Osian Roberts

Tenor saxophonist Osian Roberts was born in Cardiff, into a very musical family (his father is the renowned opera singer Eric Roberts, and his grandfather was a professional woodwind teacher and performer). He took up the alto saxophone at the age of nine, and switched to tenor four years later. Soon after he formed a quintet with friends that went on to win the 1992 Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Ensemble Award. The following year he won the solo category of the competition and began working professionally with some of Wales’ leading jazz musicians.

These early signs of promise meant that in 1994 he was awarded a scholarship to study jazz performance and composition at London’s Royal Academy Of Music, where his principal saxophone tutor was Martin Speake. After graduation, Osian received another scholarship to go to New York to study with Dick Oatts and Joe Lovano at the Lake Placid Institute’s annual jazz course. He then returned to London where he continued to work under his own name and with various other jazz groups, such as the Gareth Lockrane Sextet, the Tom Cawley Quartet, Mike Carr’s ‘Blue Note Quartet’, the Matt Wates Sextet, and many others, his growing reputation earning him a nomination for the Worshipful Company Of Musicians’ Jazz Medal.

Osian has appeared on various recordings since his debut in 1995 with pianist Richard Fairhurst’s quartet on “The Hungry Ants” BDV 9504 (which went on to win the Perrier Jazz Album of the Year Award, as well as reaching the top ten in the Virgin Jazz Charts). He is a Hard Bop Records recording artist, and has so far released three albums on the label with the quintet that he co-leads with trumpeter Steve Fishwick (“Too Much!” HBR33001, On The Up And Up HBR33003, With Cedar Walton HBR33006). Other recordings include albums with NYJO (“Two Suites” NYJ024), the Catrin Finch Big Band CF47 (“String Theory” KCD010), and Henegan and Lawson (“The Boo Hooray Theory” HAL005).

Throughout his career, Osian has been active in a diverse range of musical settings in addition to his jazz work. This includes gigs with rock bands such as The Fratellis, The Guillemots, Thunder, and The Tarantinos; numerous television appearances, including performances with Michael Bublé and Paul Anka; composing for a film (“Cross-currents” S4C/Boda Productions); brass arranging for a rock/blues album by Czech star Roman Pokorný; as well as general commercial session work for film soundtracks, television and radio. He also teaches privately, and is a member of the faculty on the Royal Welsh College of Music jazz course.

 “Osian is one of Britain’s finest saxophone players… His intimate style and warm tone combine with an original and contemporary melodic approach, which make his playing fresh and accessible”

- Ray Clapton (Zorchidmusic.com)

“...Roberts obviously idolises Rollins… and his solos here could easily cause a few red faces in a Blindfold Test! There’s also, to these ears, an occasional influence of the underrated Lucky Thompson. But his sound is soulfully hard and his solos are full of emotion”

-Tony Hall (Jazzwise Magazine)

 “...Osian Roberts’ robust, beautifully controlled tenor sax kept up a continual barrage of inspired creation”

-Trudie Squires (Jazzsteps.co.uk)

 “The most important saxophone player to be produced in this country since the late, lamented Tubby Hayes”

- Peter Broadbent (Author: “Charlie Christian: Solo Flight”)