Name: Music Spoken Here presents Abacus
Start: 2026-02-26T19:30:00+00:00
Location: The Marr's Bar, 12 Pierpoint Street, WR1 1TA Worcester, United Kingdom

𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫-𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐚𝐳𝐳.
ABACUS is a project run by Birmingham based Saxophonist, Composer and Improvisor Liam Brennan. Formed in 2022, the project concept was heavily influenced by Omer Avital’s Asking No Permission which featured a 4- horn frontline. The music aims to combine concepts from both the Jazz small group tradition as well as the Big Band lineage. It features some of the most exciting improvisors from Birmingham and London.
The band fuses influences from composers such as John Hollenbeck, John Taylor and Oliver Nelson, also incorporating techniques from Scandinavian folk music and contemporary classical composition. Liam is currently studying a masters in composition and improvisation, and is currently based in Oslo, Norway. Their debut album will be released in early 2026, which is a live recording from a performance in Birmingham in 2023.
The sextet are Liam Brennan and James Romaine (alto sax), James Borland (trumpet), Simeon May (tenor sax/bass clarinet), Josh Vadiveloo (bass) and Kai Chareunsy (drums).