Mornington Lockett .....VISIT MORNINGTON'S WEBSITE
Saxophone

Mornington was born in London, but grew up on the Isle of Wight where he began playing jazz, sitting in with local traditional and mainstream musicians while still at school. At Dartington College, in Devon, he studied saxophone with Bobby Wellins, as well as classical clarinet, composition and the North Indian Sitar. He persuaded the college authorities to allow him to take Jazz Saxophone as a first study and became the first person in the U.K. to gain a degree qualification on the instrument. He moved to London in 1984 to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has worked professionally ever since.

As a member of the Ronnie Scott Sextet, Mornington worked extensively in Britain and abroad. He has recorded with Ronnie Scott, Jim Mullen, singers Sarah Jane Morris, Claire Martin, and Ian Shaw, the group 'Sax Appeal', and US bass guitar virtuoso Jo Hubbard. In 1995 and 1998, he performed in concert with Cuban trumpet supremo Arturo Sandoval, firstly at the Barbican Concert Hall, then at Cork. More recently he toured with Danish bass-player Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen and this summer completed a week at the Jazz Café in London with Jimmy Smith. He is currently working with Stan & Clark Tracey in a number of groups, and in a quartet led by Martin Drew.

Mornington has recorded an album, for the EFZ label. He lists his main influences as Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, John Coltrane, Steve Grossman and David Sanborn.

In addition to the previously mentioned, some of the musicians and groups Mornington has worked with include East West Connection, Don Weller, Andrea Vicari, INXS, The Christians, S'Express, Monie Love, Trevor Horn, Richard Niles, Mario Castronari, Derek Nash, Ryuichi Sakamoto, World Party and US3.

A sample of the many reviews Mornington has received are as follows:

"One of the country's most accomplished contemporary improvisers ... with a fearsome technique and an advanced harmonic approach" - Time Out.

"Locomotive tenorist outsteams the competition" - The Guardian.

"Abrasive and roaring one moment, then cutting suddenly to a gentle caress......exciting stuff!" - The Venue.