Music / Jazz
Jazz pick of the week: March 23-29
Following on the heels of the solar eclipse the great Sun Ra casts his awesome shadow over next week’s jazz from wherever in the cosmos he’s migrated to. The 21st century revival of appreciation for the Sun Ra Arkestra has been wondrous to behold and thoroughly well-deserved, especially for their tireless nonagenarian bandleader Marshall Allen. Their arrival at The Lantern (Monday 23) has inevitably sold out. Interesting high jinks of a more earthly (and accessible) kind are promised by the nicely named Jazz Worriers (Fringe@Mall, Wednesday 25), with trumpeter Neil Yates and saxman Dean Masser both assured voices fronting an ‘uplifting jazz’ quintet that also contains pianist Craig Milverton. Expect witty banter …
For a more composed experience – in both senses – catch the Greg Cordez Quintet (Bebop Club, Friday 27) previewing his Paper Crane CD, a set of typically stylish contemporary compositions with Messrs McMurchie, Dover, Blomfield and Whitlam adding their classy embellishment’s to Greg’s tasty bass. You can hear him on Thursday 26, too, when the FREIGHT quartet play pianist Martin Jenkins’ Monk-inspired modern jazz at Future Inn, a project that really unleashes Craig Crofton’s inner Coltrane on tenor and soprano saxes. There’s some grittier blues and funk at the Coronation Tap that same night when versatile jazz/rock guitarist Jerry Crozier Cole fronts Bad Sneakers a new combo with Eric Mylod-Okafo contributing bass and vocals. Judging by the name there might be a Steely Dan flavour to things.
Cool modernists with a Thursday free can choose between The Beverage Collective appearing at the Golden Lion, with Sam Wilkinson’s drum grooves keeping their 6-piece sound very tight, and Mercury-nominated minimalists Gogo Penguin popping up at the Old Crown Court in a double-bill with Gary Alesbrook’s soul-jazz/R&B combo The Duval Project. The Manchester-based Gogo outfit caught the ear of the jazz festival scene last year for their accessible blend of modal piano with snapping dance music-inspired bass and drums.
Finally a packet of three world-flavoured fusion outfits for the weekend, starting with the dub/reggae/latin/jazz meltdown of Los Mercenarios (Canteen, Friday 27), followed by cheeky Welsh Balkanisers and Bettws Bhangra merchants Rogora Khart (Golden Lion) and Gypsy-meets-North African modern manouche beatniks Immigrant Swing (Old Bookshop) both on Saturday 28.
Gig pick of the week: Jazz Worriers (Fringe @ The Mall, Wednesday 25) Not only a very skilful quintet of seasoned hard-bopping players but also, as their name suggests, a band committed to maintaining the UK jazz tradition of witty banter and dubious jokes as famously embodied by the likes of Ronnie Scott and Humphrey Littleton. It promises to be great fun: just don’t tell the jazz police.
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