Daniel Casimir
Composer, Producer, Bassist
Bio
“Casimir’s boundary defying album has garnered considerable critical acclaim and rightly so and it is to be hoped that his music reaches out to a wide, cross genre listenership.” Winner of the 2024 Arts Foundation for jazz composition, Daniel has become an influential figure within the UK Jazz scene. Having performed in several countries and with a vast discography, the multi-award-winning composer, bassist, and producer has a musical output that makes him unmissable. In 2016, Daniel released his debut EP with the award-winning label Jazz re: fresh. Escapee received a 5-star review from the Evening Standard and featured live performances at the Royal Albert Hall, Ronnie Scott’s and The Jazz Café. Following the success of Escapee, Daniel released a joint album with vocalist Tess Hirst called ‘These Days’. Despite being released weeks before the pandemic, the album was named a part of the “Beginner’s Guide to the New Jazz Generation” by Jazzwise, with several tracks being playlisted by Spotify. Daniel's next step was to release his debut solo album. In a significant milestone in his career, Daniel released his debut album “Boxed In” in 2021. This album blends the sound of ‘New UK Jazz’ with classical orchestration, showcasing Daniel's artistic evolution. The album was met with critical acclaim, earning the title of ‘Top albums for 2021’ by Vinyl Factory, an exclusive performance and radio interview on BBC Radio 3, and “Editor’s Choice” in Jazzwise. It also led to Daniel being named “Jazz instrumentalist of the Year” by Jazz FM and “Album of the Year” by the Parliamentary Jazz committee, solidifying his position as a rising star in the jazz world. Continuing his innovative approach, Daniel’s new project 'Balance' builds on the success of his album ‘Boxed In’. This venture merges a full big band, comprising leading figures from the UK Jazz scene, with a string section from the esteemed London Contemporary Orchestra. This groundbreaking collaboration, set to be released on Jazz re:freshed in 2024, promises to redefine the boundaries of contemporary jazz.
Music
Portfolio of Work
Boxed In
Boxed In is the debut album by bassist and composer Daniel Casimir. The album is both a celebration of Black British Culture and a critique of the genres, labels and stereotypes which have traditionally been placed upon black musicians. The album merges a Jazz quintet alongside a classical string quartet, brass and woodwind section.
Award-winning bassist Daniel Casimir and co-writer Tess Hirst released their debut album These Days at the end of last year via pioneering London-based record label, jazz re:freshed. ‘These Days’ was inspired by the duo’s London surroundings, as charged observations are delivered via thought-provoking lyricism, neo soul and modern jazz. Across twelve tracks, Casimir and Hirst fuse traditional jazz sounds into beautifully composed compositions, narrating their way through a political and cultural landscape
Following winning Musicians’ Company award, Daniel was spurred to recording his debut EP ‘Escapee.’
‘Escapee’ features fellow rising stars on the scene, Moses Boyd, Joe Armon-Jones, Shirley Tetteh and features vocalist Tess Hirst.
All Videos
All Videos
Daniel Casimir - A Live Tribute to Mingus @jazzrefreshed / BBE // 25.10.2018
Daniel Casimir - Escapee EPK
Daniel Casimir & Tess Hirst @ BME sessions presented by Jazz re:freshed
Discography
I have had the honour of appearing on:
Industry Reviews
Respected Insights
Evening Standard
If ever proof were needed that London’s young Jazz scene is on fire right now, here it was: first up, the conservatoire trained, in demand double bassist and composer Daniel Casimir, leading a crack quartet of fellow rising stars through a set of tunes from his excellent EP, Escapee.
London Jazz News
This collection of work stands very well as a unified whole. Don’t put it on ‘shuffle’, listen to it from start to finish and enjoy the architecture, the contrasts, the messages and the feeling of five superb musicians giving it large and whole-hearted.
Jazz Revelations
Casimir's passionate and powerful playing on the double bass coupled with Hirst's introspective lyricism and magnificent vocals makes this album a fantastic progression from Casimir's successful 2017 EP Escapee,