Bristol’s jazz month – November 2021

OK, so the clocks went back, things got chilly and we switched from playing Summertime to Autumn Leaves rather abruptly. But the Bristol jazz calendar is still bursting with mellow fruitfulness, both locally sourced and carefully imported and November kicks off with a whole rash of musical excitement from the word go. Space considerations mean that not everything happening is in the listings below – for full info do check the websites of regular venues like Bebop Club, Fringejazz, Jam Jar, Bristol Beacon, St George’s, Trinity, El Rincon, The Bell.

You won’t be able to get a ticket for Nubya Garcia’s sell out Trinity gig (Saturday 6) or Yussef Dayes (St George’s, Tuesday 2) but if you’re quick you might catch 2018’s BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year saxophonist Xhosa Cole alongside Ruth Hammond’s 3io at Fringe In The Round (Tuesday 2). Xhosa is a talented player steeped in the heritage of jazz and rich in emotional expression. It’s an unfortunate clash with An Evening With Matthew Halsall (Trinity, Tuesday 2), however, when the spiritual jazz guru and trumpeter unveils his new band of young Mancunian talent. The next night sees the return of improvisational pianist Matthew Bourne after his great contribution to the Keith Tippett celebrations in October. His trio gig at Fringe Jazz (Wednesday 3) includes bass player Riaan Vosloo and drummer Dave Smith, the latter rapidly (and deservedly) becoming one of the country’s most in-demand jazz percussionists.

Since starting the successful jazz record label Edition Records pianist Dave Stapleton has been somewhat less visible as a performer so it’s good to see his ambient trio Slowly Rolling Camera touring new album Where The Streets Lead (St George’s, Saturday 6) with support from incendiary improv trio Modulus III. It rounds off the venue’s festival week of keyboard treats including two solo performances by the amazing Georgie Ward (Wednesday 3), a Jazz Concerto from the Manchester Collective (Friday 5) and Rebecca Nash’s quintet augmented by saxophonist John O’Gallagher (Friday 5). Rebecca will be performing her impressive suite Redefining Element 78, premiered at the 2019 Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival.

Elliott Galvin is another wizard of the ivories coming to town, this time with Mark Lockheart’s new Dreamers project that also features Dave Smith on drums (Beacon, Saturday 13). Polar Bear tenor player Mark is renowned for re-invention and this band of strong personalities claim influences from Ellingon to Kraftwerk. Older influences inspired pianist Joe Webb to launch The Art of Tatum for his Webb City trio (El Rincon, Thursday 4) and the band features Kansas Smitty guitarist Dave Archer, formerly of this parish. It’ll be a hot ticket despite the equally alluring contemporary jazz competition just down the road from bassist Henrik Jensen’s Followed By Thirteen (Bebop Club, Thursday 4). It’s a distinctive project of great players including Sam Crockatt (sax), Mark Whitlam (drums) and pianist Esben Tjalve – a Dane, like Henrik. Henrik returns to the Bebop (Thursday 18) to join Dave Smith (again!) in the Alex Merritt and Nick Malcolm Quartet, another top-notch collective of imaginative and ear-catching jazz musicians.

Among the many ‘world’ music flavours this month one stand-out must be Scorpios (Lost Horizon, Friday 26). Hailing from Sudan the band’s sound has tight brass arrangements over easy rolling rhythms and compellingly soulful vocals. It’s a contemporary sound with traditional roots, as is the tightly disciplined beat urgency of Nihiloxica (Strange Brew, Wednesday 10). Their music takes the acoustic energy of Ugandan drumming and overlays it with electronica to produce a gripping dance groove. Afon Sistema (Thursday 11) bring more big percussion, this time from Brazil, while Latin-jazzers Starlings are in the Beacon Foyer (Thursday 25). Cuban trumpeter Michel Padron’s Latin collaborations with jazz pianist Jim Blomfield are always top quality and their Saoco Collective (Canteen, Saturday 13) is a percussion-rich feast of danceable rhythms and ear-grabbing solo playing. Over in Bath there’s another great combination of jazz and dance grooves with the George Mabuza Group (The Bell, Saturday 13), a celebration of the late George’s carnival jazz energy and compositions. More Anglo-Brazilian dance floor jazz comes from Soma Soma (Jam Jar, Thursday 25), but in a more restrained mode vocalists Claire Martin and Denny Ilett have assembled an impressive 25-piece orchestra to revisit the mid-60s Bossa Nova repertoires of Doris Day and Frank Sinatra (St George’s, Thursday 11).

When there was a Leftbank in Bristol Dave Morecroft’s World Service Report was a regular visitor, so it’s good to see they’ve found the Jam Jar for the Bristol tour date promoting livewire new album Hiding In Plain Sight (Jam Jar, Wednesday 17). Since they share a drummer in Luke Reddin Williams it’s no surprise that support comes from Roller Trio, making a sizzling double bill but a tiring night for the lad. It might well appeal to disappointed Nubya Garcia fans, as would the visit of Afro-futurist groovers Steamdown (Exchange, Tuesday 9) or the return of supreme soul-jazzers  Ishmael Ensemble (Thekla, Tuesday 16). In a similar vein Brighton’s Yakul make their Bristol debut (Jam Jar, Thursday 18) and Bristol’s Laimu return to Canteen (Thursday 18). Highly impressive in prospect the jazz-meets-hip hop Abstract Orchestra bring their MF DOOM project to Trinity (Monday 22).

If, by contrast, you are after the more improvisatory end of the spectrum it’s a busy month for you, too. Star names abound in the latest Paul Dunmall Quintet (Fringejazz, Wednesday 24), not least trombonist Richard Foote. Another freewheeling Fringejazz treat will be Tony Orrell’s Big Top (Wednesday 17), this time featuring Invisible Apples pianist John Baggott. Further into the wild side, Strange Brew host the latest selection of Cardboard Club unpredictability (Wednesday 3) and then a revival of the Brunswick Club courtesy of TBC Editions (Saturday 13). The similarly provocative QWAK club pops up the next day (The Cube, Sunday 14) with Tony Orrell teaming up with pianomeister Pat Thomas and Dominic Lash on bass as the headliners of an improvisatory triple bill. And then there’s Able Noise (Cube, Tuesday 16), a meditative drums and baritone guitar duo formed online between Athens and The Hague.

And finally, anyone for sherry? There’s a sherry tasting event (El Rincon, Thursday 18) with accompanying sounds from Purple and Brown, the rarely glimpsed duo project of Get The Blessing’s Pete Judge and Jim Barr. You’ll have to buy the sherry the week after, however, when Pete returns as half of trumpet/cello duo JOW (with James Now) to launch their debut album (El Rincon, Thursday 25).