Music / Jazz
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As the dust settles on the annual jazz orgy that is the Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival (reviewed here) it’s hardly surprising that the Bristol jazz scene is pretty quiet for the next few days. This week does, however, greet a new addition to the rhythm of things with Monday’s debut of Filabusta at the Old Market Assembly. This regular monthly session will be celebrating ‘the brightest of Bristol’s breakthrough jazz & neo-soul’ with vocalist Lydia Bell being the first featured artist.
There’s a very well-established vocal highlight at No 1 Harbourside (Thursday 24) when the duo of Sara Colman & Rebecca Nash play the venue. Sara – sister to Bristol-based retro-jazzers The Colman Brothers – has toured with Jacqui Dankworth and Liane Carroll and has a reputation as one of the country’s finest. Both women come from these parts but Sara’s an adopted Londoner so it’s nicely improbable that she’s hooked up with empathetic jazz pianist Rebecca who these days lives in Birmingham. It’s unfortunate that their gig clashes with the weekly jazz night at Future Inn, featuring the Tim Thornton Quartet. Tim (pictured) is a very expressive bass player and composer, frequently seen at Ronnie Scotts, who regularly works with local-boy-made-good saxophonist James Gardner Bateman.
Another visitor who’s previously made a good impression joins with yet another local saxophone hero to make the Sam Crockatt/Jake McMurchie Quintet (Fringe, Wednesday 23). Loop Collective saxophonist Sam has an amazing regular quartet with pianist Kit Downes that stormed the Hen & Chicken last year but this fivesome with fellow tenor sax player Jake has the backing of the powerfully promising rhythm section of Jim Blomfield, Greg Cordez and Andy Tween.
Finally the Bebop Club welcomes a band who, though locally-based, are so well travelled that it is quite a treat to actually see them on home ground. Based on the multi-instrumental songwriting duo of Pippa Marland and Rob King, Carmina combine Celtic tradition, contemporary folk and improvisational jazz into a genuinely effective fusion. The five-piece line-up, fronted by Pippa’s effortlessly expressive vocals, will be showing off material destined for their forthcoming sixth album.
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