Alice Leggett
Biographie Alice Leggett
Alice Leggett
Originally from Cardiff, Wales, alto saxophonist and composer Alice Leggett is an emerging voice in European jazz. After establishing herself in London, she is now based in Amsterdam, where her name is becoming increasingly recognised for her distinctive sound and compositional voice.
Alice is an active performer in the Netherlands, regularly appearing at leading venues such as the Bimhuis. She has performed there with Teis Semey's Super Deluxe Orchestra (featuring Marta Arpini, Sanem Kalfa, Fuensanta, Liva Dumpe, Federico Calcagno, Jasper Høiby, Jamie Peet, Giovanni Iacovella, and guest artists Louis Cole and Gxnzo). She also co-led the Alice Leggett & Chaerin Im Orchestra, which won the prestigious Keep an Eye International Jazz Award and toured South Korea in 2024.
She collaborates widely with musicians in the Dutch scene including Sun-Mi Hong, Tijs Klaassen, Chaerin Im, Teis Semey, and Alessandro Fongaro. Alice leads her own quartet featuring Chaerin Im (piano), Tijs Klaassen (bass), and Wouter Kühne (drums), with guest appearances from Alex Hitchcock (tenor saxophone) and Alistair Payne (trumpet) on her debut album Birdsong, which will be released on Zennez Records in May 2025.
The Birdsong project recently completed a successful six-date UK tour, fully funded by Arts Council England, with performances at venues including Jazz at Heart, The Hive, NQ Jazz, Digbeth Jazz, The Flute and Tankard, and The Vortex.
Previously based in London (2013–2020), Alice worked with a range of notable artists including The Calum Gourlay Big Band and Mark Lockheart’s Days on Earth (Edition Records, 2019). Her own UK quartet featured Rick Simpson, Calum Gourlay, and Will Glaser/Jon Scott, with performances at Ronnie Scott’s, The Vortex, the Southbank Centre, and the London and Brecon Jazz Festivals. She was also a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Alice was named a ‘One to Watch’ in JazzWise magazine in 2019: “Young saxophonist and Trinity Laban graduate Alice Leggett is one to watch. But don’t just take my word for it—Mark Lockheart chose her to play alto in his Days On Earthband, and she’s also a member of Calum Gourlay’s Big Band – case closed.” – Helen Mayhew, Jazz FM.
During her Master’s studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Alice studied with Ben van Gelder, Jasper Blom, Simon Rigter, Tineke Postma, Reinier Baas and others. In 2023, she spent a semester in New York, studying with Craig Weinrib, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Immanuel Wilkins.
