Music / contemporary jazz
6161 – that’s my number
Drummer Matt Stockham Brown’s sudden 2023 departure from the highly successful improv-groove duo Run Logan Run came as a bit of a surprise. His swift re-emergence with horn-heavy contemporary jazz sextet 6161 may have seemed equally unexpected until you remember that Matt was also the rhythm driver for the excellent (and much-missed) Dakhla Brass.
It’s now one year later and the new band is one of the headliners at this year’s JazzStroud weekend festival, alongside Ezra Collective’s Joe Armon-Jones, hot young Scottish saxophonist Matt Carmichael and Mercury-nominated sax star Cassie Kinoshi’s electro-jazz project un.procedure.
For 6161 it’s been a swift rise to prominence – they have only just finished recording a debut album, hopefully out early in 2025 – but it reflects the all-star quality of a band that includes two members of Get The Blessing (Pete Judge on trumpet, Jake McMurchie’s tenor sax) , Cut Capers’ baritone man Tom Taylor, Modulus III keyboard whizz Dan Moore and Sefrial/Orphic saxophonist and composer Sophie Stockham.
is needed now More than ever
Thanks to Matt’s top reputation as a drummer he had the pick of the Bristol scene – and he knew who to call: “I knew exactly what I wanted it to be,” he recalls. “I just had my fingers crossed that they would want to be involved. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s turned out.”
Interestingly, after Run Logan Run’s improvisatory approach, Matt has composed some quite tight charts for 6161: “A lot of it is through-written, though I have tried to give some space for people to improvise. I wanted to write music that has more of a narrative than just ‘a quick riff and everybody gets a solo’.”
But why that name? “It’s funny, but the number 61 just seems to crop up a lot for me and I thought it sounded contemporary.,” says Matt. “Then someone told me about Angel Numbers – I’d never heard of them – but apparently 6161 means something about being tested and getting somewhere through struggling. I don’t know about that, but setting up this project has certainly been the best therapy!”
And Matt’s very pleased to be coming back to JazzStroud with his new band: “I love that festival! Dakhla did it some years ago, and Run Logan Run two years back. I’ve played it with one of Dan Inzani’s bands, too, and I’m also playing with his new project this year. It seems to be a good fresh line-up.”
Among Matt’s top picks for the weekend are Ruth Goller’s ethereal voice project Skylla (“I love Ruth’s bass playing, and now she has Seb Rochford on drums.”), BBC Young Jazz Musician finalist Matt Carmichael (I’ll be excited to see who he brings with him) and the intensely groovy keyboard player Joe Armon-Jones (“He’s definitely one of the leaders of that fresh London scene.”)
He reserves his most fulsome enthusiasm, however, for Bristol-based singer/electronicist t l k: “I love t l k – totally brilliant! That’s the singer I would love to collaborate with one day.”
There’s plenty to discover on the JazzStroud bill, too, with coolly accomplished drummer/composer Romarna Campbell and sound artist/singer afromerm (aka Cil) both intriguingly stylish newcomers from London, while the Tomorrow’s Warriors Frontline showcase is bound to have stars of the future.
Matt Stockham Brown is a firm believer in checking out the unknown. “Some fans seem fixed in only listening to certain sounds, but I’m intrigued by all musical worlds,” he says. “I try to be as open as possible and then I can borrow ideas to help me write music that’s hopefully pushing forward – that’s where progression comes from!”
You can judge how Matt’s progressing on Fri 24 at JazzStroud. The festival takes place at various venues in Stroud from Thursday – Sunday, May 23 – 26.
Main photo: Matt Stockham Brown
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