Thomas Lumley born in the village of Aberdyfi on the west coast of Mid-Wales (UK), finding music at the age of 4 and jazz and the saxophone at age 12 he performed with the Gwynedd and Angelsey Youth Jazz Orchestra in the Royal Albert Hall at the age of 15 and hasn’t looked back since!
After Graduating with a first class BA honors degree from the prestigious jazz course at Leeds College of Music, Thomas' skills lie in his uncanny improvisational ability and unique creative approach to the saxophone and the jazz idiom. With interests and influences from the jazz world (Coltrane, Rollins etc.) along with keen interests in Contemporary Improvised music (Bailey, Evan Parker, ICP, AACM), Balkan folk music, Hindustani Classical music, Afro Cuban music and DIY Avant Guard Electronica Thomas' style has very broad yet totally original influences.
Thomas' main musical focus is involved with the acute and detailed processes of improvisation and how musical elements from separate genres can be combined and how both academic processes and emotive urges can be synthesised to produce wonderfully elaborate music.
After Graduation from CODARTS Conservatory in Rotterdam as a Master of Music (funded by the Arts Council of Wales’ Advanced study award program) Thomas has toured the UK and Europe extensively with many different projects the most notable being Leeds based critically acclaimed group Omnivore, Rotterdam (NL) Based Hip-Hop group The Refreshed Orchestra and the Cologne (DE) based groups Blemishes and Damsels in Distress.
Having performed with many artists, names including Claude Deppa, Tony Allen (Fela Kuti), Brian Jackson (Gil Scott-Heron), Mathew Bourne, Frank Vigroux, Chris Sharkey (Acoustic Lady Land, Trio Vd), Dave Kane, Huw Warren, along with being a previously active Member of LIMA (Leeds improvised Music Association. )Thomas is now based in London, UK and is always seeking new projects and new challenges, he is currently writing for London based Trio New World Order and you may even see the so called Saxophonist extraordinaire touring in a town near you!!
Peace, Love & Blessings
Ohm - Ni - Pah
