Chris Luke has been making music for the last fifteen years. His foray into the commercial industry was performing sax and bass guitar in the hugely popular Return to the Forbidden Planet at The Baxter Theatre in Cape Town in 1995 (while studying a Jazz B.Mus at UCT) and since then he has become a prominent name in musical theatre circles the country over.
Luke has played saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, bass guitar and pennywhistle in box office sell-outs: Cape Town’s Forbidden Planet, Solid Gold Juke Box I & II, Annie, Breyten Breytenbach’s Johnny Cockroach, The Ultimate 80’s Show and Etien Van Hierden’s Lied Van Die Boeings. In Durban he’s received rave reviews in The Elvis Las Vegas Extravaganza, Rouge Pulp and Barnyard productions (Luke has played 1236 shows for the Barnyard Theatre’s in South Africa): Glory Days, Rock Me Amadeus, Yesterday, La Vida, Diamonds & Dust, Hot Chocolate, Mick n’ Tina and Born to Run. In addition, he’s played the saxophone with the Johnny Cooper Big Band, Toured and recorded with South Africa’s ‘The Blues Broers’, fusion outfit ‘Absolute Zero’ - who played at the North Sea Jazz festival, was a member of the South African Police Orchestra for two years and recorded with Jewish Cantor Ezra Altschuler. He also toured a two-man production with Amra-Faye Right (Velma Kelly in South Africa and West End’s Chicago). Luke composed the music for the Vega School of Advertising’s Five year Movie. Luke lectured at the University of Cape Town on its jazz-bridging course for two years in 1997/8, co-writing the curriculum. Chris Luke has a B.Mus Jazz Studies degree, graduating with the Bell Prize (highest mark throughout all years for practical studies) from UCT in 1996.
In 2006 Chris Luke opened the South African ‘Woman of the Year’ ceremony on SABC2 with his Saxophone. And in 2007 was a guest artist for the second time, at the Superbowl in Suncity where he performed with other artists such as Melanie Lowe and Craig Urbani. Luke also played saxophone and clarinet in 'Hairspray' a South African premier Broadway Musical at the Lyric Theatre in 2008.
His first all original album 'Mind Fields' is now available.
He is currently playing with the Jonathan Crossley Electric Band and teaching saxophone at Redhill School in Bryanston.
