To say that Johanna Burnheart is ‘one to watch’ would be an extreme understatement. After starting out as a classical violinist, Burnheart moved towards jazz in 2011, becoming the first jazz violinist to be accepted at undergraduate level by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She has since collaborated with major names on the London jazz scene, including Rosie Turton, Yazz Ahmed and the ensemble Maisha, and was featured as one of the Guardian’s 30 best new artists of 2021. Her debut album, Burnheart, was released in 2020 with Ropeadope Records.

Burnheart’s journey to prominence may seem fairly conventional, but nothing about her music is. In fact, she tells me, her unique style emerged naturally from the interaction between influences: the techno scene in her hometown of Berlin, her experience on the jazz scene in London and across Europe and her early classical training.

She explains: ‘Critics want to be able to define you, to put you in one specific genre. I was labelled as electronic, but my music is a fusion of so many different styles. My compositions are much more jazz-rooted, and the grooves I use are definitely techno-inspired. But I’ve never thought, “I’m going to use techno here”. Why can’t I use a drum machine as well as a drummer?’

‘Bringing together these influences is both unconscious and conscious. It’s the only way I know how to express my compositions.’

With a multitude of different styles at her fingertips, Burnheart is the perfect representative of the idea at the core of the Detect Classic Festival: blending different genres and creating new musical worlds in the space in between.

Burnheart is no stranger to the Detect Classic Festival. She performed last year with German producer and electronic artist Christian Löffler as part of a touring group. The festival plays an active role in forming groups, which go out under the banner of “Detect Ensemble. This versatility within the organisation is embedded into the festival and makes it one of its strengths. As Burnheart says: ‘The whole atmosphere at the festival is amazing. The space is completely different, the community feeling is really special. It’s an adult playground. Everything is incredibly artistic and so much fun.’

This year, Burnheart will be playing a solo set in the estate’s atmospheric grounds, featuring unreleased music alongside tracks drawn from her debut album and her album of techno remixes, Burnheart Remixed, released in 2021.

She says: “It’s always an exploration to translate my compositions into my solo show. I’ve always craved being able to play completely solo unamplified but my compositions really flourish with electronic elements. I’m using my set to push myself a little bit further.”

‘I always get confused when I try to think about how I can fit into a line-up. Generally I don’t. But this isn’t something alienating for me. I like to think that I bring in something that is both relatable and unusual.’

(Aftermovie of the 2022 Festival)

Burnheart is just one artist who will be getting festival-goers to rethink the way they classify styles of music. This year’s Detect Classic Festival will showcase jazz, classical and ambient, electronic, contemporary and avant-garde music alongside audiovisual displays, performance art and dance throughout the weekend. A wide range of workshops and talks will complement the performances, with topics ranging from tantric yoga and silent expression to weaving and mobile-making.

Jazz highlights of the festival include the Leipzig-based contemporary jazz band WELTEN and Berlin-based singer and songwriter SOPHE. Established classical musicians will be taking the opportunity to explore new horizons: the lutenist David Bergmüller will present a set of early, contemporary and electronic music, while pianist Frank Dupree will take to the stage as the soloist with the German-Nordic Youth Philharmonic. Electronic performances by Jonathan Kaspar and Fantastic Twins will certainly be worth experiencing.

The line-up of experimental artists is just as impressive. Guatemalan cellist and composer Mabe Fratti, who will be touring the UK later this month, will draw on Gregorian chants, Sephardic music and shoegaze and dream pop in her solo set. Mitsune, the Berlin-based trio from Japan, Australia and Germany who specialise in the Tsugaru Shamisen, a traditional Japanese 3-stringed instrument, will combine traditional Japanese folk song with virtuosic original compositions.

This year’s Detect Classic Festival is sure to be a celebration of difference, allowing artists, musicians and audiences alike to find new ways to use and understand space and sound.

The post Johanna Burnheart (Detect Classic Festival 2023, Berlin, 11-13 Aug) first appeared on UK Jazz News.

UKJazz News: You’re performing at Ronnie Scott’s on 16 August. What are you most looking forward to?

Martin Tingvall: The last time we played at Ronnie Scott’s [in September 2017], it was so special. The audience there encompasses everything we want to be as a band: full of energy and joy. There’s a special communication that develops between the three of us and the audience. It’s a huge club, and people come from all over the world to listen to music there, but it always feels very intimate.

UKJN: Twenty years together as a trio with the same line-up is an impressive feat. What’s your secret?

MT: It doesn’t feel like twenty years at all. It’s like we starting playing together yesterday! Put simply, it’s just so much fun. Every year, we get to know each other better and have more fun with one another. We’re as much a group of friends as a trio: the more music we play together, the more we trust each other to try out new things. We’re always becoming braver. We have a special chemistry together as a three, and we’ve been working on this chemistry for a long time. It’s a real privilege to play together with good friends and fantastic musicians.

UKJN: How has your musical style developed over the last two decades?

MT: Of course we’ve changed and developed as musicians. Our very first album [Skagerrak, released in 2006] had a very different musical direction. It was more clearly shaped by Scandinavian jazz. Now we’re branching out more, and moving towards world music, classical, pop, and film music.

UKJN: You’re based in Hamburg, but all three of you are from different countries, with different mother tongues. Tell me about your way of communicating with one another.

MT: The best thing about music is that it is universal – it’s the most important language. We play with our ears, with our bodies, we react to each other rhythmically and musically.

UKJN: What have been the highlights of the last 20 years?

MT: Too many to count! We performed the song ‘Vägen’ (Roads) at a sold-out show in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2011 – a song that is all about our journey together as a band. We played the melody through once, then the audience joined in in four-part harmony, completely on the spot. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

UKJN: Any surprises planned for the gig next month at Ronnie Scott’s?

MT: Maybe it’s a cliché, but we’re always trying to surprise our audience. And we’re going to surprise ourselves a bit too – we’ll see where the music takes us on the night. Every concert gives us ideas for the next. Everywhere we play has its own special atmosphere.

UKJN: You’ll be sharing music from your album, Birds, which was released with SKIP Records earlier this month. What’s the story behind the new album?

MT: I took inspiration from nature’s singers for this album. I listened to a lot of birdsong in Sweden in the peace and quiet of the pandemic. I tried to imitate the birds and develop melodies from their song. The more I listened, the more I understood that they represent so much more: the changing climate, the war edging closer in Europe. We recorded the whole album in Italy over two days, then dedicated a third day to experimenting with new sounds and ideas. We’ll be performing tracks from the album, including a solo composition ‘A Call for Peace’, and ‘SOS’, which is an emergency call for the world. We can’t look away from the problems the world is facing – and the birds reflect this in their songs and migration patterns.

UKJN: What are your plans for the coming months?

MT: We’re off on tour in the autumn, starting in Switzerland and Germany and moving across Europe. We’re excited to let the birds fly!

UKJN: And for the next 20 years?

MT: We’re on a musical journey, and we’re right in the middle of it. Or maybe we’re just getting started?

The post Tingvall Trio – New, 20th anniversary album ‘Birds’ first appeared on UK Jazz News.

The idea behind The Common Room(s) is simple: what can we learn about ourselves, from others?

Brighton-based pianist, producer and composer Mark Edwards started The Common Room(s) with a few friends with this philosophy in mind. Each event will showcase music from featured guests alongside passionate speakers, who will share their insights and experiences on topics such as mindfulness, self-acceptance and ecopsychology.

Every element of the night is carefully planned. The performance space will be set up in the round, with special attention paid to sensory effects: smell, lighting and ambient noise will all play a role. Edwards tells me: “We’re trying to make it as immersive and beautiful an experience as possible. I want to create a space where people can see each other’s faces.”

Music on the night will oscillate between ambient background sounds and more prominent musical interludes. Each event will feature a mix of contemporary jazz and gentle classical music, alongside other experimental styles and original compositions – all acoustic, and curated by Edwards to complement the meditative and contemplative values behind The Common Room(s). Featured guests will perform alongside a gentle rhythm section made up of Edwards, James Osler and Oz Dechaine.

“Often we receive music just as noise pollution. A lot of things get in the way,” Edwards says. “There’s an amazing power that we don’t often tap into. I want people to feel that the music can nourish them, that it can reorder their emotions.”

The music at The Common Room(s), therefore, is not so much a performance as something for people to soak in and digest. The tranquil, dimly lit event space will draw on the conviviality that comes from an intimate jazz gig, where the audience is completely drawn in. People are invited to soak in the music in any way they feel; yoga mats are encouraged.

Over the coming months, six events are planned in Brighton at the Brighton Unitarian Church, each with a different theme. In November, the Birley Centre in Eastbourne will host a whole weekend of events with different speakers and musicians.

The inaugural event, entitled ‘Everything is Extraordinary’, took place on Sunday 2 July, hosted by author, journalist and seasoned interviewer Cole Moreton. Moreton spoke about the different people who have inspired him throughout his life and career, before opening up the space into a group discussion, giving the audience the chance to reflect on the remarkable people who have shaped their own lives. After a short break, classical and jazz singer Heather Cairncross and cellist Matthew Forbes treated the audience to an improvised exploration of works by Fauré, Messiaen and Richard Strauss.

Later events will welcome other high profile jazz musicians including saxophonist Alan Barnes.

Contemporary dancer and disability activist Annie Edwards will share the stage with jazz vocalist and music therapist Lou Beckerman for the second event, entitled ‘Enter the Now’, on Sunday 6 August. Questions such as what music and dance can do for people therapeutically, and how our relationship with our bodies can change, will form the centre of the wider discussion. Music on the night will be led by Bansuri player Kate Hogg, in a fusion of Western improvised and Indian music.

Events in the autumn include ‘Of Hope and Endurance’ on 15 October and ‘A Way of Natural Being’ on 12 November. The final event of this year’s series, ‘Home’, will take place on 10 December.

Looking ahead, Edwards hopes to invite people from different spiritual practices to talk about experiences that are common to all of us. Through poetry, sound and dialogue, he tells me, he wants to explore what spirituality means for different people.

“It’s in these small intimate gatherings that it’s easiest to build community and connections,” Edwards explains. “The music, the conversations, the different perspectives: they can show us how to live more sustainably and kindly, how to be more aware and understand each other’s experiences on a deeper level.”

Start time: 6.45pm. Venue: Brighton Unitarian Church, New Road, Brighton BN1 1UF

The post The Common Room(s) – new event series first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Izzy Blankfield spoke to BBC Big Band director Barry Forgie about the upcoming gala concert, which will showcase some of the most exciting talent on the British jazz scene.

‘The Art of Swing & Song’ was only intended to be a one-off event when it first took place at Cadogan Hall in early 2020. But given the huge popularity of the first two shows and the musicians’ and organisers’ enthusiasm to make the gala something of a tradition, it’s no surprise that the concert is now in its third incarnation.

The audience is in for a treat. This year’s concert will celebrate the legacy of some of the 20th century’s most iconic vocalists who have left their mark on the jazz of past and present. The diverse repertoire, arranged and performed by the BBC Big Band, will include popular classics by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and Duke Ellington, to name just a few.

The BBC Big Band, under the expert direction of Barry Forgie – the band’s director for almost fifty years, will be joined by five special guests for a night of timeless classics. The solo line-up is made up of veritable superstars of the UK jazz scene: vocalists Jacqui Dankworth, Claire Martin, Ian Shaw, Emma Smith and Elaine Delmar.

Both Martin and Delmar performed at the previous gala concerts in 2020 and 2022, while Dankworth, Shaw and Smith are joining the bill for the first time. Outside of the festival circuit, the concert will give the audience a rare chance to hear five of London’s most sought-after vocalists share a stage.

“The music is much more muscular when singers have to work with a big band. The noise is just amazing. Working with 16 musicians going full pelt – it’s exciting!” Forgie says.

Each vocalist will perform a handful of accompanied songs with the band, with their sets interspersed by big band tunes, curated and performed by Forgie and his ensemble. The band will have the chance to demonstrate their versatility, moving between rambunctious group numbers and smoother, more mellow accompaniments.

A highlight of the evening will undoubtedly be Forgie’s original arrangement of ‘Come Fly with Me’ – a staple of the previous two Cadogan Hall concerts – which will feature all five soloists on stage at once. “It’s about getting singers together and using the band to find new ways to explore classic material,” he explains.

There will be a certain spontaneity to the concert, with five singers bringing their own style to their performances. Martin and Delmar will treat the audience to classics of the American songbook, while Dankworth’s performance will showcase her cross-genre virtuosity. Seasoned big band singers Shaw and Smith are sure to sparkle through an exciting variety of swing solos.

As well as swing-era classics and modern interpretations of familiar tunes, the audience can look forward to some surprises along the way: “It’s really got something for everyone – fans of vocal jazz, fans of big bands – and people like that they can hear a lot of different singers.”

A spectacular repertoire of swing classics performed by five world-class jazz vocalists and one of the UK’s best big bands – this is sure to be an unmissable evening and a wonderful tribute to John Boddy and his lasting impact on the jazz scene.

The post BBC Big Band with Elaine Delmar, Claire Martin, Ian Shaw, Jacqui Dankworth, Emma Smith first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Originally from Victoria in British Columbia, Sean Fyfe studied in Montreal and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, before relocating to London in 2021. “Montreal felt a lot smaller for the kind of music I wanted to do. New York is much bigger: there’s a lot of every kind of music, and a lot of people generally,” he explains.

“It’s certainly less intimidating in London. It feels like there’s more work around. But Victoria, Montreal and New York have shaped who I am as a musician. Everything I learnt along the way I’ve brought with me here.”

Fyfe has since worked with giants of the UK jazz scene, including Alex Garnett, Steve Fishwick, Jeremy Brown, Josh Morrison and Matt Home. An accomplished sideman, Fyfe recognises that the time has come to branch out as a player and composer. “In London I’ve been able to develop more confidence and figure out how to be a band leader, in all senses.”

Fyfe draws inspiration from New York mainstay pianist Ray Gallon and hard bop pioneer Horace Silver in his compositions. His playing is infused with hints of Erroll Garner and Wynton Kelly. “There’s a decent amount of Bill Evans in there too,” he tells me.

“My biggest influence right now is probably Cedar Walton. He uses a lot of fast, sharp bebop language, and I try to emulate that as much as I can. It’s original and technically challenging, and that’s what makes it fun.”

Fyfe’s debut album Late Night, released last year, is a collaboration with guitarist Sam Kirmayer, drummer Andre White and bassist Adrian Vedady, long-time connections from his time in Montreal. Fyfe returned to Montreal to record the album: “I’d been writing music for a project like this for almost 5 years, but the actual recording happened very quickly,” he laughs. “In the pandemic something clicked in me – I wanted to get something out there in my own name.”

Late Night is an intricate project that sees seven of Fyfe’s own compositions complemented by a poignant solo recording of Billy Strayhorn’s ‘Lush Life’. The pianist’s favourite track, ‘To Wes’, is a cheerful, high-energy bop, a tribute to the legendary American jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Across the tracks, Fyfe meanders around the keys in a series of impressive solos, bolstered throughout by his quartet.

The coming months will see Fyfe take to the stage in London with a new band: Dave O’Higgins on tenor saxophone, Luke Fowler on bass and Matt Fishwick on drums. Each of these London-based musicians complements Fyfe’s playing in a unique way. “Dave has a very strong sound, a lot of language under his fingers. Matt has a great swing feel on the drums: everything is as it should be. And Luke is the perfect foundation!” Fyfe tells me.

The quartet’s exciting schedule includes performances at Oliver’s Jazz Bar on 8 April, The Oxford Tavern on 17 April and Growlers and Cans in Guildford on 21 June. The highlight of Fyfe’s upcoming gigs is sure to be his 24 April performance at Pizza Express in Soho, a mix of jazz standards and Fyfe’s own compositions.

Fyfe isn’t stopping there. The band is looking further afield, with performances at larger clubs and festivals in the UK and across Europe one of Fyfe’s main goals this year. Fyfe also intends to record a new album in the summer – a culmination of the unique, virtuosic sound he is exploring with the band in their London shows this spring.

With a jam-packed year ahead, Fyfe shows no sign of slowing down. “I’m excited to be playing under my own name! I can do whatever I want to do musically, I’m playing songs that I’d really like to be playing. This is a better showcase of what I can do and what I want to be doing.”

TOUR DATES

Oliver’s Jazz Bar – 8 April

The Oxford Tavern – 17 April

Pizza Express Soho – 24 April

Growlers and Cans, Guildford – 21 June

The post Canadian pianist Sean Fyfe first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Musical connections are at the centre of this year’s Cambridge Jazz Festival, which returns between 10 and 27 November. Across 24 venues, from concert halls and theatres to cosy bars in the city centre, more than 150 musicians are gearing up for 12 days of music making.

After two years of hybrid events, the festival is transitioning out of the pandemic and back into a vibrant programme of in-person events. Some of the 44 events will be recorded, to give fans from all over the world the opportunity to catch up virtually with this year’s exciting musical offerings.

Gil Karpas, Co-Director and International Music Programmer of Cambridge Jazz Festival, tells me:

‘We are music people! For us it’s always been about the audience, it’s always been about the engagement. That is the magic, and it’s why we do it. The communication between the artist and the audience is almost spiritual..’

The return to in-person performances has given the festival’s organisers the chance to bring together musicians from every corner of the jazz scene. ‘Jazz is a huge genre. It’s beyond a genre now – it’s been a century since its inception. And with that it now has a civilisational amount of culture and genres and referencing,’ says Karpas.

Opening the festival on Thursday 10 November are The Brass Funkeys for a rip-roaring ride through the big band repertoire. The group will be accompanied by live painting from Gina Southgate, whose colourful, largescale interpretations of musical performances have become a staple of the Cambridge Jazz Festival.

The festival will also showcase a range of international artists, including Portuguese band The Black Mamba and Danish bassist Jasper Høiby. Høiby, together with his trio Planet B (saxophonist Josh Arcoleo and drummer Marc Michel) and London-based instrumental four-piece Lydian Collective, will kickstart the second week of the festival on 17 November at Cambridge Junction.

The same night will see Swiss harpist Julie Campiche bring her innovative, highly personal style to the elegant setting of the Gonville Hotel, in collaboration with Cambridge Modern Jazz.

Many of the festival’s highlights will take place on the outskirts of the city, giving concertgoers the chance to listen to live music performances in exciting new settings.

On Saturday 19 November, Jazz FM’s Chris Phillips and Jez Nelson will present the headline event Jazz in The Round ft. Alina Bzhezhinska, Rouhangeze & Tomasz Bura, Ant Law & Alex Hitchcock at the Storey’s Field Centre.

Bass clarinettist Courtney Pine will be joined by pianist Zoe Rahman at Saffron Hall on Friday 25 November for a night of spiritual musical exploration, as part of their Ballad Book Tour.

Saxophonist Tim Garland and pianist Jason Rebello will launch their new album, As Free As The River, at the Stapleford Granary on the same night. Garland will also treat fans to an interactive workshop at Jesus College’s Frankopan Hall the very next morning.

One of the festival’s strengths is its transformation of the University’s distinguished, even intimidating buildings into intimate musical spaces. Ashley Henry will give a sure-to-be-special solo piano performance on Friday 18 November in the chapel of St Catherine’s College, and London/Panama-City based drummer-percussionist Jas Kayser will perform in Clare College’s Cellars the following evening.

Closing the Cambridge Jazz Festival is Omar + QCBA, an exciting collaboration between the soul vocal legend and trumpeter Quentin Collins and the tenor saxophonist Brandon Allen, who will be joined by Hammond organist Ross Stanley and drummer James Maddren.

British jazz vocalist Zara McFarlane is the festival’s artist-in-residence this year. In one of the most eagerly-awaited performances of the festival, she will perform a concert of voice and piano duos at Jesus College on Saturday 26 November. McFarlane will also take to the stage on Sunday 20 November with Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra, the university’s flagship big band, for a night of jazz standards and McFarlane’s own compositions.

Such collaboration is in-keeping with the values at the core of the Cambridge Jazz Festival. Crossing the reputed divide between the university culture and that of the city itself (‘town and gown’, as it is fondly called) is the festival’s central mission. ‘There is this old trope that there are two separate communities – but actually it’s just one, with spectral differences,’ Karpas explains. ‘One is more long-standing, one is more transient, but both have lots to offer: the skill, the talent, the enthusiasm, the joie de vivre of the student community and its musical excellence. What we are trying to do with the festival is to take these snapshots, and to bring them out as public events.’

The public will be invited to take centre stage in a singing workshop for all levels of experience and ability, led by performer and founder/director of The London Vocal Project Pete Churchill. The Schools Big Band Concert, taking place on Saturday 19 November, will showcase three local school jazz orchestras in a collaborative lunchtime event.

The festival will also offer a series of inspiring talks by icons of the jazz world. Musician, writer and broadcaster Alyn Shipton will be interviewed by clarinettist Adrian Cox on Saturday 19 November in St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church, before the gospel setting transforms into a venue for Shipton’s New Orleans Friends for an evening of jazz at Vespers.

On Sunday 27 November, Sonita Alleyne, the Master of Jesus College, Cambridge, will appear in conversation with British jazz legend Orphy Robinson for a workshop on the theme Developing your Creative Practice.

Fringe performances, including London-based singer Helena Debono and Brazilian group Cores Do Samba, will give newcomers on the jazz scene the chance to play to the festival’s crowds. Karpas tells me: ‘One thing we are focusing a lot on is trying to get as many local artists to do their own events as possible. No one is left behind, no one is underestimated. We’re celebrating potential, as well as global superstars.’

The two-week event promises to be a real celebration of local and global talent. Karpas sees the festival as a chance to cultivate a new musical community: ‘It’s about connections between generations, between communities, artists and audiences. And the line-up reflects this! It’s a festival of meeting points.’

The post Cambridge Jazz Festival first appeared on UK Jazz News.

This year’s headliners included the Kenny Garrett Quintet, Karen Edwards Trio, Adam Bałdych Quartet feat. Paolo Fresu, Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio and Nigel Kennedy Band feat. Mike Stern.

Larger venues such as the Filharmonia Krakowska and the Kijów Centrum hosted most headline acts, while Kraków’s legendary cellar bars, Piwnica pod Baranami and Harris Piano Bar, were the setting for daily late-night gigs. The festival also saw performances in the city’s main square and several art galleries, as well as in the Globus Music Club, opened earlier this year by Witold and Janina Wnuk.

This was a festival that rejoiced in the contrasts it presented. Wednesday 27 July saw the always popular Boba Jazz Band take to the stage in the Piwnica pod Baranami. The Kraków-based old school band entertained their lively audience with a night of impressive collective improvisation. Just next door, festival-goers were treated to a more lowkey blues jam session in the Harris Piano Bar.

On Thursday 28 July, vocalist Grażyna Auguścik performed together with Jarek Bester on accordion. Folk and Klezmer influences interwove with Auguścik’s personal – often magical – singing style. In one of the week’s most intimate performances, the chemistry of the performers came naturally. Bester’s virtuosity on the accordion was a revelation. A thoughtful soloist and an outstanding accompanist, his playing melted into Auguścik’s haunting vocals.

The same night, multi-instrumental producer duo Mr Krime & Bolan were joined by singer Grzegorz Dowgiałło for a performance which transported the audience to a completely different world of funk and disco. The group’s synth-heavy set at times verged on the psychedelic, infecting the room with energy in their renditions of funk classics, including Stevie Wonder’s 1976 hit ‘I Wish’.

Electric Shepherd, pioneers of the Kraków jazz fusion scene in the 1970s, created an atmospheric sound space in the packed Piwnici pod Baranami on Friday 29 July. The group performed with different configurations of keyboards, percussion, wind instruments and vocal effects, building up entrancing grooves that drew on free jazz and West African influences. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Marek Stryszowski alternated complex saxophone solos, inspired perhaps by Gato Barbieri or Jan Garbarek, with ethereal vocals that reverberated around the cellar bar.

Electric Shepherd’s performance was characteristic of the festival: far from austere, polished sets, each concert was a free space for improvisation and exhilaration, where the performers grew and changed with their audience.

American guitarist John Scofield and his latest project ‘Yankee Go Home’ filled the Kijów Centrum cinema in the Saturday night headline slot – a fitting setting for an international superstar. Scofield maintained a warm familiarity throughout, the broad age range of his audience testament to his continuing influence. Through his honest, unpretentious playing, the guitarist fostered a laidback chemistry with his band: New York powerhouse Vicente Archer on bass, rock solid keyboardist Jon Cowherd and the indefatigable Josh Dion on drums.

The ensemble was well matched, meandering around each arrangement in a folk-americana-blues style imbued with Scofield’s own characteristic harmonies. To the delight of the audience, Dion took the lead in a gritty vocal rendition of The Grateful Dead’s ‘Black Muddy River’, bolstered by a dynamic solo from Scofield. But the most special moment of the set was quieter, more subdued: Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Somewhere’, which began as a thoughtful duet between Archer and Scofield.

On the other side of town underneath Kraków’s main square was another compelling duo: guitarist Szymon Mika and singer Yumi Ito. This was a special performance. The pair’s rendition of Randy Newman’s ‘I Think It’s Going to Rain Today’ had a real optimism to it. Mika’s subtle, intricate rhythms nestled under Ito’s powerful vocals as the two artists unravelled and melted back into one another. The creative range and intensity of the performance was such that it was at times astonishing that there were just two people on stage.

The sheer numbers that the festival attracted were remarkable, in no small part a result of the tireless work of the organisers. Every concert seemed to have a full house, even when most nights featured three or four different gigs to choose from. What I saw from the back of each packed venue was a warm energy cultivated by performers and audiences alike which made every set simultaneously intimate and exciting.

At the heart of the festival was, of course, the city itself. The festival did not try to define one single meaning of jazz or to bind artists to any rigid aesthetic. In spaces like no other – particularly the cellar bars which encompass the whole of Kraków’s long jazz history – performers were given the freedom to connect to the city and its community however they wanted. Although wide ranging in style and substance, each concert tapped into different elements of the city’s musical life and became at its core distinctly Kraków.

In other words, the 2022 Summer Jazz Festival Kraków was as much an impressive collection of concerts as a love letter to the city that holds it each year.

The post Summer Jazz Festival Kraków 2022 first appeared on UK Jazz News.

This was an ensemble with natural chemistry. From the opening number ‘Silence Plays Your Song’, Naidu’s ethereal vocals melted into the laidback foundation of the rhythm section, as the group invited the audience to share in their intimate musical space.

The set grew in energy as Renner’s skilful drum introduction launched the ensemble into the fluid, optimistic ‘Hold On to Me’. Naidu’s soaring voice was delicately complimented by backing vocals from Wulff, whose subtle yet emotive bass solo in the same track was a real delight to watch.

The third number ‘Heart Pace’ saw Naidu away from the piano, performing more freely in the flow of the music. The playful dialogue between guitar and voice gave space both to Naidu’s impressive range and to Schiepek’s creative and cool improvisations.

The centrepiece of the set, the folksong-like ‘Walberla’, felt almost like an incantation, as voice, guitar and bass meandered around each other in a mesmerising conversation. Here Naidu floated between wistful lyrics and wordless vocalising as she transported the audience to the Bavarian mountains that inspired the composition.

This thoughtful set was a quiet contrast to other high intensity performances taking place around the neighbourhood, including Berlin-based Afro-Soul group Jembaa Groove and the large ensemble led by German producer Leona Berlin. 

Against the backdrop of Kreuzberg at dusk, Naidu communicated with the audience – seated on rows of sofas and even invited to sing along later in the performance – with warmth and authenticity. The singer encapsulated the atmosphere in the calmy lit space in the word Wohnzimmergefühl: one of those great German expressions which describes the comfortable feeling of being in one’s own living room.

Naidu’s effortless, smiling presence on stage made the moments of real emotion in her performance even more special. One of the highlights of the evening was a solo cover of Billy Joel’s ‘And So It Goes’, a rendition imbued with melancholy and Naidu’s characteristic tenderness.

Throughout the set, the warm camaraderie between the band allowed Naidu’s personality to shine through. Naidu’s songs were interesting and exciting – harmonically, lyrically, formally – yet somehow also familiar. Blending sentimental lyrics with thoughtful harmonies, Naidu had a rare ability to connect with her audience by drawing on something highly personal in herself.

Alma Naidu’s debut album Alma is out now

The post Alma Naidu at Orania Restaurant, Berlin first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Since it burst on to the Berlin stage for the first time in 2014, XJAZZ! has had a clear purpose: to break with convention and turn the German jazz scene on its head. This year’s festival – with more than 80 concerts and 250 performers from all over the world – will offer a platform for both well-known performers and rising talents to carve out new spaces in the ever-changing jazz landscape.

“The idea was to develop a jazz festival format which should represent a clear antithesis to the established German jazz culture,” the festival’s founder and artistic director, Sebastian Studnitzky, explains.

XJAZZ! has certainly earnt its place as a key player in Berlin’s edgy counterculture, seeing almost 20,000 visitors in 2019. Even in the midst of the pandemic in 2021, the festival organised 20 online concerts, with two interactive shows broadcast each night from the iconic Emmauskirche in Kreuzberg to a large online audience.

The Emmauskirche will again be the focal point of this year’s festival, as XJAZZ!’s loyal audience are invited back to Kreuzberg in person for a line-up that promises to be both entertaining and though-provoking.

The range of ticket options, including a twelve-concert pass, will give jazz fans the chance to curate their own festival experience. From large concert halls to quirky nightclubs, the festival’s venues are spread out across Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood – all within walking distance of each other.

Studnitzky tells me: “The line-up is a typical XJAZZ! mixture of combining trendy international jazz acts with a lot of unknown upcoming acts from the multinational scene in and connected to Berlin. Since none of the venues is a real jazz venue, there’s a very special vibe with a lot of young and non-typical jazz audiences.”

Opening the festival on Thursday 4 May with a focus on local jazz music is Berlin-based group The Cycles Collective, who will present a night of sounds, words, movement and connections in the intimate space of the Emmauskirche. On the same evening the nightclub FluxBau will host the dynamic new cultural initiative FRAMED e.V. for a multimedia showcase bringing together music, dance and video.

Following on from the whirlwind opening night, Monika Borzym,one of Poland’s most popular jazz singers, will be joined on stage at the bar Orania by the jazz harmonica player Kacper Smolinski on Thursday 5 May. Less than half an hour away but in an entirely different world of sound, Grammy award-nominated trumpeter Theo Croker will present his latest project, BLK2LIFE || A FUTURE PAST, at the bustling Lido concert hall.

Although British soul singer Pip Millett’s show at Privatclub Berlin is completely sold out, festival goers are certainly not without options for Thursday night. UK rising talent Emma-Jean Thackray, French pianist Chassol and Helsinki-based saxophonist and composer Timo Lassy will also be performing across the neighbourhood.

One of the highlights of the festival is sure to be the award-winning British tenor saxophonist and composer Nubya Garcia, who will perform on Friday 6 May at the Festsaal Kreuzberg alongside bassist Etienne Reniard and drummer Nicolas Charlier.

21-year-old singer-songwriter Rosie Frater-Taylor, another rising star of the UK jazz scene, will also take to the stage on the Friday night. Berlin-based saxophonist Olga Amelchenko will perform with her brand new band Helicon for a night of music blending contemporary classical, jazz and folk.

Concerts by Brazilian guitarist Pedro Martins and American singer Lady Blackbird, a late night show from singer and visual artist Douniah and a performance at the Emmauskirche by internationally-renowned trumpeter Avishai Cohen complete Friday’s line-up.

Saturday 7 May is set to be no less exciting. Berlin-based Afro-Soul group Jembaa Groove, singer and composer Alma Naidu and vibraphone player Pascal Schumacher will perform to audiences across Kreuzberg. Prince Charles – a nightclub located in the Bechstein piano factory’s former employee swimming pool – will play host to one of the festival’s centrepieces: a large ensemble curated by German up-and-coming singer and producer Leona Berlin.

The final night of the festival will return to the intimate space of the Emmauskirche. Kit Downes will perform on the church’s uniquely built organ, before the church is transformed into a space of shared improvisation by pianist Johanna Summer, vibraphonist Christoph Dell saxophonist Wanja Slavin and drummer Sebastian Merk. Drawing this year’s XJAZZ! festival to a close is Monika Werkstatt, a collective of female artists bringing together free improvisation, electronica and hypnotic ambient noise.

XJAZZ! 2022 will explore the way in which performers, composers and their music interact with the diverse urban landscape of Berlin. The five-day festival promises to be a real celebration of the vibrant and unique jazz scene that Berlin is proud to cultivate.

The post XJAZZ! Festival 2022, Berlin first appeared on UK Jazz News.

UKJazz News: You have so many exciting projects coming up! How are you feeling after a couple of years where live performance has been uncertain?

Luise Volkmann: I was lucky enough to have my stage comeback last summer. I actually played a lot from May until the end of the year and I’m grateful for that. I find that if you don’t do something for a long time you forget that you can do it. If you don’t look for new ways to speak – if you just wait, stagnate – you become smaller and smaller. In order to remain big, you always have to make sure you go out and re-create again, and keep experimenting.

UKJN: At the moment you are preparing to go on tour with your trio Autochrom. Can you tell me more about the project?

LV: Autochrom centres on the idea of touch. The idea is to build a new programme which has very strong physical and performative aspects. To understand music more as virtual togetherness – a kind of community, with strangers meeting each other. It’s our goal to create a concert space in which the audience is jointly responsible: we are making music here on stage, but how they react, what they give us as energy, that has an influence on the music. Together, we are the concert.

UKJN: You also brought out music with your free jazz big band LEONEsauvage and as a trio alongside Salome Ahmed and Vasco Furtado in 2021. What’s the most exciting part about playing in these different ensembles? 

LV: Maybe this is idealistic, but the collective. Where everyone is together, where we build up a language together, in terms of music, in terms of content, where we engage with each other, where everyone brings their impulses, but at the same time where there is so much trust that everyone has their own place.

UKJN: What is it that drives you to create new, experimental music?

LV: When I was growing up, music was very present in my life. I really saw it as a medium of communication. It comforted me, helped me understand certain things, got me out of situations and created a bit of distance. 

Music is my level of action. I have a sophisticated toolbox of different things that I can use to express my thoughts emotionally, politically, as well as socially. The encounter with new music can totally change you as a music listener, because you simply enter new worlds of thought. I love music honestly and deeply because it has this great power – I have a way of creating new worlds!

UKJN: How do you position yourself within these new musical worlds? Do you think that your identity as a woman has an influence on your identity as a musician?

LV: [laughs] I don’t think there’s a way around that. We’re all affected by gender stereotypes. It shapes me as a person and, of course, as a musician and composer. I would say, however, that I was brought up in quite an androgynous way, not consciously, but somehow freely. Self-awareness as a girl or as a woman came to me relatively late.

UKJN: Was that moment of self-awareness something that was linked to jazz?

LV: I never perceived the music world as something gender-specific before I started studying jazz. I was shocked by the form of communication that is so prevalent in the jazz world. There’s this sort of self-taught genius, this coolness – no talking, just playing. I find it very skewed. 

It’s especially difficult as a woman. I think a lot of young women are brought up to talk a lot, to discuss things, to want to know: how did that go? This desire to speak can be a problem with male colleagues. So, it’s no longer stupid jokes or sexist clichés, but subtle differences like this that make the jazz scene feel dominated by men.

UKJN: How does this way of communicating affect the way women are perceived in the jazz world?

LV: There’s a clear example of this: a lot of women nowadays are bandleaders, but they are rarely asked by men to be sidewomen. That’s what a lot of women will tell you, and I think that’s really sad. As a composer, I always have strong opinions, and I’ve often experienced a lot of resistance because of this – perhaps it’s alienating to have a woman standing there who is so outspoken.

UKJN: How is this still the case when there are such prominent role models for female jazz musicians?

LV: If you look at the historiography of jazz, there are a lot of women who have been passed over. There have always been female musicians and composers in jazz. But the work and contributions of women aren’t idealised in the same manner as with men, so it’s harder to carry their work forward in this esoteric way. 

An example I always come to is Nina Simone, who had an incredible career, but is not really studied as part of the jazz historiography. Maybe it’s because she was more than jazz. I mean, she was a superstar. But I always find it unbelievable that she’s not part of the jazz intellectual canon.

UKJN: Do you think the male-dominated culture of jazz is changing?

LV: There is definitely hope. I have a feeling that for younger musicians, things are quite different. I’m not that old myself – I’m almost thirty. But I can see that people who are seven, eight years younger than me are starting to communicate differently.

UKJN: What advice would you give to these younger people who are starting out?

LV: I don’t want to speak to female musicians alone, but to all young people who are interested in jazz, who want to get stuck in. I would really recommend not making it your aim to be recognised by institutions, but rather to build your own networks. 

What I’ve come to understand is that if you’re not “normal”, there’s no point wasting energy trying to be recognised within a system – you have to get that support and assistance elsewhere. That can be colleagues or friends, maybe even tutors. I think you just have to keep your eyes open and try to reach out to people who are interested. I’m still learning.

The post Luise Volkmann first appeared on UK Jazz News.