Enjoy!

_Scapes
Out of the Box String Collective
Ben Gaunt – Improv 1
Hunter/Andreae Quartet
Rodrigo Constanzo
Litework

(to download the tracks right click>save as)

The Deaf Institute
Trof, 135 Grosvenor Street, Manchester M1 7HE

£12 on the door, £9 adv from www.wegottickets.com

7.30pm

Festival Launch Party: The Moss Project + Laurence McNaughton Quintet + Southbound + Matt Halsall – DJ set

The opening night of this year’s festival is hosted by Freedom Principle: come down and celebrate with us as we welcome three young Manchester bands to the stage, each with their individual sound, both raucous and reflective in equal parts, but effectively fusing their wide spectrum of influences, representing a new wave of original bands active on the local music scene. From midnight until 2am, Matt Halsall (Gondwana Records) takes a break from trumpet playing to spin some jazz, funk and world tunes from his extensive music vaults.

The Moss Project

Moss Freed – guitar

Kenji Fenton – saxophones

Joe Jones – violin

Ed Barnwell – keyboards

Gavin Barras – double bass

Finlay Panter – drums

Confident grooves, collective blowing, modal simplicity, influences from modern jazz, contemporary classical, folk and rock.

Laurence McNaughton Quintet

Laurence McNaughton – electric piano

Tom O’Shea Brown – bass

Sam Andreae, Sam Healey – alto & tenor saxophones

Finlay Panter – drums

A flexible collective of musicians with the shared vision of creating an energetic, Mancunian sound palette, drawing on the qualities of the individual players…”about as far from easy background jazz as it’s possible to be.”

Southbound

Jack Davies – Trumpet

Rob Cope – Tenor saxophone

Tom Taylor – Piano

Jon Ormston – drums

Experimental and freewheeling originals with strong melodies, group improvisation and intricate grooves.

Andy Schofield & Jo McCallum Jazz Orchestra / Beats & Pieces Big Band

Mint Lounge

13/05/2009

 

The tight-rope walk of success is often precarious for large jazz units; on one hand the players must be unified in presenting their group as a well oiled, tightly synced machine, but on the other, it is crucial that the individuality of each player be encouraged to shine through. Luckily, The Beats and Pieces Big Band manage to retain their balance with grace and poise with their forward thinking approach to the tradition.

 A real showcase of young Manchester talent, the gig this Wednesday ranged from swooning film noir dripped ballads, to Mingusesque cacophonies that built layer upon layer before collapsing in on themselves like mini imploding supernovas. As well as blowing, beating and plucking fresh life into Radiohead’s ‘15 Step’ with some innovative new arranging from musical director Ben Cottrell, there were also signs of real writing talent in guitarist Anton Hunter; his spiky melodic style and heavy riffs reminiscent of John Zorn’s early downtown groups.

 The calibre of musicianship was undeniable too with stand out solos throughout the set. Trumpeter Chris Snead may not have been visible, buried at the back of the stage, but he was certainly heard stepping forward for a blistering few bars. The horns too were on fine form with tenorman Sam Healey’s muscular style stealing the show and sitting in perfect juxtaposition to the more considered attacks of Jo McCallum, and Sam Andreae’s freer style.

 With players from Beats and Pieces literally spilling off the stage, it wasn’t long before they were replaced with the even larger contingent that made up the Andy Schofield & Jo McCallum Jazz Orchestra. Comprising of 15 members in all, this was a truly cross-generational affair with players from the first band returning to join more established Manchester luminaries. As the name suggests the arranging and conducting duties were shared between saxophonist Andy Schofield and the increasingly impressive Jo McCallum, who still at only a tender age seems to be conquering the local scene with a quiet determination.

 A highlight of the evening was a truly Manchester version of Herbie Hancock’s classic Wiggle Waggle. The brass and reeds were on excellent form with a Northern Soul swagger kicking in as Schofield led the orchestra through the changes. Sam Andreae returned from his earlier performance to trade some Evan Parker inspired fours with follow tenor player Suzanne Higgins who gave him tit for tat with her usual aplomb. 

 Although the rest of the band was great to watch, the night definitely belonged to the guitarists Mike Walker and Stuart McCallum. Continuing with the cross generational theme, Walker, who has been something of a hero on Manchester scene, seemed totally at ease next to the younger McCallum who has been carving out his own name for some time now. There was some friendly banter between the pair but ultimately they worked together wonderfully without ever fighting for musical space; their styles although completely different, seemed to gel perfectly.

 A tune from McCallum’s Echo Architect album was given a fresh new arrangement by non-other than his sister Jo. The big band format gave the relatively ambient composition a serious shot of adrenaline, causing McCallum to unleash some energetic fretwork to counteract the tight punches of the brass section. With the added backing of McCallum’s effects orientated washes, Walker too was able to bring something new to his ‘Clockmaker’; an inquisitive  track filled with his trademark melodic charm and wit.

 Duke Ellington once compared his jazz orchestra to a microscopic society, with every generation of instrumentalist playing their part in his harmonious sound-world. This utopian vision of jazz was very much in force at the Mint Lounge this week with a focus on empathy, cooperation and the fostering of talent. All in all, the existence of not one but two forward thinking Manchester based big bands proves that this city’s jazz scene is as vital as ever.

 

Chris Ackerley 

Led Bib 9th of June
Mint Lounge
Doors: 7:30pm
Tickets: £8

One of the ‘25 Live Acts you MUST see this Summer’ (above Bjork, The White Stripes and The Arctic Monkeys) – Observer Music Monthly

I spent the best part of today at the first in a series of workshop days organised by NW JazzWorks designed to link up local players/promoters with industry experts from around the country. Our panel of experts for the day were;

Stuart Johnson (musician, promoter, tour manager) – our Chair for the day
Oliver Weindling (Vortex & Babel Label), promoter and label director
Kevin Legendre (Jazzwise, BBC Radio 3 & 4…), journalist and broadcaster
Graham McKenzie (Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival), curator and writer

It was a very positive experience with many of the staple Manchester jazz crowd present, there was much discussion on the chosen topics for the day which focused in part on the various areas where, as musicians, we need to write actual words as opposed to music. Much of the advice in this area was to be honest and sometimes informal/conversational (how am I doing?), the only problem with this advice is that if you need to be told how to be honest you might have already missed the point….Unfortunately I had to leave before the How To Get Gigs session and that’s why I’m writing this blog instead of actually getting any gigs, if anyone can help in this area it would be much appreciated….

Anyway, there are two more sessions which I’m looking forward to and I will keep you updated on any revelations.

Sam

Acoustic Ladyland
June 18th, Mint Lounge, Oldham st, M41LE
Doors: 7:30pm
Tickets: £11

Freedom Principle & The Noise Upstairs are hosting a night at this years Chorlton Arts Festival. It definitely promises to be a unique experience with a variety of groups performing in the fantastic venue that is St Ninians Church. There will be a mix of contemporary performance drawing influence from jazz/classical/electronic & Jewish music. We will also be staging several spacial-sound-jams which audience members will be encouraged to take part in. Oh yeh, and we’ll be supplying the food, if you bring the booze!

1st of April, Mint Lounge, Oldham st
7:30pm
Tickets £10 – available from www.skiddle.com

Polar Bear are a post-jazz band led by drummer Seb Rochford, who also features in the lineup of Acoustic Ladyland. They cite Deerhoof, Pit Er Pat, Thelonius Monk, Beethoven, Radiohead and Bjork among their influences and the music they make borders on drum and bass, electronica and dance music. In 2005 they were nominated for the Mercury Prize for their second album, Held On The Tips Of Fingers (Babel), which was also deemed one of ‘100 jazz albums that shook the world‘. Their eponymous new album on Tin Angel has received unanimously favourable reviews, including in the Indepedent (4/5), the Guardian (4/5), Uncut (8/10) and on DrownedInSound (8/10).

New York’s Dirty Projectors are quite simply one of the best live bands we’ve seen. Fronted by Yale graduate Dave Longstreth, they have released three albums including 2007’s Rise Above, an album that completely reimagined Black Flag songs. Earlier this year Dirty Projectors signed to Domino Records – and it is rumoured that they will release two albums in early 2009. They were last in town supporting Wire during this year’s Futuresonic festival, meaning this will be their first appearance in a year. They’re expanding their lineup from a quartet to a six-piece for this show.

Finally, Los Angeles-based experimentalists Lucky Dragons make what we believe is their Manchester debut. The duo of Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara have been making music for ages (18 releases and counting) and are currently signed to London label Upset the Rhythm. We’d file them close to Black Dice, Ariel Pink’s Haunted House, YACHT, High Places, Mt Eerie and Panda Bear. Catch them live to decide for yourself.

This very exciting event is a co-promote with Hey! Manchester www.heymanchester.com

A night of amazing contemporary big band music featuring up-and-coming and established musicians from Manchester, including Mike Walker, Les Chisnall and Andy Schofield.

Andy Schofield & Jo McCallum Jazz Orchestra feat. Mike Walker & Stuart McCallum

An electrifying new 17 piece jazz orchestra storm through a selection of original works by North West composers and arrangers. The line up unites established artists with the cream of the region’s young emerging talent and the result is a contemporary take on the full-on big band sound, with a compelling mix of intriguing arrangements and emotive solo playing.

A new project for 2009 sees the ensemble featuring two national guitar greats, Stuart McCallum and Mike Walker, with the music of these artists being arranged for the jazz orchestra and performed with guest appearances from these musicians.

(Pending a successful application this project well be subsidised by an Arts Council grant)

myspace.com/andyschofieldjomccallumjazzorchestra

myspace.com/andyschofieldmusic

myspace.com/jomccallummusic

Beats & Pieces Big Band

The Beats & Pieces Big Band was formed at the beginning of 2008 as a 14-piece ensemble for the performance of distinctive contemporary jazz. The musicians featured are all Manchester-based players who have previously performed with each other in a variety of different contexts, and who share a need and a desire for such an ensemble in order to focus their large-ensemble playing in a way which embraces their broad musical influences. In addition to the jazz canon, these also include the music of groups such as Polar Bear, Acoustic Ladyland and Led Bib; of groundbreaking larger ensembles such as Colin Towns’ Mask Orchestra, the Maria Schneider Orchestra and the Matthew Herbert Big Band; and of revolutionary popular artists such as the Beatles, Radiohead and Björk.

The format of the band is an adaptation of the traditional big band line-up, consisting of 3 saxophones/reeds, 3 trombones, 3 trumpets, piano/Rhodes, guitar, bass and drums, as well as a laptop artist manipulating the sound of the band live in real time. All charts are originals by musical director Ben Cottrell, specially composed and arranged with the unique characteristics of each musician in the band in mind.

The Beats & Pieces Big Band is a young ensemble both collectively and individually, but has already made a big impression on Manchester’s music scene. The band were invited to open the Manchester Jazz Festival in the summer of 2008, supporting the Stuart McCallum Group, and were exceptionally well received. Capping an incredible first year of existence for the band, in the autumn of 2008 they were shortlisted for the Peter Whittingham Award for new and innovative work in jazz, a prize previously won by some of the brightest talents in UK jazz.

www.beatsnpieces.net