University News Last updated 19 August
Eastside Jazz Club at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire blasts opens its doors for a brand new jazz season promising superb guest artists, talented students, a great atmosphere and affordable prices.
Getting the season underway on Thursday 12 September, celebrated German pianist and composer Pablo Held brings together some of the top players in Europe – Percy Pursglove (trumpet/flugelhorn), Kit Downes (Hammond organ) and Leif Berger (drums) – in his new Buoyancy Band.
Guest artists feature strongly in the coming months with French pianist Sophia Domancich, James Owston (bass) and Miles Levin (drums) joining Paul Dunmall to reprise their Bath Jazz Weekend collaboration (3 Oct), while New York-based saxophonist and composer Patrick Cornelius features pianist James Francies, Michael Janisch on bass and drummer Rudy Royston in his Quartet (17 Oct).
Following fast on the success of the sell-out Bill Frisell gig in May, the second Stoney Lane Live at RBC is a double bill of new music from two acclaimed duos: Trish Clowes and Ross Stanley, and Sara Colman and Rebecca Nash (2 Oct, Recital Hall).
Expect swinging arrangements of jazz standards from Ronnie Scott’s Artistic Director and pianist James Pearson and leading UK jazz trumpeter Steve Fishwick in the Arnie Somogyi Invites series (10 Oct). A four-day mini-residency by US saxophonist Walt Weiskopf culminates in an evening of student ensembles performing music with and by Walt, plus a jam session (21 Nov).
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s flagship Jazz Orchestra (7 Oct) and Salsa Orchestra (the new name for the Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra) (24 Oct) make monthly appearances at the Eastside Jazz Club – two fabulous ensembles packed with fresh talent, high spirits and cool sounds to fire up a weekday evening. RBC Salsa Orchestra will also be out and about in the city at Hockley Social on 20 November.
Other highlights are Supersonic Festival guests Bohren & Der Club of Gore (9 Nov, The Bradshaw Hall) who bring their hypnotic ‘doom jazz’ to the Midlands for the first time since 2012; and bass player and composer Neil Charles whose project ‘Dark Days’, based on James Baldwin’s book which deals with issues of race and identity in the US, is delivered by vocalist Cleveland Watkiss (9 Oct, The Lab).
Details and tickets at www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts