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Lyte Records is proud to release Jean Toussaint's Live at the Cafe, recorded at the historic London venue, on October 11th. It coincides with the 100 year anniversary of the birth of jazz pioneer Art Blakey, whose band Jean performed with in the 1980s, and features prominent UK musicians Byron Wallen (trumpet), Dennis Rollins (trombone), Andrew McCormack (piano), Daniel Casimir (bass) and Shane Forbes (drums). Raised in St Thomas, Jean spent four and a half years with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers alongside future stars Terence Blanchard and Mulgrew Miller, and the band won a Grammy for The New Tork Scene in 1984. He settled in London in 1986 and quickly became a key figure in European jazz. Toussaint also worked in the groups of American icons such as McCoy Tyner, Max Roach, Cedar Walton, Gil Evans and Jeff 'Tain' Watts, and maintained a considerable presence in Europe with as a bandleader, especially in France and Britain, where he won this year's Instrumentalist of the Year at the Jazz FM Awards. Drummer and Lyte Records' owner David Lyttle says, "I first heard Jean Toussaint in my late teens when I'd just got into jazz and was obsessed with Art Blakey. I loved Jean's big sound and when I discovered he lived in London I wrote to him on MySpace. I played with him a couple of years later and it was a fantastic experience. Like other Messengers have said about Blakey, he makes you play better without saying a word and is hugely supportive towards younger musicians as Blakey was. It was a milestone to have Jean release with us in 2014 and it's an honour to be working with him on this our third album together."Live at the Jazz Cafe is out now. Artist website: www.jeantoussaint.com Artist Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeantoussaintsax Artist Twitter: www.twitter.com/toussaintsax Artist Instagram: www.instagram.com/toussaintsax
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