DONCASTER jazz trombonist Dennis Rollins leads his Velocity Trio at the National Centre for Early Music in York on Sunday, when the focus will fall on Symbiosis, his progressive follow-up their 2011 debut album, The 11th Gate.

Joined by Pedro Segundo on Hammond organ and Ross Stanley on drums, Rollins's new record marries refined contemporary jazz arrangements with simmering grooves designed to take fans of avant-garde jazz, rock, hard funk and world music on a rollercoaster ride.

"The main progression from The 11th Gate to Symbiosis has been in the writing process itself," says South Yorkshireman Dennis. "With the first album, I penned the songs and then found the musicians capable of executing and re-inventing what I'd put down on paper. It was a great learning curve for me, having to put myself in the shoes of both organ player and drummer.

"For Symbiosis, I wanted a more inclusive approach so called on both Pedro Segundo and Ross Stanley to be a part of that process. We wrote the songs through performance, before any pen was put to paper. A creatively organic experience."

York Press:

Dennis Rollins: "a creatively organic experience"

Both Segundo and Stanley were recommended to Dennis. "Within five minutes of playing together, I could feel their understanding of my ideas, as well as sense that their expertise could teach me about a well-established jazz combination I knew little about," he says.

Part of the Rollins sound is hard funk, a wonderfully physical-sounding description but how would Dennis define it? "I would describe hard funk as a 'groove'," says the former founder and bandleader of Badbone & Co. "Imagine a drummer playing a beat that is uncompromising in its sense of propulsion, at the same time adding extra syncopated beats within the already solid foundation."

Hard funk and much more besides will be heard at the NCEM this weekend, when the Velocity Trio set will feature songs from both the Symbiosis and The 11th Gate albums. "We'll also be incorporating a couple of surprise embellishments of not-so standard songs," reveals Dennis.

Looking ahead, another Velocity Trio record will be on its way. "Planning the third Velocity album is exciting; it will incorporate a very special guest," says Dennis, keeping Rollins devotees on tenterhooks as to the guest's identity. "I can visualise the overall sound end result. I'm just allowing ideas to form in their own time."

Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio, National Centre for Early Music, York, Sunday, 7.30pm. Tickets: adults £15, concessions £13, students £5, on 01904 658338 or at ncem.co.uk

WIN TICKETS

Courtesy of the NCEM, The Press has three pairs of Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio tickets to be won for Sunday night.

Question: What was the first Velocity Trio album called?

Send your answer, with your name, address and daytime phone number, by email to charles.hutchinson@nqyne.co.uk, marked Rollins Tickets Competition, by 10am on Friday. Usual competition rules apply.