Safari users if you experience issues with booking, please see help & assistance

The Language Of Rhythm Featuring Tom Skinner

Book tickets

Part of the Coronet Theatre Jazz Festival 2025: The Primacy of Rhythm

The Coronet Jazz Festival is proud to present a landmark collaboration, placing the mercurial genius of drummer Tom Skinner squarely in the spotlight. This unique performance is a celebration of Skinner’s profound musicality – his fluid, melodic, and propulsive drumming that has defined eras from the London jazz renaissance to the art-rock of The Smile.

Tom Skinner is known, among others, as an original member of award winning band Sons Of Kemet alongside band-leader and frequent collaborator Shabaka Hutchings. He is also one third of The Smile, alongside Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood.

At the heart of this exploration is a deep, decades-long creative dialogue with festival curator and trumpet legend Byron Wallen. Having first met when Skinner was 16, their partnership has flourished across countless projects, from Wallen’s Indigo, As Is, and his Octet, to Skinner later bringing Wallen into the studio with The Smile. This event is the culmination of that shared journey: a masterful dialogue between Skinner’s rhythmic essence and Wallen’s luminous melodic voice.

Providing the monumental low-end is the revolutionary tuba virtuoso Theon Cross. A fellow Sons of Kemet member and a formidable bandleader, Cross has single-handedly reinvented the tuba as an instrument of immense groove, melody, and power. His presence guarantees a performance that is both rhythmically deep and sonically colossal.

Completing this visionary lineup will be a very special guest, a top-tier innovator from the worlds of percussion or melody, to be revealed, promising a unique and unrepeatable musical event.

 

 

The Coronet Theatre Jazz Festival 2025: The Primacy of Rhythm

The 2025 Coronet Jazz Festival, curated by renowned trumpeter Byron Wallen, is a deep exploration of the drum’s dynamic, melodic, and storytelling power. In a year that has seen the jazz world mourn the profound losses of rhythmic giants Al Foster, Louis Moholo, and Jack DeJohnette, the festival turns its focus to the living masters who carry the rhythm forward.

Also in the festival:

Fri 12 Dec
Doug Hammond: A Griot’s Journey
Legendary drummer, poet, composer, and singer Doug Hammond presents a singular performance that spans the full spectrum of his artistry, moving effortlessly from intimate solo expression to expansive trio collaboration.

Sat 13 Dec
The Endless Rhythm: A Tribute to Jack DeJohnette
A tribute to the vast and vibrant legacy of Jack DeJohnette: a drummer of profound influence, a visionary composer, and a spirit of boundless generosity. His music, a lifelong exploration of rhythm and melody, remains a guiding force.

Book tickets

Genre:

Music

Performance:

Thu 11 Dec; 7:30pm

Auditorium

Running Time:

TBC

Tickets:

£30, £20 standard

Up to 20% off for members

Concessions

Group Offer

Access Information

Genre:

Music

Performance:

Thu 11 Dec; 7:30pm

Auditorium

Running Time:

TBC

Tickets:

£30, £20 standard

Up to 20% off for members

Concessions

Group Offer

Access Information

Additional Information

London based drummer, composer and producer Tom Skinner has been a vital and central figure in the burgeoning underground music scene in London throughout the last 20 years. Tom is a leading member of The Smile with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. Their debut album A Light For Attracting Attention was released to critical acclaim in June 2022 and they have been touring the record across UK, Europe and US throughout the year. 2022 also saw Tom release the first album under his name Voices of Bishara. Tom composed and recorded the 6 pieces for saxophone, percussion, bass, cello and flute live in the same room and then manipulated the recordings, chopping and looping sections to breathe new life into the music. The result is a tight, hypnotic and unique sound, Voices of Bishara is sculpted around timeless and deeply emotional music that contains masses of movement and exceptional harmonic depth and texture. In 2012, Tom released his self-titled solo record under the alias Hello Skinny to critical acclaim, MOJO Magazine describing it as “…existing in that fertile zone where jazz, dub, techno and avant-pop deliquesce into an exhilarating free-for-all.” The second Hello Skinny album Watermelon Sun, released on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label in 2017, featured a collaboration with acclaimed veteran New York composer and trombonist Peter Zummo. Tom is also an original member of award winning band Sons Of Kemet alongside band-leader and frequent collaborator Shabaka Hutchings. Their third album Your Queen Is A Reptile [Impulse! 2018] garnered worldwide critical acclaim including a Mercury Prize 2018 nomination. Their latest album Black To The Future [Impulse! 2021] was met with rave reviews, NME giving it 5 stars, claiming the album to be the band at their “most dynamic and urgent”. Throughout his career, Tom has performed and recorded with notable musicians such as Jonny Greenwood, Grace Jones, Jarvis Cocker, Kano, Matthew Herbert, Mulatu Astatke, Floating Points, The Invisible, Zero 7 and many more.

This site uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. By using this website you accept our use of cookies.