Bristol’s week in jazz, May 6-12 2019

So, it’s a busy jazz week at St George’s, with a trio of top notchers coming to town. Plus there’s three distinctive saxophone stylists passing through, an exuberant clarinettist and a couple of great local guitar trios among the delicacies on the menu.

That clarinettist first – the new series of jazz gigs at Bristol Old Vic continues with mighty fusioneer Arun Ghosh (Sunday 12) and his quintet, no doubt playing from his ironically titled CD But Where Are You Really From?

It’s a richly themed collection infusing a classic jazz rock ethos with harmonic and melodic hints of Indo-jazz, with Arun’s infectious onstage charisma a reliable bonus for any audience.

The St George’s mini jazz fest has an impressive line-up, starting with singer-songwriter Madeleine Peyroux (Monday 6) whose husked vocals evoke the emotional honesty of the late Billie Holiday.

She’s followed on Tuesday (7) by Snarky Puppy keyboardist Bill Laurance , now embarked on a tour to promote Cables, his new solo piano and electronica CD project. It’s a sparse music, inevitably evoking comparisons with Einaudi or Satie, though the electronic enhancements have also recalled French popsters Air.

And then, on Thursday (9), there’s Georgie Fame, a man whose career began with chart-topping R’n’B in the 60s and now appears with the BBC Big Band, no less. Expect classic swing from Basie and Ellington and, no doubt, a fair few of his own greatest hits.

Those saxophonists? Well it all kicks off with enduring hard-bop tenorist Art Themen (Fringe Jazz, Wednesday 8), another player who emerged in the 60s as a jazz and blues player and went on to a long association with the great pianist Stan Tracey. His quartet that’s returning to the Fringe includes pianist Huw Warren, who made a great impact at this years Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival.

Now about to enter his eighth decade Art’s playing is as well-judged and upbeat as ever, influenced by the likes of Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins and, possibly, the late Tubby Hayes – one of the UK’s greatest at the time Art began his career.

Hayes is definitely a big inspiration for Simon Spillett (Be-Bop Club, Friday 10), himself one of the hardest hard-bop sax players in the country. Be-Bop organiser Andy Hague will be drumming for that gig and is anticipating some blistering tempos.

Andy will probably find a more leisurely approach when he drums for the Julian Costello Quartet (Future Inn, Thursday 9), led by the contemporary saxophonist and composer with guitarist Patrick Naylor and Will Harris on bass, with something of the melodic elegance of Wayne Shorter in his Weather Report days. Meanwhile the versatile and entertaining tenor player Sam Crockatt turns up as part of the Bath Spa University Jazz Tutors Night in Burdall’s Yard (Friday 10).

That’s enough reeds – what about those (guitar) strings? Well, you can catch Music of Pat Metheny axeman Matt Hopkins grooving through classics and original tunes in the Hopkins Hammond Trio (Canteen, Wednesday 8), with Ruth Hammond in fine form on the eponymous keyboards and Scott Hammond drumming.

Improvising trio Waldo’s Gift finally launch their debut album – the imaginatively titled Improvisations – at Crofter’s Rights (Monday 6), with the post-math fretwork of guitarist Alun Elliott-Williams just one of their considerable musical assets. They’ll have support from fellow-Gallimaufry residents Snazzback.

You can also catch Waldo’s Gift at their usual Galli session (Wednesday 8) but Snazzback have handed their Thursday (9) slot to brilliant new Leeds Ethio-outfit Vipertime, led by Wandering Monsters sax player Ben Powling.

More North African influences figure in violin-led electro-acoustic collective Neenboo (Canteen, Friday 10) while Brazilian-style jazz-blues guitar duo Bomba Nova tuck themselves into El Rincon that same evening.

There’s a couple of left field guitarists, starting with electro-loopster John Scott aka Stereocilia (St Paul’s Church, Friday 10) launching his new album The Silence That Follows, while free jazzer Matthew Grigg is just one of half a dozen improvising artists at The Exchange (Sunday 12, afternoon).

And, very finally, the absolutely individual Japanese performer ICHI offers a highly child-friendly ‘celebration of sound’ morning (Wardrobe Theatre, Sunday 12), no doubt with his extraordinary collection of hand made and mutilated instruments deployed in his endearingly unhinged style.