Music / contemporary jazz
Bath Jazz Weekend is back
So – here comes the annual Bath Jazz Weekend (January 6-8)and there’s a cracking line-up from the UK scene including vibraphone stars Orphy Robinson and Harriet Riley, top pianists Andrew McCormack, Matthew Bourne and Rebecca Nash, young violin virtuoso Theo May, saxmeisters Paul Dunmall and Jake McMurchie and a whole lot more. If past weekends are anything to go by, jazz lovers from Bristol and Bath will be packing out Widcombe Social Club to welcome in the New Year with a swing.
Perusing that programme, however, you could be forgiven a sense of deja vu. Wasn’t promoter Nod Knowles touting this very line-up about a year ago? He fesses up: “In effect the entire programme is last year’s that had to be cancelled because of Omicron. Back in December 2021 there were Government warnings about lockdowns, then some of the musicians were either worried about Covid or actually had it. Finally the manager of the venue went down with it, too …” So, in the words of Ira Gershwin, it was a case of ‘Let’s call the whole thing off.’ But with life regathering pace after the pandemic’s peak Nod rang round and was delighted to discover that “to a man or woman” everybody was still up for doing the gig. “It all fell back into place – we even had the posters designed already. All we needed was to change the dates by one day.”
What’s remarkable about Bath Jazz Weekends is that they run as spontaneous co-operatives, meaning that any money made at the end of the day is shared out on an equal basis. Perhaps surprisingly, that is one of the main reasons performers are drawn to the project: “All the musicians seem to like that so much, even though they wouldn’t earn a lot of money.” Nod observes. “But the fact that Get The Blessing or Joanne MacGregor and people of that ilk were taking exactly the same deal as everybody else has always given a generosity of spirit about it.” And word is spreading wider, with prestigious musicians from Europe now expressing an interest in future programmes. As a seasoned promoter who used to organise excellent top-drawer jazz weekends for the Bath International Music Festival Nod is very aware of what is on offer here: “To be honest, if I was running a funded festival I probably couldn’t afford the line-up we’ve got coming up.”
is needed now More than ever
Highlights will include Rebecca Nash’s concept album Redefining Element 78 and the Comfort In Chaos suite composed by Harriet Riley and Pete Judge. Both are ambitious and original pieces which Nod is looking forward to seeing: “I’m really pleased we have them – they’re distinct projects, more than just another band.” Another coup, thanks to a chance encounter in Europe, was snagging pianist Andrew McCormack just as his international profile is soaring: “Andrew’s a really interesting player. I met him at a French jazz festival, we were just chatting about (the Bath Jazz Weekend) and he was instantly up for doing it. His last album’s getting really great reviews right now.” While Matthew Bourne’s ivory tinkling has taken him from his Bristolian roots to the top of the UK improvised music tree one breakthrough came some years ago with an explosive late night solo show at one of Nod’s Bath Music Festival events. Nod chuckles as he recalls the occasion: “That was special! And I’ve always had a huge amount of time for Matthew. When he’d heard about previous Bath weekends he’d had prior commitments but he promised to do this one and he’ll be fantastic.”
So, with a strong line-up and promising advance ticket sales Nod is pretty confident this time – but past experience has inevitably left its mark. Can we count on it happening?: “You’d think so, but God knows what it means – everything is so unpredictable since Covid. Nevertheless … so far, so good!”
Bath Jazz Weekend 2023 is in the Widcombe Social Club, Bath from January 6-8.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
