Music / Jazz
Bristol’s week in jazz, January 21-26 2019
It’s a bit of a global mystery tour this week, with a host of debut visitors passing through on UK tour, a local combo finding an Eastern collaboration and a healthy dose of Latin influences, too.
Sadly, however, there’s also a cancellation as the FA Cup fixture at Ashton Gate means Sophie Stockham’s duo gig at El Rincon has had to be postponed.
Naturally there’s a band from Leeds in town – can anyone remember a week when there wasn’t? – in the shape of highly rated Ubuntu Music quintet Wandering Monster (Bebop Club, Friday 25). The band is led by bass player Sam Quintana whose original compositions have a leaning to rock influences at times yet always hold fast to strong melodic principles.
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Similar rock flavours, as well as electronic dance styles, figure in drummer Richard Spaven’s music (Rough Trade, Thursday 24). Now signed to Real World in his own right, his blend of jazz virtuosity and propulsive grooves has featured on studio work from Flying Lotus, Cinematic Orchestra, Jazzamatazz and Gregory Porter.
For more undiluted jazz values, you could try the latest collaboration of trumpeter Graeme Flowers and guitarist Tommy Emerson: The Welcome Rain (Future Inn, Thursday 24). Both fluent players with a sure and light touch their ongoing playing partnership has developed into a splendid contemporary jazz sympatico at the heart of this new quartet.
Trumpeter David Mowatt has long had a deep interest in the folk musics of Europe and the Middle East as well as the post-bopping jazz he brings to the Bristol European Jazz Ensemble.
This has become a highly fluid collective that now leaps out of its geographical catchment area with the inclusion of Yunmi Kang & Sangyeon Park, two South Korean musicians who join them for a gig at The Fringe (Wednesday 23). The European connection remains, however, as singer Yunmi Kang and guitarist Sangyeon Park met after studying music in the Netherlands. It’s another of those empathetic partnerships, with her floating voice weaving around his spaciously loose fretwork.
By contrast, but equally ear-catching, more earthy vocals in the Afro-jazz and NuSoul styles are on offer at Leftbank (Friday 25) from Priscilla Andersohn and her Blazz Jaggers in an assured blend of jazz freshness and danceable grooves.
https://vimeo.com/294003532
The Canteen – La Cantina? – has a strong Latin flavour this week, starting with the first Canteen Latin Session (Monday 21) a new monthly feature led on trumpet by the splendid (Havana-raised) Michel Padron.
Then there’s Stroud’s very popular percussion-rich combo Albino Tarantino (Thursday 24) who blend cool blues and Latin grooves. If that’s your scene then you’ll be rounding off things with Tropical Bass DJ Riobamba from the New York club world at Old Market Assembly (Saturday 26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYx10-RQY2Y
And, finally, for the kind of calming end to the weekend that prepare you for the Monday nonsense Sunday (27) brings a choice of ambience between Rookeries at Tobacco Factory and an evening of Ambient, Experimental & Dance at Cafe Kino. The latter features the multi-media Viridian Ensemble, fronted by vocalist Dali de Saint Paul, and the charmingly named Those Who Came Before Us and Us Who Are To Follow (actually Benjamin Chilton from Elevator Sound doing electronics, naturally).
Rookeries, by contrast, simply play guitars: two acoustic guitars, exploring the overlaying of patterns and rhythms around themes derived from folk and country styles.
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