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EventsBand name: Empirical
| Friday June 18, 2010 8:00 pm Tickets: £ 16.00 (full price), £12.00 (members/students) Box office: 01223 511511  | 1 |
| Recently described as "the band of the moment" by BBC Radio 3 DJ Jez Nelson, Empirical perform tracks from Out ‘n' In, the much anticipated follow-up to their self-titled debut album that took the jazz world by a storm in 2007. Produced by Jason Yarde, and featuring special guest Julian Siegel, Out ‘n' In is Empirical’s much anticipated follow up to their self-titled debut album, released on Courtney Pine’s Destin-E label in 2007. Out ‘n' In pays tribute to Eric Dolphy’s musical legacy through nine Dolpy-inspired original compositions and two new arrangements of his work: Hat and Beard and Gazzelloni. Eric Allan Dolphy (1928-1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flautist, and bass clarinettist. Empirical’s Nathaniel Facey explains that ‘as well as being a personal hero of ours, Eric Dolphy was a pivotal musician in the musical avant-garde of the late 1950s/60s who influenced his peers and subsequent generations - we are evidence of that. His influence on jazz music as a composer, as well as instrumentalist, is not often celebrated so, having played the music from his classic album Out to Lunch, we decided to broaden our look at his legacy’. Empirical’s smart post-bop style has drawn admiring notices on both sides of the Atlantic. Their debut recording went on to be voted Jazzwise magazine's album of the year, and Mojo magazine’s jazz album of the year. Expertly incorporating elements of classical, African and Cuban musical forms into its original, sophisticated, fresh-sounding jazz, Empirical make a point of not being centred around a specific front line or leader; it is very much a complete band, each member contributing equally, adding their own facets to the overall sound. Much like the previous success of their debut album, Out 'n' In was included on several 2009 end-of-year, 'best-of' jazz lists including Mojo Magazine and Jazzwise. | |
| Artists: Nathaniel Facey alto sax, Lewis Wright vibes, Tom Farmer double bass and Shaney Forbes drums/percussion | |
| http://myspace.com/empiricalmusic |
| Friday June 4, 2010 7:30 pm Tickets: £ 16.00 (full price), £12.00 (members/students) Box office: 01223 511511 | 2 |
| Tobin and Noble present these beautiful songs in a fresh and unique way while still maintaining their original, much beloved melodies. Popular titles include a smouldering version of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and a rendition of "I Feel The Earth Move" bursting with vibrancy. Both of these artists are championed on the UK and international scene for their creativity and integrity so it is a joy to hear them apply their original voices to this familiar material. Tapestry Unravelled is their brand new CD due for release later this year Trail Belle Records. Irish-born singer-songwriter Christine Tobin is based in the UK and spends her time between London and the beautiful Kent coast. Her style, although rooted in jazz, is steeped in the singer-songwriter tradition and draws on a broad range of influences from West Africa to Brazil (Oumou Sangare, Fela Kuti, Elis Regina etc) Her sound is rich, authentic and deeply expressive and was described by the Guardian as “Tobin’s 24 carat voice” while praising her both for the poetry of her compositions and her golden voice. Much of her repertoire is self-penned and Tobin has received many accolades for her skills as a writer and arranger. Romantic and radical, Christine is a musical free spirit who blurs the lines to create her own unique style that is streetwise and eclectic. In 2008 she was named Best Vocalist at the BBC Jazz Awards. Irish-born singer-songwriter Christine Tobin is based in the UK and spends her time between London and the beautiful Kent coast. Her style, although rooted in jazz, is steeped in the singer-songwriter tradition and draws on a broad range of influences from West Africa to Brazil (Oumou Sangare, Fela Kuti, Elis Regina etc) Her sound is rich, authentic and deeply expressive and was described by the Guardian as “Tobin’s 24 carat voice” while praising her both for the poetry of her compositions and her golden voice. Much of her repertoire is self-penned and Tobin has received many accolades for her skills as a writer and arranger. Romantic and radical, Christine is a musical free spirit who blurs the lines to create her own unique style that is streetwise and eclectic. In 2008 she was named Best Vocalist at the BBC Jazz Awards. After studying music at Oxford University and the postgraduate course at the Guildhall, Noble became the regular pianist with Stan Sulzmann (in both duo and quartet settings) on John Taylor’s recommendation. He went on to work in the bands of Anita Wardell, Harry Beckett, Tim Whitehead and John Stevens as well as recording and touring with cult minimalist composer Moondog. During this period, he also performed with John Taylor (as part of Stan Sulzmann’s two piano quintet), Kenny Wheeler and Lol Coxhill. | |
| Artists: Christine Tobin vocals, Liam Noble piano | |
| http://www.myspace.com/liamjamesnoble www.myspace.com/ctobes |
| Friday May 21, 2010 7:30 pm Tickets: £ 16.00 (full price), £12.00 (members/students) Box office: 01223 511511 | 2 |
| In his long and playful partnership with saxophonist Gilad Atzmon, a recent and more delicate one with piano virtuoso John Law, and in many other settings from improv to fusion, Israeli expatriate Asaf Sirkis keeps confirming that he's one of the British jazz scene's most creative drummers. Law says that the way Sirkis just touches a cymbal is an inspiration, long before he's played a beat. North African as well as Middle Eastern music played a big part in his early listening, and he was a bass guitarist as well as a drummer in his teens, so rock and fusion music from the Police to Weather Report and the Mahavishnu Orchestra went deep with him. This trio generates a compelling intensity, and the leader's percussion responses to their ideas are dazzling eruptions of drum mastery. John Fordham “Asaf Sirkis, the world class drum phenomenon reminiscent of Jack DeJohnette and Tony Williams at the height of their powers that's taken the British scene by storm over the last few years”... Renaissance man 2004 Tour funded by Jazz Services | |
| Artists: Asaf Sirkis drums, Patrick Bettison bass and Tassos Spiliotopoulos guitar | |
| http://www.asafsirkis.co.uk |
| Friday April 23, 2010 7:30 pm Tickets: £ 16.00 (full price), £12.00 (members/students) Box office: 01223 511511 | 2 |
| Led by pianist and composer Tom Cawley and featuring bassist Sam Burgess and drummer Joshua Blackmore, CURIOS just get better and better. Winner of ‘Best Band’ at the last BBC Jazz Awards, they are a trio in their prime. With several years together and two acclaimed albums under their belt already, they share an empathy and collective insight that makes them one of the most brilliant piano trios in the world. The Other Place, their third album, and debut for Edition Records, marks the next leap forward in a remarkable creative journey that shows no sign of slowing. If 2008‘s Closer was noted for its intricate intimacy and florid romanticism then The Other Place engages fully with the trio’s extraordinary live performances. Cawley has opened up the music to fully explore the group’s collective potency. There is an even greater sense of the trio as a living, breathing entity; three distinct voices merged in one song, engaged in a shared exploration of the spaces within and around Cawley’s distinctive compositions. While the music retains it’s dramatic quality there is a more mediative feel to their creative excavations driven by Cawley’s expressive, beautiful playing and the sublimely empathetic contribution of Burgess and Blackmore. Furthermore Cawley’s subtle use of a Loop Station both as a texture and as a device to compose around adds a fresh voice to the trio’s sonic palate. | |
| Artists: Tom Cawley piano, Sam Burgess bass, Joshua Blackmore drums | |
| http://www.curiosmusic.com |
| Friday March 12, 2010 7:30 pm Tickets: £ 16.00 (full price), £12.00 (members/students) Box office: 01223 511511 | 2 |
| As he tells it, Kofi came to the alto saxophone, his main instrument, via a near miracle. Having left school, he was working as an apprentice carpenter on a building site. One day, he fell three floors through the empty shell of the building. He should have died, but didn't–and on the way down his mind flashed on a brilliantly illuminated alto. Kofi knew that, if he survived, the alto was his destiny. The Silent Truth is Kofi's third album as leader, following Plays Monk (All Is Know) (Specific Jazz, 2004), which featured the same quartet on a set of Thelonious Monk compositions, and Future Passed (Specific Jazz, 2006), a brilliant, irresistible celebration of late 1950s/early 1960s saxophone/organ groove combos. This time, Kofi's urgent, testifying alto–played in a heavily vocalized style peopled by the likes of Charlie Parker, Lou Donaldson, Cannonball Adderley, Earl Bostic and Dudu Pukwana–is featured on a set of band originals generally, but not exclusively, inspired by the more visceral end of the hard bop of the 1960s. The exceptions are pianist Jonathan Gee's acerbic "Disharmony" and lovely Pat Metheny-esque ballad "Cicada," and bassist Ben Hazleton's pretty "Oont," on which Kofi plays soprano. Most of the tempos are up, as established with the swinging funk of Kofi's opening "Giants," in which his riffing, multi-tracked horns trade hard-driving fours with drummer Winston Clifford. But even when the pace is more measured, as on "Cicada," "Oont" and the intimate, after-hours vibe of Kofi's "First Breath," it feels like everything could boil over at a moment's notice. Kofi solos with his trademark soulful lyricism, and gives plenty of solo time to the outstanding Gee, here most frequently in Horace Silver/Bobby Timmons/Les McCann sanctified funk mode. If the parameters, as on Kofi's previous albums, are mostly retro, the impact of the music is again wholly of today. Kofi deals not so much with the past as with the eternal truths of jazz music–swing, in-the-moment lyricism, the lust for life–and he continues to find compelling ways to express them. His albums are heartfelt, unpretentious explosions of joy, and precisely what the doctor ordered. “Kofi resoundingly proves that the jazz past and the present are inseparable”. John Fordham, The Guardian 2008 Winner — Tony Kofi - Best Instrumentalist, BBC Jazz Awards 2008 Nominee — Tony Kofi — MOBOs 2005 Winner - Tony Kofi Quartet - Best Ensemble All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards | |
| Artists: Tony Kofi saxes/Jonathan Gee piano/Ben Hazleton acoustic bass/Winston Clifford drums | |
| http://www.curiosmusic.com |
| Friday February 12, 2010 7:30 pm Tickets: £ 16.00 (full price), £12.00 (members/students) Box office: 01223 511511 | 2 |
| Adam Glasser is one of the UK’s leading chromatic harmonica players.He has re-invented the instrument with a unique approach to jazz improvisation. His new album “Free at First” signed to the prestigeous US jazz label Sunnyside Records was released in 2009. The band features top british jazz musicians playing original compositions and modern jazz standards with the township jazz influence of Adam’s south african roots. Adam has performed/recorded with many artists including Joe Zawinul Syndicate, Sting, Dominic Miller, The Eurythmics, Django Bates, BBC Concert Orchestraand Incognito. He is musical director of the veteran south african vocal group the Manhattan Brothers and produced their 2006 album “Inyembezi” -released by EMI South Africa. | |
| Artists: Adam Glasser harmonica/Robin Aspland piano/Steve Watts double bass/Nic France drums | |
| http://www.myspace.com/adamglasser |
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