Friday 5 April. The
Sage. Hall Two. 8:00 pm
Soweto
(Preview by Russell)
Alto saxophonist Soweto Kinch is
the real deal. A virtuoso musician, Kinch is rooted in the urban culture of his
generation, embracing hip hop as the valid art form it is. Jazz as an art form
can be insular and somewhat conservative. The hip hop tag should not dissuade
the jazz fan from hearing Kinch - he will be a revelation, ears will be opened
and CDs will sell like hot cakes. Kinch on alto is as good as it gets. You like
Eric Dolphy, you think Peter King is the business, you’ll love Soweto Kinch.
Hearing him rapping is poetry (jazz poetry) in (supersonic) motion. It all
makes sense, it ain’t nonsense. Politically charged (don’t switch-off), a
running (sprinting) commentary of all that matters, hear Kinch free-styling and
be amazed. His current pre-occupation is The
Legend of Mike Smith an epic double CD charting the travails of our
eponymous hero, the aspiring MC Mike
Smith. The jazz is sublime, the rap rhyme devine (believe me Kinch can do
better than that!). His new trio is A* standard and can be heard on the opening
night of the Gateshead International Jazz Festival in Hall Two; Shaney Forbes
(drums) and double bassist Karl Rashid-Abel will confirm that the new
generation of British jazz musicians is as good as their illustrious
predecessors. A support set by Zara MacFarlane is something to look forward to.
MacFarlane’s star is fast rising. Catch her now in the intimate confines of
Hall Two as next time she could well be headlining in Hall One! There is much
to recommend in this year’s festival, if there is a better concert than Soweto
Kinch it will be, as they say, ‘something
else’.
Russell.
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