Music / British jazz
Bristol’s month in jazz – August 2024
As ever August is a quiet month in the jazz calendar, rounded off with the annual Old Duke Jazz Festival (Sat 24-Mon 26, check website for line-up details). But one important gig will be happening at The Beacon (Fri 30) when the Saoco Collective pay tribute to the percussionist and drummer Jason Gaines. Jason was a fine player on the Latin-Jazz scene, highly respected as a musician and much loved as a person, so his sudden death in June this year came as a terrible shock to everyone who knew him. As a member of the Collective – a supergroup of some of Bristol’s finest Latin Jazz musicians – he would have been part of this gig and a number of other musicians will be joining the core members to enhance the event in tribute to a sadly lost colleague and friend.
Talented guitarist Sangyean Park and fellow South Korean vocalist Yunmi Sang join the BEJE at St Stephen’s Church (Fri 30), while Fringe In The Round welcomes US guitarist Steven Kirby in a quartet co-led by saxophonist Alex Merritt (Fringe, Tue 6). Top local jazz guitarist Dan Waldman also figures in the Jake McMurchie Trio (Old Fish Market,Sun 11) with Toby Perrett drumming alongside the Get The Blessing sax player. Another tenor player with a powerhouse sound, Craig Crofton has a trio including Dan Moore on keyboards (Mr Wolfs, Sun 18). Sophisticated jazz pianist Rebecca Nash will be at the Stag and Hounds (Sun 4) – the only one of those Sunday jam sessions announced for August so far – and you can catch another assured pianist later that night when the Ross Hicks Trio play at Tobacco Factory (Sun 4).
For many, singer Asha Puthli was the surprise ‘discovery’ of this year’s Glastonbury Festival – a bit late as the 79-year old jazz-funk vocalist has had a fine career since hanging out in Andy Warhol’s factory in the 60s. You can catch the magic at The Beacon (Fri 9). There’s more familiar soulful swing style from Victoria Klewin Swing B (Redcatch Park, Sun 11) and John Prescott & Capitol Swing are at the Tobacco Factory later that day (Sun 11). The upbeat Kris Nock Big Band are this month’s Reef and Rhythms artists at the Bristol Aquarium (Sat 10). And rounding off this weekend of swing there’s fine manouche violin from Piotr Jordan at The Bell (Mon 12).
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But if you like a harder-edged groove there’s a few opportunities to catch high energy French techno-brass outfit LGMX this month as they are at Canteen ((Sat 3), Valley Fest (Sun 4) and The Bell (Wed 7). The Full House Brass Band take things in a more conventional New Orleans style (Old Duke, Thur 22) while New York’s in-your-face drum’n’brass trio Moonhooch head off into the hip-hop zone (Fleece, Wed 14). Mr Wolf’s also have psych-jazz combo Miya The Sun (Sat 10) while Canteen hosts similarly branded Fantastic Stranger (Fri 23). And there’s an all-too-rare appearance of the mighty Bristol Reggae Orchestra with vocalists Celestine and Nia who should fill The Mount Without’s capacious acoustic (Tue 6). Importantly, it’s a benefit concert for Carrriacou, the Grenadian island massively hit by the recent Hurricane Beryl.
But what of the left field? Well it doesn’t come more unpredictably free than Japanese percussionist Ryosuke Kiyasu (Moor Beer Co, Sat 10). Check the video above for a flavour of what he can do with a snare drum. And L’Etoile Studio are hosting a series of Summer Noise events on Thursdays (Thur 8, 15, 22, 29) featuring a fabulous array of performers from across the improvising/free music (and poetry) scene. One name conspicuously absent from their list though is cornet player and promoter Harry “Iceman” Furniss who has been a driving force in developing the DIY improv scene in Bristol for many years. His Iceman Furniss Quartet are due to play their final ever gig at an Improv’s Greatest Hits night in their spiritual home The Old England (Sat 31). Another couple of interesting oddities: Sensory Sound Programme #6 (St Thomas The Martyr, Thur 22) is a diverse electro-acoustic night of characterful sound artists, while Sound and Silence (Strange Brew, Fri 30) is focused on the sound of bells courtesy of artists Marcus Vergettes and Copper Sounds who have created experimental bell instruments.
It may be hot out there but is it ‘jam hot’ yet? Try The Fringe for Hot Club Jam (Mon 5), Peanut Butter Jam (Mon 12) and Jazz Rapport Jam (Mon 19) or maybe Canteen for Stone Cold Funk Jam (Tue 6, Tue 20), Canteen Jazz Session (Wed 7), Slapdash (Tue 13) and Canteen Latin Session (Wed 21). Mr Wolf has the Donut Filler Jam on Wednesdays and the Stga & Hounds usually has a regular Sunday session though, as noted above, only Sun 4 has been listed – so check with the venue.
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