Bristol’s week in jazz, June 3-9 2019

There’s some fine fresh sounds coming this way, including some interesting new combinations of familiar local faces and (allegedly) at least one contender for the next Prime Ministership.

Other candidates are, of course, available.

Since his live debut album broke in 2018 saxophonist Alex Hitchcock has been steadily gathering plaudits from all the right people (including Soweto Kinch). They may play his compositions, but the Alex Hitchcock Quintet (Fringe , Wednesday 5) is far from a one man band as their new studio album All Good Things bears out. This 14-date launch tour for the album should put the band squarely on the national map.

That achievement is surely an aim of the newly formed Bristol trio D.A.M. (Gallimaufry, Tuesday 4). Comprising Run Logan Run sax man Andrew Neil Hayes, LBJB bass player Marcel Osbourne and Snazzback’s Chris Langton on drums they’re headed for that Melt Yourself Down/Comet Is Coming kind of assault-groove jazz thing. Meanwhile the LBJBs themselves play away at new venue The Den – Dockside (Friday 7).

Though an extremely busy jazz ‘accomplice’ tenor sax player Tori Freestone’s gigs with her own trio are a rarer thing, which means it’s worth grabbing them when the chance arises. Her fluid and articulate tone and melodic approach has a well-judged restraint nicely balance by Dave Mannington’s thoughtful bass and Tim Giles’ spaciously inventive drumming.

Much of her new Whirlwind album El Mar de Nubes was inspired by time spent in the mountains of Tenerife as well as her own past experience as a violinist in Cuban bands. Note that her gig at St George’s (Saturday 8) is scheduled for lunchtime in the new Glass Studio space.

It’s unfortunate that Alex Hitchcock’s Bristol date coincides with the arrival of the Matthew Read Trio (Canteen, Wednesday 5), a young guitar-led threesome playing an open, contemporary jazz that inevitably recalls names like Metheny, Scofield and the like. Their recent appearance at Jazz Stroud drew high praise from an enthusiastic audience and they clearly deserve a wider audience.

They are followed the next night on the Canteen stage by the Dave de Rose Agile Experiments (Thursday 6), an unpredictable group of contemporary jazzers gathered around drummer Dave for a straight-through set of improvised music rooted in his electro-acoustic grooves.

By contrast Steve Strong dispenses with the collective approach in heading into similar electro-acoustic territory. His appearance at the Crofters’ Poly Gaze night (Tuesday 4) will see his multi-instrumental talents woven through the inevitable loop technology into an impressive solo show.

And ditto that for vocal gymnast Masego who tops the Amalgam Shapes night at SWX (Saturday 8) alongside highly popular Brownswood label spiritual jazzers Maisha and others.

Not content with his highly acclaimed recreation of Miles Davis’ In A Silent Way for this year’s jazz festival, the ever-ambitious Andy Hague has reunited his all-star brass trio with saxophonists Terry Quinney and Sam Crockatt to front The Text Messengers (BeBop Club, Friday 7). It’s a six-piece tribute to the great Art Blakey and his classic Blue Note recordings and you can expect some entertaining Moaning’ to figure somewhere. The gig marks the end of the Be-Bop season until September so should be nicely packed.

Another classy standards-based band comes to Future Inn : Hammond, Hammond and Hopkins (Thursday 6) is a cracking guitar/organ/drums trio whose repertoire runs from Jimmy Smith classics to contemporary masters like Pat Metheny with a few originals to boot.

Finally a couple of global rhythm treats, with Bristol’s finest Afrobeat collective No Go Stop making a welcome return to Old Market Assembly (Friday 7) while over at Crofters on the same night Don Kipper play ‘the traditional music of North-East London’, a kind of Balkanised hybrid of Greek, Turkish and Jewish acoustic music.

And that’s it, except for the Conservative party leadership issue… which also surfaces on Friday (7) at Leftbank when The Michael Gove Experience brings not one but two Michael Goves ‘playing an eclectic selection of blues, soul, jazz and funk’. Apparently.