# Tori Freestone

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**Victoria** "**Tori**" **Freestone** is a British saxophonist, flautist, violinist and composer. She has performed British jazz since 2009 as a band leader and sidewoman, known for her robust tenor sound and melodic invention. Her "Trio" albums, released in 2014 and 2016, were awarded at least 4 stars. *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)* critic John Fordham described her first album *In The Chop House* as "an imposingly original sound".[1] In 2017 Freestone was shortlisted for a Fellowship in Jazz Composition supported by PRS for Music Foundation, UK Arts Foundation.[2] That year Freestone was also nominated in the [Parliamentary Jazz Awards](/source/Parliamentary_Jazz_Awards) 2017 in the Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year category.[3]

## Career

Freestone started performing in folk clubs at the age of seven. She joined the [National Youth Jazz Orchestra](/source/National_Youth_Jazz_Orchestra) when she was 17 and then went on to study jazz flute at Leeds College of Music, then progressed to the saxophone when she was 26.[4] Freestone likes to compose for unusual instrumentation that challenges traditional composition and improvisational techniques, most notably in her trio she explores the avenues of composing for a group that is led without a harmony instrument.[2] Freestone features in many UK bands such as the [Andre Canniere](/source/Andre_Canniere) Sextet and [Ivo Neame](/source/Ivo_Neame) Quintet, but her main focus is on three projects: The Tori Freestone Trio, the Tori Freestone/ Alcyona Mick Duo and the sextet 'Solstice'.[2] She has appeared at a number of UK Jazz Festivals including Manchester Jazz Festival in 2015 with a project with trumpeter Neil Yates and her duo with pianist Alcyona Mick.[5][6] More recently she appeared at [The Barbican, London](/source/Barbican_Centre) as part of a larger ensemble all-star band with [Hermeto Pascoal](/source/Hermeto_Pascoal).[7] She also performs on tour with the [Julian Siegel](/source/Julian_Siegel) Big Band.[8]

## Recordings

Freestone's debut album with her Trio was *In the Chop House*, released in 2014 on [Whirlwind Recordings](/source/Whirlwind_Recordings). This album featured Freestone on tenor saxophone, Dave Manington on double bass and [Tim Giles](/source/Tim_Giles) on drums. *The Guardian* gave the album 4 stars and said: "In being supported by only bass and drums (Dave Manington and Tim Giles), Freestone goes for one of a saxophonist's toughest options, but she is more than up to it."[9][All About Jazz](/source/All_About_Jazz) placed this album in their top 10 albums of 2014 and gave it four and a half stars.[10]

Her second album, with the same trio, *El Barranco*, again released on [Whirlwind Recordings](/source/Whirlwind_Recordings), garnered similarly excellent 4-star reviews.[11] John Fordham wrote "...fascinating once again for the ways in which an exceptional improviser can spin new yarns from the most deliberately restricted of resources – just an unbugged sax, bass and drums. Freestone has an arresting Coltrane-inflected sound..."[12] In 2018 her duo album with pianist Alcyona Mick entitled *Criss Cross* received many 4 star reviews including one in [All About Jazz](/source/All_About_Jazz) "This is elegant, engaging and original music, played with magnificent panache."[13]

In 2019, her third Trio album *El Mar de Nubes* received 4 stars from John Fordham "...this impressive trio shows formidable range, balancing free-jazz delicacy and bite".[14]

## Discography

**As leader**

- 2019: *El Mar de Nubes* ([Whirlwind Recordings](/source/Whirlwind_Recordings)) with Tori Freestone Trio
- 2016: *El Barranco* ([Whirlwind Recordings](/source/Whirlwind_Recordings)) with Tori Freestone Trio
- 2014: *In The Chop House* ([Whirlwind Recordings](/source/Whirlwind_Recordings)) with Tori Freestone Trio

**As co-leader**

- 2018: *Criss Cross* ([Whirlwind Recordings](/source/Whirlwind_Recordings)) with Alcyona Mick

**As sideman**

- 2016: *Alimentation* (Two Rivers Records) with Solstice
- 2016: *The Darkening Blue* ([Whirlwind Recordings](/source/Whirlwind_Recordings)) with [Andre Canniere](/source/Andre_Canniere)
- 2015: *Strata* ([Edition Records](/source/Edition_Records)) with [Ivo Neame](/source/Ivo_Neame) Quintet
- 2013: *Ichthyology* (Groove Laboratory Productions) with Jamil Sheriff Big Band
- 2013: *Entertaining Tyrants* (Jellymould Jazz) with Compassionate Dictatorship
- 2013: *Clocca* (Loop Collective) with Fringe Magnetic
- 2012: *Yatra* ([Edition Records](/source/Edition_Records)) with [Ivo Neame](/source/Ivo_Neame) Octet
- 2011: *Things Will Be* (Impossible Ark Records) with Riaan Visloo Examples of Twelves
- 2011: *Twistic* (Loop Collective) with Fringe Magnestic
- 2010: *Cash Cows* (FMR) with Compassionate Dictatorship
- 2009: *Empty Spaces* (Loop Collective) with Fridge Magnetic
- 2008: *Club Rouge* (Deep Touch Records) with Levan J
- 2007: *Coup d'Etat* (FMR) with Compassionate Dictatorship
- 2005: *Sunday Morning* (Deep Touch Records) with Levan J
- 2004: *Cool Day* (Deep Touch Records) with Levan J

## References

1. Fordham, John ["Tori Freestone: In the Chop House review – a dynamic, original set from British jazz/folk saxist"](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/24/tori-freestone-in-the-chop-house-review), *The Guardian*, 24 April 2014

1. The Arts Foundation ["Tori Freestone Jazz Composition supported by PRS for Music Foundation - Shortlisted 2017"](http://www.artsfoundation.co.uk/Artist-Year/2017/all/707/Freestone) The Arts Foundation, retrieved 16 April 2017

1. London Jazz News ["NEWS: 2017 Parliamentary Jazz Awards Shortlists Announced"](https://londonjazznews.com/2017/09/12/news-2017-parliamentary-jazz-awards-shortlists-announced/) London Jazz News, 12 September 2017

1. Ford, Catherine [[http://www.londonjazznews.com/2014/03/womensday-londonjazz-interview-tori.html](http://www.londonjazznews.com/2014/03/womensday-londonjazz-interview-tori.html)"#Womensday:LondonJazz Interview:Tori Freestone"]. London Jazz News 8 March 2014

1. ["Local acts light up the 20th Manchester Jazz Festival"](https://www.jazzwise.com/news/article/local-acts-light-up-the-20th-manchester-jazz-festival). *Jazzwise.com*. Retrieved 8 August 2020.

1. Slavid, Peter ["Festival review: Alcyona Mick/Tori Freestone"](http://www.londonjazznews.com/2015/08/festival-review-alcyona-mick-tori.html) London Jazz News 9 August 2015

1. ["Welcome to the Barbican | Barbican"](https://www.barbican.org.uk/). *Barbican.org.uk*. Retrieved 8 August 2020.

1. Griffith, Frank ["Review: Julian Siegel Big Band at Ronnie Scott's"](http://www.londonjazznews.com/2017/03/review-julian-siegel-big-band-at-ronnie.html), London Jazz News, 19 March 2017.

1. Fordham, John [[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/24/tori-freestone-in-the-chop-house-review](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/apr/24/tori-freestone-in-the-chop-house-review)"Tori Freestone: In the Chop House review – a dynamic, original set from British jazz/folk saxist"], *The Guardian*, 24 April 2014

1. Barnes, Phil [[https://www.allaboutjazz.com/phil-barnes-favourite-albums-of-2014-by-phil-barnes.php?width=1920](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/phil-barnes-favourite-albums-of-2014-by-phil-barnes.php?width=1920)"Phil Barnes' Favourite Albums Of 2014"] All About Jazz 24 December 2014.

1. Farbey, Roger [[https://www.allaboutjazz.com/el-barranco-tori-freestone-whirlwind-recordings-ltd-review-by-roger-farbey.php](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/el-barranco-tori-freestone-whirlwind-recordings-ltd-review-by-roger-farbey.php)"Tori Freestone Trio: El Barranco"][All About Jazz](/source/All_About_Jazz) 11 July 2016

1. Fordham, John [[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/14/tori-freestone-el-barranco-jazz-cd-review-whirlwind-sax-improv](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/14/tori-freestone-el-barranco-jazz-cd-review-whirlwind-sax-improv)"Tori Freestone Trio: El Barranco review – fierce, exceptional improv power"], *The Guardian*, 14 July 2016

1. Farbey, Roger [[https://www.allaboutjazz.com/criss-cross-alcyona-mick-and-tori-freestone-whirlwind-recordings-ltd-review-by-roger-farbey.php](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/criss-cross-alcyona-mick-and-tori-freestone-whirlwind-recordings-ltd-review-by-roger-farbey.php)"Alcyona Mick and Tori Freestone: Criss Cross"] All About Jazz 22 March 2018

1. Fordham, John [[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/07/tori-freestone-trio-el-mar-de-nubes-review](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/07/tori-freestone-trio-el-mar-de-nubes-review)"Tori Freestone Trio: El Mar de Nubes review – tenor sax player's inventive, pliant trio"], *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*, 7 June 2019

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.torifreestone.com/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tori Freestone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tori_Freestone) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tori_Freestone?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.