Brick Lane Jazz Festival announces new nationwide, year-round live series
Following two successful editions of the Brick Lane Jazz Festival (BLJF), its organisers are now planning a year-round programme of live shows nationwide, curated by BLJF founder Juliet Kennedy and her team. With a reputation for discovering and showcasing new jazz talent the new BLJF Presents series will present gigs in venues in the north of England,
Scotland and the festival’s home base at Ninety One Living Room, London. Shows so far announced are: Secret Night Gang (10 Oct, at Night & Day Café, Manchester); Rebecca’s Records with Ari Tsugi, Azamiah, Rebecca Vasmant (DJ Set), Juju K (DJ Set) (11 Oct, at
The Rum Shack, Glasgow); Robohands (12 Oct, Ninety One Living Room, London); Don Glori (album launch) (19 Nov, at Ninety One Living Room, London; Ex Generation:
The Napoli Exchange (20 Nov, 93 Feet East, London); NeOne The Wonderer (22 Nov, Peckham Audio, London); BLJF Xmas Party w/ Sounds Queer (7 Dec, JuJu’s Bar &
Stage, London). More info at www.bricklanejazzfestival.com
Laubrock, Ortiz and The Flame for Newcastle jazz fest nights
The Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music returns for its eighth edition with two packed weekends of music on 27-29 September and 3-6 October.
The festival continues to respond to the city’s appetite for a contemporary grass roots jazz festival, presenting an innovative and diverse international line-up across a wide variety of performance spaces including Jesmond Swimming Pool, The Cumberland Arms, Gosforth Civic Theatre, The Globe and the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society.
Alongside emerging and established UK names, this year’s line-up also includes musicians from Copenhagen, Holland, Switzerland, Japan and the USA. Opening weekend (27-29 Sept) highlights include Faye MacCalman (solo sax set), award-winning Danish pianist Jeppe Zeeberg and the Absolute Pinnacle of Human Achievement; Angharad Davies’ Warp/Weft string quartet; the Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey/Johnny Hunter/John Pope group, and Alcyona Mick and Juliana Day (Surrealist Silent Film Screenings and Scores). The second weekend continues the international theme with names including piano star Aruán Ortiz’s Cub(an) ism and the Freedom of Now (Building a living score); Shunyata Improvisation Group with special guest Ziv Taubenfeld; JAM String Collective; Tara Cunningham; The Flame featuring Robert Mitchell/ Olie Brice/Mark Sanders; Harpist Catriona Bourne’s Quartet; and Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat. www.jazznortheast.com
BACK IN THE DAY... As Ronnie Scott's prepares to celebrate the mighty milestone of 65 years this October since it opened on Gerrard Street, London on 30 October 1959, we venture back to 1969 when the club was preparing to celebrate its 10th anniversary at its swankier Frith Street location. In the run up to the 10th celebrations, Melody Maker published a '10 Years Of Ronnie Scott's', feature in its 13 September 1969 issue with both Ronnie and Pete King penning pieces about the trials and travails of running the club,
"There must be easier ways of earning a crust than running a jazz club, but it's been my chosen way of keeping the wolf from the door these past ten years", quipped Ronnie in typical downbeat mode. Also included was a column of Scott's legendary wonky jokes, which miraculously kept punters laughing right up until his last days: "Next week we hope to present Stan Getz and Stuff Smith. The Getz-Stuff Quintet".
The club was on a roll during this anniversary period with the Elvin Jones Trio supported by jazz-influenced prog-rock group Affinity, while upstairs hosted Tubby Hayes and Mike Westbrook. The Gary Burton 4
took the celebrations into October, where appearances by the ClarkeBoland Big Band and Thelonious Monk Quartet were capped by BBC 2 filming the Miles Davis Quintet during daytime on 2 November in intense Bitches Brew flow for a new TV show, Jazz Scene in Colour, in front of a private audience. The only time Miles ever played the club! Jon Newey
6 Jazzwise October 2024
FUTURE MOVERS
HIGHLIGHTING SERIOUS TALENT BUBBLING UNDER THE RADAR…. NAME: Ananda Brandão INSTRUMENT: Drums EXPERIENCE AND INFLUENCES: “Discovering drums as a teenager through Brazilian music and jazz, Ananda studied at CMDL near Paris,
before moving to London to do her Post Grad at the Royal Academy of Music. Being half French half Brazilian, she has performed throughout Europe and Brazil with iconic jazz musicians such as Rhoda Scott, Marco Lobo and Clelya Abraham to name a few. She also co-leads Ninanda with Nina
Gat, and was awarded the First Prize at le ReZZo Jazz à Vienne
2024. Ninanda are set to record an album in December 2024 with the KOMOS label alongside an international tour across
France and the USA.” THIS FUTURE MOVER SAYS: “I try to always be looking for enjoyment first when I am playing, it gives me confidence to pay more attention to what surrounds me than myself, and helps me interact effortlessly with the music, may it be for comping, improvising, or even simply sticking to the groove.”
See Ananda Brandão play Ronnie Scott’s Future Movers Late Show on Saturday 19 October led by Phil Meadows (alto sax) and featuring Dan Coulthurst (trumpet), Will Inscoe (keys), Kavi Maraj (bass) – for more info visit www.ronniescotts.co.uk
