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Fergus Quill: Up Down

By Ludovico Granvassu
August 29, 2025
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A few years back, British bassist Fergus Quill discovered the music of Xero Slingsby, the larger-than-life saxophonist who passed away in 1988 at the age of 30. Though his career was short, Slingsby left an indelible mark on anyone fortunate enough to hear him and continues to enjoy cult status among a devoted few.

Quill not only fell in love with the music but also felt compelled to play it—both to shine new light on Slingsby's work and to highlight the continuum between the irreverent, DIY indie spirit that once took flight in Leeds and the creative scene in that same city that Quill is part of today.

From ¡Up Yours! Fergus Quill Plays Xero Slingsby (Tight Lines Records, 2023), here's Quill's take on "Up Down," the title track from the second—and final—album Slingsby released in 1986.

Contact Ludovico Granvassu on All About Jazz.
I'm the Editor-in-Chief of All About Jazz Italia, host of Mondo Jazz on Radio Free Brooklyn and was once visited by Frank Zappa's ghost.... he was funny too.

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