Stan Brunt is an award-winning guitarist, arranger, and composer based in London. He started out playing in bands in Leeds, developing his skills over several years before graduating from the Royal Academy of Music. Brunt is the most recent winner of the Richard Turner Award, a prestigious prize given to musicians from the north of England.
As a player, Brunt has spent much time working on the tradition and now draws on contemporary voices including Lage Lund, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Peter Bernstein. His writing is shaped by a similarly wide range of influences, from Thelonious Monk, his single biggest touchstone, to Wayne Shorter, Aaron Parks, and Mark Turner.
Since graduating, Brunt has performed regularly with his own quartet and worked with other groups across the London scene, including performances at the EFG London Jazz Festival, Vortex Jazz Club, and SevenArts in Leeds. He currently plays in saxophonist Matty Lambert’s quintet, performing original music, and has a new duo project with saxophonist Sam Norris.
His debut album, recorded with his quartet (Sam Norris on alto sax, Guy Dempsey on double bass, and Jonah Evans on drums) and produced by bassist and composer Orlando LeFleming, features original compositions and arrangements alongside two standards. The record explores space and texture, with the compositions built around the band’s collective sound and giving space to the improvisers. It is set for release on Resonant Postcards, a new label run by vibraphonist and composer Jonny Mansfield, in mid-February 2027.
