Music / Jazz
The week in jazz – May 30-June 5
There’s a whole seething scene of jazz over the bridge in South Wales, fed by the Royal Welsh Academy in Cardiff and nurtured by some excellent jazz clubs. We probably don’t see enough of that talent here in Bristol, so it’s well worth catching Duski bass player Aidan Thorne’s new venture as bandleader (Bebop Club, Friday 3). Aidan’s best known for the groovy Slowly Rolling Camera but this quintet is a more straightforwardly jazzy project, albeit in a contemporary style. It also features the Indigo Kid himself – Dan Messore – on guitar, which is always a treat.
More locally based favourites run through the week, including cabaret swingsters Moscow Drug Club at The Fringe (Wednesday 1) on the same night as the multilingual post-bopping fivesome Bristol European Jazz Ensemble at Canteen. The following night (Thursday 2) tenor sax player Nicholas Dover (pictured) takes the limelight in a piano duo that showcases his mellifluous style and tones.
Fans of the classic era of modern jazz will be pleased to welcome The Sound of Blue Note (pictured)returning to Future Inn (Thursday 2) to celebrate great tunes from Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard and the like, played with respectful conviction by trumpeter Andy Urquhart and his crew. That those numbers sound effortless is a tribute both to the smart composition but also the deep knowledge this quartet have of their origins.
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