Bristol’s week in jazz, February 11-17 2019

Ah – it’s all about the heart, of course – at least on Thursday, and even though the regular Future Inn session is  sadly suspended due to surplus romantic dinner bookings there’s still half a dozen jazzy Valentine’s Day gigs (not counting the Greenbank’s Anatomy Night live dissection of an actual heart).

There’s also a whistle-stop tour of West Africa on Friday night and new tunes from one of Bristol’s best jazz composers among the other highlights.

While his sax and flute playing skills are excellent enough, Kevin Figes (Fringe, Wednesday 13) has definitely established himself as a versatile and imaginative composer and bandleader. Past projects have ranged from the simplest of trio and quartet settings to the mighty Resonation Big Band via his distinctive vocal enhanced Octet. Kevin’s compositions have great melodic clarity and, while unafraid to experiment with time signatures, the complexity is concealed beneath rhythmic fluidity. With a fifth quartet album coming together this gig will be a first chance to catch the new material played live.

It’s not quite all about couples on Valentine’s Day (Thursday 14) but there’s a smattering of duo gigs including vocal/guitar duos Alastair and Chloe at Convivio and the Fyfe-Stokes Duo at Grounded in Horfield. For jazz cred, however, the Los Clandestinos pairing of Pete Judge’s trumpet with John Baggott’s keyboards at El Rincon is highly recommended (but certain to be packed out).

There’s a real treat at St George’s, too, in a rare UK performance by Norwegian jazz singer Silje Nergaard  who has previously appeared hereabouts with trumpeter Arve Henriksen. Her impeccably balanced vocal style combines Nordic cool with Brazilian poise and, though she no longer has Tord Gustavsen in her band, it’s to be expected she will bring some great Scandinavian musicians with her.

One more gig on Thursday night merits serious attention – the EP launch tour of up-and-coming London quintet Yusufla comes to Canteen. With a three-sax frontline and the close harmonic structures of their carefully constructed tunes can at times be reminiscent of our own Dakhla Brass.

More eclectic composition – but equally disciplined and smart playing – distinguish The Play (Gallimaufry, Tuesday 12), an impeccably tight quartet whose latest line-up includes composer and keyboards player Jools Scott. With a quirky selection of rhythms and styles the band offer a chocolate box of musical treats.

There’s a veritable world music festival of African stuff at the weekend, however, with the emphasis on dance-friendly grooving with traditional roots. Friday night (15) brings updated Ghanaian Hi-Life (via London) from Afrik Bawantu (Old Market Assembly), guitar-heavy Berber sounds from Niger (via Brussels) courtesy of Kel Assouf (Attic Bar) and contemporary Senegalese (via Bristol) from Batch Gueye (Canteen).

But those who expend too much energy on Friday might miss out on the compelling Moroccan trance (via London) of Simo Lagnawi guesting with Gnawa Blues All Stars (Canteen, Saturday 16), the same night as Afro-Latin collective Soma Soma (Bristol, via Falmouth) touch down at Leftbank.

The weekend also features a number of acts merging minimalist evolutionary approaches with the language of electronic dance music, with Friday night (15) posing the choice between an album launch from Matthew O’Connor aka Phonseca (Cafe Kino) and Domestic Sound Cupboard’s presentation of theskyisthinaspaperhere  (Mother’s Ruin). On Sunday the Louisiana also has Louis Sterling (better known as Auxx), with Bristol soundscape explorer LTO in support.

And finally some big blasts of no-nonsense business, mixing jazz, funk, hip-hop and whatever else comes to hand, with New Orleans street blasters Hot 8 Brass Band (Marble Factory, Sunday 17) bound to pull in a good crowd. Certain to be even more jammed, The Bell has Craig Charles-approved Monkey Chuckle (Monday 11) and the relentlessly cool Cantaloop (Wednesday 13).

And then harking back to those old-school dance crazes Bristol swing dance favourites The Big R Big Band come to Canteen (Wednesday 13) and 12-strong vintage jazz collective The Old Malt House Jazz Band round off the week at Tobacco Factory (Sunday 17).