EJE European Jazz Expo - May 26-29 in Cagliari

I'm going to Cagliari at the end of the month. No,not Calgary as in Alberta or stampede, but Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia.

There's been a jazz festival there for 30 years. "Jazz in Sardegna", held in the summer, had its heyday in the eighties and early nineties. Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Gil Evans all played it. But by the early 2000's the organizers felt they needed to attract a younger audience. The festival was re-born, and successfully achieved this transformation as "European Jazz Expo" from 2004 onwards.

It was held at the city's "Fiera" or trade fair centre slighly out of town. Held in November, it was regularly pulling in 20,000 people a year. Cagliari has a population of just 160,000 so it was significant.

It was London-based singer Filomena Campus - who is appearing at this year's festival - who alerted me to the fact that they have changed the format this year, and will be holding the festival in a town park, following examples such as Amsterdam or Antwerp. I read the phrases "intensi profumi e colori della primavera," and was hooked. And when I saw many of the main names of Italian jazz, and off I go.

Festival Director Michele Palmas, whom I spoketo today, is right in the middle of planning what is essentially a new venture. He tells me to look out for Sardinian singer Elena Ledda, performing with pianist Rita Marcotulli. They have jointly been awarded the Premio EJE, the festival's main award, this year.



Haunting. One Sardinian name missing is that of Paolo Fresu, also on the video above. He was born in the North of the island in the province of Olbia, but studied in Cagliari. But other notable Italian names are out there in force: saxophhonist Stefano di Battista - from whom the festival has commissioned a new work , pianist Stefano Bollani.

There is a young artist showcase: I've been told to watch out for sixteen year old drummer Gianluca Pellerito and Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan.

Filomena Campus' CD "Jester of Jazz" will be launched at the Pizza Express on May 23rd. Bookings Pizzaexpresslive.co.uk

Cagliari EJE European Jazz Expo website

Review: Big Air

Myra Melford

Big Air
(Vortex, 2nd May 2011, review and drawings by Geoff Winston*)

This could have been the Big Air tenth anniversary tour - it is ten years since this formidable transatlantic quintet were first brought together by the foresight of what was to be an award-winning BBC commission. Intelligent polyphony is the rich seam which runs through their material.

Whether from the Brits - Oren Marshall's rasping tuba, and the scintillating brass/reeds duo of Chris Batchelor and Steve Buckley reunited from their Loose Tubes days, or the Americans - Myra Melford, one moment punishing the keyboard, the next caressing it, and drummer Jim Black, beady eyes on everybody, laying down the funk and changing gears effortlessly - there is rigorous poise in their invention, and a deep care for their musical craft.

Borrowing humorously, they opened with 'All Good Things', a dead ringer for a jumping Mexican brass band - military drum rolls, high brass and knowingly hesitant bass clarinet, with Marshall's pumping tuba plotting the foundations - it could have been festive Oaxaca.

The second set opener also borrowed, respectfully - this time from Ornette's phrasing and alto tones - before Marshall's solo took off in to an other-worldly tundra, with only amplified breath to define the landscape, and Jim Black chipping in invisibly to lubricate the sound. Melford's solo was both cerebral and physical - lightly skipping from note to note then drenching the keyboard with chordal runs at breakneck speed, right hand in freeform cartwheel mode.

Steve Buckley and Jim Black

Buckley's authority and precision on both alto and skinny bass clarinet, was a perfect foil to Batchelor's deft, Spanish-toned hints of Miles. Somehow, after the crazy histrionics of an escalating, distorted tuba solo they all managed to wind down into a mellifluous restatement of the theme of 'Hole in the Pocket', Black's sticks just glancing the cymbals. Encoring on 'One Way Only', the rangy Buckley knelt down to the mike with penny whistle, mimicked momentarily by Batchelor on mute, to an assured backdrop of driving, syncopated rhythms, and a big-band arrangement pulled out of nowhere.

The same sense of enjoyment all the way through was shared by the musicians and by their appreciative Bank Holiday Vortex crowd.

Personnel: Chris Batchelor: trumpet; Steve Buckley: alto saxophone, bass clarinet; Myra Melford: piano; Oren Marshall: tuba; Jim Black: drums

Big Air's CD is on Babel

(*)Drawings copyright Geoff Winston 2011. All rights reserved.

Lift to the Scaffold at the 606

Take the atmosphere of a jazz club. Lights down. A little darker. A shade more D minor. A touch of noir. The 606's first experiment with a band playing to a movie worked well.

There was even a coup de theatre moment as the original soundtrack gave way to the live band, a moment when one discovered quite how uncannily Martin Shaw on (real) trumpet could inhabit the (recorded) persona of Miles Davis. This was a very seasoned band who negociated well the task of bringing out moments of tension and release in the score. For a plot involving nocturnal thieving, the light fingers of Leon Greening on piano were ideal. Andy Panayi was on tenor, for me reminiscent of the harmonically busy Don Byas. Bassist Geoff Gascoyne and drumer Sebastiaan de Krom have a long habit of working together: their communication and common purpose were authoritative, secure, telepathic. It all contributed to a special and sustained atmosphere.

The artistic director of the Sound on Screen Festival Andreas Boyde had made this first selection of extracts from the film. I would say the time passed quickly, and I sensed the audience would happily have taken on more music and more film.

Sebastiaan de Krom was MC'ing the evening. He did it well, the content was interesting, but I found there was slightly too much of it. But be fair, this was a first shot at something new. Next time round his script is bound to be tighter.

It was Carl Jung who said "know your own darkness." And what a great idea that was.

Cheltenham Round-Up Reviews (2)

Kyle Eastwood, BBC Concert Orchestra, Guy Barker Big Band
(Various venues in Cheltenham, 29th Aril 2011, reviews by Jeanie Barton)


The Cheltenham Jazz Festival made me feel like a local; a vibrant collective hubbub of Englishness who centre on the Imperial Gardens with an enthusiastic appreciation of all things Jazz. We circulated the many exotic food and booze stalls and settled into the Arena to watch the charismatic Kyle Eastwood and his band (whose show at Ronnie Scott's we recently reviewed).

He funked up the capacity crowd in the warm dark marquee and we digged his cool 1970s America enthused style. Shortly into the show the heavens opened with a freak thunderstorm which boomed and battered the tent, much to the amusement and excitement of the band and everyone inside (this must have been the best place to shelter!)

The atmosphere was literally electric and the storm seemed to naturally complement and enhance the band’s drum and bass vibe. Kyle was joined by Andrew McCormack (piano and keyboards), Graeme Flowers (trumpet and flugelhorn), Graeme Blevins (tenor and soprano saxophone) and Martyn Kaine (drums). By the time we emerged, the sun had broken through again and it was as though there had never been a cloud in the sky.

We followed up this sitting with BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night which was broadcast live from the Town Hall. It was quite something to behold. The inimitable BBC Concert Orchestra under the baton of Mike Dixon were joined on the raised and raked stage by the Guy Barker Big Band who together played many astounding arrangements (for the most part by Guy himself) to accompany guest singers Georgie Fame, Madeline Bell and Charlie Wood as well as guitarist Martin Taylor. The calibre of the musicians and performers alike could not be more impressive.




Sir Michael Parkinson (above) hosted the event perched at one side of the heaving stage, his ecstasy at his close proximity to the power and scale of the ensemble was obvious.

I felt as though I was in an MGM studio recording. The opulence of the surroundings matched the programme’s regal theme of Jazz Royalty (a nod to the Royal Wedding earlier) presenting music from "Duke" Ellington, "Count" Basie, the "Queen" of Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald and of Soul, Aretha Franklin, the "King" of Swing Benny Goodman and of vocalese "King" Pleasure among others.

There were also intimate moments including the duet between Madeline and Georgie of Hoagy Carmichael’s The Nearness of You, her slight frame perched on his piano stool. Guy Barker was perhaps, to me, the true star of the show; his sumptuous and complex arrangements for the 60+ musicians were literally breathtaking.

I strongly advise you to listen to this recording while it remains on the BBC iPlayer as I could easily write hundreds of words about each number. It was a truly unforgettable experience.

Tristano-ites "Wow. That is so ****ing deep man."

A bit hardcore, this spoof on slavish disciples of Lennie Tristano, which surfaced last weekend, complete with a thoughtful and balanced commentary on Doug Ramsey's Rifftides blog. And there's more if you need it.