Peter Slavid has written in this morning with his list of favourite LJF gigs. He writes:"Its an impossible choice and it means missing lots of great music, but these are musts!"
1. Orchestre National de Jazz led by Daniel Yvinec playing the music of John Hollenbeck “Shut up and Dance” on Tuesday 16th in the Purcell Room. This is a terrific band with some of France’s finest musicians playing really exciting compositions.
2. Helge Sunde – Ensemble Denada at the Pizza Express on Saturday 20th November. Resdponsible for one of the best CDs of the year (above), this award winning big band is reminiscent of Loose Tubes in its excitement and its infectious wit.
3. Zed-U plus Oddjob. Two very different but equally exciting bands at the Vortex on Friday 19th. Zed-U features Shabaka Hutchings' delicious reeds interspersed with a range of sounds from the lyrical to the experimental. Swedish band Oddjob offer a witty jazz-rock sound exemplified by their recent CD of Clint Eastwood movie themes!
4. Billy Jenkins with the BBC Big Band No idea what to expect at this concert (Purcell Room on Sunday 21st) but I’ll be there to find out!
5. Marilyn Crispell & Raymond MacDonald at the Vortex on Wednesday 17th. Crispell is one of the truly great improvisers. The music is complex and can be intense, but its worth the effort - and this looks like an interesting collaboration.
(See also Oliver Weindlings take on Nos 3 and 4 here)
