The life and work of the late jazz/cabaret pianist and singer, Blossom Dearie, is celebrated with reverence and charm by this Bristol-based group of top musicians. Brought together by a mutual love of this often forgotten jazz star, they revive Blossom’s unusual songbook. In addition to some of her original compositions, it features the writing of Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Cy Coleman, Bob Dorough and Dave Frishberg among others. The music is full of wit and humour, as sharp as it is sweet. With skilful arrangements by Denny Ilett and a glowing line-up featuring some of the UK’s best players, this project is not to be missed.
Denny Ilett - Guitar Dan Moore - Keys Chris Jones - Double Bass Matt Brown - Drums In recent years Victoria has been dividing her time between solo work as a jazz singer playing with a variety of players and bands throughout the UK and Europe, and her role as a backing vocalist/songwriter in internationally acclaimed soul band Hannah Williams and The Affirmations. She is a staple on the South West circuit and often touring in Europe. Her series of tribute performances entitled ‘Victoria Klewin Sings…’ has allowed her to explore the repertoire of some great icons and composers of Jazz such as Hoagy Carmichael, Ella Fitzgerald and, most recently Blossom Dearie. “Coquettishly salacious” – R2 Magazine “Forgive the brazen cliche, but Victoria Klewin could sing the phonebook and make it sound gorgeous” – Northern Sky Magazine “In the pocket from the very first downbeat” – The Musician https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brc-5o4WG_o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJT5SxvQP-0
1 Comment
Henrik Jensen's 'Followed By Thirteen'
Henrik Jensen Esben Tjalve Rory Simmons Pete Ibbetson "Jensen is thoughtful, richly chordal and attractively Charlie Haden-like on the bass" - John Fordham, The Guardian. Jensen leads his own quartet Henrik Jensen's ‘Followed By Thirteen’ which he founded in 2010. His compositions are thoughtful, playful, bursting with energy, at times melancholic and there is space in the arrangements, room for each member of the quartet to express themselves. The group released their 2nd album 'BLACKWATER' in September 2016, which features Andre Canniere-trumpet, Esben Tjalve-piano, and Antonio Fusco-drums. 'Blackwater' has received some outstanding reviews including the Guardian and the Evening Standard. "The balance between composed and improvisation, as in the best jazz, disappears so that one is left with a complete and perfectly coherent quartet performance" - Chris Barber, Jazzviews "What a great quartet with lively sound, always tight but allowing plenty of individual freedom too" - Ken Drew, Bebopspokenhere "Jensen’s precise, song-like bass extemporisations catch the ear" - Adrian Pallant, Londonjazz. Jonny Mansfield Quartet is a vibes four piece based in London via New York and was formed in February 2016. The small usual line-up allows for interesting interaction and huge textures. Crescent recently performed their debut gig at the Vortex Jazz Club and are currently working on material for their debut release and European tour in Spring 2019. In 2015 Will was National YoungArts Foundation Merit winner for Jazz Bass after studying with Linda Oh. Between them they have played with legends such as Chris Potter, Geoff Simkins & Alex Garnett.
Their sound comes from a mutual admiration between the band, creating endless new approaches to the compositions, which are influenced by Vince Mendoza, Marius Neset and Ravel, as well as songwriters such as Norah Jones and James Taylor. The larger ensemble offers a wide palette of textures and colours, from traditional four horn writing to more contemporary classical music with the use of strings and vibraphone. 'Really beautiful music' - Jorge Rossy 'A musical vision beyond his years' . - Evan Parker 'Jonny Mansfield, whose incredible relaxed demeanour belied the quite mystifying way he managed to make this complex instrument sing.' - London Jazz News Jonny is featured twice in Jazzwise’s ‘who to look out for in 2018’ - HERE Jonny Mansfield - Vibraphone Will Barry - Piano Conor Chaplin - Bass Will Glaser - Drums Live - https://youtu.be/kHPBkTP5Ms4 Teaser - https://bit.ly/2pVGF6X https://soundcloud.com/jonathan-mansfield-2/crescent-haiku-with-a-tag/s-UgtCh https://soundcloud.com/jonathan-mansfield-2/i-mean-you DENNY ILETT QUARTET
Denny Ilett - Guitar Dave Newton - Piano Riaan Vosloo - Bass Ian Matthews - Drums Denny Ilett (pronounced eye-let) is rare commodity - a virtuoso British guitarist and a talented writer/arranger, who has honed his chops not on the UK scene but rather by playing and touring with some of New Orleans finest including Lillian Boutte and members of such notable bands as The Meters, Dr John and the Harry Connick Jnr Big Band. Tonight he is joined by a stellar band made up of some of the UK's finest jazz talent for what promises to be a very special night of jazz and blues music. “Three outstanding musicians with compositions worthy of their talents. Strong writing, absolute unity of purpose, great technique, free-flowing solos, and, vitally, a gorgeous, quiet soulfulness - Meraki has it all in spades.” - LondonJazzNews
Naylor released his debut album ‘Rough Boundaries’ featuring Birmingham Jazz Orchestra in 2016, for which he won the coveted Dankworth Prize. Trading the many voices of a large ensemble for the space and co-creativity of a trio allows him more freedom as an improvisor and story-teller. A current Masters student at The Royal Academy of Music, he has the pleasure of studying under Gwilym Simcock, Kit Downes, Nikki Iles and Jasper Høiby. Nick Jurd is a double and electric bassist based in Birmingham and touring internationally. He plays most regularly with Soweto Kinch, Trope, The Destroyers and Hansu-Tori, and freelances regularly around the UK jazz scene. Past performance and recording highlights include playing with Ernest Ranglin, Paul Dunmall, Andrew D'Angelo, ESKA, Stan Sulzman and Juice Aleem. Jonathan Silk is a Scottish drummer, composer and band leader living and working in Birmingham and the UK. He has released two albums with his own big band and string orchestra to critical acclaim and worked with world-renowned composers Vince Mendoza and Maria Schneider as well as a host of other nationally and internationally renowned musicians. Awards include BBC Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year award in 2014, the Yamaha Jazz Scholar Award 2011. “He (Naylor) has the potential to establish himself as a leading player of his generation internationally” - Hans Koller Youtube Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjXOv441UCc “The theme writing is, as you might expect from a successful film and TV composer, memorable…" (Jazzwise)
“…one of our most able and listenable pianist/composers…” (Jazz Journal) “Listeners wary of original compositions – and with Jones they needn't be – will find that there are enough echoes of things they already love to draw them in. The individual players also walk the line between tradition and individuality with equal success” (Jazz author and saxophonist Simon Spillett) Pianist/composer Dave Jones has toured and recorded internationally (including collaboration projects with the bands Burum and Khamira) in India, France, and Ireland, and also composes music specifically for TV and film, having tracks used in ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ (both US), the drama ‘Las Aparicio’ (Mexico), and ‘Location, Location, Location’ (UK). He also writes regularly for Jazz Journal and Pianist magazine. Drummer Andy Hague (also a trumpeter) is a prolific composer and arranger, releasing jazz albums under his own name, and has also played and recorded with Portishead, as well as being an active jazz educator and organiser of the weekly Be-Bop Club in Bristol. Saxophonist/flautist Ben Waghorn brings to this Quartet his vast experiences from a career playing for NYJO, Tommy Chase, Slowly Rolling Camera and Keith Tippett, to The West End of London as a pit musician, and also various TV and film credits as a session musician. He has also recorded/performed with bands including Goldfrapp, Kasabian and Portishead. Bassist/vibraphonist Ashley John Long continues to impress with his virtuosic playing, with e.g. John Law, Brandon Allen, Geoff Eales, Alan Barnes, and Scott Hamilton, amongst many others, and he is currently working on the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s young composers scheme. 2019's Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival looks set to be the best yet. To help you kick off this amazing weekend of jazz we are putting on a special night of music celebrating the best in local jazz artistry from musicians who are playing at this years festival. Some of our most popular local regulars have formed a stellar band and, to perform alongside them, we have a variety of special guests from the local music scene. This is going to be a very special, one off occasion so be sure to grab your tickets ASAP.
Gary Alesbrook - Trumpet/Flugelhorn Anders Olinder - Piano John Pearce - Violin Matt Hopkins - Guitar Victoria Klewin - Vocals Kevin Figes - Alto Saxophone ...and other special guests who will be dropping in for a pre-festival play! Lieko Quintet is a Manchester-based group turning contemporary jazz on its head with melodic, groove-infused compositions. Treading a path somewhere between soul music and folk song, they use melody as an anchor for moving between riff-based interplay and free improvisation. When blended together with the rhythmic precision of old school funk and cathartic energy of Nigerian afrobeat, the result is a brain-melting concoction of new-world explorations.
Since forming three years ago, the band has performed at venues and festivals all over Europe, with appearances at Manchester Jazz Festival, Brecon Jazz: Futures, Malta International Arts Festival, Kelburn Garden Party and many other venues across the UK. They released their debut EP, ‘Deja Vu’, in July 2016 and have since followed it with a wildly unconventional music video for the single ‘Scratch That’, which appears on their latest record, ‘Amethyst’. If you’re not already dancing, they’ll pull the proverbial rug out from underneath your feet, and get you moving in places you never even knew existed. “…intelligent, inventive and imaginative…” - The Jazz Man Seven musicians from five nationalities connecting modern and traditional music, this is the Matheus Prado Septet.
British contemporary harmonies and melodies driven by Brazilian and African rhythms; a unique soundscape played by a global band formed of Welsh, English, Scottish, Portuguese and Brazilian members. The band follows the path that Hermeto Pascoal and Kenny Wheeler started, bringing back folk melodies into a modern context. The septet format allows an immense variety of textures, that are used to create the right ambient to each moment. This concept requires a high level of expressibility to the band because all the players are soloists and accompanists at some point. Having trumpet and saxes accompanying bass and trombone, or having the drums playing a melody are some of the textures that we can find in their repertoire. After going to Switzerland to release their first album Childhood, playing two festivals one in Brienz and one in Langnau, the septet is now back on the road again in the UK to continue creating and developing their sound. The best way to understand is to listen to it: More information: mpradomota.com/septet/ James Morton is one of the most exciting saxophone players of his generation.
Born out of the Bristol music scene James was appointed Ambassador of Music for his home town in 2014 and is a long standing member of British trip-hop Legends The Herbaliser. James has developed an international career over the last 15 years, working with some of the world’s best known and prolific artists, including Kasabian, Pendulum, Raphael Saadiq, Cee Lo Green, Roni Size, George Clinton, Fred Wesley and The New JB’s, Pee Wee Ellis, Angelique Kidjo and Carleen Anderson to name a few. James also recently worked as part of the NPG Hornz playing with Liv Warfield and other members of Prince’s band. With 2 critically acclaimed album releases to his name James Morton’s Porkchop “Don’t You Worry ‘bout That” and “The Kid” released in 2016, the forthcoming year will see a string of new releases from James. James has recently been commissioned by Canary Wharf, Chestochowa and The Polish Ministry of culture. Newly formed project CraqSquad, formed with multi award winning producer DJ SUV, which includes members of Massive Attack, The Herbaliser and Roni Size Reprazent drew a crowd of 9000 people at their first performance in May 2018. His unique lyrical and rhythmic style, which allows him to directly “speak” to his audience, conveys a strong sense of emotion that directly connects with his audience which makes him such a special – and in demand – player. James will perform some of his original compositions as well as his own arrangements of some well known jazz standards. James Morton - Alto sax Anders Olinder - Keys Ian Matthews - Drums Guitar - TBC |