Warriors RISE : Donovan Haffner + Reece Soko-Fogg

This autumn, Leeds' longest serving jazz promoter Lubi Jovanovic (DJ Lubi) teams up with London's acclaimed jazz talent development organisation Tomorrow's Warriors for a series of three concerts across three months and two venues, showcasing the next generation of UK jazz stars. Each concert features a Tomorrow's Warriors London artist alongside a local Leeds rising jazz talent as support. The concerts will be on Sunday 28th September at The Attic (Maddy Coombs Quartet + Sophie Speed Quintet), Sunday 19th October at Hyde Park Book Club (Allexa Nava + Tom Warrilow's Cinquillo), and Saturday 22nd November at The Attic (Donovan Haffner + Reece Soko-Fogg).

 

The Warriors RISE showcase series concludes on Saturday 22nd November at The Attic Leeds with alto saxophonist Donovan Haffner and his band from London, supported by Leeds alto saxophonist Reece Soko-Fogg and his quartet. 

 

Here's the full info.

Alto saxophonist Donovan Haffner could almost be described as one of the best kept secrets on the London jazz scene for the last 3 or 4 years, but all that is set to change with the release of his debut album, "Alleviate".

Aged 11, Donovan joined the highly respected Tomorrow's Warriors Young Artist Development Programme and was mentored by Gary Crosby OBE, Binker Golding, and Alex Davis. He proved to be a stand-out talent and, by the age of 18, he was invited to tour Italy with multi-award-winning drummer Moses Boyd.

Since then, Donovan has played with Jay Phelps, Charlie Stacey, and Balimaya. He has also performed with the Danish jazz pianist/composer Rasmus Sorenson and was selected by Tony Kofi to be part of, American jazz legend, Charles Tolliver's Big Band, headlining at the Barbican as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival. And Donovan is still very much part of the Tomorrow's Warriors musical family, performing with both Nu Civilisation Orchestra and Jazz Jamaica.

However, it is his growing reputation as a bandleader and composer in his own right that is set to see Donovan come to the attention of jazz fans across the country.

If you have already been lucky enough to catch Donovan play live in a venue (including London's Ronnie Scott's, The Jazz Café, and Pizza Express Live) or at a festival (We Out Here, Love Supreme), then you will have been struck not just by the drive and sophistication of his playing, but also how he interprets his own compositions. To see him leading his quartet is to go on a journey with him through the music he loves, straight ahead and contemporary jazz - drawing on the inspiration of the musicians that have influenced him, including Kenny Garrett, Freddie Hubbard, Immanuel Wilkins, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, and Walter Smith III - but enhanced with his own distinctive compositional style.

Recorded with his quintet, Donovan's debut album Alleviate is a vitally exciting contemporary jazz recording, that reflects Donovan Haffner's burgeoning talent in a glowing light. This essential body of work will undoubtedly position the young musician as a rising jazz star and one of 2025's breakthrough artists.

"Saxophonist Donovan Haffner's debut LP "Alleviate" is an absolutely awesome debut, and a really amazing release. I've watched his development for the last two or three years and he has blossomed into a really special musician."
Tony Minvielle, writer & broadcaster - Jazz FM/One Jazz

Reece Soko-Fogg is a young alto saxophonist well known already in the vibrant Leeds jazz scene. He leads his own afrojazz/afrofusion band Afrodesia, now playing regularly across the UK, and he's a core member of spiritual jazz/cosmic funk fusion band Amon Ra Collective. Influenced by the great alto sax legends of modern jazz such as Charlie Parker, Jackie McLean and Cannonball Adderley, Reece attempts to infuse the energetic music of bebop and post-bop with the fast and rhythmic beat of his Malawian heritage. 

 

With an an extensive repertoire of original music that fuses the line between the virtuosic improvisation of post and neo-bop, inspired by the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove and Kenny Garrett, Reece blends this with the soulful blues and sounds from South African jazz such as Bheki Mseleku and Kippie Moeketsi. Reece Soko-Fogg aims to create a sound that lives up to the greats who influenced him, and is true to his background.

This performance is part of Tomorrow’s Warriors’ Warriors Rise initiative, which sees the acclaimed jazz talent development organisation support three emerging Warriors’ artists, including Maddy, across a seven-date run of UK gigs, providing tour planning and marketing mentoring. Warriors Rise is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner initiative supported by PPL.