Colosseum

Founded in England in 1968 around drummer Jon Hiseman and saxophonist Dick Heckstall‑Smith, Colosseum took shape with Dave Greenslade, Tony Reeves and James Litherland in a sound that mixed jazz‑rock, progressive rock, British blues and extended improvisations. Colosseum’s sound relied on the interplay between organ, guitar and saxophone, with compositions alternating rock structures, jazz accents and rhythmic tension. After Those Who Are About to Die Salute You and Valentyne Suite, both released in 1969, the lineup evolved with the arrival of Dave “Clem” Clempson and later Mark Clarke and singer Chris Farlowe, heard on Daughter of Time (1970) and the live album Colosseum Live (1971). The band disbanded in autumn 1971 but reformed in 1994 with the late first‑period lineup and resumed touring, mainly in Europe, releasing Bread and Circuses (1997), Tomorrow’s Blues (2003) and Time on Our Side (2014). Following another hiatus in 2015, Colosseum returned to the stage in 2020 centered on Chris Farlowe, Clem Clempson and Mark Clarke, joined by Kim Nishikawara, Malcolm Mortimore and Nick Steed, and recorded Restoration in 2022.