The week in jazz – October 24-30

Two very interesting jazz gigs this week both showcase the possibilities of combining careful composition with the energy of improvisation, albeit from two decades apart. Saxophonist Jon Lloyd (pictured above, Future Inn, Thursday 27) established himself as a famously ‘free’ player in the 80s before applying himself to composition and building bands and collaborations with other free-minded players (notably the excellent pianist John Law). His 1996 quartet album By Confusion was hugely successful, yet there was no follow-up until 2013’s Vanishing Points announced a return to small group playing and composition after some years break. The band still includes John Law along with Empirical bassist Tom Farmer and drummer Dave Hamblett – a tasty combination indeed.

It will be interesting to see how that session compares when Kevin Figes Different Dimension pops up at the Bebop Club the next night (Friday 28). Saxophonist Kevin has also increasingly combined free playing with composition, notably in his octet and quartet work, and this latest project is a sextet of well-respected local players known for their improvisatory skills. Their contemporary jazz music draws on influences including Chris Potter and Dave Holland but is ultimately focused on how it takes shape in the live environment. 

There’s a triple-bill of off-beat treats at The Cube on Thursday (27), courtesy of the Match & Fuse scheme that brings together bands from Europe and the UK. This gathering includes our very own Michelson Morley electronic experimentalists as well as prog-influenced power trio Krokofant from Norway and headliners Horse Orchestra, a young Scandinavian septet based in Copenhagen and widely admired for their Sun Ra-like ability to deploy almost any kind of music in their collages and fusions. Thus a King Oliver blowout can be convincingly delivered in straight Dixieland style as a precursor to some hard bopping free jazz breakdown. It’s post-post-modernism at its finest, and it really works thanks to their good judgement and  genuine musicality.

More conventional grooving is also coming up this week, with fireball sax player James Morton premiering a new collaboration with hard-hitting Hammond player Jonny Henderson and jazz-rock guitarist Jerry Crozier Cole (Fringe, Wednesday 26) and Groovelator guitarist Mark Lawrence bringing a more soulful sound to his fusion guitar trio at Alma Tavern (Sunday 30). There’s a celebration of Caribbean carnival-flavoured jazz when the George Mabuza Group revive the music of a departed local hero at The Old Duke (Thursday 27).

And finally a couple of more quiet, reflective outfits well worth checking: pianist Andy Nowak brings his trio The A.N.t to Colston Hall Foyer (Saturday 29) with their excellent debut album just launched and Radio 6 Music’s favourite trumpet ’n drums duo Eyebrow will be conjuring ambient dance soundscapes at Tobacco Factory (Sunday 30).