Jazz Diary: Elegant and uncompromising
Sep 30 2010 By Peter Bacon
The ever-resourceful Stratford Jazz deserves the gold star this week for securing the services of the Chris Biscoe Quartet this Sunday (October 3). The band is led by the man who for a long time played Johnny Hodges to Mike Westbrook’s Duke Ellington, a self-taught saxophonist who has carved out an impeccable line in elegant, intelligent and uncompromising jazz for the last 35 years.
For this band, dedicated to the music of Eric Dolphy, he plays alto saxophone, alto clarinet and alto flute, and is joined by Tony Kofi, also on alto saxophone, Larry Bartley on double bass and Stu Butterfield on drums.
It is the band that recorded Gone In the Air a couple of years back, and one that really gets to the heart of Dolphy’s music, while also bringing his inspiration on in more contemporary styles.
These men clearly feel that Dolphy, who died dreadfully young at the age of 36, was one of the prime innovators in jazz, and after hearing them it is hard to disagree.
The gig is at The Chapel, No 1 Shakespeare Street, Stratford-upon-Avon at 8pm. Tickets are £10. Go to stratfordjazz.org.uk for more information and call 01789 264787 for tickets. It might be better to book early.
On Saturday (October 2) jazz and silent film come together with remarkably entertaining results as the Belgian big band Flat Earth Society gets its horns into film from 1919 called The Oyster Princess. The band, led by reeds player Peter Vermeersch, has had theatrical leanings from the outset. Its first gig in 1997 was a collaboration with a circus troupe, and the fanfare-heavy Belgian brass band tradition, called HaFaBra, feeds strongly into their wild and wonderful music.
The Mac theatre should provide the ideal setting for film and band to coalesce. This Birmingham Jazz event starts at 8pm, tickets are a mere £7, and you can book them at macarts.co.uk or on 0121 446 3232.
