Music / bristol international jazz and blues festival
The week in Jazz February 26 – Mar 4
Some jazz artists have a relationship with a particular venue that seems to suit their style. For pianist John Law The Bebop Club’s generally attentive audience and intimate size is well matched to the intelligence and subtlety of his playing and thus we get to see this remarkable musician’s diverse projects up close. He returns to the club this week (Friday 2) with the latest line-up of John Law’s Congregation, now boasting Roller Trio guitar whizz James Mainwaring alongside free-flowing bass player Ashley John Long and award-winning drummer Billy Weir. Their cleverly structured music ranges from classic acoustic modern jazz to electronic soundscapes and neo-classical themed studies, with John’s apparently limitless gift for improvisation running throughout.
Exploratory sax man Jake McMurchie
Saxophones take centre stage on Wednesday night when Get The Blessing’s Jake McMurchie brings his eponymous Jake McMurchie Quartet to The Fringe (Wednesday 28). Like John Law, Jake’s a man of many exploratory projects as well as a key member of other great bands, but this foursome with Dan Waldman (guitar), Riaan Vosloo (bass) and Matt Brown (drums) celebrates the inspiration of the jazz heroes like Sonny Rollins who helped Jake shape his very individual style of playing.
The ambivalent Andrew Neil Hayes
Meanwhile, across town on the same evening, math-minded guitar trio Waldo’s Gift welcome sax blaster Andrew Neil Hayes to their weekly residency at The Gallimaufry (Wednesday 28). Formerly known as ‘Schoolboy’ the Run Logan Run tenor player is a well-established part of the Bristol scene, with a tight rhythmic style influenced by hip-hop and funk as much as jazz.
is needed now More than ever
The mighty Craig Crofton
Even more established as a versatile sax player across jazz, funk, reggae and Latin outfits (as well as the man behind the Canteen jazz jam sessions) the mighty Craig Crofton appears at Future Inn (Thursday 1) as part of the democratically named quartet Crofton, Hopkins, Brown and Moore. That’s a sizzling combination of Matt Hopkins (guitar), Dan Moore (Hammond organ) and Matt Brown (drums) that should be up and running from the get-go (as they might say in Craig’s native Florida).
Modulus III in the wild
Dan Moore and Matt Brown appear again at Leftbank on Sunday (4) as two-thirds of improvising electronic trio Modulus III. Joined by synth/cello player Drew Morgan the band brings a keen sense of grooves and soundscapes to their completely improvised sets, letting the music evolve in the style of The Necks and others. The Leftbank has been a home to this project from its earliest days and their return will promise a packed crowd and great atmosphere.
Broken Brass Ensemble (pic Marc de Fotograaf)
Biggest and noisiest bunch of visitors this week has to be Broken Brass Ensemble (Lantern Thursday 1), and 8-strong gang out of Amsterdam playing a streetwise meltdown of jazz, funk and hip-hop in the New Orleans second-line style, albeit with a more elaborately melodic approach. Radio 6’s Craig Charles is a fan, naturally, and their festival rep from 2017 still resounds.
Rebecca Sneddon (right)
As ever there’s plenty more improvisational activity this week, with the Old England offering the modestly titled Improv’s Greatest Hits multi-header (Tuesday 27) comprising ‘primitive sonics’ duo COIMS, interesting maths-minimalists Hexcut, Leeds quartet Skwid Ink and the duo of sax player Rebecca Sneddon and electronic rummager Robin Foster. Cafe Kino hosts an equally tempting double-bill (Friday 2) when sax/drums duo BRACE are joined by double bass dynamo Dominic Lash, with psychogeographic electronica Hawksmoor (aka James McKeown) in support.
Haitian roots music from Chouk Bwa Libète
There’s a couple of world music gigs that should definitely appeal to the jazz-minded listener, with Haitian roots ensemble Chouk Bwa Libète bringing improvised ritual percussion, song and dance to The Lantern (Tuesday 27). Their hypnotic music is an essential part of the ancient Vodún religion taken to Haiti by West African slaves. Then over at The Nova Scotia (Thursday 1) you can catch Chai for All’s exploration of Middle Eastern and Yiddish song and dance music given an authentic sound with twin oud players and Marianna Moralis’ emotionally-charged vocals.
BIJBF headliner Lee Konitz
And, finally, don’t forget the Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival is speedily coming over the horizon with some gigs already selling out so check the website to avoid disappointment.
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