Donovan Haffner
An alto saxophonist studying at the Royal Academy for his BMus degree specialising in jazz, Donovan Haffner is already establishing his bona fides working with highly regarded musicians including MOBO-award-winning drummer Moses Boyd and trumpeter Jay Phelps. And, as part of Tomorrow’s Warriors, Donovan was mentored by tutors including Gary Crosby OBE and Binker Golding. In his young career, Donovan has appeared at Festivals and clubs including London Jazz, Pitchfork, We Out Here, Ronnies, The Pizza & more. The quintet which he leads tonight features Francisco Garcia de Paredes (guitar), Jay Verma (piano), Harry Pearce (bass) and Harry Ling (drums), with a mission to “create music which is contemporary whilst still honouring the rich history of jazz.” The echoes of that history certainly resonate in their playing and in their compositions, written by Donovan himself. Impressive indeed.