games and audiences in West End Theatres, alongside some of the UK's finest wedding venues, jazz clubs and stately haunts including Jazz Café, Pizza Express, Band on the Wall and Matt and Phred's in Manchester.