Luís Jardim (1950–2025): The Groove Master with the Big Fat Smile

Remembering the legendary percussionist and a magical afternoon at Westside Studios

Oh no. I've just heard that Luís Jardim died yesterday. It was his 75th birthday.

During the recording of our debut album The Jeremy Days, producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley brought in a whole group of super-talented session musicians they regularly worked with on their productions (Madness, Dexy's, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, They Might Be Giants, etc.) to help flesh out the sound of our band—adding brass, strings, and percussion where needed.

So one afternoon, Luís showed up at Westside Studios in Holland Park, London, with a truckload (yes, an actual truckload!) of bongos, congas, shakers, tambourines, and all manner of things you could hit. He then proceeded to blow our minds as he effortlessly flew through our tracks, making everything sound just that much cooler and groovier. It was stunning to watch. I can still see him standing in the studio under headphones, a cigar firmly planted in his mouth, banging away on the congas with a big fat smile on his face. Good times, indeed.

Luís is all over that first album of ours. Have a (re)listen and you’ll hear his spirit and pure joy in there, I swear! (Check out the Outro on This World.) ;-)
A couple of years ago, he reached out to me unexpectedly, asking if I had any projects he could play on. I would have loved to make that happen—but it never did.

Who was Luís Jardim?
Luís Alberto Figueira Gonçalves Jardim was born on the island of Madeira on 4 July 1950. A virtuoso percussionist, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist, Luis work inspired generations of musicians who admired his ability to blend into a song while still making it unforgettable. His grooves were often in the background—but they were the heartbeat of the music.
Amongst other things he worked prolifically as a session musician throughout the '80s and '90s, playing with a crazy list of artists: Prefab Sprout, Madness, David Bowie, Björk, Paul McCartney, Cher, Grace Jones, Robbie Williams, Elvis Costello, the Rolling Stones, Tears for Fears, Celine Dion, Elton John, Coldplay, Tina Turner, and yeah,… the jeremy days!
His fingerprints are on more hits than you probably realize. If you’ve ever been moved by a great track, chances are you’ve been grooving to Luís Jardim without even knowing it.

I feel so lucky to have seen him do his thing up close—if only for one afternoon.
Rest easy, Luís. And thank you.

Luis Jardin (1950-2025)