This year’s instalment is set to be bigger, better, and more varied than ever...
Emma Finamore
13 · 11 · 2018
From stars of the UK’s vibrant young jazz scene - like Emma-Jean Thackray and Nubya Garcia - to legends like Archie Shepp,
you can catch great music in basement bars and converted churches, from
London, Chicogo and everywhere in between, and even take part in
workshops.
Check out just a handful of the events below, showing the range on offer this year.
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Archie Shepp - Art Songs and Spirituals + Red Circle - Barbican - 19th November
One of the most articulate and original voices to emerge from the
maelstrom of jazz as it connected with the civil rights movement of the
‘60s, Archie Shepp enters his eighties with sustained
energy and commitment. His saxophone sound is as soulful and heartfelt
as ever, and his command of a deep tradition of black culture and music
is unparalleled.
This show explores this legacy in dynamic style, combining with a
range of talented musicians as well as a specially assembled vocal
group, UK Vocal Assembly.
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Jazz Plus Presents: PYJÆN & lushandverdant - Rye Wax, Bussey Building - 21st November
Jazz Plus is back at Rye Wax - the basement venue-cum-record-store at
the bottom of Peckham’s infamous Bussey Building warehouse space -
showcasing the finest cutting-edge contemporary jazz from young artists.
PYJÆN are a band with its common link in improvised
music and the jazz tradition, but with a vision of pushing music forward
in new directions. Expect to hear many influences, form rock, electro
and Afrobeat, to hip-hop and jazz fusion, with support from lushandverdant, chopping exotic samples and mixing up a delectable beat assortment.
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Emma Jean Thackray x London Symphony Orchestra - LSO, St Luke's - 24th November
One of the most hyped events of the festival, this genre-smashing
collaboration between London jazz artists and LSO musicians is curated
by Emma-Jean Thackray - an award winning composer,
producer and multi-instrumentalist – known especially for her trumpeting
– who’s influenced by everything from J Dilla beats and Madlib’s characters to the sounds of Afrobeat.
Expect improvised pieces, beats and orchestral textures: the sound of London reimagined, in a converted 18th century church.
- - - Makaya McCraven + Nubya Garcia + Guests: Chicago X London - Hackney Arts Centre - 24th November
This event brings together a double headliner featuring two of the
most seminal artists to emerge from the thriving jazz scenes in Chicago
and London in recent years.
Saxophonist Nubya Garcia, undoubtedly one of the
leading forces in the new wave of British Afro-tinged jazz having taken
the world by storm this year with her ‘When We Are’ EP and appearances
at Dimensions, Field Day, Winter Jazzfest amongst other festivals.
Drummer and beat scientist Makaya McCraven, is one
of the key new figures in the Chicago jazz scene. His genre-bending
compositions draw from his collaborations with hip-hop, African dance,
indie rock, and Hungarian folk artists. His performance will come on the
back of the release of his latest album ‘Universal Beings’.
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Free Improvisation Workshop for Women led by Caroline Kraabel - Southbank Centre - 18th November
Break musical boundaries at an improvisation workshop for those who identify as women, led by saxophonist and composer Caroline Kraabel.
Explore facets of improvisation (time, inner and outer awareness,
listening, not listening, authenticity, novelty and more) at this
welcoming session that uses an inclusive definition of ‘women’ and
‘female’: welcoming participants who may identify as non-binary,
cis-gendered, or trans. from www.clashmusic.com
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