SMIODAIR feat. Laura Jurd

Smiodair is an international quartet performing original music that draws on a body of work spanning jazz, improvised music and West African rhythm traditions. The music weaves effortlessly between memorable themes and spontaneous interplay, with thunderous grooves colliding with dreamlike sonic landscapes. Without a harmony instrument, the sound is raw, open and direct, rich in melody, rhythm and infectious energy.

This gig will take place at The Grasshopper,
139 – 141 Bournemouth Rd, Poole BH14 9HT.

Please note: If parking in either of the car parks at The Grasshopper, you must register your vehicle on one of the dedicated terminals at the bar or in the function room.

For U18s & Students ticket offers, click on 'Buy Tickets' (note: offer only available until limited numbers reached)

Smiodair is an international quartet with roots that go back over twenty years. Drummer Dave Smith and saxophonist Robin Fincker first played together at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, going on to co-found the Loop Collective in London in 2005, a venue, festival and record label that became a hub for the UK and European creative music scene. Their long creative partnership continued through Outhouse, the Ruhabi project and Splice, accumulating a body of work that spans jazz, improvised music and West African rhythm traditions.

Bassist Simon Jermyn came into the fold through a collaboration between Dublin's Bottlenote Collective and the Loop Collective in 2006, before a decade in New York and a move to Berlin that took his playing to new places.

The word Smiodair, from the Irish for fragments or small broken pieces, captures something true about three musicians whose paths have diverged and reconnected across London, Paris, Dublin, New York and Berlin.

For their UK tour in November 2026, the trio expands to a quartet with the addition of trumpeter Laura Jurd, one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British jazz. The new line-up deepens the band's sonic palette while staying true to the collective, compositional spirit at its heart.

Playing original music composed by all four members, the quartet constantly weaves between composition and improvisation, thunderous grooves colliding with dreamlike sonic landscapes. Without a harmony instrument, the music is raw and direct, rich in melody and rhythm.

Debut album in development. Release planned for 2027.

Robin Fincker: tenor saxophone/clarinet
Laura Jurd: trumpet
Simon Jermyn: bass
Dave Smith: drums