Music / Jazz
Preview: Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival 2019
Yes! It’s that time again and for the seventh year running we can sample the Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival 2019, including jazz names like Soweto Kinch, Dennis Rollins, China Moses (pictured above) and Richard Galliano.
It’s to both the organisers and city’s credit that the event has sustained itself, growing steadily over the years. The 2019 programme continues the BIJBF mix of mainstream jazz, swing and blues with contemporary music plus jazz-flavoured soul, funk and dance music.
With the Colston Hall refurbishment under way, however, the festival has cast its net wider to make use of the various Anson Rooms venues as well as St George’s and O2 Academy.
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Big voiced singers are always a popular item and this year sees three excellent contenders for diva status: blues belting Hannah Williams (Friday, Anson Rooms), subtle soul jazzer Liane Carroll (Saturday, St George’s) and the mighty Miss China Moses (Saturday, St George’s).
China will be tempering her usual powerhouse repertoire with a fully orchestrated celebration of Billie Holiday’s last album.
Big grooves are on offer from both Dennis Rollins Funky Funk (Sunday, Anson Rooms) and The Herbaliser’s (Friday, O2 Academy) blend of acid jazz and hip-hop, with Andre Reyes Gypsy Kings (O2 Academy, Saturday) offering compelling world beats.
There will, of course, be a reprise of the ever-popular Big Swing (Anson Rooms, Saturday) with its frenzy of big bands and Lindy Hopping but a more elegant dance culture will be represented by Friday’s concert from dazzling accordionist Richard Galliano’s New Jazz Musette (St George’s).
Big name UK jazzers run through the weekend, too, with Soft Machine (Friday, Anson Rooms) reuniting three of the 1975 line-up (in the video above), including guitarist John Etheridge, while BIJBF patron Pee Wee Ellis brings a whole string section for Ballads, Blues and Bossa (St George’s, Sunday).
Pee Wee’s gig follows another big band outing at St George’s on Sunday with Peter Long’s Echoes of Ellington big band recreating the Duke’s jazz arrangements of classical pieces by Tchaikovsky, Grieg and others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ruFgAYR_PA
If you’ve followed the UK jazz scene for some time you’ll recognise the quality names in both saxophonist Julian Siegel’s Quartet (Anson Rooms, Saturday) and trombonist Dennis Rollins’ Funky Funk (Anson Rooms, Sunday) and Bristol’s fine trumpeter Andy Hague’s excellent sextet has the cream of local talent playing Miles Davis’ classic Kind of Blue album (Anson Rooms, Sunday), still the best selling jazz record ever.
And it’s probably safe to say that, for all his hip-hoppery innovations, saxophonist Soweto Kinch (Anson Room, Sunday) is now very much a pillar of the UK jazz establishment.
Hot on Mr Kinch’s heels, however, you’ll find cutting edge contemporary jazz musicians like guitarist Ant Law (Anson Rooms, Saturday), trumpeter Yazz Ahmed (Anson Rooms, Saturday) and vibes-player Jonny Mansfield (Anson Rooms, Sunday).
Each brings a top quality band full of names you’ll know (or will want to get to know) – not least Mr Mansfield’s 11-strong Elftet.
Sadly one big name UK jazzer who can’t make the festival is pianist Keith Tippett whose health has suffered another debilitating set-back so Kit Downes will now join Matthew Bourne for an improvised piano duet (St George’s, Saturday).
Composer Huw Warren (St George’s Sunday) brings his piano-led Dylan Thomas tribute suite Do Not Go Gentle, complete with narrator and visuals, while pianist Rebecca Nash has augmented her Atlas quintet for Redefining Element 78, a specially commissioned suite for percussion and electronics (Anson Rooms, Saturday).
As ever there will be free performances throughout the weekend with a full programme happening in the Anson Rooms Balloon Bar plus Platform South, a free showcase from the Jazz South organisation in the Colston Hall Foyer (Sunday), and the popular after hours jam sessions will be happening every night in Bambalan.
For more information about this year’s festival, visit www.bristoljazzandbluesfest.com
Read more: 21 things to do this week in Bristol, March 18-24 2019
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