Music GLASGOW JAZZ FESTIVAL
PREVIEW GLASGOW JAZZ FESTIVAL MULATU ASTATKE The Bridge @ Platform, Glasgow, Thu 30 Jun
An alto saxophone line snakes slowly over shimmering vibraphone and sensuous Latin percussion. A buzzing guitar or grooving organ might come in, bringing a touch of slow-burning psychedelia. This is the music of Ethio-jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, who will be visiting Scotland for the first time as part of Glasgow Jazz Festival. From the generation of musicians who thrived in Ethiopia's Golden 70s, Astatke helped bring jazz back to Africa.
'I felt deep down that there could be a way to fuse Western jazz with the cultural music of Ethiopia,' Astatke tells The List. 'I experimented and found that the Western jazz elements were often too overpowering. Eventually, I struck a balance that I was happy with which allowed the colours of the Ethiopian modes to shine through.'
Astatke's music has won a new generation of admirers through Jim Jarmusch's film Broken Flowers and the wonderful Ethiopiques compliations (put out by French label, Buda). He has continued to push forward, recording albums with British future jazzers The Heliocentrics and US experimentalists Either/Orchestra, and writing an opera as part of a Harvard fellowship.
'For the Glasgow show, I will be performing with my own ‘Steps Ahead’ band, with some great musicians including Byron Wallen [trumpet], Tom Skinner [drums], Danny Keane [cello] and James Arben [horns]', explains Astatke. 'We play compositions from my most recent album, Mulatu Steps Ahead but we also re-interpret some of my older compositions like 'Netsanet' and 'Yekermo Sew'. I hope the audiences there will enjoy it very much.' (Stewart Smith) ■ To win tickets, see page 84.
98 THE LIST 23 Jun–21 Jul 2011
banjos. Step aboard the oldest ocean- going paddle steamer in the world for a cruise down the Clyde to the tune of trad and Dixieland. ■ Zu Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Rd, Easterhouse, 276 9696. 7.30pm. £10 (concs available). Experimental-math-metal-no-wave- noise-jazz-punk from this Rome-based duo. John Zorn is a fan and they’ve collaborated with Mike Patton and Mats Gustafsson. To win tickets, see page 83. ■ Christine Bovill Brel, 39–43 Ashton La, 342 4966. 8pm. £8. Songs associated with Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf. ■ John Etheridge Sweet Chorus Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 8pm. £15 (£13). Jazz/rock guitar wizard John Etheridge is in Django mode for his Sweet Chorus, a tribute to his former boss Stephane Grappelli. ■ Phil Bancroft: Home as Small as the World Ramshorn Theatre, 98 Ingram Street, 353 8000. 8pm. £10. Sax player Phil Bancroft presents his dazzling multimedia experience A Home as Small as the World, combining video and live music in a study of what home means to us. ■ We Dig the Duke! The Glasgow Art Club, 185 Bath Street, 353 8000. 8pm. £10. It was Miles Davis who said that musicians should get down on their knees every day and give thanks to Duke Ellington, and Duke’s music still has a magical power to inspire and revive. Stepen Duffy (vocals) and Richard Michael (piano) are joined by cornettist Warren Vache. ■ Ramsey Lewis: Sun Goddess The Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 9pm. £20. The guv’nor of soul- jazz keyboards plays his celebrated 1974 album Sun Goddess in its entirety. ■ Todd Gordon Sings Great Songs from the Movies City Halls: Recital Rooms, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 9.30pm. £16. Todd Gordon sings a mixture of movie classics and lesser-known gems, including ‘As Time Goes By’, ‘Over the Rainbow’, ‘Moon River’, ‘Cheek to Cheek’ and many others. ■ Craig Charles’ Funk & Soul Show The Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 11pm. £10. The DJ, actor and TV presenter mans the decks. Featuring a live set by the Federation of the Disco Pimp. FREE Late Night Club at The Thistle Glasgow Thistle Hotel, Cambridge Street, 552 3552. 11pm–3am. Cathie Rae (vocals) hosts with the resident rhythm section. Special guests may well turn up for the jam session.
Saturday 2 Glasgow ■ New Sounds of the Glasgow Jazz Scene Ramshorn Theatre, 98 Ingram Street, 552 3489. 1–7pm. £15. An afternoon of music from some of Glasgow’s best musicians, including Herd/Johnstone/Jarvie/Lowe; Tom Gibb Trio +3; Euan Stephenson Trio; Stuart Brown & Paul Harrison; Phil Cardwell Group and ROPE. ■ Strathclyde Youth Jazz Orchestra plus special guests The Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 1pm. £8. Strathclyde University’s Youth Jazz Orchestra, led by Stewart Forbes, celebrates 25 years of high-density music-making with some special guests. ■ Penman’s Jazzmen King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, 272a St Vincent St, 221 5279. 2pm. By donation. George Penman, veteran of Glasgow’s trad scene, may have gone to the great jam session in the sky in 2009, but his band is still keeping the faith. FREE Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra Trongate 103, 276 8380. 3pm. Glasgow’s improvisation ensemble has only been going for a few years but has already played with Evan Parker, Steve Beresford and Fred Frith, as well as recording with Barry Guy. Places are limited, so turn up early.
■ Gretchen Parlato Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 4pm. £12 (£10). Talked about as ‘the most original jazz singer in a generation’, Parlato’s praises have been sung by veterans like Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter as well as African guitar maestro Lionel Loueke. FREE Jazz Futures City Halls: Bazaar Bar, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 5pm. Young jazz musicians in a band led by saxophonist Paul Towndrow. ■ Lee Konitz & Tomasz Stanko The Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 6pm. £20. Please note Lee Konitz has had to cancel due to ill health. Stanko and band will still play; for refunds please contact point of sale. Tomasz Stanko is a Polish national treasure. This is undoubtedly one of the must-see concerts in the Festival. ■ Tim Kliphuis City Halls: Recital Rooms, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 6pm. £12. Utrecht’s Tim Kliphuis is one of the younger players following in the Grappelli tradition of swing violin, although he mixes it up with Latin rhythms too. ■ Ian Shaw The Rio Café, 27 Hyndland Street, 334 9909. 7pm. £10. Ian Shaw is one of the best jazz singers in the UK, twice winner of the BBC Jazz Awards for best vocalist, and also one of the most entertaining; he appeared in Jerry Springer: The Opera in a part written especially for him. ■ Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, 276 9696. 7.30pm. £8 (concessions available). Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat’s collaboration has been eight years in the making, but it’s been worth it. Here the duo are supported by Wells’ own trio, featuring the great Lol Coxhill. To win tickets, see page 83. ■ Michel Legrand City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £30. His most famous piece of music may be ‘Windmills of Your Mind’, but Legrand – Oscar-winning film score composer, multiple Grammy winner and collaborator with Miles, Coltrane, Ben Webster, Ray Charles and Bjork – is also one of the great pianists in jazz and a master improviser. ■ John Fleming Band Ramshorn Theatre, 98 Ingram Street, 353 8000. 8pm. £6. At only 22, John Fleming is already one of the stars of British jazz, with the 2010 Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year award under his belt. Here he fronts his own band. ■ The Johnny 7 do John Barry Brel, 39–43 Ashton Lane, 342 4966. 8pm. £8. The late John Barry wrote some of the coolest, swingingest, most romantic and most distinctive music of the last fifty-odd years. Hear The Johnny 7 perform some of his best loved pieces in an arrangement for four-piece organ combo: yowza. ■ Meadow: John Taylor/Tore Brunborg/Thomas Stronen Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 8pm. £15 (£13). Pastoral improvisations drawing on European impressionism. ■ Ryan Quigley Big Band The Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 9pm. £16. The Glasgow-based trumpeter/composer/arranger leads his big band in a selection of Motown favourites, with special guest vocalists. ■ Carol Kidd & Nigel Clark City Halls: Recital Rooms, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 9.30pm. £20. The singer and her guitarist in a concert of duets. FREE Late Night Club at the Thistle Glasgow Thistle Hotel, Cambridge St, 552 3552. 11pm–3am. Cathie Rae hosts the late session, with some special guests turning up for a jam.
Sunday 3 Glasgow ■ Jazz Carvery Lunch Glasgow Thistle Hotel, Cambridge Street, 552 3552. 1.30pm. £14.95–£18.95. True to the nature of jazz as something which has historically been made in venues