Pete Roth Trio featuring Bill Bruford + Band Q&A with Paul Sexton

The Pete Roth Trio features leader Pete on guitar, Mike Pratt on bass, and the incomparable Bill Bruford on drums. The band creates jazz for a new generation of music enthusiasts, exploring beyond traditional jazz conventions. A jazz standard might reveal its essence only in the final moments of performance.

Roth’s original compositions, such as “Dancing with Grace,” the Trio’s collaborative works like “Trio in Five” and “Looking Forward to Looking Back,” or their reinterpretation of masterworks like Anton Dvorak’s “Largo from Symphony #9,” offer just a few gateways into the creative world of the Pete Roth Trio—a world that will likely reshape your perspective on what the guitar trio format can achieve.

Guitar: Pete Roth

Pete Roth, a versatile artist and accomplished session guitarist, born in Germany, where his musical journey began in the heart of a family deeply rooted in music. At the tender age of 11, he picked up the guitar, setting the stage for a lifelong dedication to his craft.

In his formative years, Roth found inspiration in the raw emotion of blues and the electrifying energy of rock. However, his musical horizons expanded when he ventured to England to study jazz. There, he delved into the rich complexities of the genre, drawing influence from luminaries such as Joe Pass, John Scofield and Julian Lage.

Equipped with a diverse array of influences and a passion for innovation, Roth embarked on a solo career as a leader, culminating in the recording of two albums under the banner of MGP Records. Yet, his artistic journey continues to evolve, as he now stands on the cusp of a new endeavour.

With his sights set on exploring fresh musical territories, Roth is poised to embark on his first trio adventure. He is set to weave intricate melodies and rhythms, crafting imaginative jazz compositions that resonate with a new generation of music enthusiasts.

Bass: Mike Pratt

Mike is a double bass and bass guitar player, composer and producer based in London. Early in his career, Mike was drawn to funk, acid jazz and fusion, discovering the music of Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever, then Steps Ahead, John Scofield, Charles Mingus and Duke Ellington.

Mike performed fortnightly at Ronnie Scotts for several years in the ensemble Shorter Than Miles. Mike plays and writes for the jazz fusion project KGQ with Kieron Garret featuring Dave O'Higgins and Duncan Eagles on saxophone, with two albums on 33 Jazz Records. He has performed with Acantha Lang and Liane Carroll, and at the Cape Town Jazz Festival, the Jazz Cafe and The Royal Albert Hall as well as many jazz venues in London, across the UK and abroad.

Mike has taught bass and composition at Kingston University. He has recently written and performed with Laura Evans, Oliver Tompsett and Curiosity Killed the Cat, composed music for Ford and the FIA, and recorded basses for the documentary Stewart. He is musical director for the live theatre rockumentary Seven Decades.

The Pete Roth trio offers Mike an all-too-rare opportunity to depart from the traditional role of bass to become an equal partner in the melodic, rhythmic and harmonic interplay of the trio. Mike combines his love for groove with a composer's ear for innovative sounds and textures, and a creative approach to improvised music.

As daunting as it may be to reflect on the many bass players in Bruford's extensive back catalogue (including Chris Squire, John Wetton, Jeff Berlin and many others), Mike focuses on the fact that this trio's music is completely unlike that of any previous projects and thus he has a clean slate on which to draw his own thoughts and ideas.

Drums: Bill Bruford

Internationally known as a rock musician, drummer Bill Bruford also has impeccable jazz credentials, having recorded, performed with or written music for Al Di Meola, the Buddy Rich Orchestra, David Torn, Allan Holdsworth, Tim Garland, Django Bates, Iain Ballamy and Chris Botti among others.

Early success propelled Bill, by nature a restless innovator uncomfortable with the well-worn path, into a 40-year career as a bandleader and writer. His groups such as Bruford and Earthworks led the way with advanced harmony in rock in the 70s and 80s; samples, electronics, and odd metres in electric jazz in the 90s; and stylistic innovation in his 21st-century acoustic jazz.

Bill’s taste for the unpredictable in live performance has led him to collaborations with dozens of the world’s top rock and jazz musicians in an endless search for the innovative, the unusual, and the unlikely.

He was voted into Modern Drummer magazine’s Hall of Fame (1990), named by Rolling Stone magazine as #16 Greatest Drummer of All Time (2016) and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of ‘Yes’ (2017).Straddling both jazz and rock, Bill’s work as a musician is well documented on CD and DVD at Summerfold and Winterfold Records, on his YouTube Channel, and at www.billbruford.com . He lives in the Surrey Hills, UK, with his wife, Carolyn.

For more details: please visit www.peterothtrio.com