

American saxophonist David
Sanborn’s whose career has taken in stints with James Brown and David Bowie
and over four decades his soulful style has become a signature sound in
contemporary jazz. Fellow American guitar legend John Scofield and British born/New Orleans based vocalist/pianist Jon Cleary showcase a unique mix of jazz, gospel
and deep South blues.



This year’s festival features a strong line-up of British
jazz stars. With a brand new album hitting the streets, Beats and Pieces follows in the Loose Tubes footsteps,
a big band that’s very much of the 21st century. Looking further back,
the late Stan Tracey’s landmark recording of Under Milk Wood was released in 1964 – Stan’s son Clark Tracey joins forces with Bobby Wellins, saxophonist on
the original album, in a unique opportunity to hear a seminal piece of British
jazz history and to celebrate a much missed figure in British jazz who himself
performed at several past festivals here in Gateshead.
Renowned for moving effortlessly between jazz and
classical music, pianist and composer Gwilym
Simcock will be joined by Royal Northern Sinfonia performing his exciting suite Move!
Opening for Loose Tubes, saxophonist/composer Andy
Sheppard makes a welcome return
to the festival, with a rare set from his playfully melodic duo with Italian
pianist Rita Marcotulli.
Andy is a familiar figure on Tyneside, opening the Millennium Bridge
with Kathryn Tickell, and playing in the venue many times since the building
opened in 2004. ‘Andy Sheppard’s Five Sided Dream’ was commissioned for Sage
Gateshead’s fifth birthday.
One of the most acclaimed and charismatic artists in jazz
today, American saxophonist Joshua
Redman brings his
long-established trio with bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Greg
Hutchinson. Flying the flag for the classic hard bop tradition, The Cookers will be playing music from their 4th album ‘Time and Time Again’ and for
fans of jazz improvisation, Australian cult trio The Necks will take the audience on a typically
unpredictable sonic adventure.
The festival will be working with Jazz North East to
bring even more great female talent to the programme with two instalments of
their series ‘Women in Jazz’ featuring
North East singer Zoe Gilby’s
take on American singer Carmen McRae’s vocalizations of Thelonius Monk tunes,
alongside the hugely talented vocalist/violinist Alice Zawadski with music from her debut album ‘China
Lane’, described by BBC Radio 2’s Jamie Cullum as“uncategorisable, beautiful
– a real force to be reckoned with”. And four of the talented new
faces on the London
improv-scene, saxophonists Cath
Roberts, Rachel Musson, Julie Kjaer and cellist Hannah Marshall,
explore new musical territory on the final night.
If you’re after something a little different look no
further than Norwegian saxophonist Håkon Kornstad’s new project which
combines his love of the saxophone with his talents as an opera singer – quite
literally a tenor battle! There’s family fun in an inventive and often
downright hilarious show by Dutch threesome Tin
Men and The Telephone who
bring the mobile into the music with a specially designed smartphone app – keep
your phone turned on and join in!
The hugely popular free programme of jazz on the Concourse
presents artists from the North and culminates with a joint performance by Sage
Gateshead’s youth ensemble Jambone with members of the Manchester based Beats and Pieces who are also bringing their
contemporary big band sound for the festival. As always there are also
opportunities to get involved through workshops throughout the festival.
John Cumming, Director at Serious
said: “Serious values its role
as programme consultant for the Festival very highly – the opportunity to
combine a range of jazz styles under one roof is an enjoyable challenge each
year, and with SageGateshead’s commitment to learning work adds a vital dimension
that enables all generations to discover more about this ever-evolving area of
music.
Ros Rigby, Performance Programme
Director at Sage Gateshead, added: “Whether you’re new to jazz, a jazz
aficionado or regular festival-goer, you’ll find something in our programme
that’s just right for you. This year we have a stellar bill with world-renowned
artists as well as hotly tipped stars of the future”.
With all events taking place under one roof it couldn’t
be easier to move between concerts and try something new. Bookers can take
advantage of the Jazz Multi-Buy – the more concerts booked across the weekend
the more money saved.
3 comments :
Sunday afternoon - 2pm "The Cookers"
Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, Jaleel Shaw, David Weiss, George Cables, Cecil McBee and Billy Hart - I'm queuing for that one now!
But Sanborn, Schofield and Cleary clash with Bobby Wellins and Under Milkwood...
Shame The DB Jazz Project are not on, fresh meat on the scene.
Got my tickets tonight. If you want to get the multibooking discount you have to turn up to the box office or phone - this not available online. The discount is £2, £3 or £4 per ticket purchased depending on whether you are buying for 2, 3 or four concerts.
Do be aware that the box office closes at 1800h when there are no events on. BIG thanks to the kind lady who opened up her computer again when I rolled up at 6 o'clock!
Post a comment