The young jazz pianist from Brighton returns from New York to perform a solo piano concert on Saturday 14 January in aid of Jo Cox’s Fund

Brighton born and New York based Dave Drake is a 21-year-old pianist. Since the famous jazz pianist Barry Harris (who played with Miles Davis and other jazz greats) invited Dave – then aged just 13 – to join him on stage to play a duet with him after hearing him play, Dave has joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra as their youngest player, been selected by jazz great trumpeter Wynton Marsalis to play piano at two Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra UK concerts in 2012, and gained a scholarship to study jazz at prestigious Manhattan university The New School, where he is currently completing his final year of study.

OFor some time Dave has wanted to explore the greater challenge of playing solo concerts of his own compositions, and once he saw University of Sussex’s atmospheric Meeting House last summer he immediately knew that this awe inspiring building created by Sir Basil Spence in the 1960’s was the right concert hall for him to play his solo concert.

A chapel not often used for concerts, the Meeting House with its extraordinary circular room surrounded by a myriad of multi-coloured windows offers a unique space for Dave to play. The concert will be dedicated to his recently developed concept of The Common Ground.

The Common Ground is the theme, which will act as the centrepiece for the new compositions Dave is writing for this concert. This is Dave’s quest to unite all people spiritually through music in an increasingly fractious and divided world and a conflicted post-Brexit Britain. In resonance with the concert’s philosophy, Dave will be donating all profits from the concert to Jo Cox’s Fund, set up in memory of the Labour MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in June 2016. The Jo Cox fund was established to invest in creating the fairer, kinder and more tolerant work Jo fought for, and beneficiaries so far include The Royal Voluntary Society, Hope Not Hate, and The White Helmets. Find out more about the Jo Cox fund here: gofundme.com/jocox.

Dave Drake Live at Sussex University

• Date & Time: Sat 14 Jan, 2pm (doors 1pm)

• Location: The Meeting House, University of Sussex

• Prices: £16 / £10 students (plus booking fee)

• Early bird tickets available until 1 Dec: £12 (plus booking fee)

• Seats: Unreserved

• Book: seetickets.com/tour/dave-drake-live-at-sussex-university