Leading newspaper The Guardian has praised Kit Downes for his ‘uncanny ability to make difficult music sound natural.’ The British pianist forges a new path with the trio Enemy. While their self-titled debut on Edition Records sounded tight and springy, full of unexpected twists, their second album Vermillion on ECM Records sounds like calm en controlled chamber music. The complex rhythmic component is still kept intact, but it’s wrapped in a different aesthetic.

For Vermillion, Kit Downes and band member Petter Eldh each came up with five pieces, while the eleventh and final one is an abstract take on Jimi Hendrix’ ‘Castles Made Of Sand’. Petter Eldh has made name as a double bassist in Berlin, and he has previously performed on our stage with the group Koma Saxo. Pianist Kit Downes’ musical association with London-based drummer James Maddren goes back to their college days, when the two were flatmates. Maddren has previously collaborated with, among others, Marc Copland, Gwilym Simcock, and Jacob Collier.

Kit Downes piano, Petter Eldh double bass, James Maddren drums