Bristol’s Jazz Month – October 2021

It might be getting chillier outside but Bristol’s local jazz scene just keeps getting hotter with more venues opening their doors and all kinds of illustrious visitors vying for your attention with our own resident talent. If you’re quick you might catch the Keith Tippett celebrations at Bristol Beacon (Friday 1) and St George’s Hall (Saturday 2), a great tribute to a musical genius and a fine start to our jazzy Octoberfest.

It’s pleasing to see the return of Jazzata gigs, aka promoter Ian Storrer, to the calendar. Ian, who for many years ran legendary jazz nights at his Bedminster pub The Albert, has been busy supporting other events, including those Keith Tippett celebrations, but returns with a series of cracking gigs planned for the Bristol Beacon Foyer. First up is awesome young Scottish pianist Fergus McCreadie (Wednesday 6), appearing in his trio that has already been likened to the Bad Plus for the energy and accomplishment of their playing. It’s an unfortunate clash with ex-Kokoroko guitarist Oscar Jerome’s visit to The Fleece, however. Later in the month  the equally fresh London drummer/producer Chiminyo and the vibrant electronics of Wonky Logic come to the Jam Jar (Saturday 16). Staffordshire-based electronic trio Haiku Salut made a big impression at this summer’s Valley Fest and they bring their Lamp Show to the Jam Jar (Thursday 21).

There’s some more big hitters from the touring circuit coming through this month, starting with grooving minimalists Mammal Hands promoting new album Captured Spirits (Trinity, Tuesday 12) and Go Go Penguin (Motion, Thursday 21). Even more minimal will be Courtney Pine’s return to St George’s (Thursday 21) playing a set of classic ballads on bass clarinet in an acoustic duo with pianist Zoe Rahman. And Bristol’s own improvisational big hitters Waldo’s Gift will be launching their latest EP Normflex at Trinity (Tuesday 19). The Fringejazz series at the Bristol Music Club have a particularly interesting night on Wednesday 20 featuring an Art Themen Quartet that also includes fine pianist Huw Warren. Other treats at Fringejazz this month include the longstanding reeds’n’piano duo Alan Barnes and Dave Newton (Wednesday 6), a cracking James Morton band (Wednesday 13) that reunites the alto player with fiery fusion guitarist Alex Hutchings and Andy Hague’s excellent Horace Silver tribute Silverado (Wednesday 27).

The Bebop Club seems well settled in the Hen and Chicken’s new Chicken Shed room and to celebrate they have booked top UK jazz guitarist Nigel Price’s Organ Quartet (Thursday 14) playing their tribute to the legendary Wes Montgomery. In other Bebop sessions club promoter Andy Hague will be launching Release, a lockdown CD from his new Double Standards Quartet that played at the club last year (Thursday 7), while Get The Blessing’s saxophonist Jake McMurchie brings a new quartet (Thursday 21) and Andy returns as part of tenor saxman Terry Quinney’s excellent Sound of Blue Note Quintet (Thursday 28) which does exactly what it says on the can, and very well too. Jake also appears in saxophonist Sophie Stockham’s sizzling contemporary jazz quintet Sefrial at The Forge (Friday 22) as well as guesting with the piano-led Alex Veitch Trio at The Greenbank (Thursday 7).

The new Fringe In The Round monthly session has a great double bill of saxophone-led trios this month (Tuesday 5) featuring Dee Byrne and Sam Crockatt, two fine melodic players with contrasting styles. Kevin Figes is another reeds merchant popping up with a couple of gigs at El Rincon (Thursday 21, Friday 22) as half of a duo with guitarist Denny Ilett. The tapas bar also has singer Katya Gorrie (Thursday 7, Friday 8) and trumpeter Pete Judge’s duo with pianist John Baggott aka The Invisible Apples (Thursday 14). Versatile singer Elly Hopkins makes a couple of appearances, firstly in a duo at The Alma Tavern (Sunday 3) and then as part of intriguing ‘dystopian soul’ project The Other Way at the Fringe (Tuesday 19).

The talented Harriett Riley brings her distinctive vibraphone and marimba to Ethiojazzers Tezeta at The Bell (Monday 4) and Jam Jar (Thursday 7) as well as The Spindle Ensemble’s post-classical gig at The Cube (Saturday 9). The Cube also hosts the haunting music of Guatemalan experimental cellist and singer Mabe Fratti (Sat 30) while, coincidentally, Argentinian cellist Sebastian Plano comes to the Bristol Beacon Foyer (Monday 11) with his more ambient layered compositions. Moroccan oud player Soufian Saihi will be performing solo at Canteen on Wednesday 27 and Senegalese jazz pianist Ibou Tall brings his latest sextet to the same venue this month (Thursday 14).

Finally a whole bunch of good-time blasters in their different ways: brassy funksters Wasabi deliver smartly jazzy arrangements (The Lanes, Saturday 9), tradders The Old Malthouse Jazz Band go for it in proper old-school style (The Bell, Sunday 10), cool and clever Leeds 7-piece Tetes de Pois make classy dance-derived music (The Bell, Wednesday 20), bass player Edd Bateman’s latest touring project London Astrobeat Orchestra globalises the sound of Talking Heads (Old Market Assembly Friday 22) and, rounding off an action-packed month, Glasgow’s mighty Fat Suit should storm The Canteen (Friday 29) with their remarkable and original symphonic rock-jazz. Phew.