Music / Jazz
The week in jazz – October 10-16
The unassumingly brilliant pianist Dave Newton is a fairly regular visitor to Bristol but he’s yet to wear out his welcome here. That’s down to two things – the fact that he has such a wide variety of combos and collaborations at his disposal and also that he is an endlessly entertaining jazz musician in his own right. This week (Wednesday 12) The Fringe has his distinctive Dave Newton Trio with the Steele brothers: double bass player Luke and rising vibraphone star Nat (pictured above) a young player emerging as a master of bebop-style improvisation who makes an excellent foil to Dave’s swinging piano.
Sightings of ethereal guitarist Dan Messore (above) are more rare, whether as part of electro-ambient band Michelson Morley or the more lyrical contemporary jazz quartet Indigo Kid. Happily the latter are appearing at Future Inn on Thursday (13) and even more happily they’re bringing their second album to showcase. The critically acclaimed first recording captured beautifully the reflective spontaneity of the band and the rich melodic language of Messore’s playing so the new one should be equally well received.
Otherwise Thursday night is busy as ever, jazzwise, with trumpeter Jonny Bruce’s estimable Bristol Community Big Band filling the Canteen stage, and Feelgood Experiment vocalist Holly Wellington in a duo with guitarist Alun Elliott Williams at No 1 Harbourside. Up at St George’s the ever popular vocalist Clare Teal (pictured) brings her trio and her inimitable audience rapport on the same night, with a bonus performance from saxophonist Nicholas Dover in the downstairs crypt afterwards. There’s more swinging vocals with Victoria Klewin who appears at new music venue Steam down by Broadmead.
You have to feel sorry for Andy Hague: he’s so much in demand as a trumpet-playing bandleader (his classy Double Standards outfit are at Tobacco Factory on Sunday 16) that his once ubiquitous skills as a drummer have become sorely overooked. In an attempt to restore his percussive reputation he’s launching ADHD (Andy’s Drumming Hiatus Dilemma) at the Bebop Club (Friday 14), with two saxophonists (Julian Alenda and Greg Sterland) plus long-time collaborator Jim Blomfield on piano and Chris Jones on bass and an all-new programme of originals and transcriptions. Drummer Andy will, of course, be leading (albeit from behind).
Finally, trombonist Dave Millington leads his Millbone & Co quintet, with fiery input on tenor sax from Craig Crofton at The Alma on Sunday (16).
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
