Polar Bear

Polar Bear

Polar Bear are a British jazz group from London, active since 2004. The band is led by drummer Sebastian Rochford and includes Tom Herbert and Mark Lockheart. They are associated with jazz and blues, and their sound also draws on free jazz, experimental forms and other crossover styles.

The group signs to the Babel Label and appears as part of the F-IRE Collective. Their first album, Dim Lit, is a modest success. Their second album, Held on the Tips of Fingers, brings together cool jazz, funk, dance music, free jazz, electronica and drum and bass, and becomes a crossover hit. It earns a Mercury Music Prize nomination in 2005 and a BBC Jazz Award nomination in 2006. The unusual commercial reach of the record is notable because it is largely instrumental.

Their self-titled album follows in 2008 and continues the group’s multi-style approach, with a denser and longer form than their earlier releases. It keeps the emphasis on blending different jazz influences.