Finn Peters

Finn Peters might have a first name for a last name, but there are more significant things to say about this flute and sax extraordinaire! For one, his ensemble, the Finntet, won 2007’s BBC Jazz Best Band Award. And then there’s the fact that he’s been dubbed as one of the leading jazz players in the UK today. His collaboration with Bembe Segue for The Birds was even nominated for 2005’s Track of the Year in the BBC Radio 1 Worldwide Awards. His trophy cabinet is filled with other awards, which is not surprising considering his musical background.

Born and bred by a family of musicians, Finn started playing the flute at the age of five, and spent the rest of his life perfecting his craft. School consisted of musicology and non-stop practising; graduation came with the 1999 London Young Jazz Musician Award. The difference with this one, is that he has a widescreen approach to composition and improvisation, which comes from working with some of the last decade’s most progressive artists, exposing him to many disparate styles and genres. As such, he travels the world as a session player to continue learning music, while leading him to work with pioneers such as Frederick Rzewski, Giovanni Hidalgo and Sam Rivers. This also enables him to forge his unique trait of a musical melting pot. Catch him add Malaysia to his list when he comes down for the first time to play at Alexis Bistro! We urge because this one blazes a trail so bright, and this sort of performance quality is a rarity.

Text Claudia Low