Bristol’s month in jazz – March 2024

t’s back! Yes the Bristol Jazz Festival has returned to it’s traditional mid-March date (Fri 22-Sun 24) but with a new home at the Tobacco Factory.  There will be three stages (including a free programme in the cafe-bar), workshops and a late night jam session to round off each day. More of that anon, but first there’s a few other jazz highlights in March, starting with ace young pianist Fergus McCreadie collaborating with the ever-exploratory Manchester Collective (Wed 13, St George’s) and a rare chance to catch a solo piano performance by the great Zoe Rahman the next night (Thur 14, St George’s). St G’s also have hyper-hip keyboard player Joe Armon Jones (Fri 22) while the Beacon rounds off the month with US bass guitar monster Thundercat (Sat 30).

There’s a nicely balanced mix of regular faves and hot new talent making up the Bristol Jazz Festival programme for 2024. Familiar crowd-pleasers include blues vocal star Elles Bailey, funky trombonist Dennis Rollins’ Velocity Trio and Uber-swing clarinettist Adrian Cox. Sell-out certainties must include Clare Teal’s consummate jazz vocals and returning local hero Andy Sheppard, as well as some of the new generation stars like Ezra Collective trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, superb young saxophonist Emma Rawicz and Sheffield’s full-power Renegade Brass Band. One big discovery could be the acclaimed duo of guitarist John Etheridge with singer Vimala Rowe … and there’s more – check the website.

The Bebop Club starts the month with Gondwana drummer Gaz Hughes’ ‘hard swinging’ piano trio (Thur 7), while the monthly Fringe In The Round session assembles a real All Star quintet to celebrate saxophonist Joe Henderson’s classic Blue Note album In’n’Out (Tue 5). March’s Jazzata gig (Sun 31) hands the Lantern stage over to veteran sax-man (and famed raconteur) Alan Barnes for an ‘Evening With’ performance that should be great entertainment. There’s a welcome return to the Fringe Jazz sessions for improvising saxophone legend Paul Dunmall (Wed 6, Bristol Music Club) with a fine quartet including top pianist Liam Noble. Other Fringe Jazz evenings include the fiery James Morton Band (Wed 13) and pianist Dave Jones celebrating his 60th birthday with a cracking quintet (Wed 20). The Bebop Club programme features the classically-influenced Alex Merritt/Antonio Fusco Quartet (Thur 14) and young rising star pianist Ross Hicks’ Trio (Thur 21), rounding off the month with versatile saxophonist Sophie Stockham’s new Quartet paying tribute to powerhouse Jazz Messenger alto player Lou Donaldson (Thur 28).

Having successfully launched their intriguing second album at St George’s Kevin Figes’ Wallpaper Music go to The Bell (Mon 25) where Loose Tube flautist Eddie Parker’s equally prog-influenced Escher Steps are also appearing (Mon 11). It feels like a while since Waldo’s Gift were dazzling us with full-on live performances but they’re back (Sat 2, Strange Brew) kicking off a national headline tour. They’re somehow squeezing in a Battle of The Big Bands at Strange Brew, too (Sun 10) – no fewer than five of them from the South West – and serious swing fans can warm up for that marathon with the Kris Nock Big Band’s Jazz Under the Sea (Sat 9, Bristol Aquarium). St George’s launch a series of lunchtime jazz gigs with highly-praised pianist Joe Webb (Fri 22) while singer Marvin Muoneké joins Adam Stokes’ resident trio to celebrate the great songs of Billy Eckstein (Wed 20, St George’s). Vocalist Victoria Klewin is the opening act for Bristol Jazz Club (Wed 6), planned to be a monthly event at The Architect bar on the Harbourside and bass player Dorian Sutton launches M.S.K. a new drumless jazz trio project with pianist Rachel Kerry and trumpeter David Mowatt with two gigs: Canteen (Sun 3) and Tobacco Factory (Sun 10).

David is an organising force behind the nicely-named Cotham Club events and this month they welcome the Bristol debut of lively Italian jazz-rockers the Raf Ferrari Quartet (Fri 22). The Club is also holding an all-star jam night as a fundraiser for Medical Aid For Palestine (Fri 8). Café swing experts Schmoozenbergs have a brace of gigs at The Bell (Sun 17) and The Mount Without (Fri 22) and, in a similar vein, the Tobacco Factory offers Maximus Manouche (Sun 17).  The aforementioned James Morton pops up again at The Forge (Fri 15), this time with his highly funky Groove Den and Jingu Bang return to The Bell (Mon 4) with their hard-driving brand of funk-jazz.

Out in the left field zone you’ll find Camae Ayewa aka Moor Mother (Mon 11, Beacon) twining her Afrofuturist poetry through a shifting electronic collage of jazz and electronica. The Cube has an audiovisual night (Fri 15) featuring sound and film works by Eli Orleans, Sophia Loizou and Laura Phillips as well as David Birchall headlining a night of ambient experimentalism (Sat 2). The Cube also has a Mouthfeel night headlined by Dawn Terry – vocalist from drone band Bong and here offering ‘melancholic accordion’. There’s another big drone night at St Anne’s Church Hall (Fri 22) headlined by the MXLX Piano Trio with drummer Dan Johnson in the mix and PRSC’s third Sound Programme night (Thur 28) also promises all kinds of noise and droning.

The Exchange’s Sunday afternoon improv session (Sun 3) has the Broken Numbers quintet augmented by Iceman Furniss with Improv’s Greatest Hits also on the agenda and the many headed South West Improvisers Group has guest percussionist Robin Foster (Mon 4, Cafe Kino). Rachel Musson’s sax and electronics heads up an evening of improvised and experimental music at L’Etoile Studio (Tue 19). And if you need something a bit more tranquil after all that anarchy the Postclassical Assembly have a night (Mon 25, Jam Jar) headlined by composer/singer Mara Simpson with support from electronic producer Bethany Ley and lyrical pianist Larkhall. Or if you fancy some Philip Glass the Bristol Ensemble are performing his soundtrack music for the film Mishima (Thur 14, Arnolfini) as well as compositions from Meredith Monk and Anna Thorvaldsdottir.

They obviously can’t get enough of South African force of nature band BCUC at Jam Jar – yet again they’re back for two nights (Wed 13/Thur 14) with a high likelihood of selling out both. The club also has Cologne-based hybrid groovers’ Muito Kaballa (Fri 15) and Afrobeat-inspired poet Vox Sambou (Thur 21) as well as a Ghana themed night featuring Yaaba Funk (Thur 28) but, if you’re quick enough, surely the icing on their March cake has to be the spell-binding La Dame Blanche (Sat 2), one of those all-round performers with a relentlessly groovy blend of hip-hop, reggae and her Cuban Latin roots. The Bell has ‘Samba Rock’ from Tuto Tribe (Wed 20), El Rincon has new Latin American acoustic duo La Gringa Negra (Thur 28), the Beacon has the great Gypsy Kings (Sun 24) and the mighty Fantasy Orchestra celebrate Brazil’s 70s psychedelic Tropicalia revolution (Sun 31, Lost Horizon). More West African roots: Mandingue master musician N’Famady Kouyate’s balafon-led grooves are at Thekla (Thur 14), Malian multi-instrumentalist Sidiki Dembele brings those ever popular ‘& Friends’ to Lost Horizon (Sun 17) sandwiching the North African guimbre of the Gnawa Blues All Stars (Fri 15, Canteen).

And the wonderful world of jam? There’s that Palestine benefit night at Cotham Club (Fri 8) and the Stag & Hounds weekly sessions have guest soloists: bass player Bill Frampton (Sun 3), trombonist Joe Bradford (Sun 10) and saxophonist Sophie Stockham (Sun 17). Mr Wolf’s has Donut Filler Jam (Weds). Canteen has Stone Cold Funk Jam (Tue 5, Tue 19), Canteen Jazz Session (Wed 6), Slapdash Jam (Tue 12), Chilli Jam (Mon 18), Canteen Latin Session(Wed 20) and Bristol Street Music (Tue 26).

Others include: Hot Club Jam (Mon 4, Bristol Fringe), JFS Jam (Tue 5, Tue 19, Mr Wolf’s), Vookoo Jam (Thur 21, Southbank).