Cheltenham/Bath Festivals 2009

[A Lark Ascending]

Cheltenham tickets on sale today. I've plumped for:

• JULIAN ARGUELLES w/ John Abercrombie & PAT MARTINO (two separate sets)
  
• WILL VINSON QUARTET w/ Kurt Rosenwinkel
  
• NIKKI YEOH TRIO w/ John Surman
  
• THE PROFOUND SOUND TRIO - Paul Dunmall, Andrew Cyrille, Henry Grimes
  
• MADELEINE PEYROUX - there goes my chance of joining the Kool Kat Klub for another year.
  
• TOM ARTHURS SUBTOPIA
  
• JACK DEJOHNETTE with local musicians
  
• DAVE DOUGLAS
  
• DON BYRON
  

Enough there to chew on.

Bath has its programme online too - haven't been able to study it yet. Some nice events though nothing that jumps out. Saturday night has Maceo Parker headlining - I'll need convincing that's worth my time. Leaves a big hole - might end up going to hear a string quartet instead! And given how many times I've seen Dave Holland, I might plump for Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis (who is a lot better looking!).

[Ted O'Reilly]

Bev, any word on the Norwich jazz event, in May I believe? A jazz weekend rather than festival -- a jazz party. I've been to Blackpool a couple of times, and may get over to the UK at the right time...

[A Lark Ascending]

Bev, any word on the Norwich jazz event, in May I believe? A jazz weekend rather than festival -- a jazz party. I've been to Blackpool a couple of times, and may get over to the UK at the right time...

Here you go, Ted:

http://www.norwichjazzparty.com/Programme.asp

Nice city, Norwich.

[BillF]

Wigan International Jazz Festival is scheduled for 11-18 July, but further details aren't yet available. Nice to see Cheltenham is going ahead: makes me more confident for Wigan's survival!

[Alexander Hawkins]

I'm at Cheltenham on Friday 1st May with this band, if anyone's interested!

[Ted O'Reilly]

Bev, any word on the Norwich jazz event, in May I believe? A jazz weekend rather than festival -- a jazz party. I've been to Blackpool a couple of times, and may get over to the UK at the right time...

Here you go, Ted:

http://www.norwichjazzparty.com/Programme.asp

Nice city, Norwich.

Thanks. Just signed up for it... (My friend and neighbour and great musician Jim Galloway's playing there, so I gotta go... )

[A Lark Ascending]

I'm at Cheltenham on Friday 1st May with this band, if anyone's interested!

Rats! So near, so far. I'm booked into the Arguelles/Martino concert when you're on. I'd have definitely come along otherwise. Saturday would have been good...a bit sparse there, other than more populist things.

[Alexander Hawkins]

No problem! Just had a look at their online programme - looks like a fair bit to choose from that night! Nice double bill there with Arguelles/Martino, though!

[Alexander Hawkins]

p.s. Saturday would have to be Dunmall/Grimes/Cyrille for me!

[A Lark Ascending]

p.s. Saturday would have to be Dunmall/Grimes/Cyrille for me!

Yes, I'm doing that one. I've seen Paul Dunmall a few times. And on my one visit to New York a few years back bumped into Cyrille with Reggie Workman, Roswell Rudd, Grachan Moncur III, Archie Shepp and Le Roi Jones one night (more than my fair share of legends in one go!).

Never come across Grimes, though.

[sidewinder]

My attention in the Cheltenham booklet was drawn to:

"Martino Unplugged' (Pittville Campus, University of Gloucestershire (they have one?), 7.30pm 30th April. Free - ticket required).

'In Ian Knox's fascinating film 'Martino Unstrung' Neuropsychologist and Author Paul Broks travels America in search of the soul of legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino who was brutally silenced by memory stripping brain surgery. They join us for a screening, followed by a Q&A session.' "

I'm going to try to combine that one with the Martino/Arguelles double-bill on Friday (that one also has John Abercrombie) and try to get to the Henry Grimes/Dunmall/Cyrille on Saturday. Some good stuff coming up.

Not checked out the Bath lineup yet but I'll likely go for the Dave Holland.

Edited March 4, 2009 by sidewinder

[sidewinder]

Looks like I'm sorted for the Martino/Arguelles performance at the Everyman. Also got my tickets for the 'Jazz Legends' broadcast recordings with Henry Grimes and Dave Liebman plus the free ticket for 'Martino Unplugged' and the 'Jazz On Three' broadcast session. Not bad - 5 tickets, 4 of them for free .

I'll likely be adding other gigs over the next week or so to this lot (starting with the Dunmall/Grimes/Cyrille - should be spectacular). Excellent !

There still seems to be reasonable availability for tickets, although Madeleine Peyroux is either sold out or very near to selling out.

Edited March 10, 2009 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

Looks like I'm sorted for the Martino/Arguelles performance at the Everyman.

Tell me where you are sitting. I'll wave at you!

I booked some Bath concerts today:

Saturday

Portico Qt + Bojan Z

Jerusalem Quartet (Haydn, Bartok and Debussy...hope I'm not required to wear a dinner jacket!)

Sunday

Nick Bartsche + Curios

Julie Fowlis (Gaelic folk singer...hope I'm not required to wear a kilt).

Monday

Bobo Stenson

Branford Marsalis (hope I'm not requiredto wear a beret).

[sidewinder]

Tell me where you are sitting. I'll wave at you!

front row, apparently !

Haven't got my act together yet on Bath but the Dave Holland is a given I think. Maybe also Bobo and Branford.

Edited March 14, 2009 by sidewinder

[sidewinder]

Good start to the festival with the Martino film last night at the University Pittville Campus. It's an excellent 90 minute documentary and covers equally both the jazz and medical aspects. What happened to Pat in the 1970s through to his op in 1980 was pretty harrowing (seizures, electric shock treatment etc due to mis-diagnosis) and it's nothing short of a miracle that he's with us. Just shows the power of the brain to compensate and rework it's wiring in the event of a major trauma such as the operations he had. Pat made it to the Q&A after getting stuck on the M-25 and his comments were definitely worth catching. Bodes well for tonight's gig.

Edited May 1, 2009 by sidewinder

[Alexander Hawkins]

Yeah, it seems to be a remarkable story! I have a friend who was part of the making of the film - really interesting to talk to about Martino.

p.s. hope to see people at the Cheltenham shows tonight! We're at the BBC show at the Everyman late (BTW - a solo set from Dunmall on bagpipes has just been added to the bill!), and in a triple bill with Alex Ward/Chris Cundy and Ernst Reijseger earlier in the evening at the University's Pitville Campus.

[sidewinder]

I'd be over at the Pitville if it didn't clash with Martino but look forward to seeing your band later on in the evening, Alexander.

Not looking forward to the drive back home at 1am though. 70 mile drive !

[A Lark Ascending]

Another great weekend...though it almost fell apart on Saturday!

Very enjoyable opener (for me) with Pat Martino and Julian Arguelles (though I think I'd have preferred them slightly longer as separate concerts. Really nice mix in the Jazz on 3 potpourri - very much enjoyed your brief set, Alex (and bought the Live in Oxford CD to explore further) and the Paul Dunmall bagpipe set. Didn't really 'get' the Blessing!

Saturday started well with the Will Vinson band with Kurt Rosenwinkel but just as they were about to start the last tune we were all turfed out - a major power failure. Hadn't affected the PA but the fire alarms were down so health and safety stopped the gig. It was serious enough to see two later gigs cancelled (including a Nikki Yeoh/John Surman one I was looking forward to). A bit of a downer but the weather was nice and I found a pub with a beer garden that didn't have kiddiepop thumping out. The Dunmall/Grimes/Cyrille concert was impressive if a bit unrelenting - Dunmall looked as if he was ready to go on all night. He was just working up to another blast when Henry Grimes, who had clearly spotted a signal from the organisers, leant over and whispered words to the effect of 'try taking the horn out of your mouth.'

Really enjoyed Madeleine Peyroux in the evening - only marginally jazz, I know, but some well crafted songs all done with restraint and poise. Reminded me of 'Blood on the Tracks' Dylan transposed to Paris (and not just because of the song she does off that...she seems to have borrowed the overall feel of he album, including the organ sound).

Tom Arthurs Subtopia were a bit too Darmstadt jazz for me. But the Jack de Johnette concert - an octet of the drummer plus seven young British players who had worked together over the previous couple of days - was marvellous. Really interesting compositions from the younger players, bookended by two de Johnette favourites - Zoot Suite and One for Eric. Good to see Tom Cawley again playing amazing piano - he stood out a few weeks back playing with Dave O'Higgins and Eric Alexander.

And it just kept getting better. Dave Douglas' Quintet was wonderful including a jaw dropping Donny McCaslin tenor solo mid way and fabulous drumming from Clarence Penn. The 10.30 Don Byron spot looked like it might be a bit of a let down - a very small audience. But Byron's band gave it their all with a gospel related set including a marvellous vocalist who may be famous but who I'd never heard of...one DK Dyson. Great way to finish the festival...an irreverent church service!

[Alexander Hawkins]

Thanks for the review Bev - sorry not to get to meet you at the Everyman, but thanks a lot for coming along. Thanks for picking up the CD too - I hope you enjoy it!

I thought Dunmall was fantastic on the pipes too - really great!

We weren't there for long, but my favourite moment of the festival was an absolutely awe-inspiring set from Ernst Reijseger on Friday night...great to meet him too - a great guy...but an astounding set.

Interesting to read about the DeJohnette concert - I've heard mixed (all very positive in their own way, however!) things. Would have been keen to check out the Don Byron - didn't he have Pheeroan AkLaff on drums? Never seen him, but would have loved to!

[A Lark Ascending]

Interesting to read about the DeJohnette concert - I've heard mixed (all very positive in their own way, however!) things. Would have been keen to check out the Don Byron - didn't he have Pheeroan AkLaff on drums? Never seen him, but would have loved to!

I believe it was Pheeroan AkLaff - very impressive.

I was very taken by the two reed players in the DeJohnette concert - can't recall the names though the bass clarinet player was Hutchings. Where do all these musicians come from? Every year I go to Cheltenham and another set of unfamiliar faces appear.

Where do they go to, too? I absolutely loved the sets by Oriole and Julia Biel a few years back (and the fabulous set the year after with an Oriole augmented with Brazilian musicians). I assume Jonny Phillips and Julia Biel are still playing in London but they seem to have vanished otherwise.

And what about Soweto Kinch? Huge splash about five years back...seems to have gone very quiet of late.

[sidewinder]

Unfortunately, a heavy cold somewhat curtailed my enjoyment of the weekend but I did get to see the Martino/Arguelles and Profound Sound Concerts, plus the 'Jazz Library' recordings.

Sorry to miss the Live 'Jazz On Three' - I had intended to catch it but could barely keep the old eyes open by 10.30pm therefore road safety took priority. I will certainly check out the radio broadcast though.

Apparently, part of the Henry Grimes interview may not be broadcast (due to interference from someone's mobile phone). I believe that it affected a couple of tracks.

A shame also that the Liebman Big Band gig was also cancelled due to the brown-outs at the Everyman - I had a ticket for that one. However, such is life.

The Martino film and concert made it for me (I even bought the DVD), although I also really enjoyed John Abercrombie later on the same night (does he ever do a bad gig? - his show with Mark Feldman at Cheltenham a few years ago was also really good) and the interview and concert with Henry Grimes. A1 stuff, as usual.

Edited May 5, 2009 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

Sorry to miss the Live 'Jazz On Three' - I had intended to catch it but could barely keep the old eyes open by 10.30pm therefore road safety took priority. I will certainly check out the radio broadcast though....

The Martino film and concert made it for me (I even bought the DVD), although I also really enjoyed John Abercrombie later on the same night (does he ever do a bad gig? - his show with Mark Feldman at Cheltenham a few years ago was also really good) and the interview and concert with Henry Grimes. A1 stuff, as usual.

My eyes needed sticks to keep from nodding off...though the bagpipes had the effect of several espressos!!!

I think I was at that Cheltenham concert - John Taylor was in the band too. I think it was the year he was artis in residence.

One gripe - and I noticed this last year too. I think having the marquee opening out the festival more widely is great. But does it have to be so near the Pillar Room? In both the Grimes/Cyrille/Dunmall concert and the Arthurs one I was more than a little put off by the beat coming from outside. Must have been worse for the players. Though I'm sure they have to put up with this at festivals quite often.

[sidewinder]

I think I was at that Cheltenham concert - John Taylor was in the band too. I think it was the year he was artis in residence.

Yes, that's the one. I recall that Chris Laurence was on bass and Martin France I think on drums.

[A Lark Ascending]

Unfortunately, a heavy cold somewhat curtailed my enjoyment of the weekend...

I know what it's like being under the weather there. About 4 years back I arrived recovering from a nasty attack of shingles. I still found it hard to move or touch my back against a chair back. I recall sitting in the upstairs seats in the Town Hall (seats in the Town Hall!!!) watching Jazz Jamaica doing their Motown programme and feeling very uncomfortable.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Those reed players I think were Shabaka Hutchins and Nathaniel Facey. Facey plays with Empirical, and also Courtney Pine's Afropeans band. Don't know a great deal about his playing, I'm afraid! Shabaka is London-based...he's also with Afropeans, and has his own trio called Zed-U - I believe a Babel album is in the pipeline...he's a nice player...also starting to do some freer stuff as well, at which he's equally adept!