Originally from Norwich, Kit Downes has been one of the fastest rising young stars of UK jazz in many years. He first came to national attention with acclaimed group Empirical, but decided to leave the group to pursue other projects, most notably his own piano trio (established at the Royal College of Music in 2005), whose debut album 'Golden' was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize. He is also a member of the more rock inclined electric trio Troyka, the improvising trio 'Golden Age of Steam', and Stan Sulzmann's newly established quartet Neon.

As a pianist Kit's playing is generally marked by a restrained, at time almost impressionistic, delicacy, which makes the moments when he unleashes more powerfully intense passages all the more effective. This is a player whose work eschews unnecessary histrionics, but which has a depth that repays repeated listenings.