Music
Press
By contrast, up'n'coming Dumfriesshire-born saxophonist Leah Gough-Cooper, currently studying at the prestigious Berklee College in Boston, enhanced her burgeoning reputation with Saturday's arrestingly assured and sophisticated set in Port Ellen, her authoritative, atmospheric playing and inventive original compositions complemented by excellent work from her three-piece band, in particular some sparkling interplay between guitar and electric bass. - The Scotsman
"At last year's Edinburgh Jazz Festival I was walking along the corridor of my hotel, when I heard from the music room a saxophonist blowing what I can only call a musical tornado.
...Leah Gough-Cooper is in fact a young musician from Dumfries, in Scotland, graduate of several Scottish Youth Orchestras and at Berklee College of Music in America, who plays the Alto Saxophone with the technical command and passion that could set your house on fire at 100 paces." - BBC Radio 2
'Saxophonist Leah Gough-Cooper, from Dumfries, has already moved on from youth level to study at Berklee, where she's developed not just her own lithe style but a fine line in idiosyncratic compositions, too. Her band are collectively alive to any time signature quirks or twists in the blues form and all solo with confidence and purpose, not least guitarist Ant Law, whose two-handed fretboard manoeuvres on the stylishly grooving Future Pop effected an almost uniform raising of audience eyebrows". - The Herald
Discography
Human Equivalent, Psyclone EP
This self-produced album was recorded in the summer of 2007, taking merely a day to record and master with NO overdubs. The artwork on the cover was drawn by Leah herself
Photos
Bio
Established in the summer of 2007 by Scottish saxophonist Leah Gough-Cooper, Human Equivalent was formed in a bid to start breaking free from the usual suspects and stereotypes of modern day jazz, and try to forge ahead with a sound that would not only appeal to the avid jazz listener but also introduce the sounds of improvisation and all-instrumental music to a younger audience, by incorporating influences of other music into the mix, from Jaco Pastorius to Return to Forever and the Brecker Brothers, but retaining an honest, individual sound, that many other jazz groups today can only hope to achieve. Having already played at many of the top jazz festivals in Scotland (Islay, Lockerbie, Edinburgh), filling seats of curious listeners and leaving them with a thrilling, memorable experience, plus garnering some top newspaper reviews and radio play, still a young band, Human Equivalent are going from strength to strength.
Members of the band have already had the experience of playing with some of jazz's greatest heroes: Fred Wesley, Oscar Stagnaro, Vijay Iyer, Joe Locke, Tommy Smith, Joe Lovano, Danilo Perez and many more.
The amalgamation of all 5 players has resulted in a real team that works in tune and produces a fantastic sound that takes you on a roller-coaster ride, with every passing song.
The majority of the songs composed for the band are by Leah Gough-Cooper herself and some of her non-musical influences include David Lynch, 70's interior design, scenic views, Stephen King and Vincent Price.
This is a fresh, new band you don't want to miss checking out!
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