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FIND OUT MOREJazz it up
So much jazz, so little time. Andrew Watson picks the highlights of the 12th Manchester Jazz Festival.
The annual Manchester Jazz Festival (MJF), which launched in 1996 as a one-day showcase for local and regional performers, has grown into a major celebration of contemporary jazz, featuring international stars as well as home-grown talent.
This month, MJF swings into town again with an eight-day programme of events taking place at seven venues across the city. Many of the concerts are free and open to all, offering a fantastic opportunity to experience great new music against the backdrop of the original modern city, and helping to dispel the image of jazz as the kind of music that only appeals to old people in cardigans.
"Our goals are to put Mancunian musicians on an equal footing to those in London and abroad; to present international stars who are infrequent visitors to the city; and to give audiences in Manchester a chance to hear some of the most surprising, vibrant and original jazz coming out of the UK," says Steve Mead, MJF's artistic director. "The festival is an ideal opportunity for people - both those familiar with and those new to the music - to come along and experience something different."
Manchester Jazz Festival runs from July 21 to 28. The festival venues are the Bridgewater Hall, St Ann's Square, Matt & Phred's Jazz Club, Royal Northern College of Music, Green Room, St Ann's Church and Cross Street Chapel. For more information call 0161 228 0663 or go to www.manchesterjazz.com.
If you are just curious about the music, you can dip into a free jazz concert while enjoying your lunch in the Bridgewater Hall Foyer. The open-air stage in St Ann's Square, where the festival will kick off in groovy style on July 21, will also host a daily programme of free lunchtime and commuter-time concerts throughout the festival.
But no self-respecting jazz aficionado should miss any of the following gigs:
Double bill: Huw Warren and arthurs.høiby.ritchie trio
Award-winning pianist and composer Huw Warren gives a rare solo piano recital, combining music from his highly-acclaimed solo CD ?Infinite Riches in a Little Room' with extracts from many of his ongoing projects. Then the fast-emerging arthurs.høiby.ritchie trio, led by young maverick trumpeter Tom Arthurs, concludes the double-bill.
Royal Northern College of Music, July 22, £13.
The Lydian Sound Orchestra
One of 13 UK premieres at this year's festival, the Italian 10-piece ensemble brings its organised mayhem to Manchester, dismantling and rebuilding familiar tunes from across the history of jazz. The orchestra is joined by a glowing star of the current UK jazz scene: reeds player Julian Argüelles, a recipient of several BBC awards and commissions.
Royal Northern College of Music, July 24, £13.
Watching the Well: Jon Thorne Celebrates Danny Thompson
MJF has commissioned Manchester-based bass player, bandleader and composer Jon Thorne to create a concert of music inspired and performed by his mentor and idol Danny Thompson. Thompson, the legendary folk/cross-over bass player from seminal group Pentangle, who this year celebrates 50 years in the music business, will perform the world premiere of Jon Thorne's three-part suite during the first part of the concert. For the second part, Jon Thorne will perform five of his own new arrangements of Danny Thompson's pieces from his ?Whatever' period.
Royal Northern College of Music, July 25, £13.
Stuart McCallum: Chamber Pot
In another world premiere, Cinematic Orchestra's guitarist Stuart McCallum has created an adventurous new piece for the festival, with a 12-piece ensemble featuring the iconic British saxophonist and ECM recording artist John Surman. The 75-minute suite fuses elements of jazz improvisation with electronic sounds.
St Ann's Church, July 26, £9.
Norma Winstone and Friends
Legendary ECM recording artist Norma Winstone is joined by fellow virtuosi for an evening of unadulterated jazz nirvana.
Green Room, July 27, £12.