
Music / Jazz
Fourth time lucky
The 2016 Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival hits town this March (18-20) with a three-day programme of star names like Grammy winner Melody Gardot, sax supremo Courtney Pine, Lisa Simone (following in mother Nina’s footsteps) and a whole bunch of guitar heroes including jazz sideman supreme Larry Carlton and blues monsters Aynsley Lister and Ian Siegal.
Artistic Director Denny Ilett is feeling especially chuffed about one of this year’s star names, however:
“Maceo Parker – one of James Brown’s main players from the birth of funk. I’ve been trying to get him involved since we started the festival in 2013. I’m absoluteley thrilled he’s coming this year, especially as we also have his former bandmates Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley coming with a separate show, their Back To Jazz Big Band which focuses on music that influenced them as youngsters… That’s going to be a special show but, I’m secretly hoping that Maceo will invite them to sit in on his Saturday gig as, together, they represent probably the greatest horn section of all time!”
And, as an accomplished jazz guitarist himself – you may have seen him in Moscow Drug Club or Andy Sheppard’s Hotel Bristol – he can also be forgiven for getting excited about another jazz legend appearing at the Festival:
“If I had to pick one of my guitar heroes it would be Martin Taylor. I’ve admired him for well over 30 years since I started playing guitar myself. The man is a genius.”
Having been involved in the Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival from the very first germ of an idea, Denny sees his mission as Artistic Director is to extend the audience for jazz beyond its specialist niche:
“Jazz is one of the few musical genres where people of all ages and all walks of life can come together and enjoy the music on their own terms. We wanted to break down the elitist, exclusive and often snobby attitude that has plagued the music for many years. We want to develop a large and new audience for the genre by bringing it back to where it belongs – with the people and not with the academics!”
Key to his strategy for making the event accessible to the ‘jazz curious’ is the free music in the Colston Hall Foyer throughout the weekend. This programme will feature the best of Bristol’s high quality local jazz scene with bands like Get The Blessing, the Duval Project and Swing From Paris:
“Helping somebody unsure about enjoying jazz is what the Foyer line-up is all about. It’s free to get in to (although feel fee to make a donation at the door!) so non jazz fans can come and see just how much variety this genre can offer. We have everything from classic traditional jazz through swing, blues, bebop, funk, soul and on to the more contemporary and freeform end of things. It’s a cliché but there really is something for everybody on the Foyer stage. On top of that, all of the bands are local so we are trying to encourage the jazz scene to build year round..”
Every year there’s one part of the festival where the big names and the local talent come together in a quite unique way for a specially composed concert involving a big band, massed choirs and guest stars. Denny himself curated this year’s event, called Perfectly Frank, to celebrate another of his personal heroes:
Since the festival began we’ve had a slot dedicated to featuring a large community choir now called the Bristol Jazz Festival Chorus. I wanted to do a Sinatra 100th birthday show but so much had been done already so, in the spirit of trying to put a different twist on it, we suggested it to Andy Williamson, who MD’s the choir. He and Ned Bennett have done some great, fun new arrangements on some Sinatra classics for the choir and we’ve also drafted in jazz singers Clare Teal and Joe Stilgoe who, to me, are the perfect duo to complete the line up.
With all the preparations done Denny’s finally able to anticipate what’s become a major event in the Bristol musical calendar and one of the times that the Colston Hall building really comes alive with people enjoying music all around the building (and beyond – there are events in St George’s and the Folk House, too). For Denny it’s the audience as much as the performers that he’s looking forward to seeing:
“It’s one of my favourite things to see such a rich mix of age and social background at the festival, shoulder to shoulder, smiling and dancing… I hope people who don’t consider themselves to be jazz fans will come along and see just what a hugely rich, vibrant and inclusive art form jazz is… it’s not just for the diehards, it’s music for everybody!”
Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival takes place at the Colston Hall, St George’s and Folk House between March 18-20. Check the festival website for details of all performances and to book tickets.