Skip to main content
‘I aim for a sound that conjures up vistas of sunrises and wide open landscapes’
CHRIS SEARLE speaks to self-taught tenor saxophonist Nat Birchall  
Tenor saxophonist Nat Birchell and the Unity Ensemble

WHEN Chorley, Lancashire-born tenor saxophonist Nat Birchall brought his septet, the Unity Ensemble, to the Cafe Oto in the teeming, cosmopolitan heart of Hackney, it was as if he had brought the ancient majesty and mystery of the Pennines in the beauty of his horn, so much is the rural north of England endemic to his sound.

With fellow Coltrane-loving veteran hornman Alan Skidmore supplementing pianist Adam Fairhall, thunderous drummer Paul Hession, bassist Michael Bardon and percussionists Mark Wastell and Lascelle Gordon, they played live the music on their serene, almost hymnal new album, New World, to hugely receptive London listeners.

Donate to the Fighting Fund
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
CONFRONTING HOMOPHOBIA: (L) FCB Cadell, The Boxer, c.1924; (
Exhibition review / 21 March 2025
21 March 2025
While the group known as the Colourists certainly reinvigorated Scottish painting, a new show is a welcome chance to reassess them, writes ANGUS REID
BLOOD ON THE TRACKS: Xilun Sun as the mysterious interloper
Film of the Week: / 20 March 2025
20 March 2025
ANGUS REID recommends an exquisite drama about the disturbing impact of the one child policy in contemporary China
Short Story / 7 February 2025
7 February 2025
The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
Frantz Fanon at a press conference during a writers' confere
BenchMarx / 28 January 2025
28 January 2025
ANGUS REID deconstructs a popular contemporary novel aimed at a ‘queer’ young adult readership
Similar stories
Roella Oloro, 2021
Interview / 22 January 2025
22 January 2025
CHRIS SEARLE speaks to British Nigerian/Jamaican pianist ROELLA OLORO
David Murray & Class Struggle at INNtöne Jazzfestival 2018
Interview / 7 August 2024
7 August 2024
CHRIS SEARLE speaks to renowned US tenor saxophonist DAVID MURRAY
POSSESSED: John Coltrane
Opinion / 25 June 2024
25 June 2024
DAVID YEARSLEY celebrates the long-awaited issue of a mythic live recording featuring John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy
Gary Boyle (centre) with the Mike Westbrook Band, 1972
Interview / 19 June 2024
19 June 2024
CHRIS SEARLE speaks to guitarist Gary Boyle