Bristol’s jazz month – February 2022

Plenty of big name attractions, loads of improvised surprises and a tasty infusion of Latin warmth are all running through this month. It all adds up to some tricky choices, notably on Thursday 17 which boasts no less than seven tempting jazz gigs.

So – probably the biggest of the big names has to be trumpeter/producer/bandleader Emma-Jean Thackray (Lost Horizon, Fri 25) but you’ll have to move fast to grab a ticket for this Worm Disco night. The Worms snaffled rising star Emma-Jean back in 2019 but that gig has already bounced through a series of lockdown cancellations so fingers crossed … Saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi (Strange Brew, Wed 9) saw his star rise back in the 70s when he joined Dave Brubeck’s band and stepped into the shoes of Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan. His classy quartet includes the great Jason Rebello on piano. The next night local heroes Get The Blessing take to the Strange Brew stage (Thur 10) with their trademark thrash-jazz which surely must have been an inspiration for electronic powerhouse Hippo who open for always fascinating pianist John Law’s electro-acoustic Congregation at St George’s (Thur 3). Hippo also have their own gig at Canteen (Thur 10). And Bristol’s sometime Musical Ambassador, alto saxophonist James Morton brings his band to The Attic (Sat 5) and Fringe Jazz (Bristol Music Club, Wed 23).

Like Emma-Jean, the talent-stuffed Nubiyan Twist collective (Marble Factory, Tue 15) is undoubtedly one of the country’s bigger names, guaranteed to satisfy both jazz and dance lovers, as will Dele Sosimi’s Afrobeat Quintet (Jam Jar, Fri 25) and the Norwegian powerhouse Jaga Jazzist who make a welcome return to the Fleece (Thur 17). Leftfield dance deconstructions will feature when electro-saxophonist and improviser Lara Jones headlines at The Cube (Fri 25) with support from Harpoon and Echo Juliet. More sedate, perhaps, but no less musically compelling  Ray D’Inverno’s Quintessential Groove returns to The Bebop Club (Thur 10) with the veteran hard bop pianist joined by Bebop fave saxophonist Terry Quinney. And taking things down into even more reflective modes Concinnity (St George’s, Thur 24) marks the launch of vibraphone player Harriet Riley and violinist Alex Garden’s excellent second duo album Sonder II, with bass player Stevie Toddler adding sonic depth to their complex neo-classical acoustic music. The Bebop has scored another coup in hosting the Alex Merritt/Steve Fishwick Quintet, a classy/classic pairing of saxophone and trumpet respectively who have been compared to the great Joe Henderson and Woody Shaw Blue Note recordings.

Improvising jazz rockers Modulus III were one of the first post-lockdown treats at the Jam Jar and they return (Thur 3) for a massive night involving two one-hour sets plus support from synth duo Zoobers. Meanwhile at The Cube that night there’s Mystery Vortex – a massive line-up of improv talent including Tina Hitchens and Rachel Sneddon while over at The Gallimaufry their weekly Galligumbo session features violinist Annalise Lam with vocalist Cassie Madly. Further Galligumbo encounters will be: Neil Smith and Dan Moore (Thur 10), Nick Dover and Alex Veitch (Thur 17) and Richard the Fourth (Thur 24). The ever-surprising EP 64 collaborate with the Evil Usses (PRSC, Fri 25) for what will be one of their last performances. London-based ethno-improviser Flora Yin-Wong comes to The Cube (Sat 26) with support from local multi-media expressionists Viridian Ensemble. The mighty Waldo’s Gift return to their roots with an improvised session at The Gallimaufry (Wed 9) while a variety of Snazzbackers pop up there with regular Bounce Mondays jam sessions (7, 14, 21, 28). They’ll also be at Loco Club  (Wed 2) with the new Green Beans jam nights. Anyone interested in becoming involved in improvisation themselves should check out The Cube’s PROCESS:WORKSHOP (Sun 20), an all-day opportunity to work with percussionist Jon Clark towards an evening showcase.

That warming swathe of Latin-infused music runs right through the month, beginning with percussion-driven Latin-Jazz quartet Starlings (Canteen, Thur 3) followed by the unveiling of Dockside Revolutions (Old Market Assembly, Fri 11). This is the slimmed down 7-piece version of the mighty Dockside Latin Orchestra, with Havana vocalist Indira Raman out front. Indira also appears later (Canteen, Sat 26) with Aji Pa’Ti, while her compatriot , soaring trumpeter Michel Padron, brings his Latin jazz quartet to the same venue (Thur 17).

Jazz guitar fans have a wide range of styles to pick from this month, whether the contemporary funk grooves of Dan Waldman (Canteen ,Thur 24), the more laid back bop of James Chadwick (Bebop, Thur 3), Matt Hopkins’ 60s-style jazz rock with Hopkins Hammond (El Rincon, Thur 24) or the fusioneering eclecticism of Neil Smith in Milon (Canteen, Sun 20). The equally sizzling fretwork of Alex Hutchings figures in violinist John Pearce’s Man & Machine Trio (El Rincon, Thur 17) while the fiddler himself returns to Fringe Jazz in his popular pairing with Dave Newton’s piano (Bristol Music Club, Wed 16). En route to headlining at Ronnie Scott’s in March, Blue Note-inspired modernists Jazz Defenders are at The Fringe (Sun 27) while their trumpet maestro Nick Malcolm brings his own inspirational quartet to Canteen (Sun 13). Pop into The Fringe earlier that evening and you can catch vocalist Kat Coles with the aforementioned Neil Smith and Get The Blessing’s Jake McMurchie making their own tribute to the impending Valentine’s Day.

It’s great to hear new music from Beth Rowley, whose haunting pre-lockdown album Gota Fria showcased the composed power of her vocals. She appears at the Bristol Beacon Foyer (Thur 17). The Arnolfini has the more abstract vocal layering of Lucy Gooch (Fri 11) while the artful post-pop of the Tara Clerkin Trio pops up at The Cube (Sat 19).

Main photo: Tony Benjamin

Read more: Longest Johns take to the docks in a duck boat to launch new album

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: