Bristol’s month in jazz – October 2024

There’s a lot happening on the jazz front this month but possibly the most important stuff relates to a man who has never played a note of music on stage. Over the last forty years Ian Storrer (pictured above) has promoted some 3,800 musical events in Bristol. Notably, as the landlord of The Albert Inn in Bedminster, his weekly jazz nights for some twenty years featured an amazing array of national and international stars. For this anniversary month there is an exhibition of memorabilia from Ian’s back catalogue – including much from The Albert – in the Beacon’s Kennedy Room. He continues to promote the music with monthly nights at The Lantern under his Jazzata banner, this month welcoming top UK vocalist Claire Martin with Swedish pianist Martin Sjøstedt’s trio (Wed 2). Then there’s a celebration party (Sun 27) featuring artists whose early career saw them regularly visit the Bedminster pub: saxophonists Denys Baptiste and Ed Jones join piano player Jonathan Gee and his trio. It’s a great chance to recognise Ian’s undoubted contribution to the development of Bristol as one of the prime hubs for UK jazz. Big thanks!

There’s big name bass action this month, starting with Neil Charles’ striking project Dark Days (Beacon, Mon 7). His hot improvising trio with Pat Thomas on piano and Mark Sanders drumming is fronted by Cleveland Watkiss’ vocals drawing on the writings of the brilliant James Baldwin. Danish bass star Jasper Høiby’s latest project 3Elements (St Georges, Thur 10) is an international piano trio drawn from the Amsterdam scene with South Koran pianist Chaerin Im and Dutch drummer Jamie Peet. Top Bristol bassist Riaan Vosloo’s excellent Uphill Game quartet are supporting that gig, with guest saxophonist the aforementioned Ed Jones. 

Pat Thomas returns in Bleyschool (Fringejazz, Bristol Music Centre, Wed 23), a trio with free bass player Dominic Lash and drummer Tony Orrell exploring the late Paul Bley’s approach to deconstructed improvisation. The band are releasing their second album, recorded for New York’s prestigious 577 Records. GoGo Penguin bass player Grant Russell comes to the Bebop Club (Thur 17) as a member of sax player Tom Thorp’s melodically-led Ilumetris quintet. World Service Project maverick Dave Morecroft brings new grooving project Juxter to Canteen (Thur 24) the day after sizzling guitarist Neil Smith appears there in Meters’n’Grant Green inspired quartet Dr Scriff (Wed 23).

Palestinian musician Zaid Hilal plays the baglama, a seven-stringed oud, and he joins with members of the British European Jazz Ensemble (BEJE) for a wold-jazz fusion evening in a Solidarity with Palestine event at Jam Jar (Thur 3). Two flamboyant Italian prog-jazz guitarists rock up at the Cube (Wed 30) when Enrico Merlin and Fabio Ferri meet the ever adaptable BEJE and you can expect Conrad Singh’s guitar to shine among the many other great musicians in Daniel Inzani’s big band (The Bell, Mon 28) playing Dan’s eclectic post-classical fusions from his critically acclaimed Selected Worlds triple album.

Vocalists abound in October, too, with the superb piano trio Yetii welcoming beautifully voiced performer t l k to their monthly residency at Greenbank (Thur 3). Katya Gorrie pops up twice, once with swingers Moscow Drug Club (Fringejazz, Bristol Music Club, Wed 16) and also at St George’s with her own Katya Gorrie Trio (Wed 9). The wonderful Sara Colman joins regular piano partner Rebecca Nash and bass man Henrik Jensen in Ribbons (St George’s, Fri 25) – note that that’s a lunchtime gig – and El Rincon welcomes back Celtic jazz trio Carmina 3 (Thur 17)  with Pippa Marland’s assured vocals. And the supercool ‘low-key R&B legend’ Eddie Chacon brings his full band to Strange Brew (Wed 30).

Rising star saxophonist Alex Clarke joins the Adam Stokes Trio at St George’s (Wed 9) to explore Cole Porter’s melodious legacy, ushering in a flock of reedsmiths including Sophie Stockham fronting Starlings (The Bell, Wed 23). The album of Sophie’s impressive classical/jazz collaboration Selene Awakes will be released later this month. Fulsome tenor player Iain Ballamy brings a brace of fine pianists to a couple of duo performances, starting with Huw Warren (St George’s, Fri 4 lunchtime) and then Gareth Williams (Fringejazz, Bristol Music Club, Wed 16). Later St George’s also hosts a tribute to sometimes overlooked hard bop sax star Hank Mobley courtesy of Craig Crofton’s quartet (Wed 23). Two more rising stars from the vibrant Birmingham scene – Ben Partridge and Oscar Lawrence on tenor and alto respectively – front the Sixways sextet (Bebop Club, Thur 3) playing Ben’s music and arrangements.

Did you recognise Andy Hague’s trumpet in the strangely anonymised video above? Pianist Ray D’Inverno’s Quintessential Groove is a regular favourite at the Bebop Club and they return this month (Thur 24). Andy figures alongside more piano action from the all star Dave Jones Quintet (Bebop, Thur 10) and the club also has trombonist Joe Bradford’s upbeat tribute to JJ Johnson with another fine quintet (Thur 31). Staying over in Bedminster: the Tobacco Factory has Rachel Kerry’s piano in the eclectic M.S.K. trio (Sun 13) and swing doyen Bill Frampton‘s trio (Sun 6) while El Rincon has flute-led gypsy jazz trio Djammy Dodgers (Thur 24).

Things are lively on the contemporary grooving front, starting with the very hip nu-soul Secret Night Gang (Strange Brew, Sat 5), followed by coolly funky Hiatus Coyote (Beacon, Mon 7) and the cinematically soulful Leeds-based Gotts Street Park (Beacon, Wed 16). Cream of the crop, however, must be local heroes Ishmael Ensemble, sure to sell out SWX (Thur 24), but hot on their heels watch out for singer/bass player Stevie Toddler (The Bell, Fri 18; Louisiana, Tue 22) whose second album released this year has really got people’s attention.

For more old school groovery you might want to catch Hungry Hungry Hippos (JFS, Mr Wolf’s, Tue 8), funky trumpeter Gary Alesbrook’s talent-stuffed sextet making a rare Bristol appearance. John Paul Gard’s punchy Hammond sound leads Manuals of Fire (Old Fishmarket, Sun 6), Cardiff’s Bass 12 add New Orleans brassiness to soul classics (Mr Wolf’s, Sat 12) and Jack Mac’s Funk Pack does what it says on the tin (Mr Wolf’s, Tue 8).

Improv events kick off in the Kino basement (Mon 7) with a host of familiar names including percussionist Liz Excell, Rebecca Sneddon’s sax and Raph Clarkson on trombone. Dominic Lash (see Bleyschool above!) figures in another star-studded night at the same place (Mon 28) that includes Jon Ruddick playing the enigmatic ’no input mixing desk’. Hmmm. Or maybe hummm? Bernardo Kerr and Dan Johnson bring ritualised noise collages to Cube (Tue 8) as part of Liquid Library’s Knife Library experimental evening. And on Saturday 26 you have the choice of pianist Elijah Fox’s Improvised Piano Works (Beacon) or the melee of the monthly free improv Byrfyfyr session at Elmer’s End. And there will be improvised soundscapes inspired by the video exhibition of Rinko Kawauchi at Arnolfini (Fri 18), including a promising collaboration between the excellent Tara Clerkin Trio  and ‘one-man pastoral chamber orchestra’ Memotone. But most intriguing of all has to be the three way collaboration between jazz griot Dudu Kouyate, multi-instrumentalist Shunya and 137 uberdrummer Seb Rochford (Strange Brew, Sun 13) – a phenomenal gathering of improvisational talent that will no doubt surprise and amaze.

There’s an ever-expanding hinterland where classical, ambient and electronica musics meld and this month’s scene has a multiplicity of the unclassifiable: that Kayla Painter’s show (Kino, Thur 10) is already sold out gives an idea of the (non)-genre’s popularity. eavesdropping (Arnolfini, Fri 4) has Eliza McCarthy’s solo piano and textural sound artist Marlo de Lara, while The Cube has experimental dance and ‘immersive sound through movement’ as part of Tough Sell (Sat 5). Mainly Slow Organ Music (St John in the Wall, Sat 5) is a morning show of organ and electronica ambient and drone music, while Adrian Utley’s Drones For The Dark Months (St George’s, Thur 24) offers ‘unhurried sonic splendour’ from the Portishead/137 experimental guitarist.

The Satori Session at Cloak offers ambient woodwind soundscapes from 30 Circles (Thur 10), Kessencoda bring their Gondwana-recorded ambient electronics/drums pairing to Jam Jar (Sun 20) and Lost Horizon has ambient minimalist hand drum duo Hang Massive (Fri 25). Less ambient, Guatemalan experimental cellist and singer Mabe Fratti is at Strange Brew (Sun 20) while Fohn (aka violinist Tom Connolly) debuts his solo post-folk album Seanteach at The Cube (Thur 24).

Jamwise it’s spread as thickly as ever: Mr Wolf’s have their weekly Donut Filler (Weds) and fortnightly JFS jam (Tue 1, 15, 29). The Old England have their weekly Community Jam Collective (Tue). Bristol Fringe have Hot Club Jam (Mon 7), Peanut Butter Jam (Mon 14), Jazz Rapport Jam (Mon 21), Seed Sessions Jam (Mon 28). Canteen has Jazz Session (Wed 2), Stone Cold Funk Jam (Tue 1, 15), Slapdash (Tue 8), Latin Session (Wed 16), BIMM Mint Jam (Mon 21), Bristol Street Music (Tue 22).