Bristol’s jazz month – January 2022

Well there’s always a sense of post-festivity anti-climax about January and that’s not helped by the continuing impact of you-know-what. But it’s not all gloom – far from it! – so let’s get the disappointments out of the way first. Unforeseen circumstances mean that the weekly Fringe Jazz sessions at Bristol Music Club will now restart in February, the much anticipated return of errant sax-vocalist Ted Milton’s Blurt to the Thunderbolt (Friday 28) has been cancelled as have a couple of Cube gigs – Raph Clarkson’s Bristol 6 (Friday 7) and the Liquid Library Blanketfest 2 (Sunday 16). The Roy Ayers (pictured above) gig at St George’s (Sunday 23) is a rescheduling of last year’s postponement and thus was sold out long ago and, most gut-wrenching of all, the planned Bath Jazz Weekend (Friday 7 – Sunday 9) has had to be scrapped for the second year running. That latter looked like being a real treat, as always, thanks to the hard work and influential contacts list of promoter Nod Knowles.

But hey … the good news! And that is (subject to Government U-turns and the like) that there’s still some excellent live jazz to be had, with especial ‘props’ to the Bebop Club, The Bell and the Stag & Hounds with ten planned January gigs between them.  The Bebop resumes at its new Hen & Chicken home with Split Tone (Thursday 13), a new quartet fronted by punchy tenor saxophonist Craig Crofton with Matt Hopkins on guitar and the rhythm engine of Anders Olinder (keys) and Andy Tween (drums). That’s followed by Andy Hague’s Double Standards (Thursday 20) with Andy’s trumpet jousting with Jonathan Taylor’s piano in a set of classic and original tunes from 2021’s excellent Release CD. The club’s first visitors come in the shape of London-based Estraven (Thursday 27), bass-player/composer Chris Hyde-Harrison’s cool contemporary jazz quartet that includes acclaimed Partikel saxophonist Duncan Eagles.

The Bell has some interesting new projects from familiar (and much-loved) faces, with Mohawkestra organ-grinder Ev Newman and guitarist Joe Wilkins launching Dusk Art Rhythm Quartet (Wednesday 12) and World Government’s Chris Powell, Lisa Cherian and Emma Holbrook joining fusion jazz-folk fiddler Fiona Barrow in Grandma’s Electric Soup (Monday 17). The aforementioned Craig Crofton and guitarist Guy Calhoun will bring the latest emanation of their Jazz Reggae Sessions (Wednesday 19) and longtime trad veterans the Panama Jazz Band do the classic Sunday lunch thing on the 23rd.

Meanwhile, at the Stag and Hounds … there’s an interesting confusion on Sunday 9 when both S&H regular fave saxophonist Greg Sterling and organ groover Guy Shotton (in Sheek Quartet in the above video) are being billed as the main attraction: who will it be? Suck it and see, I guess. Later in the month sees saxophonist Luke Annesley take the reins (Sunday 16) and Uber-trumpeter Nick Malcolm will join the house band to make his Stag debut (Sunday 30).

One gig at the Cube that’s happily survived is Echoic Memory’s night (Friday 21) featuring KURO, the highly strung collaboration between violinist Agathe Max and Gareth Turner’s double bass. Their soundscaping improvisations are complemented by support sets from solo guitarists Stereocilia and Kowa Axis. Further improvisational antics can be expected at Strange Brew’s Cardboard Club session (Wednesday 26) with RRS and The Card’s spontaneous punkery-jazz and the noise-influenced enigma of Carnivorous Plants.

Guitarist Steve Banks’ thoughtful and versatile playing has been mainly seen in the Greg Cordez Quintet, accompanying singer Sarah Colman and in Rebecca Nash’s various projects. His own Steve Banks Quintet is a top quality affair with Sam Crockatt on sax, Rebecca on piano, bass player Henrik Jensen and Mark Whitlam drumming and their latest recording Emboldened is being launched at St George’s (Thursday 27).The album is a suite of Steve’s original pieces reflecting the challenges facing the international community and the band will perform in front of original animated films made by Chris Lucas,  specially commissioned to reflect the themes of the music. The gig will also be available as a live stream on the night.

And, finally, a couple of very different but equally appealing gigs with vocalist Victoria Klewin appearing at the Bristol Beacon Foyer (Thursday 20) in their Tonic Sessions celebrating women in music. Victoria’s versatile repertoire combines classic and original songs drawing on blues, jazz and gospel themes.

And then, to close off the month, Sons of Kemet’s tuba player Theon Cross lands at the Exchange (Monday 31) to remind us how he made that often neglected instrument a superstar in the hippest of contemporary jazz circles.