Bristol’s jazz festivities: Dec 17 2018-Jan 6 2019

So here it is, as the philosopher N Holder has observed, and with the combined festivities of Hannukah, Yule, Samhain, Christmas and New Year all falling within the next three weeks naturally the jazz calendar is crammed with seasonal treats.

So we can expect plenty of end-of-term shenanigans at the regular jazz sessions, various special guest appearances and, just when you think it’s all over, a rather tasty new jazz minifest over in Bath to launch another good year.

Three local heroes deserve honourable mentions, each with a gigs over the next three weeks, beginning with trumpeter and drummer Andy Hague. As well as performing in several significant bands – notably his own Quintet, but also Silverado, Double Standards, Conjunto Gringo and his occasional excellent big band – Andy has for years sustained the Bebop Club as a weekly opportunity to catch a mix of the very best local jazz projects alongside classy visitors from farther afield.

Fittingly the club’s final session before the break is a special bash to celebrate acerbic doorman Robin Denford’s 20 years in the role, and Robin has selected Miles Behind (Bebop Club, Friday 21), a wittily named celebration of the great Miles Davis’ later work with Andy leading a brilliant sextet of Bebop favourites. Andy also crops up as a special guest at the year’s last Canteen Jazz Session (Canteen, Monday 17).

Another busy musician who plays a big role in the local jazz scene is Denny Ilett, a versatile jazz, rock and swing guitarist who is also the artistic director of the Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival (March 22-24, 2019).

With regular venue the Colston Hall closed in 2019 he’s programmed across a variety of new locations, with highlights including vocalist China Moses, Soweto Kinch’s Nonagram and a reformed Soft Machine.

Denny himself has the last Fringe gig of the year with their annual Denny Ilett’s Sinatra Special (Fringe, Thursday 27) giving him the chance to reprise his popular vocal impression of ol’ blue eyes with a classy swing quintet.

And the third hero is James Morton, a tireless purveyor of funk and jazz who has brought so many new faces to the local jazz audience with his pyrotechnic alto sax and a fine sense of the groove.

He’ll be at the 2019 festival, naturally, as part of  the mighty Herbaliser, but he’ll also be rocking The Bell (Wednesday 19) with James Morton, Tony Remy & Funky Friends bringing ace guitarist Tony down from London and then he kicks off the Fringe’s New Year with James Morton & Friends (Fringe, Thursday 3) when he’ll be joined by sizzling violinist John Pearce.

The Gallimaufry has continued to support new jazz names throughout 2018, with a weekly residency for intricate improvising math-jazzers Waldo’s Gift bringing an impressive roster of special guests over the year. Fittingly the band’s last session before the break at the Galli (Wednesday 19) will be an album recording, after which they’ll no doubt be preparing for a special Waldo’s Orchestra event (Leftbank, Saturday 22), with the usual trio swelling to an octet with the addition of special guests.

The Orchestra will feature several members of Snazzback, the groove-driven collective who also are Galli regulars. They’re offering a couple of festive specials of their own starting with Snazzback’s Christmas Party (Gallimaufry, Thursday 20) and Snazzback’s New Werks 4 2019 (Gallimaufry, Thursday 27), the latter celebrating their new six-piece line-up.

Fans of the many faces of jazz guitar needn’t be twiddling their thumbs between Xmas and New Year, given the return of bopping guitarist Charlie Allen to Leftbank (Friday 28) quickly followed by fusioneer Mark Lawrence in Groovelator (Canteen, Saturday 29) and then the aforementioned Denny Ilett’s Hot Club de Clifton (Fringe, Sunday 30).

You might also want to checkout Afro-jazzers Electric Jalaba (Jam Jar, Saturday 22) whose North African gnawa grooves feature Flying Ibex guitarist Nathaniel Keen.

The town’s awash with New Year’s Eve parties, of course, with the nearest thing to a jazz do naturally being the Balkan-based Old Duke NYE Party  (Old Duke, Monday 31) featuring Fromage en Feu and Troyka – a hot ticket that’ll need advance booking.

But you might prefer to save your dwindling pocket money for the Bath Jazz Weekend (Winscombe Social Club, Friday 4 – Sunday 6), an ambitious new family-friendly venture from former Bath Festival jazz promoter Nod Knowles that aims to plug the increasingly widening jazz-shaped gap in Bath’s live music scene.

For this inaugural outing Nod has pulled together some of the many nationally famed jazz names with local connections, including pianists John Law, David Newton and Jason Rebello, saxophonist Iain Ballamy. Get The Blessing and top accordionist Karen Street.

It’s a welcome initiative in a smart and comfortable venue that deserves to succeed. And you can get a preview of Dave Newton when his movie-music themed Big Screen Trio comes to Future Inn (Thursday 20).

And, finally, if it looks a bit like Santa has gone all mainstream and forgotten the more avant-garde stuff then be not afraid! Bristol’s adventurous flame burns brightly through midwinter, starting with a ‘Christmess’ special session (including a quiz!) of the Sound Cupboard (Crofters Rights, Wednesday 19) and followed by Around Me, Somehow (Brunswick Club, Friday 22) which is billed as an evening of ‘wide-eyed ambient music’ and then, latterly Cafe Kino hosts Restless Bursts (Saturday 5), a meditation on sleep from an insomniac perspective created by corrupted tape-tech ambient composer Sean Addicott.

Could be a highly appropriate preparation for 2019’s impending political shenanigans, perhaps?