Stan Brunt (guitar); Sam Norris (alto sax); Guy Dempsey (double
bass); Jonah Evans (drums)
© Richard Morris
The MAP Studio Cafe* has been an established jazz venue for about 20 years. More recently regular Sunday evening jazz gigs have been curated by Sam Norris: sax player, composer, writer and teacher. I have been here 4 times this year whilst visiting London from North Wales and this venue has become my go to on Sunday evenings. It is a quirky, intimate venue. Ground floor bar, kitchen and stacked with vinyl and ceramics. It houses a recording studio and upstairs is the performance space with art and a variety of seating to include a church pew.
Stan
Brunt, a recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, is also the most recent
winner of the Richard Turner Award. Whilst at RAM Stan has worked with world
renowned composers and musicians. He is currently leading a project which explores
the space created by just having guitar as the chordal instrument focusing on
improvisation and textural changes. On the two days following this concert the
London based quartet, which has played together for about 12 months, recorded
Stan’s first album consisting primarily of his own compositions.
The
concert, which comprised two sets, was full of Stan’s fresh new tunes including tracks such as 15 and Eavesdropping. The quartet also played a
few jazz standards to include Ugly Beauty
by Thelonious Monk and Everything I Love
by Cole Porter. Sam Norris superb on sax and Guy and Jonah providing a great
rhythm section.
I
am looking forward to hearing Stan’s new album when it is released in the, hopefully, near future. Richard Morris
* MAP Studio Cafe, 46 Grafton Road, Kentish Town, London NW5 3DU
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