Christian KC Quartet – Jazz At NAC – Café Spotlight

Christian Kiely-Charalambous, aka Christian KC, is an up-and-coming jazz trumpet player, composer/arranger, and bandleader from Camden, London.

The Irish-Greek Cypriot musician left home in 2020 to pursue a career in jazz, earning a degree in music from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. During his studies, he was mentored by prolific jazz trumpeters Percy Pursglove and Steve Fishwick, who helped shape his distinctive voice as a performer and composer.

Christian quickly established himself on the Birmingham jazz scene, performing alongside jazz luminaries and at celebrated venues. Highlights include playing a support set for jazz legend and former member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Jean Toussaint, and performing at venues such as Cherry Red’s, The Craven Arms, Symphony Hall, and Eastside Jazz Club. He also led a band at the prestigious Cheltenham Jazz Festival’s Parabola Theatre, and hosted the renowned Hotel Du Vin jazz jam night, where he had the honour of sharing the stage with jazz heroes: Gregory Porter, Brad Mehldau, and Theo Croker.

As well as performing across the UK, Christian has performed at venues across Europe, including Amsterdam, Germany, and in the Aarhus Jazz Festival in Denmark. This was as part of the ‘EU Jazz Lab’ project, which allowed him to collaborate with like-minded musicians from across the continent, performing original compositions and arrangements that deepened his artistry.

Drawing inspiration from jazz greats such as Woody Shaw, Kenny Wheeler, Freddie Hubbard and Roy Hargrove, KC’s music is characterised by bold harmonies, fluid interaction, and innovative improvisational frameworks. His compositions are equally influenced by the work of Ben Wendel, Woody Shaw and Kenny Wheeler, blending tradition with modernity.

For this performance, the Christian KC Quartet presents a set of original compositions and reimagined jazz standards that explore unique harmonies, peculiar time signatures, and unconventional frameworks for improvisation, that promises to captivate and inspire.

The quartet features: Ollie Canham – guitar; Sam Casey – bass; Dominic Johnson – drums.

Each member is a respected figure in the Birmingham jazz scene, bringing their own unique voice and expertise. Having collaborated extensively over the past four years, the group’s first performance in this format promises excitement, spontaneity, and inspired musical moments.