Bristol’s week in jazz, October 1-7 2018

Even among his F-IRE Collective peers, Kit Downes stood out as an explorer, taking his considerable improvisatory skills into new territory, and this week there’s two chances to catch the jazz pianist in very different modes.

There’s also a bunch of spoken word and music fusions to be explored, and a clutch of classy groove-powered offerings as well.

Your first chance to catch Kit Downes is in  Jeff Williams Quartet (Fringe, Wednesday 3) where he joins sometime local hero Josh Arcoleo’s sax and Sam Lasserson on bass fronting up for the veteran US master drummer.

Like Kit, Jeff is a notably open-minded player and composer whose CV began with Stan Getz in the 70s and went on to feature a galaxy of star names. Semi-resident in this country since the turn of the century his UK quartet is a fine contemporary powerhouse.

By contrast, Aidan O’Rourke, Kit Downes & James Robertson (Widcombe Social Club, Bath, Thursday 4) sees Kit collaborating with fiddler and composer Aidan from avant-folk outfit Lau, weaving a sympathetic soundtrack to the words of author James as he reads his short stories.

It’s unfortunate that the gig coincides with equally tempting verbal-inspired entertainment at the Arnolfini when Tongue Fu returns (Thursday 4), bringing top spoken word performers together with improvising jazz musicians to concoct a spontaneous accompaniment to their verse. Last seen in Bristol during March’s jazz festival, previous Tongue Fu shows have been brilliantly entertaining.

There’s a further dose of promising words and music on Friday (5) when the cinematic Spindle Ensemble play alongside storyteller Heather Jane at St Anne’s Church in Eastville for what should be a highly atmospheric performance.

And Saturday night’s multi-media debut performance by Piin also promises stories – and live visuals – from a new collective of jazzers including saxophonist Sophie Stockham and Groovehead rhythm section James Fuke and Joe Hill (whose project it is).

If you are, indeed, a ‘groovehead’ then you should be fairly exhausted by a week that includes Ishmael Ensemble alter-ego Pete Cunningham joining improvising trio Waldo’s Gift (Gallimaufry, Wednesday 3) followed by vigorous young soul-jazzers Necktr on the same stage (Thursday 4).

All that’s a great warm-up for Soothsayers’ arrival at The Attic (Friday 5) – one of the UK’s best-known jazz party bands whose fusions of Afrobeat, reggae and jazz are a standout success thanks to the likes of Idries Rahman on sax and Julia Biel’s sparkling vocals.

If that hasn’t wrung you out completely you will definitely want to catch ‘Spiritual Punk Funk’ duo Skeltr (Canteen, Saturday 6) as they skilfully mash drums, sax, keys and electronica via the inevitable loops.

But there is some great ‘proper’ jazz to be had amongst all this fusion business, such as trumpeter Gary Alesbrook’s Jazz in the Movies (Bebop Club, Friday 5). Well known for his soul-jazz Duval Project it’s great to see Gary taking the spotlight with a set of classic swing numbers that favour his Chet Baker influenced style.

Similarly swing-flavoured sounds can be expected from the Jade Gall Quartet (Future Inn, Thursday 4). Jade is primarily a highly successful classical saxophonist whose jazz work has included stints with Claire Teal, Jason Rebello and Claire Martin.

Wednesday night (3) will see the Canteen stage packed to bursting point when the Bristol Community Big Band assembles. Led by trumpeter Jonny Bruce they should deliver a celebration of all things swing, plus a bit of Latin along the way.

And now… over in that leftest of fields… a true legend of the guitar: Mike Cooper (Old England, Thursday 4) was genre-busting since before there were Rolling Stones (and they allegedly wanted him to be one at that time). An early experimentalist with loop processing and guitar electronica he remains superbly uncategorisable and will sit well at the head of a triple-bill with neo-classical improv Halftone, Dadaist junk merchants Lust Rollers and Liquid Librarian duo Shit Ghosts.

They’re followed at the Old England on Friday (5) by Bristol space-jazz veteran Keith Bailey’s new project Silenzio with support from brand new outfit Archosaur.

And finally – if you’re a speed-reading lover of the unusual who gets your act together you would do well to high-tail it to The Bell in Bath on Monday (1) to catch the astonishing Warp Trio. Actually a foursome, this lot of ex-Juilliard New Yorkers take a post-classical sledgehammer to all kinds of music from Eminem to Jobim via Gorrilaz and it’s a big coup for The Bell to figure on their brief UK tour.

Apologies for the lack of a jazz bulletin last week due to trans-Alpine wi-fi issues.