Music / Jazz
Bristol’s week in jazz, July 22-28 2019
Fans of punchy brass will have to pick their sides this week and contemporary saxophone buffs have a treat in store. And meanwhile, further up the road, there’s a bevy of fine world jazz acts at this year’s WOMAD festival.
Listen carefully to the breezily melodic saxophone of Tori Freestone (Fringe, Wednesday 24) and you might just pick up a hint of her Latin/Spanish background. Latest album El Mar de Nubes refers to the view of a sea of clouds from the volcanic peaks of the Canary Islands where she has lived in the past. The CD’s spacious and melodic trio performance is a fine reflection of the improvisatory empathy she has with Dave Mannington’s bass and the drumming of Tim Giles and a great showcase for her increasingly strong voice as an original and talented player.
But it’s Friday night (26) that challenges the brass devotee, with two powerhouse teams of horn-toting visitors riding into town. Over at the Old Market Assembly you can catch Dutch funk-hoppers The Broken Brass Ensemble with a fine reputation for crowd pleasing dance floor arrangements …
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… while Mr Wolf’s hosts the more New Orleans stylings of Brimingham’s Heavy Beat Brass Band, whose sound was tutored into shape by Rebirth Brass Band drummer Keith Frazier. It’s very much that second line Mardi Gras thing, as you’d expect.
Earlier in the week the Gallimaufry sees the debut visit of Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange (Thursday 25), a supercool electro-acoustic quartet from Melbourne, Australia. The band’s combination of sharp dance grooves and lyrical flute and keys makes for a contemporary update on the acid jazz sound of the 90s.
Anyone tempted by that might also do well to check out Nebula Sun (Canteen Saturday 25), a quintet from Norwich making a careful and spacious fusion of African styles with jazz. Naturally South African grooves and wonky Ethiofunk influences are much to the fore.
Trumpeter Gary Alesbrook brings his quintet to The Den – Dockside (Friday 26) with vocalist Elliot Cole guesting to reprise some of the material from Gary’s latest Jazz In The Movies recording, as well as no doubt whipping up some funky stuff along the way.
Composer James Dorman (Canteen, Thursday 25) gives a nod to the great Quincy Jones with his own new Soul Bossa project. Supercool vibraphone meets Hammond organ for soulful (and danceable) boogaloo.
The annual WOMAD festival has always acknowledged emerging stars of the UK jazz scene but this year there’s a fair number of acts reflecting the influence of African music. Trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey leads Afro-jazz collective Kokoroko, Bex Burch’s Ghanaian grill xylophone defines the sound of Vula Viel while Batch Gueye’s West African grooves get Dave Smith’s always impressive drumming in Fofoulah. All of whom will get a nod of approval from veteran fusioneers Soothsayers, as will US groove blasters Moon Hooch, oud master Dhafer Youssef and remarkable Israeli vocaliser Victoria Hannah.
Dino Christodoulou (2nd left) with members of Milon
And finally … a couple of Bristol debuts: firstly a young Cardiff-based sax player leads his Daniel Newberry Quartet (Canteen, Wednesday 24) which also includes the tasty bass playing of Ashley John Young. Expect a mixed bag of swing, Latin and funk. And then, secondly, the more familiar tenor sax of Milon main man Dino Christodoulou launches The Chiff-Chaff Trio (El Rincon, Friday 26). It’s a new collaboration between Dino, bass player Sol Ahmed and drummer Roberto Nappi aiming to play ‘as few as possible of the usual standards’. So don’t go calling for Caravan, then.
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