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My focus this month is unashamedly on our upcoming Festival. We cannot have a 'live' music festival this year so we are putting out our "live" shows online for you to access - the next best thing! In addition, to some great streamed concerts we have workshops, radio shows, links to great jazz elsewhere and loads of jazzy entertainment to keep us going in these dark times. You can access all you need to know about our festival at https://www.rvjazzfestival.co.uk/. Most events are free but some are asking for a small payment and donations are always appreciated. Professional musicians have had a dreadful time of it lately and are desperate for any financial help.
You are guided to a wealth of information on our website about all our artists and events – you can sample their music and read all about them.
My playlist is only ten tracks but there are many artists that I am unable to include as some have not yet recorded and there are too many! But I will do my best to draw your attention not just to the Festival but to some ‘live’ gigs we are hoping to put on later this year when maybe some audience members will be allowed.
My first pick the wonderful British trombonist Dennis Rollins. He will be streamed at the Festival on May 2nd - a concert he did with Shri Sriram, the award multi-instrumentalist and composer, at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. We are also hoping that Dennis’ Funky Funk band will be doing a live concert at The Grand later this year. I have selected Dennis’ terrific, and most creative, version of a great song written by Steven Stills – Love the One you are with.
Next is the Nicola Farnon Trio who are being streamed “live” from The Grand at 8pm on Sunday, 30th May. This is a terrific trio playing standards in a very creative and delightful way. Nicola’s husky voice is stunning and her fabulous bass playing is well complemented by piano, sax and percussion. I have chosen one of Nicola’s own compositions Perfect Loverly Day.
My third choice is the very popular North West’s own Mike Smith’s Quartet. They will be streamed at 8.30pm at a pre Festival gig on April 8th. I have chosen one of Mike’s compositions – Don’t Scare Me None. Next an artist many of you will be familiar with from earlier appearances with us. Kyla Brox - and her extraordinary voice - brings her great band and will be streamed on May 2nd at 8 pm. If you have never heard her sing you are in for a wonderful treat; described by City Life as “an authentic soul diva...sensitive, sexy, and with infinite reserves of sassiness." You can sample her work by listening to my fourth selection For the Many from her Pain and Glory album.
My next two choices are both from young bands from the Jazz North Northern Line list. Not Now Charlie is a quintet from Newcastle. They fuse jazz with rock, neo-soul and R&B to great effect. They are being streamed at 9.15 pm on Saturday night. I have chosen Mythos from their quite brilliant debut album Nostalgia Revisited. Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat – wonderful name – is a Leeds based quartet. I have chosen band leader and sax player Emma’s own delightful composition - Where are you Hiding? They will be streamed from The Grand at 4pm on Sunday 2nd May.
Next Issie Barratt’s Interchange is an exciting new jazz dectet comprising ten of the nation’s most innovative award-winning composers and improvisers. Pushing at the boundaries and blurring all the edges! Issie will be working as an artist-in-residence throughout the jazz festival. They will be streamed from The Grand from 7pm on Festival Saturday. I have chosen Hold Down the Moon for you to sample from Issie’s Astral Pleasures album.
Next two rather unusual jazz instruments –the violin and the harp. First, Olivia Moore, an extremely talented violinist from Manchester, is bringing her Indian Jazz Trio. They will be streamed at 6pm on Sunday. I have chosen Suryaka from her beautiful album Amoghasiddhi. Second, we are hoping to bring Alina Bzhezhinska, the brilliant jazz harpist, to you later in the year for a real ‘live’ concert from The Grand. I have chosen her very fine version of Alice Coltrane’s Blue Nile from her Inspiration album – this album is a true delight.
I am finishing with another Dennis Rollins track – Fire in the House – just to remind you all of how very, very funky he can be and hopefully to get you all to put 12th December, 2021 in your diaries. For on that day his Funky, Funky Band will – fingers crossed again – be cooking up a storm at The Grand! I cannot wait!
Please enjoy our online festival. There is much more music available than I have been able to include here! It’s all a bit different – it has had to be – but it will great with your help. Promise – don’t forget to access our website:
www.rvjazzfestival.co.uk
You will be able to hear this playlist – Phil’s Jazz Pleasures Show – on Ribble FM on Wednesday 28th April
www.ribblefm.com
1 Dennis Rollins Love the One you are With on Big Night Out
2 Nicola Farnon Trio Perfect Loverly Day on Three 'n' Easy
3 Mike Smith Quintet Don't Scare me None on On a Cool Night
4 Kyla Brox Band For the Many on Pain and Glory
5 Not Now Charlie Mythos on Nostalgia Revisited
6 Emma Johnson's Gravy Boat Where are you Hiding - a single
7 Issie Barrett Hold Down the Moon on Astral Pleasures
8 Olivia Moore Suryaka on Amoghasiddhi
9 Alina Bzhezhinska Blue Nile on Inspiration
10 Dennis Rollins Fire in the House on Big Night Out
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/
You'll have to sign in to Spotify but creating an account is free.