Gareth Lumbers was born and raised in the English countryside and was given a Clarinet on his 10th birthday before moving onto the Saxophone at the age of 12. During school, he became more involved in many of the ensembles offered. At the end of his schooling, he decided that his love of jazz and performing meant only one thing: This was what he had to do. After earning a music diploma at Colchester institute, he moved to London to pursue and train for a career in music at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama and studied under Jean Toussaint and Gary Keller among many others.
After leaving college, Gareth performed with a variety of professional bands, touring and sessions. These included the British European Jazz Collective Tour, Pink Fraud (UK’s #1 Pink Floyd Tribute) and the Briefcase Blues Brothers in addition to his own quintet playing at the famous 606 Jazz Club. Gareth is currently performing with different projects, one of which is the top swing group “Pinstripe Suit” led by jazz singer/pianist Robin Philips, who can be seen performing in Europe as well as residency at London’s top new music venue “Nightjar”.
As a Saxophonist, Gareth has been involved in radio, film, recording and TV credits with many groups in the UK including sessions for Channel 4, ITV, BBC, EMI and WARNER Bros.
Recent TV appearances in the UK include the hit show “The Only Way is Essex LIVE” and “The Only Way is Essex Mas”, on ITV2 and was featured on Jazz FM on their Discovery Show alongside UK singer pianist Robin Philips in 2012.
During the past couple of years, Gareth has been a part of the reunion of 80’s sensation “Nick Heyward” and “Haircut 100”, with Gareth playing the “O2 Indigo, London” while on their comeback tour and his horn section, “The Alpha Horns” who have recorded with ABBEY ROAD on the EMI label.
In 2012 he headed to the REWIND FESTIVAL, in Henley on Thames. There, Gareth and the band played to a crowd of 50,000, during the festival he was lucky enough to meet and play with Billy Ocean and his band. “HAIRCUTS 100” are currently recording in the studio for their new and much awaited album! Gareth has worked at and continues to do so at many of the Park Lane hotels including The Dorchester, Claridge’s and now a regular performer at the world famous Beaufort Bar in The Savoy Hotel.
As a committed educator Gareth, has been privileged to teach Saxophone and Jazz Studies at some of the UK’s oldest and prestigious private music schools including “Tonbridge Boys School 1553”, “Loughborugh Endowed Schools” founded in 1495, “Uppingham and Oakham School” both founded in 1584, and perhaps the oldest institution, “Kings School” in Canterbury.
British artist and music critic, Nick Heyward had this to say about Gareth. “Bold as brass and simply the best!”
Gareth is currently recording his own material and arrangements for the pending release of his first album under his name.
Gareth can be contacted at: [email protected] or you can visit his site at www.garethlumbersuk.com
Gareth plays and promotes the SDT XG-606 Dakota Tenor Saxophone exclusively at all his shows, gigs, sessions and clinic/workshops.
