GROWING up in Saudi Arabia to rock ‘n’ roll loving British parents was jazz guitarist Ant Law’s unlikely introduction to music.
 

“It’s a pretty messed-up country,” he explained, “but it’s not as bad as people might think for music, because you get little pockets of expats.”
 

His father started teaching him guitar at the age of 10, and the obsession was complete when his first history teacher gave him a recording of American guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan.
 

His transition from rock lover to jazz musician then came while studying at the University of Edinburgh.
 

“There was quite a lot going on in the city in local jazz bars and I was really inspired by that, and decided I wanted to start playing it.”
 

Ant moved to London in 2008 to become a session musician and, after struggling for several years in an overcrowded industry, found work with artists including Mica Paris, Leon Ware, Koby Israelite, Camille O’Sullivan,

Britain’s Got Talent star Tony Laf and X-factor winner Steve Brookstein.
Whilst touring internationally, he started composed his own material, saying,

“Jazz isn’t always palatable to non- fans, so the aim with my music is to make it catchy so it can appeal to people from a rock background – like I was.”
 

Working with the heaviest young musicians in the UK, a core lineup and repertory eventually settled, becoming the ‘Entanglement’ album.
 

This project was awarded funding from the Jazz Services Recording Support Scheme and released on the 33 Jazz label.
 

The band begin their second long tour this month before heading into the studio to record their second album.
 

The tour, which includes a stop at Zeffirellis, Ambleside, on February 1, will showcase some of their new material.
 

Ant said: “I love our live shows – jazz is innately alive and when you record in a studio you don’t really get that.
 

“The reason I love this music is that as well as the actual song, there’s the improvisation and spontaneity.
 

“Jazz musicians can play a song 30 times in a row but it’ll be completely different each time.”