Joseph Leighton is a guitarist and composer from Derry, now based in London. He picked up the guitar at eleven and quickly became absorbed in rock guitar. Over the following years, he developed a love of jazz, drawn to its freedom and possibilities for expression. His music keeps a close connection to that tradition while drawing on the folk, rock and singer-songwriters that continue to inspire him.

A graduate of Trinity Laban Conservatoire with a BMus (Hons) in Jazz Guitar, Joseph has also taken lessons with Jesse van Ruller and Peter Bernstein. Since moving to London, he has become immersed in the city’s jazz community, collaborating with musicians including Darren Beckett, Camille Rose, Sylvie Noble, Conor Murray, Riley Stone-Lonergan, Hannes Riepler, Oli Hayhurst and Liam Noble. He has performed at clubs around the world, including Ronnie Scott’s, the Vortex and Cairo Jazz Club.

Selected for Improvised Music Company’s Navigator residency at Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Joseph wrote music for two guitars, culminating in a performance with Phil Robson. He also performed in North Star, under the musical direction of Grammy-winning artist Kaidi Tatham, during its three-week premiere run at New York’s Irish Arts Center. Alongside performing and composing, he is a faculty member at Sligo Jazz Project, where he has taught alongside Mike Walker, Phil Robson and Tom Ollendorff.

His debut album, Grudge, brings these musical interests together. Recorded live at Lightship 95 and engineered by Giles Barrett, with support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, it features Riley Stone-Lonergan on saxophone, Will Sach on bass and Gene Calderazzo on drums. Joseph brought the band together for their distinctive individual voices, shared influences and the openness he values in making music with others.