Bristol’s week in jazz, April 22-28 2019

Oh we have some big names in town this week, blasting in from the past and (in one case) outer space, too, plus we have the very (Leaf)cutting edge of the now and then there’s the (Afro)future on offer.

It’s a space time continuum and you’ll need to get pretty fit to make the most of it.

The cosmic travellers are, of course, the awesome Sun Ra Arkestra whose mothership will be steered onto the Fiddlers stage by veteran bandleader Marshall Allen on Tuesday (23). At 94 he’s an undimmed beacon of inspiration and the band hold true to the eclectic legacy of their originator Sun Ra, so any chance to catch them is a must.

If the very hip term Afrofuturism has any originating legacy then the late Sun Ra, with his passionate enthusiasm for both Ancient Egyptian culture and interplanetary travel, could have laid a claim to it. It’s also a very current thing, with a thriving young scene in London merging grime, soul, jazz and funk into compelling and popular music.

One key centre is the Steam Down session in Deptford and Bristol’s Worm Disco are bringing their roadshow to town (Rough Trade, Friday 26) giving fans and the uninitiated a chance to experience this free-flowing contemporary jazz.

As a more retrospective player Gilad Atzmon is probably one of the UK’s finest exponents of bebop saxophone, combining the fluidity of Charlie Parker with the lyrical edge of John Coltrane. An Evening With Gilad Atzmon (Bristol Old Vic, Sunday 28) will surely be an entertaining and classy musical outing, not least because it also includes pianist Jim Blomfield, currently reshaping his already impressive style.

More significantly, however, the gig marks the return of promoter Ian Storrer to the Bristol jazz calendar – a stalwart provider of quality jazz since the 80s whose residency at the Hen & Chickens has been sorely missed since its abrupt ending last year. Jim Blomfield also appears in his new Zero Day Jazz duo with violinist Alex Taylor at El Rincon (Thursday 25).

Mr Storrer will have undoubtedly presented trumpeter Henry Lowther at some time over the years – he’s been  a player in the worlds of jazz and rock since the 60s and he formed his all-star quintet Still Waters (Bebop Club, Friday 26) in 1987. It’s aptly named – they took 10 years to release their debut album ID and another 21 elapsed before 2018’s follow-up Can’t Believe, Won’t Believe appeared.

Given the tiny size of the Bebop Club’s room and the quality of this band you’ll need to book in advance by email to be able to get in.

Fringe Jazz can be another tight squeeze, and this week sees the venue’s debut appearance of the Hopkins Hammond Trio (Wednesday 24), a sizzling organ trio featuring Music of Pat Metheny guitarist Matt Hopkins, the great Ruth Hammond on eponymous keyboards and Jethro Tull drummer Scott Hammond. For their Fringe gig they’ll also have Phantom Ensemble sax player Craig Crofton guesting but they’ll also re-appear in their basic trio formation at El Rincon (Friday 26).

It should be pretty packed at the Cube, too, for Leafcutter John (Wednesday 24). It’s many years since this doyen of the UK electronic music scene became part of drummer Seb Rochford’s Polar Bear and brought a distinctive new hi-tech fusion into being. Since then he’s continued to invent new musical instruments – including a radical light-operated sound generator – and break sonic barriers with alarming ease. This gig teams him with a brace of awesome drummers, namely Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner and the aforementioned Seb – a mind-bogglingly skilled collective.

There may be some common ground with the post-techno electronics of ‘club nihilist’ Rainbow Slicer (Crofter’s Rights, Friday 26).

https://vimeo.com/276850021

There’s a measured coolness to the music of TwoSpeak (Gallimaufry, Thursday 25), original electro-acoustic jazz with the cleverly judged interplay between guitarist Ben Lee and sax player Ronan Perrett making much of the latter’s rhythmically driven compositions. Mulvey’s Medicine (Mr Wolf’s, Friday 26) take a similar sound in a more groove-driven direction, and they appear with Bristol’s own psych-jazz groovers Prudent Primate.

Even more dance-friendly, the 8-strong Latin-funk of the mighty Mango Factory (The Bell, Wednesday 24) is another welcome returnee.

Henrik Jensen

And, finally, lyrical bass player Henrik Jenssen brings his Followed By Thirteen quartet for their Bristol debut at Future Inn (Thursday 25), with Andre Canniere’s trumpet an atmospheric contributor to the band’s often reflective post-bop sound.