It was also a truly special family affair. It must have been a proud moment for conductor Suzie Collier to share the stage not only with JC, her very own prodigal son, but also Thomas Gould, the Britten Sinfonia’s leader/concertmaster, whom she has known since he was 12. Not to mention “Collier family crush” (as Suzie Collier put it) Chris Thile, who seems to be the very personification of charisma, clearly held in the highest regard by Jacob Collier who dubbed him “Earth’s finest mandolinist”. There were lots of hugs shared on the stage and a clear excitement and mutual respect between everyone who performed.

Suzie Collier’s conducting was hypnotizing to watch. It was like a dance in which she used her whole self to embody the music and communicate it with the orchestra, overseeing the evening’s performance with poise and a tender awareness for all of the musicians on stage.

‘Spring’ from Piazzolla/Desyanikov’s ‘Four Seasons of Buenos Aires’ featured an animated Thomas Gould on violin; the performance came across so authentically that the piece could have been written for him.

A much-awaited moment for many of us came when Chris Thile slid onto the scene in a sleek, blue suit followed by Jacob Collier who launched himself onto stage in a flash of multicoloured crocs. The applause to greet them had hardly settled when the jousting commenced in the form of an ecstatic, zigzagging improvisation between piano and mandolin. They seemed to playfully dodge and hit one another with a musical complexity on the verge of hilarity, evoking colours…as vivid as those on Jacob Collier’s trousers. Their prowess elicited involuntary responses from individuals in the audience, from the audible laughs and astonished whispers to the dropping of jaws and speechless gapes. When these prolific muso-magicians duel at top speed, there’s really only one question to ask: How do they do that?

It is not often that you hear an on-the-fly mashup arrangement of Bob Dylan and Lennon & McCartney in a concert hall, but that was only the beginning. Jacob Collier and Chris Thile brought an excitement, as if playing their favourite pop song, when they introduced JS Bach’s ‘Vivace from Concerto in D minor’, played on mandolin and voice, with Jacob Collier exhibiting a staggering vocal range.

The evening was also one of introductions, featuring two young musicians, Danushka Edirisinghe and Finn Anderson-Hendra who played an impressive rendition of ‘Violoncelles Vibrez’. The world premiere of Jacob Collier’s orchestral piece ‘Hush Scuffle’ encapsulates his childhood enthusiasm for music or, in his words “the part of me that wants to make a big noise and the part of me that’s not allowed to… but does it anyway”.

A musical highlight of the evening was in the tune ‘Lua’, from ‘Djesse Vol.2’ (2019). The orchestra basked in orange light as the distinguished bossa ballad transported the audience to a sunny land of cocktails and contentment. Jacob Collier’s piano solo over the sophisticatedly slow track offered a measured amount of light relief to the intensive evening.

Everyone going to a Jacob Collier concert should by now know that they need to warm up their voices beforehand, and tonight was no exception. He conducted the audience choir singing in harmony for a moving rendition of the traditional folk tune ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ (arr. Jules Buckley and Jacob Collier) and the last tune, Queen’s ‘Somebody To Love’, with orchestration by Giles Thornton. Collier even invited the audience to collectively sing Freddie Mercury’s iconic final riff to conclude the concert. It was a nice touch to include the enthusiastic audience as well as perhaps a subtle acknowledgement of the fact that this audience has more than its share of music fanatics.

It’s truly special that, although Jacob Collier creates some of the most complex music out there, attending a concert of his is the very opposite of exclusive. It is impossible not to be drawn in by the charming and enthusiastic young man spreading his passionate enthusiasm for music making.

Jacob Collier described his recent draw to orchestral music, accrediting it wholly to his mother. He describes some of his very earliest memories of her conducting, likening it to “casting a spell” which seemed apt, for it was in a slightly dazed state that, having heard all these magicians, the audience left the Barbican.

The post Jacob Collier, Chris Thile, Britten Sinfonia/Suzie Collier first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Beraha’s compositions are heavily charged with emotion that can only come from a life of experience. Steeped with imagery, each tune brings variation but has its own clear identity. They are often pensive and sometimes sound nonsensical, surely meant to take us to those deep, dark hours of the night, but there is also a playful twist of wit about them, like a private wink shared between performer and listener.

The ensemble floats fluidly through scattered sections with incomprehensible broken vocal phrases towards big electronic moments with delay and reverb as we move through dark chasms, light clouds, strange half-forgotten memories – all those places we like to save for the dead of night.

Alcyona Mick’s piano lines meander like leaves fluttering in the wind. She plays so freely with full awareness of the songs but that doesn’t seem to restrict her improvisation. Her piano intertwines beautifully with Beraha’s delicate, dancing melodies and smooth vocal tone.

George Crowley juggles tenor saxophone, bass clarinet and electronics with a tenderness that honours the music. This said, when the time comes for a skanky sax moment, Crowley does not disappoint. On this occasion, Crowley also controlled some electronic effects on Beraha’s vocals, making for some craning of necks to see where that sound was coming from.

Tim Giles’s drumming is like having the perfect amount of salt, which is minimal but just enough to bring out the flavours put forward from the rest of the band. No one was left lamenting the lack of bass in the somewhat unconventional quartet.

A stand-out tune was “What Does It Mean?” It was perhaps the most simple song with a fairly standard form and a very singable melody. But the words, though straightforward in their presentation, question the very meaning of everything. This was placed last in the set and seemed to me like a big question mark at the end. 

The post Brigitte Beraha’s Lucid Dreamers first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Laura Jurd’s latest project is heavily inspired by folk music and it suits her as though it is her calling. Drawing from Celtic, European and American traditions, her compositions act as springboards for improvisation. Often based around ostinatos and generally fewer chords, the brave and clearly defined ideas give strong identities to each composition. She leads  the band with masterful prowess, giving the freedom and space for each of the musicians to explore their sonic identities within her sound world. The trio featured Dave Smith (drums) and Ruth Goller (bass) plus special guest Cori Smith (viola).

Ruth Goller’s colourful baselines are the floor for the band, from relentlessly rock-solid and driving grooves in her brilliantly garish bass tone, to pedal supplemented, dark and brooding atmospheres which the band bubble and simmer over. Occasionally, her grounding playing makes way for an electric shock as she takes to the forefront of the music in stand-out moments that make for exciting juxtapositions to the otherwise entirely acoustic sound world.

Dave Smith plays so dynamically and imaginatively. He never says the same thing twice and somehow even his quietest contributions are executed at full intensity. He brought a plethora of sounds to the table with a variety of bells and shakers, but what struck me the most was how he dominated the drum kit. His playing reminded me that a drum kit consists of 5 different drums and 3 cymbals which is strangely easy to forget. Something inherently raw and tribal about his playing of the drums made the music extremely difficult to sit still to.

The combination of the two frontline instruments was glorious – the woody warmth of Cori Smith’s viola was the perfect match to Jurd’s pure, mellow trumpet sound. Cori Smith brought folk inflections which were showcased in a number of spellbinding introductions, notably to her own original composition ‘Another Rainy Day Polska’ on which the characterful dance clave made the band count carefully. 

The tune “What are you running towards?”, with its motoring bassline from Goller, was a jamboree finale that had the audience on tenterhooks. It was like Eddie Harris’ ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’ on steroids. The melody, played unison on trumpet and viola, navigates patterns and shapes and unravels at top speed until at the end, a satisfying offbeat hit from the whole band is a reward for making it through in the right place unscathed… what a thrill.

This was an outstanding gig but the moment that blew my mind was Jurd on the tune ‘Upstream’ – the stripped back duo with drums was apparently only added to the set last minute. The astonishing way she plays with rhythm, while staying within a small range or even just one note is more like a rapper than anything – and if that can be true, then she was spitting bars. Her mostly diatonic flowing lines are heavily melodic, which goes hand in hand with the folk tones of her music. This is my favourite thing about her playing – it doesn’t have to be high and it doesn’t have to be loud (although it definitely can be both!). She simply produces cycles of excellent phrases in an effortless, relaxed manner.

The new music has recently been recorded and is expected to be released later in 2025 and, alongside Jurd and Goller, features Ultan O’Brien (violin/viola), Martin Green (accordion) and Corrie Dick (drums).

Future performances of this repertoire (with varying constellations of musicians) are scheduled:

• Bath (5^th Bath Jazz Weekend), 3 January 2025 

• Oxford, 25 April 2025 / Details TBC

The post Laura Jurd / Dave Smith / Ruth Goller / Cori Smith first appeared on UK Jazz News.

If you like the sound of her records, you will not be disappointed by the live show which had just as much and more to offer. As a guitarist, she navigates distorted, indie sound worlds with all the dexterity and fluency of a jazz legend. Her vocals have a modern, poppy sound which are executed with comfort and ease.

Her tone is sleek in a way that is still clear while blending into the band’s collective sound. But the real magic happens when her guitar and vocals come together in a texture effect reminiscent perhaps of George Benson. These colourful, shape-shifting unison lines steal the show, plainly demonstrating the virtuosity and intention within her playing.

The set started with the aptly named ‘Heartbeat’ and you wonder if this was intentional (the venue being called World Heart Beat). Either way, it set the tone for the evening: the band sounded tight and well rehearsed. Backed by Dave Edwards (bass), Tom Potter (Drums), Azzedine (backing vocals, keys) and Verushka (backing vocals), Frater-Taylor soon relaxed into a natural and inviting demeanor on stage, joking with members of the audience about her “brand new” album… from February.

Frater-Taylor’s songs seem to be built around great hooks, often in the form of rhythmical lyrics An example of this is in the track ‘Twenties’ which had much of the audience singing along and miming the hits on air guitars of their own. The vocals hit hardest when backed up by Azzedine and Verushka- the two backing vocalists, sporting Stevie Wonder t-shirts and providing that smooth, soul sonority accompanied with all the classic backing vocal gestures that you would hope for.

The set featured some covers, including a 7/4 rendition of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ which will appear on the deluxe edition album. It is a mark of her distinctive brand of harmony and rhythm that the song became her own.

The original tune ‘Falling Fast’ featured Tom Potter on drums, who gave a time warping solo over the uneven terrain of the drum vamp. In fact all through the evening, he was gloriously precise, seemingly the perfect drummer for the job. He appeared to catch every twist and turn of Frater-Taylor’s improvisations and nursed grooves around them, never missing a beat unless with intention and to great effect.

The most exciting track ‘Think About You’ from Frater-Taylor’s 2021 album ‘Bloom’ featured a stunning talkbox solo from Azzedine. The whole tune was delightfully in the pocket, until the end, where an intimate moment starred Frater-Taylor playing over layers of her own guitar, making for a meditative reflection which resonated with the nostalgic tone of the song.

The concert was well attended by a notably broad range of ages, but the most enthusiastic was a small group of teenagers that stood at the very front with stars in their eyes. The World Heart Beat charity is well-known for its successful youth development programmes, but it also occurred to me that perhaps I was watching the next generation of guitarist-singers, who had very visibly learnt every word of each of Frater-Taylor’s songs. I remarked on this when I got the opportunity to talk to the singer briefly after the show and her response was “Well that’s why we do it… that’s what it’s all about”. Maybe she’s right.

The post Rosie Frater-Taylor first appeared on UK Jazz News.

UKJazz News: How did Spirit Fingers get going?

Greg Spero: I’ve been a jazz player for my whole life. For 4 years, I took the position as pianist and sound designer for the pop artist Halsey, and supported her rise to fame. It was about halfway through my tenure with the group that I began to go insane playing 3-chord songs night after night. My mind needed more stimulation, more exercise, more excitement, something deeper than what I was playing constantly.

It was during our tour of the UK, when the band would go out partying after our shows, that I would go back to the double-decker tour bus, and turn the top lobby into my studio where I would compose music that would twist my brain inside out. I experimented with various complex time signatures, harmonic structures and counterpoint. The result would take my mind on a journey and break me free of the mundanity of pop music.

UKJN: Who is Spirit Fingers for?

GS: As I began expanding the Spirit Fingers repertoire, I found the only players that I thought would be able to execute it effectively at the time; Mike Mitchell and Hadrien Feraud. All the subsequent music was written with them in mind, so you could say I wrote it for the players. But I also wrote it for myself, to give my mind the thing it was craving; deep complex music strongly rooted in the basic tenets of musicality.

UKJN: Tell me more about the Spirit Fingers London Crew.

GS: When Lox was 18 years old, he saw the original Spirit Fingers perform at Ronnie Scott’s. He was so inspired by Mike Mitchell’s performance of the material, that he ended up learning the material himself, and adopting some of the core aspects of the material in his own creative output. 8 years later, Lox was the first and obvious choice when putting together Spirit Fingers London Crew, along with other great young players who had similar experiences with the material, including Ben Glasser and Matt May. This is London’s next generation of instrumental superstars and I’m so excited to have them as part of the project.

UKJN: What are the main things going on for you musically right now?

GS: I’ve been releasing a single every Friday for the past 2 years now, often with some incredible collaborators. Some of my most popular works are with MonoNeon and Ronald Bruner Jr, some with legendary drummer Harvey Mason, and most recently some with incredible up-and-coming sax player Nicole McCabe. I’ve made it a point to keep producing new works, no matter what else is going on in my life, and that grounding in musical productivity is what has kept me happy and healthy.

UKJN: By all accounts you have always been very entrepreneurial. How do you balance your various ventures with your piano playing?

GS: Everything I am building is centred around two words: EMPOWER CREATIVITY. I’ve built a members club for artists in LA called The Recording Club, where an artist can have everything he/she needs for a well balanced healthy creative lifestyle. We have top-tier recording facilities, a robust health/wellness center, and a community of like-minded passionate creative people.

My technology company, Artist AI, is an AI-based artist management system, with the vision of allowing every artist to focus on their art, while offloading all the mundane and non-artistic tasks to an AI system to deliver their art effectively into the world. It has worked for me, and we’ve had 160 AI-powered releases for other artists so far in our beta platform.  

If what I’m doing is not enabling myself and people around me to be more creative, then I eventually catch and change it. Every day, I make it a point to practice the piano, and both of my businesses are built around giving me and the people around me more time and capability to play and record music and produce creative output.

UKJN: What would you say to someone who was about to listen to Spirit Fingers for the first time?

GS: Don’t try to analyse it. It might be some of the most complicated music you’ve heard, but its depth is not in its complexity. I explain this at masterclasses all over the world; the complexity is a landscape but the expression is simple. So don’t think too hard about it – just listen and allow your consciousness to fuse with the music!!

Last time Spero played in the UK, it was for a pop-up concert organised by Jazz Re:freshed with just a week’s notice – and 200 people showed up. When remarking on the impromptu nature of the show, UKJN said “It makes you wonder what they could achieve with more time.” Well, now here we are with days to go until Spirit Fingers (London Crew) play Ronnies Scott’s and you can be sure it will be something to look forward to.

The post Greg Spero – Spirit Fingers at Ronnie Scott’s, 13 Nov. first appeared on UK Jazz News.

If, like me, you’ve listened to this band to the point where you can recognise each song from the first two seconds, you won’t be disappointed by Hiatus Kaiyote’s live show, which lived up to the pristine, tight sound captured on their records.

Excitement bubbled for the main act, after having been shaken up by a rousing support act from Kiefer (keys) with Luke Titus on drums and Cameron Thistle on bass. They were so locked-in that they navigated their complex music with a carefree, key-swiping and string-slapping spontaneity.

The stage was bathed in royal blue, the uniform colour of the new album, and luminescent dragons framed the centre. A particular flying V electric guitar caught the eye. The crowd applauded enthusiastically for all of Hiatus Kaiyote but they saved their biggest roar for writer and frontwoman, Nai Palm who elegantly sashayed onto the stage in a flowing green flared jumpsuit and baseball cap, looking like a psychedelic mermaid from the future.

The generous two-hour performance, which never dipped in energy at any point, was mostly made up of music from their two most recent albums. Perhaps the most anticipated tune was “Red Room” which, as Palm put it, was “a bit of a singalong”. This was also the moment captured by hundreds of phones, zooming in on the glowing red stage.

What struck me most about the performance was how truly they managed to replicate the sound of their recorded work – the sonic territories explored were innumerable. Analogue synthesizers, pedals, effects and samples blended within well-rehearsed arrangements, recreating each of the individually iconic sound worlds in which their songs preside. Three additional backing vocalists filled the considerable space taken up on the records by Nai Palm’s distinctive layered vocals and they did a really good job of it, blending together with Palm’s hazy vocal tone and forming one solid unit. “Sparkle Tape Break Up” went out to all of those with “tantrum energy” and Palm dual wielded microphones, her fervent vocal riffs sounding like a lead guitar through the effected vocal.

Though the music falls into the broad category of jazz-influenced music, there was relatively little improvisation. Instead, each band member in turn had more of a feature moment, taking the form of an introduction or interlude to the songs we recognise. Perrin Moss demonstrated tap-like chops on the drums over a grooving vamp, stank-face bassist Paul Bender improvised a surprisingly tender bass introduction to “By Fire” and a stripped back soulful piano introduction from Simon Mavin led into crowd favourite, “Building a Ladder”.

It was exciting to hear how some of these older tunes have subtly developed in the years since being recorded. One nice surprise was the appearance of backing vocalist Silentjay playing soprano saxophone on ‘Make Friends’, trading with Mavin’s lead synth.

Palm said “It’s crazy to feel intimacy with 5000 people” but that was exactly what was happening. The visceral effect that the music had on individuals was present even where I was sat, at the back of the stalls. People seemed to be totally unaware of anything around them except for the music, completely in their own world, gesticulating with every phrase and clearly connecting on a deep level.

A delighted and persistent crowd refused to let the band go without an encore, and a few bars into ‘Molasses’, anyone who had managed to remain seated was now standing and moving to the music in their own way.

The post Hiatus Kaiyote at Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Artists: DAOUD, Qinta Spartă and Norzeatic, Oreglo, Jazzbois, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, Isfar Sarabski, Cymande, Orchestra Baobab, Tigran Hamasyan Trio, Avishai Cohen Trio, Roni Kaspi

The unofficial capital of the historical Transylvania province may not be somewhere on your bucket list but when Jazz in the Park promises a weekend of sunny weather forecast and equally hot jazz names, what’s not to like?

Our driver from the airport told us that Cluj-Napoca was no tourist town. Maybe there were fewer fridge magnets and Cluj t-shirts but there was no shortage of sights to see. The second largest city in Romania is home to plenty of churches, a cathedral, museums and a rich, lest we forget, turbulent history. To my shame, my Romanian stretched to a few feeble words, no doubt horribly mispronounced so I was relieved to find that everyone seemed to speak English. What’s more, every time we introduced ourselves and said we’re here for Jazz in the Park, people knew what we were talking about. It was evident from the start that this festival has a positive reputation within the community. This is at the heart of the festival’s success.

Located in Cluj’s Ethnographic Park Romulus Vuia, the festival site is a fruitful, hilly orchard in which is nestled many ancient buildings collected from all across the local region. The festival is laid out with two large stages at each end of the park which provide music almost constantly from 3pm until midnight. Walking to and fro amongst the old wooden houses, farm buildings and mills, you will find food stools, tea gardens, coffee spots and some more unusual spots such as a marquee where you can sign up to learn various different instruments throughout the weekend. The old bandstand is the perfect DJ booth where tunes blasting constantly. The ‘Întâlniri pe prispă’ (porch meetings) provided a quieter space where you could watch talks with some of the headline acts. And if you wanted to escape it all, you could catch a ride in a tethered hot air balloon to take it all in from above.

The festival began at 5pm on Friday evening. As of last year, the organisers now run a sister event: the Jazz in the Park competition. The winner of this years competition, trumpeter DAOUD, opened the Backyard Stage this year. Kicking off the night and working hard to get the crowd into the festival spirit, the Toulous based trumpeter brought hooky tunes together with head-bopping improvisation. All this conducted with an intentionally awkward stage presence and somewhat provocative rockstar energy, ending the set with the crowd singing along to ‘Say My Name’.

Next up and no doubt a fan favourite, an all Romanian collaboration which brought together the band, Qinta Spartă and Norzeatic, a hip-hop artist, known for his poetic lyricism. A surprise attack of rain had the band pause as everyone ran for the trees, but it was over as soon as it began.

Other musical highlights of the first day included Oreglo – a London based prog-rock sounding four-piece notably featuring Tuba. Their odd time signatures and dynamic use of texture was something to get the brain working – and Jazzbois, groove-centric hip-hop jam band with trippy visuals matched their psychedelic soundscapes. 

The sun setting behind them as the weather dipped below 30°C and the idea of warm clothing became almost conceivable for the first time that day. The music packed day was wrapped up by the glam and glitter of New York with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. It was a cabaret filled with unexpected twists: the old school renditions of pop classics were interspersed with moments of beatboxing, a Super Mario tap routine and covers of everything from Stevie Wonder to Darude Sandstorm. Add to this countless outfit changes and… that’s showbiz.

On Saturday Isfar Sarabski’s Quintet stood out as one of the best received acts of the festival. The pianist took us on a colourful journey of unexpected turns within the world of Azerbaijani folk music accompanied by Sasha Mashin (drums), Makar Novikov (bass) and Shahziyaz Jmanov (tar). The 11-stringed tar stood out, with an attack near to the banjo, and the resonance of a sitar, and sounded amazing when in unison with the piano. Although miles from the American songbook jazz that jazz students diligently study, there was no doubt that the facility is there. The ornaments of the traditional folk provided blues with a new flavour. Sarabski’s left hand vs right hand time-feel harked back to the likes of Erroll Garner and just felt so good. The band described the limitations of playing a shorted festival set in comparison to the usual two hours. This however didn’t stop them from having a compelling, virtuosic tar solo, moments of rich, free soundscape improvisation and the crowd not giving up without an encore.

The second evening headliners were the legendary British-Caribbean band, Cymande. Symbolising peace and love, the bands name means “dove” and they brought everyone together in joyful rhythm to sum up the second night of festivities in Cluj.

Sunday, the final day saw yet more exciting acts. Orchestra Baobab brought their African tradition and left everyone with no choice but to boogie. Then Tigran Hamasyan supplied us with a compelling concoction of Armenian folk, jazz and heavy metal. We were lucky enough to have a chat with Hamasyan in the morning, we talked about music, spirituality and his latest album “The Bird Of A Thousand Voices” which was released with French label, naïve on 30^th August 2024 (the day before this performance). And performance was phenomenal. Hamasyan has built a wealth of folk vocabulary which he recites fluently. Then, contrastingly, the heavy metal of the piano’s bass strings is assertive and driving – his rhythm section did a lot to back up this ‘djent vibe. Arman Mnatsakanyan is a precise, powerhouse behind the drumkit and Marc Karapetian’s deep, 6-string bass with its satisfying sub tones sounded built for that festival sound-system, with him intermittently jumping up to fullfill a more melodic function.

Bringing the festival to a close was Avishai Cohen Trio and it was refreshing to see young talent, Roni Kaspi took metaphorical centre stage from the drum stool in the midst of a male dominated program.  

When the first festival was held, 12 years ago, it was held in Simion Barnutiu Central Park. At this point, it was a free festival. Their local law meant that they could not walk on the grass in the park. They have opened this park up to the public. Now the festival has five stages, it is in it’s third year at it’s new location, but the Central Park remains open, thanks to them. “The festival is something that doesn’t last long you know?” says manager, Alin Vaida. “It’s like a butterfly: it dies in three days and you won’t see it for another year.” They are committed to having a positive lasting impact. Continuing in this vein, the festival works hard to align itself with European policies. Jazz in the Park were the first festival in Romania to introduce re-useable cups – this is a big thing when you consider only last year the country has implemented national recycling infrastructure. 

When we asked Alin “why are you doing jazz in the park?” he explained that every time he used to get that question he’d say things that were good PR, for example we’re doing this for the community or we’re doing this for the museum or for jazz music or for money.  “But the truth is” he said “these are consequences. We’re not doing it for any of these reasons. We’re doing this because we want to and we can and we’re managing to do it. It’s nice to spend your life like this.” It is exciting to see this passion project establishing itself as a positive beacon for its entire community, not only for the minority of local aspiring jazz musicians but for everyone it touches.

Tom Step travelled to Romania as the guest of Komiti/ Jazz in the Park

The post Jazz in the Park 2024, Romania first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Tutu Puoane’s UK debut as leader at Ronnie Scott’s was a masterclass in improvisation, and also in how to relate to an audience. It was a rainy Thursday afternoon outside, but the South African singer shone like a bright sun (she was in the club last year as part of the “Black Lives from Generation to Generation” band – reviewed here).

Puoane was performing music from her album Wrapped in Rhythm Vol 1, settings of texts from Lebogang Mashile’s poetry collection In a Ribbon of Rhythm. Now based in Belgium, Puoane says she has carried this book like a little piece of her country in her back pocket for the last ten years. She described how she heard music every time she read it. “It did things to my soul,” she said at the start of her performance.

This music is clearly all about the lyrics, and there was a fantastic awareness of this from the band. Accompanying Puoane’s celestial voice was Ewout Pierreux on piano, Puoane’s husband and long term collaborator. Together they co-wrote the majority of the songs on the album, and his playing left nothing to be desired. Together Pierreux, Brice Soniano (bass) and James Williams (drums) comped each song with an attention to the delicate subtlety and fragility of the words. The grooves were occasionally enhanced by Puoane’s use of a kayamb, a large rectangular shaker associated with Reunion Island’s Maloya tradition.

Puoane’s improvisational skills as vocalist are phenomenal. On the album it is the solos from instrumentalists like Tim Finoulst (guitar, pedal steel) and Bert Joris (trumpet) which feature strongest, and the voice is reserved to the role of expressing the power and depth of Mashile’s poetry. But live, this is different: in ‘Dawn’, written by Pierreux, it was the band’s superb capacity to support with an intimate groove which allowed to Puoane to weave real magic. She came into the fray with a melodic whistling solo with the natural ease of a songbird, which grew, her voice transitioning and strengthening to bring things to an unforgettable climax.

This turned out to be a gentle introduction into Puoane’s expansive, creative approach to the voice. Her vocal improvisations were varied with trumpet sounds, tribal calls and oscillations across her vocal break which was received with excited appreciation by the audience. She also has a fascinating vocal armoury of percussive breathing, and the clicks from the Xhosa language which her grandmother taught her (Puoane’s own language is Tshwane).

Puoane evidently thrives in the spotlight. With a plethora of relevant stories and funny anecdotes, she opened up a conversation with the reserved crowd, and in doing so, we were invited into her life, her world and so, her music. Someone was moved to mention their friend’s birthday the following day which happened to coincide with Puoane’s. Suddenly, the whole club was desperate to tell her e.g. that it was their sister’s husband’s cousin’s birthday next week, and so an impromptu rendition of ‘Happy Birthday to Everyone’ followed. It occurred to me that a truly brilliant performer doesn’t just say “look at me,” but “look at yourselves” and “look at everyone around you.” Suddenly we were all there on equal terms, and Puoane was just another one of us with a birthday. This idea made especially poignant the gravity of the topic of her music: South Africa – her country’s turbulent past and present, captured and communicated through the moving text of Mashile.

It was fitting that the whole of the club then joined together in call and response for the encore ‘From The Outside In’. This made for a memorable end to fantastic evening – it felt as though the sun was shining in on that lamplit Soho cellar as Puoane sung ‘With my own friends’, and her new friends sung it back to her.

The post Tutu Puoane at Ronnie Scott’s first appeared on UK Jazz News.

English saxophonist, bandleader and Ivor-Novello nominated composer Alex Hitchcock has a growing international reputation. The band had already flown in from Barcelona and led a masterclass at the Royal Academy of Music before the gig. Fittingly, the music, explored the themes of moving away from home and travelling.

The ‘Dream Band’ had me dreaming in the best way. Each player has a strong identity. Hitchcock’s playing was a firework display: constantly changing shapes and colours fizzed and twisted in unexpected directions and yet slotted together cohesively. Dave Adewumi (Trumpet) was more like a blue, flowing river. His trumpet was almost flute-like, his tone and articulation soft even in the higher registers. This gave his trumpet playing an appealing fragility.

Hitchcock, Adewumi and Lex Korten (Piano) got to know one another by chance when they were grouped together in an ensemble whilst studying. Years of experience playing together seemed evident from Korten’s understanding of both horn players. His comping was supportive like that of a good friend agreeing. His bright voicings, especially during solo piano intros, conjured up images of still, shiny puddles on a cold spring morning.

JK Kim at the drums had fantastic dynamic awareness. He offers up musical explosions, and then delays their resolutions indefinitely, letting the soloist decide what to do with them, which is exciting for the band and audience alike. Orlando Le Fleming’s bass playing has that hard to define feeling of correctness. He articulates every note with such authority and purpose that everything he played felt necessary, and his solos were a model of melody and lyricism.

A Hitchcock saxophone cadenza was a highlight: The relaxed smoothness of his flurrying lines interspersed with carefully calculated bends seemed to imply a cool, New York accent. A rhythmic ostinato was the anchor which eventually formed a seamless cue into the next tune.

The band left us with one last surprise, the guest appearance of alto saxophonist Rachael Cohen. Cohen’s virtuosity was instantly at home and the three horns in harmony felt rich in comparison to the two part and largely unison melodies heard until then. The very first phrase of Cohen’s solo had an enticing wistfulness which persisted throughout her improvisation.

This whole band are notable for their delicate taste and subtle precision. Sometimes modern jazz favours ‘musical muscle’ over human connection. Here though, there was an equality within the band and no overriding egos. Their considerable skills were deployed in measured doses, which were a delight to consume.

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The three of them seemed to read one another’s minds, as they spun trance-like melodies and wove ever changing textures ranging from the most restrained grooves all the way to such rich washes of sound that I was left marvelling at the fact that there were somehow just three of them. The strings blended seamlessly with the voice of Edlund, even as they delved into the deepest realms of experimental extended techniques. The appearance of the ethereal 12-string guitar played by Edlund sparkled like stars above the bowed bed, adding another layer to their angelic presence. It seemed somehow natural that tales from the forest should meet daydreams… in central Manchester.

Harty, Smith and Edlund have undertaken a tour around England with their new project ‘Once a Fig’. After several dates in London throughout the past month, the trio took to the North for a whimsical dive into experimental jazz infused folk. The cello, viola and voice trio draw from their roots in the rustic moors of northern England and the freezing wilderness of Scandinavia. The whole project is delightfully embedded in mystery. Who knew that figs could thrive so far north for example?

The juxtaposition of forest folklore and bright city lights was omnipresent within their set. The recurring line ‘Have you seen? Have you heard? The world is turning green.’ was repeated with a sense of urgent significance. It seemed fitting that their tour should begin in Bridge 5 Mill – a 19th century mill has itself turned green by means of an award winning sustainable refurbishment.

A specific point which stayed with me from the performance was during Smith’s a cappella arrangement of the Emily Brontë poem ‘I’m Happiest When Most Away’. This set a hauntingly beautiful, introspective tone that overcomes me now whenever I read the poem. Instruments aside, the trio’s voices in close harmony channelled Brontë in a powerful portrayal of sisterhood. At the climax of the composition, the room was caught, breathless in a moment ‘through infinite immensity’ before a resounding resolution into the Swedish folk song ‘Lurkas’ which provided a rousing release of cathartic ecstasy.

Creating a relationship with an audience is an inherent part of music making, and Once a Fig have such natural chemistry with each other both within the music and after it has ended. They emit a wonderfully calm energy similar to the glow of a warm fire in a room. Short anecdotes add context, drawing a picture in our minds and inviting us to connect with their music, their stories and themselves. I mean it in the kindest possible way: these figs are a funny bunch.

There was a satisfying symmetry to the performance as a whole, brought about by the first and final compositions which seemingly reflected one another. The first number ‘Phoebe’s Tune’ was combined with free lyrical improvisation which guaranteed a new intrigue every night and that evening, Edlund captured the audience with her proposal: ‘Let’s hold onto each other for a little while’. The encore was a slängpolska and as with many of the best experiences, it was unplanned. As Smith and Harty played, Edlund invited the room to hold onto one another once again by beginning to dance. The audience seemed to have taken Edlund’s statement to heart and as one by one they joined in, creating a memorable summary to a special evening. Soon the quiet old Manchester mill was once again filled with a hustle and bustle, though this time it was not the machines but the people who danced, round and round.

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