Music / Jazz
Bristol’s week in jazz, November 5-11 2018
One of the world’s greatest improvising percussionists is expected in Clifton this week, Arabic vocals feature on Brandon Hill and Portugal’s top jazz guitarist is coming to Hotwells. Talk about a (trans)global melting pot.
And there’s plenty of UK-based piano jazz to be caught, too.
The celebrated percussionist is Hamid Drake, long time cohort of the mighty Archie Shepp and Peter Brötzmann and a uniquely skilled drummer with mastery of many traditional styles from around the world. He appears in the Dunmall/Drake Quintet (Fringe Jazz, Wednesday 7) with the equally mighty Paul Dunmall – a firm Fringe favourite – for what is guaranteed to be an electrifying performance. By contrast, solo drummer Chiminyo will offer an electrified performance at Canteen (Tuesday 6). His drum kit is wired to a laptop, enabling him to trigger additional sounds with each percussive stroke. It’s a live performance – no loops, no backing track.
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The more subtle style of percussionist Asaf Sirkis underpins Egyptian vocalist Natacha Atlas (St George’s, Thursday 8) whose band also includes jazz violinist Samy Bishai and pianist Alcyona Mick. Well known as a member of ethno-dub outfit Transglobal Underground her last solo album Myriad Road deftly takes her Middle Eastern vocals into a distinctive jazz fusion.
London-based Portuguese jazz guitarist Vitor Pereira made a big impression on his first visit to the Bebop Club last year and his Vitor Pereira Quintet return to showcase new album Somewhere In The Middle, critically acclaimed for its wide-ranging mix of styles and the energy of the band’s performance, notably fluent saxophonist Chris Williams.
But what of the aforementioned ivory tinklers? Possibly the most intriguing is Alan Benzie, sometime Scotland Young Jazz Musician and now proud begetter of award-winning album Little Mysteries. Inspired to take up piano by hearing the late Esbjorn Svensson he has developed a really powerful voice in contemporary jazz and he arrives with his Alan Benzie Trio (Future Inn, Thursday 8) hot from supporting Ethan Iverson at the London Jazz Festival. Also on Thursday, by unfortunate coincidence, Alex Veitch’s contemporary piano trio have their monthly residency at Greenbank while old-school New Orleans stride specialist Professor Nohair & The Wiglifters appear at Canteen. You can catch the Prof the night before however when he lifts wigs at The Bell in Bath.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdSaaneMpAI
There’s a similar clash of grooves on Saturday (10) night, too, when the highly theatrical Electric Swing Circus bring an electroswing party to The Exchange. That’s the same night as world-rhythm jazzers Snazzback rock up at LeftBank and Canteen hosts an electro-acoustic Mexico-meets-Colombia rhythm party starring Oscilador Bass & PantherPanther.
And finally the wild(er) side – improv fans who can’t squeeze into the Fringe’s back room for Wednesday’s Dunmall/Drake gig could hop down to The Lanes where prog-jazz experimentalists The Evil Usses get ‘subtle, wild improvisation’ support from the unpredictable EP/64. And then keep a little pocket money back to make sure they enjoy Sunday’s Improv’s Greatest Hits session (Old England, Sunday 11) featuring percussion mavericks Heady Stew and inprov-popster Tara Clerkin’s trio.
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