Award winning, official Henri Selmer Artist, Melodic Maverick, Hannah Horton is a visionary jazz saxophonist, composer, bandleader and journalist. Hannah’s music is rooted in jazz, folk and funk and her established individual and sophisticated sound is edging through boundaries and creating waves worldwide.
An official Henri Selmer Artist, alumni of the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity Laban, and member of award winning Women In Jazz Media, Hannah works the jazz world in her own authentic way. Her most recent album ‘Inside Out’ has received critical acclaim worldwide and she continues to wow audiences with her creative, compelling, emotive and alluring playing, alongside her warm and charming personality on stage.
Today Hannah provides inspiration of her own by running ‘J Steps’ – a new band initiative designed to nurture the talent of musicians who identify as female or non-binary with it’s main aim being to balance a historic lack of representation of women in jazz.
“Hannah makes the big beast baritone sax sound like an angel” Ian Shaw
“Rising star Hannah Horton is turning heads” BBC Music Magazine ****
“There’s a deeper dimension to her art” BBC Music Magazine ****
“One of the most satisfying albums I’ve heard this year. Highly recommended.” ****
Matthew Ruddick Kind of jazz
“Bold and gritty playing” Jazzwise ***
“Hannah Horton blows funky tenor, gutsy baritone and can write a good tune”
Lance Liddle bebop spoken here
“An album without flaw”, Jazz Views
“Absorbing, emotive, delicate, and utterly compelling” Simply Jazz Talk
“There’s genuine emotion in Horton’s playing” The Jazz Mann
“Hannah plays with so much soul and emotion” Tony Kofi
“Hannah is innovative and fearless” Sammy Stein
My story
I felt lonely and non accepted as a child growing up.
I played the sax but I lacked the confidence to take the risk and put my playing and writing out there.
It’s tough being a female instrumentalist in the jazz world. It’s a struggle to get your voice heard and historically it’s been a male dominated environment. Receiving great worldwide reviews and recognition for ‘Inside Out’ gave me confidence and self belief that I was really an artist.
It felt amazing hearing how much people liked my music and how it touched them, from both peers and music lovers. I never thought I would sell out at the London Jazz Festival.
I had an amazing student who had the trust in my dreams and hopes that I might achieve and he supported me emotionally. I am now an internationally recognised Jazz artist and recently won a Parliamentary Jazz Award. I now feel accepted and no longer lonely.
Discography
Inside Out – Hannah Horton Quartet (2021)
Forget Me Not – Hannah Horton Quartet (2012)
Every Step I Take – Charlotta Kerbs and The Strays (2022)
Safe Places – Esther Bennett, Terence Collie (2021)