Olly Syrus / Tom Ball Duo

Olly Syrus - tenor and soprano saxophones

Tom Ball - piano

+ sometimes - Kevin Sanders - bass

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Olly and Tom met through a mutual friend when they were members of rival university big bands and have been friends ever since. Over 25 years, although their paths diverged for a while as both travelled to different regions and continents, they have always gravitated together from a shared sense of what is possible with just two open-minded and committed musicians in a room. Even now Olly is based on London but the pair get together several times a year in Devon, London or France for focussed practice and a run of gigs. Their duo album On the Other Hand is a virtual punctuation mark in their ongoing musical conversation - consisting of six original tunes and seven covers, this is where they were at as of the end of 2023. In April 2024 they completed a short tour of five dates in Devon (with Kev Sanders joining on bass) to launch the CD. They are now seeking wider exposure for this project, with a possible run of dates in the pipeline with the great Glaswegian guitarist, Neil Burns. 

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The cover songs are only found on the CD but to hear the original tunes please select your favourite streaming service at this webpage: 

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https://tomball.hearnow.com