Jazz North East Update

8.00PM FRIDAY 8TH FEBRUARY

ALISTER SPENCE QUARTET + WATTS & WESTON

Raymond MacDonald (saxes); Alister Spence (piano); Joe Williamson (bass); Chris Cantillo (drums) //

Trevor Watts (alto & soprano saxes); Veryan Weston (piano)

Alister Spence from Australia and his Scots/Canadian/Swedish ensemble were the first band we ever promoted at the Lit and Phil and, much to our delighted amazement, we achieved a virtual full house. 

The Watts and Weston duo, on the other hand, will be first time visitors to Newcastle. Which is surprising considering the length of time these two veterans of the British and international free improvisation scenes have been active. They deliver a style of improv which combines lyricism with a deep interest in African rhythms.

8.00PM WEDNESDAY 13TH FEBRUARY

ROBERT MITCHELL + COREY MWAMBA

Robert Mitchell (piano) // Corey Mwamba (vibes)

A very welcome return to the region for two superbly creative musicians who will perform first solo, before coming together at the end of the evening as a duo.

Robert Mitchell's jazz pedigree is well established through work with Courtney Pine's seminal 90s black big band, Jazz Warriors,  his own longstanding trio and sextet, Panacea, and a more recently established duo with the Cuban violinist, Omar Puente.  This tour, mounted to promote his new album The Glimpse and culminating in his own Leftitude Festival in London, presents Robert as a solo performer but a soloist with the surprising difference that all the pieces performed are for only the left hand.

Robert's classical training made him aware of the two century tradition of left handed piano in classical music. What surprised him was to find that a number of major jazz artists - Bill Evans, Art Tatum and Phineas Newborn Jnr among them -  had also performed and recorded left handed. 

Corey Mwamba performs with both hands, with a great sense of humour and with highly developed communication skills which have enabled him to win over doubters through his accessible approach to free improvisation. A regular visitor to Tyneside since 2010 with bands including the Alexander Hawkins Ensemble and most recently in the Jazz North East - curated Anglo French quartet, Sonsale, Corey combines his activities as an improviser with composition, for which he often draws on historic themes. 

Examples are 'Orrery' inspired by the 1776 Joseph Wright of Derby painting 'A Philosopher Lecturing on an Orrery' and commissioned in 2012 by Derby Jazz, and 'Heralds,' partly researched at the Lit and Phil Library in Newcastle. The former piece was performed by his trio with soloists of the stature of Jan Kopinski (back in Newcastle with Mustard Pie in March), Tony Kofi and Julian Siegal.

There are major articles on both artists in the current issue of Jazz UK, available to read online via the Jazz Services website at www.jazzservices.org.uk

Please note the venue's lack of accessibility for users of wheelchairs.

NEWCASTLE LIT & PHIL, 23 WESTGATE ROAD, NEWCASTLE NE1 1SE

Tickets £10.00 & £8.00 concessions (seniors, claimants & young people) can be reserved in advance at the venue (Tel. 0191 232). Available on the door from 7.30pm. We regret to say that the venue is not fully accessible to users of wheelchairs.