Music / free jazz
The week in Jazz Oct 9 – 15
When Mr and Mrs Monk christened their first son Thelonious Sphere they surely must have sensed he was destined for greatness. It’s 100 years since that auspicious birth in October 1917 and Monk remains an unquestioned giant of the history of jazz, his distinctively quirky melodies a constant source of discovery for contemporary pianists. They’re celebrating the anniversary in style at The Fringe (Wednesday 11) with a visit from Thelonious – not the late great man himself, of course, but the acclaimed London-based quartet led by saxophonist Martin Speake that has actually learnt the entire Monk songbook (no mean feat).
Sam Massey heading for the Bebop Club
Very much of the moment, by contrast, is trumpeter Sam Massey (Bebop Club, Friday 13) who comes up from Devon with his 7-strong Ensemble that also includes young saxophonist Jade Gall and Totnes pianist and jazz education guru Lewis Riley. Sam has played with Mike Westbrook’s A Bigger Show and studied with Bristol improvising trumpeter Nick Malcolm.
Gary Crosby (centre) – always looking for Tomorrow’s Warriors
Sam Massey’s Bebop gig is just one of a cluster on Friday the 13th, but you should be able to combine it with the ‘drive-time’ show The Jazz Ticket (Colston Hall Foyer). This ‘Journey With The Giants of Jazz’ features the Nu Civilisation Orchestra enhanced by young players from Bristol schools and featured guest artists including bass player Gary Crosby. The project is part of the influential Tomorrow’s Warriors jazz development scheme that has launched the careers of many of the UK’s top players.
is needed now More than ever
Other jazz-friendly attractions on that allegedly unlucky date include soulful vocalist Lady Nade launching her latest single at Salt Café and highly funky Londoners Brother Strut on board The Thekla. Most intriguing, however, will be The Slate Trio (El Rincon), a new project involving guitarist Neil Smith (The Brackish, This Is The Kit) with his fellow Zun Zun Egui comrade Matt Jones on drums and Count Bobo bass-player Pete Gibbs. You can always count on Neil’s eclectic repertoire and highly original style to come up with entertaining surprises.
Would you buy a used haggis from this lot?
More predictable (but just as entertaining) funky fare can be had in The Lantern (Saturday 14) when Haggis Horns continue to pursue The Way of the Haggis with highly polished brass harmonies and locked-down rhythms. It’ll certainly be dance-friendly stuff, but you’ll probably need a fair amount of confidence to start throwing your moves at The Greenback (Thursday 12) when Free Ice Tone unveil their new improvising quartet featuring two double basses, electric guitar and the cosmically fearless saxophone of Jake McMurchie. Not to be outdone in fearlessness, however, Harry ‘Iceman’ Furniss hosts a dazzlingly wild’n’wierd 5-band night at The Old England (Sunday 15), featuring Italian cinematic trio The Mechanical Tales and Hitch – yet another new project from Neil Smith.
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