Drumming

“Exceptional British Jazz from drummer Abbie Finn” _ Chris Philips - Jazz FM.

Abbie’s current main projects are the Abbie Finn Trio with Harry Keeble on tenor saxophone and Paul Grainger on double bass and the Finntet - a hardbop band featuring Graham Hardy, Harry Keeble, Dean Stockdale and Paul Grainger. She also frequently performs with the Harry Keeble Quartet, the Dean Stockdale Trio and many more.

The Abbie Finn Trio perform regularly around the North-East and further afield. They have featured at Jazz in the round at The Pizza Express Jazz Club Dean St - Soho, The Cockpit in London, Newcastle Jazz Festival, Manchester Jazz Festival, Hexham Jazz Festival, Jazz at the Lescar, Durham Jazz Festival, Band on the Wall, and Middlesbrough Jazz Weekender and more.

‘One to watch this month’ and ‘A crucial member of the thriving North-East scene.’ _ Jazzwise Magazine April 2023.

The Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, London was the chosen venue for the 2024 album launch of ‘Stotties For Three.’ This album featured Abbie’s original compositions and has been played on radio shows across the globe.

‘Their rhythms, fuelled by Finn’s kinetic style, are never less than captivating and on this – their fourth album – the three are on fire, dovetailing perfectly for a release that captivates from first to last.' _ The Crack Magazine 2024.

In January 2023 they released their 2nd studio album ‘On Pink Lane’, this is the band’s first album comprising of wholly original tunes written by Abbie. It is named after the iconic street in Newcastle that used to house the old Jazz Cafe and jam session where the band first played together. ‘On Pink Lane’, for me, highlights how tight this unit have become over the years they have played together.’ _ Simon Defty – Simply Jazz Talk.

In 2022 the band released a live album ‘Live at the 2021 Newcastle Jazz Festival’. It features a selection of tunes from the live performance, including songs by Charles Mingus, Don Grolnick and Victor Feldman.

In July 2020 the trio recorded their debut album ‘Northern Perspective’, which was released in November 2020, comprising of a mix of brand new original music and arrangements of some of the band’s favourite songs.

“A masterclass in straight-ahead jazz” - Russell Corbett, Northern Echo

Abbie has a taking off feature in the April 2023 edition of Jazzwise Magazine, where she is the one to watch, and the band are reviewed in the February 2023 edition which you can read here. They are also in the October 2020 edition in an article talking about the North East jazz scene over the COVID period and are featured in the September 2020 edition of the JazzRag magazine. They have had reviews and radio plays from NARC magazine, The Jazz Mann, Simply Jazz Talk Blog, Bebop Spoken Here, BBC radio Newcastle, Jazz FM, London jazz live radio, The jazz lounge radio and Jazz doodles amongst others.

“As good as it gets” - Lance Liddle, Bebop Spoken Here

Abbie studied Jazz drums under Sebastiaan De Krom at Leeds College of Music, gaining a 1st Class Degree with honours. She then received a Master’s degree from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, studying with Gene Calderazzo and Asaf Sirkis.

In 2018 she was given the opportunity to play Percussion with the WOW (Women of the World) Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London as part of a festival of women. She also received a place on the Keep an eye jazz summer school at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2015 where she worked with artists such as John Riley and Dick Oatts (From the Manhattan School of Music). In 2014 she won the adjudicators award and Best Section Award at The Great North Big Band Festival.

Abbie was a dep for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and also played with the NYJO Academy big band, The Trinity Composer's Big Band, Kinesis: A Drum and Sax duo with Harry Keeble, The NYJO Quintet, The Jazztones, Paul Edis Trio, Durham Alumni Big Band, Strictly Smokin' Big band and more.

She has had the pleasure of working with artists such as: NYJO (National Youth Jazz Orchestra), Simon Spillett, Paul Edis, Andrea Vicari, Derek Nash, Oli Hayhurst, Dean Stockdale, Sue Ferris, Graham Hardy, Paul Grainger, Andy Champion, Zoe Gilby, Mark Williams, Harry Keeble, Michael Lamb, Alice Grace, Ruth Lambert, Bradley Johnson, The Strictly Smokin’ Big Band, NYJO Ambassadors, NYJO academy big band, Musicians unlimited big band, Durham Alumni big band, Customs House big band, Ray Beckett and more.

“Abbie provides the percussion for some genuinely excellent music. The album is one that jazz aficionados ought to love. The quality is consistent throughout” - Jonathan Coll - NARC Magazine

Check out the music and and stay updated for future releases and tours via Bandcamp.