ARQ ft. keyboard wizard, Steve Lodder
Wednesday 25th June 2025
The award-winning and eclectic quintet ARQ – led by bassist and composer Alison Rayner – is a widely celebrated ensemble with over twelve years of UK and European touring experience across a complete range of jazz clubs, concert halls and international festivals. They regularly sell out London clubs such as Ronnie Scott’s and the Pizza Express Jazz Club, as well as regional venues across the UK.
Just to single out one of the band members: Steve Lodder is a phenomenal keyboardist whose credits run from long-term collaborations with Andy Sheppard to working with the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Carla Bley and Naná Vasconcelos!
Their new 2025 release Sema4 showcases the quintet’s stylistic virtuosity and masterful interplay and has received extensive airplay, press coverage, reviews and live radio sessions such as Radio 3 ‘In Tune’.
Their previous critically acclaimed releases: August (2014), A Magic Life (2016) and Short Stories (2019) all garnered press acclaim and international radio play, with Rayner also winning a coveted Ivor Novello Composer Award for ‘There is a Crack in Everything’ from Short Stories.
ARQ has spent twelve years crafting a unique sound that draws on jazz, folk, pop and Latin influences. The quintet’s chemistry is rooted in enduring relationships and Rayner credits their musical cohesion to the strong bonds they have developed over years of collaboration. “Each musician in this band has their own voice, but together we have built something even greater than the sum of its parts”.
With richly nuanced compositions, rhythmic interplay and folk-infused melodies, their music carries a strong sense of narrative and cinematic quality and the group are noted for vibrant, communicative performances.
This is the band:
Alison Rayner: bass | Buster Birch: drums | Deirdre Cartwright: guitar | Diane McLoughlin: saxophone | Steve Lodder: piano
And this is what some of the press have said about them:
‘Bright, open jazz music that rejoices in human experience without sentimentalising it’ ★★★★ BBC Music Magazine
‘Openly and joyously communicative’ John Fordham, UK Jazz News
‘Engaging and melodic…inspired improvisation running through the songs’ ★★★★ All About Jazz
‘I’ve seldom heard a group sound so tightly inside each other’s mind pockets’ Jazz Views
Live reviews:
‘One of the best contemporary jazz groups around – these musicians are making some of the best music of their careers’ thejazzmann.com
‘The music remains as fresh, vital and relevant as ever’ Andy Robson, Jazzwise
…and here are some of their awards:
★ Ivor Novello Composer Awards 2019 – Alison Rayner
★ All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2018 ARQ – Ensemble of the Year
★ British Jazz Awards 2018 ARQ – Best Small Group (Public Vote)
Now check out their showreel: