Jazz Diary: Busy Friday in Birmingham
Apr 22 2010 By Peter Bacon
Prepare for a busy Friday night, and three bands to tickle those audial nerve-endings.
Start the evening at the Symphony Hall foyer bar at 5.30pm where a quartet led by trumpeter Ray Butcher and featuring a very special guest in the imposing shape of one-time Jazz Messenger, saxophonist Jean Toussaint. The gig goes till 7pm and entrance is free.
Then head down to the CBSO Centre in Berkeley Street. On the bill there are two fine bands, the Dave Stapleton Quintet and the Mark Lockheart Group.
Both have recordings out on Edition Records, the label Stapleton and photographer friend Tim Dickeson started in Cardiff just two years ago and is already making a real impact on jazz in the UK, with current new releases including CDs not only the third from Stapleton’s own band but also by Tom Cawley’s Curios and by The Secret Quartet.
In Deep is both the name of Lockheart’s latest CD on Edition Records and the band he brings to the CBSO Centre, and it’s something of an all-star affair with Liam Noble on piano, Jasper Hoiby on bass, Dave Smith on drums and Dave Priseman on trumpet.
This Birmingham Jazz gig starts at 8pm, entrance is £13 and you can find out more and book via www.birminghamjazz.co.uk.
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On Sunday, Art Of Sound, the piano trio comprising John Law on piano, Sam Burgess or Calum Gourlay on double bass and Asaf Sirkis on drums, is at The Chapel in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The trio has a new disc out – Congregation – and it features punchier stuff than we’ve heard before from Law. Stratford Jazz are the promoters, it starts at 8pm and entrance is £6 on the door. More info at www.stratfordjazz.org.uk.
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It’s saxophone time on Tuesday, but we have a double bassist to thank. Michael Janisch is the man at the helm but his Saxophone Summit band has a front line of Alex Garnett on alto and tenor, Nigel Hitchcock on alto and Joel Frahm on tenor.
They are upstairs at the Biggin Hall pub in Coventry (CV3 1HG if you’ve never been there before) courtesy of Jazz Coventry. It starts at 8.30pm
and entry is £11 on the door. More at www.jazzcov.co.uk.
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Finally, the last Wednesday of the month is Jazz Club night at the Rainbow pub in Digbeth and Birmingham Conservatoire grad and tenor player Alex Merritt leads an exceptional band.
In effect, it is the Kit Downes Trio, with Kit on piano, Callum Gourlay on bass and James Maddren on drums. It starts at 9pm and entry is a mere £4 on the door. More at www.birminghamjazz.co.uk
News and views, please, to Peter Bacon at peterbacon@mac.com
