Three very distinctive jazz talents come together under the banner of eXplorations to play Kings Place in London over the next three nights beginning this evening. Trumpeter Jay Phelps, alto sax player/MC Soweto Kinch and pianist Alex Wilson will offer a unique insight into both their separate approaches to composition and performance, and by joining in collaborative numbers demonstrate the interplay between the three players as each lead on the different nights.

Phelps, a Canadian who is very much at the heart of the contemporary UK jazz scene, brings to mind on the one hand a figure like the late Freddie Hubbard who during his long career managed to be both part of the experimental free jazz scene and the exciting end of everyman hard bop. Phelps when he was a member of Empirical was clearly one of the fast generation of UK-based players making their mark, and with original first album members Kit Downes, Neil Charles, Shaney Forbes and Nathaniel Facey, seemed to come out of nowhere and get there mighty fast.

Splitting from the group Phelps made a debut LP called Jay Walkin’ (again the comparison with Hubbard and even earlier trumpet heroes like Rex Stewart spring to mind) which was remarkable for channelling the consensus retro hip currents of the time without seeming dated. So old jazz heads, who might have cut their teeth in the golden age of the 1940s and 50s with a taste for bop and beyond, could nod along contentedly, while more impulsive younger heads schooled on M-BASE and hip hop could appreciate the craft of Phelps and dig the message. Phelps often plays at the Late Show in Ronnie Scott’s and during Avishai Cohen’s storming stint at the club last year came on, after Cohen cleared the stand, in the company of drummer Matt Home and Tim Thornton to jam in a relaxed setting. The pair appear here with pianist Jonathan Gee and Phelps to complete the quartet. But the evening also features Phelps’ big band for which he has written a special suite 'Movements For The Modern Artist' and he’s also joined tonight by co-curators Kinch and Wilson for a few numbers plus singer Gwyneth Herbert fresh from her fine Fran Landesman tribute at Pizza Express Jazz Club earlier this month. Michael Mwenso will also join, adding to the mix of great talent. Phelps is also incidentally a band member, in a playing and acting role, in Dancing On The Edge, currently in post-production, a Stephen Poliakoff written and directed drama set in the early-1930s following the fictionalised fortunes of the Louis Lester Band (a nod to the world of Ken Snakehips Johnson and Jiver Hutchinson).

Tomorrow Phelps returns the favour by joining Birmingham’s Soweto Kinch as a guest with Zurich-based Alex Wilson appearing on stage too, continuing the collaborative spirit of the three-day series. Kinch previews tunes from new CD The Legend of Mike Smith, based on the Seven Deadly Sins and Dante’s Inferno and is expected later this year. Saturday’s show is a complete contrast, with collaborations led by the fine AfroCuban stylist Wilson who brings his trio to play a suite for piano, string quartet and kora player Kadialy Kouyaté, with Phelps and Kinch returning for some numbers.

- Stephen Graham

Jay Phelps (above)

For tickets go to www.kingsplace.co.uk

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The regular trio of reeds player Shabaka Hutchings, drummer Tony Marsh and double bass player Guillaume Viltard took their own brand of free improv to Café Oto last night.

The band was able to stop and start on a pinpoint, presenting short song-length pieces eschewing the regularly heard extensive sets often found in the genre. Viltard has made a name for himself by taking on the challenge of playing unamplified, which he did to great effect. Not allowing himself to be subdued by his partners, the audience was rewarded with the unaltered woody tone of a bass instead of an amp. Marsh is every bass player’s best friend: a drummer who can play quietly when he needs to, he was able to significantly alter his dynamics without losing groove or propulsion.

Hutchings who switched between sax and clarinet was thankfully not afraid to delve into more tonal improvisation giving their sound a diverse edge. A true testament to communal spirit no single member of the group stood out from the others, rather they were at their best when together. The trio will be playing at Arch1 in West Ham, London on 1 March and 5 April. 

Pictured: Guillaume Viltard (above left) and Tony Marsh

Story and photos – Chris Hyde-Harrison

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Nearly four years after their demise following the tragic death of pianist and composer Esbjörn Svensson in a diving accident in June 2008 a new EST studio album, 301, is set for release on 30 March on the ACT label. Formed in Sweden in the early-1990s EST grew to be the biggest and most influential new presence on the jazz scene during the millennium decade, releasing 12 acclaimed albums and reaching beyond the core jazz audience to hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide. Their extraordinary empathy, highly tuned melodic imagination, powerful improvisation, hunger for change and that all important “magic touch” saw them redefine the piano trio, taking jazz to new audiences, from Radiohead fans to classical heads, without compromising the integrity or soul of the music. From Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau to Courtney Pine and Jamie Cullum few were not won over by their unique talent, and their appetite to continually evolve and experiment saw the trio’s final album, Leucocyte, recorded in 301 Studios, Sydney Australia just prior to Svensson’s death, become their most radical departure yet. In addition to the released album nine hours of music were tracked at the Leucocyte sessions and it was Esbjörn’s initial plan to edit it down to a double album, or release two consecutive albums. In the circumstances following his death it was decided to release it just the single album.

In November 2011 after both recording solo albums and touring, bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Östrom decided to revisit the sessions and together with their sound and recording engineer Åke Linton, whose electronics played a key part in these recordings, decided to edit the remaining material. The result is 301, an album of new unreleased EST music named after the Sydney studio where it was recorded. The news of its release is set to create a huge buzz in the jazz world where the group left a vast vacuum still to be filled. Word from EST’s manager, Burkhard Hopper, suggests 301 falls between the experimentalism of Leucocyte and the classic EST sound of 2007’s Live In Hamburg, which was voted in Jazzwise’s top three jazz albums of that year and as album of the decade by The Times. Reasons to be very cheerful amidst a month of escalating gloom.

– Jon Newey

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World Service Project are to be part of the line-up of a dozen of Europe’s new cutting edge jazz and improvising bands and artists to gather at the 12 Points! festival next month. Innovation is the watchword for the festival, the brainchild of the forward thinking Improvised Music Company, headed up by musician and broadcaster Gerry Godley. 12 Points! moves around Europe choosing new, often little known, bands who have sparked initial word of mouth interest to represent their countries informally at the annual fest. Previous 12 Points gatherings have been held in the Irish capital Dublin and the Norwegian city of Stavanger, but this year switches to the Casa da Música in the Portuguese city of Porto spread over three days from 16-19 February.


The festival specifically appeals to the audience’s more adventurous instincts by saying “you’ve never heard of these bands – yet.” Bands taking part in addition to World Service Project, who were in action touring at the weekend in the UK with ReDiviDeR, are Bosnian sevda band Divanhana, Polish saxophonist Maciej Obara who appeared at the Jazz and Experimental Music from Poland Festival in London last year; Berlin band Schneeweiss und Rosenrot are Germany’s representatives, while Copenhagen's Afrobeat and Ethio-jazz influenced Girls in Airports, the Norwegian outfit Machine Birds, Parisian quintet Actuum, Finns Big Blue, Irish band Thought-Fox, Portuguese bass virtuoso Hugo Carvalhais, Belgian avant garde piano trio De Beren Gieren – in action at last September’s inaugural Belgian Jazz Meeting in Bruges – and the Italian Livio Minafra, complete the line-up.

– Stephen Graham

 World Service Project (top) and Girls In Airports

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Jazz FM is extending its commitment to live music with upcoming tour dates across the UK featuring the Marcus Miller Band, Kyle Eastwood Band, two special concerts by MOBO award winning saxophonist Yolanda Brown with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, and a continuation of its Discovery nights at London’s Boisdale club in Canary Wharf. The radio station, which launched with an Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie Orchestra Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March 1990, Ella's final performance in Europe, has appointed a new head of live music, Chélima Fadé, who has been working with jazz producers and venues such as Serious, Manchester’s Band on the Wall and Gateshead’s Sage. Meanwhile Jazz FM is to broadcast a special concert by Roy Ayers and his band on 28 January at 6pm. Recorded last summer at St Saviour’s primary school in London’s Little Venice district, the vibes player brought his own inimitable brand of jazz-funk to the children as part of the school’s commitment to highlighting the importance of music in young people’s lives. Tour dates are: Yolanda Brown and The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (London Hammersmith Apollo, 14 and 17 February); Kyle Eastwood Band (Birmingham Glee Club, 24-25 April; Manchester Royal Northern College of Music, 4 May); Marcus Miller Band (London Royal Festival Hall, 4 May; Manchester HMV Ritz, 6 May). The weekly Discovery shows at The Boisdale are: Dennis Rollins’ Velocity Trio (1 Feb); Monica Vasconcelos (8 Feb); Celloman (15 Feb); Sarah Gillespie (22 Feb); Clara Sanabras (29 Feb); Lovely Laura (7 March); and Troyka (14 March).

– Jon Newey

Yolanda Brown (above, left). For bookings and more information visit www.jazzfm.com

The young and outspoken trio Badbadnotgood who have garnered a huge following over the last six months in their first UK performance showed us why on Friday. Brought over to the UK by Gilles Peterson for his Worldwide awards, Badbadnotgood found themselves in front of a throbbing packed house at Shoreditch venue XOYO. The crowd erupted upon hearing the first few bars of the first song Waka Flocka Flame’s ‘Hard in da Paint’. Following on from this their set included covers of tunes by A Tribe Called Quest and last year’s fast rising rapper Tyler the Creator.

Featuring keys player Matt Tavares, drummer Alex Sowinski and Chester Hansen on bass the trio spent the entire set locked in eye contact with each other, only facing the audience to announce songs. Instead of alienating themselves from the crowd this approach allowed them to develop a tight grove with which to animate them.

Not yet graduated from their course at Canada’s Humber college the band have done what so many others have tried and failed at: they’ve brought jazz improvisation to a new and young audience. The reasons for their success are simple: they play songs that today’s youth know, their music is for the dance floor rather than seated venues and finally and perhaps most importantly they give away all their music for free.

– Chris Hyde-Harrison

To download their material, or to stream tracks, go to www.badbadnotgood.com

The biggest headlining gig to date so far in the UK by Robert Glasper and the first appearance of the brand new Pat Metheny Unity Band have just been confirmed for shows later in 2012 by London’s Barbican. The gigs mark the return of two of the most influential jazz musicians of our times, one a master who first made his mark in the 1970s, the other a new force to be reckoned with exerting wide influence over a generation as at ease with jazz as it is with hip hop and neo-soul.

Metheny, who has 18 Grammys to his name and is one of the most enduringly influential and creative jazz- and rock-influenced guitarists on the planet, comes to the UK with a new band dubbed the Pat Metheny Unity Band with saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist Ben Williams and long time drummer Antonio Sanchez. Metheny released a solo guitar record What’s It All About last year which for the first time in the guitarist’s long playing career, dating back to before 70s debut album Bright Size Life, featured primarily rock and pop covers often tunes he plays at soundchecks, and which fans had often asked him over the years to record. There’s no word yet of a recording by the new high powered Unity Band. 

Robert Glasper, who is on the cover of Jazzwise for the first time featuring on the front of the February issue published later this week, is about to release Black Radio, his most ambitious record to date. Featuring a host of hip hop and neo-soul household names including Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, Ledisi, Erykah Badu and Bilal along with his band the Experiment, Glasper is in the vanguard of the latest wave of jazz musicians to bring their music to a new audience many of whom are dipping their toes in improvising waters for the first time. His potent blend of Herbie Hancock-influenced piano and keyboards flair, hip hop, accessible beats, and blinding solo runs was witnessed by an enthusiastic crowd of young gig goers at indie venue XOYO back in November where Glasper on Motif keyboards developed numbers organically with nods to daisy age hip hop, with among the highlights the great Beatles song ‘Yesterday’ segueing via Casey Benjamin on vocodered vocals into Hancock’s ‘Butterfly’.

Glasper speaking exclusively to Jazzwise for the cover story says: “I just feel people have one narrow mind and a certain idea of what jazz is supposed to sound like. To me, jazz is the present, all the time, and that’s why I bring current elements into the music, because this is what I have a connection with.”

– Stephen Graham

Robert Glasper (pictured above left) and Pat Metheny

The Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Bilal play the Barbican in London on 14 May. The Pat Metheny Unity Band play there on 8 July. For tickets go to www.barbican.org.uk

If you’re out and about in central London then there’s just time to get down to the South Bank Centre where there’s a great chance to catch Get the Blessing perform in the intimate setting of the  Front Room for Friday Tonic. The Front Room gig is also a unique chance to hear the band with guest drummer Daisy Palmer from Goldfrapp in for Clive Deamer. Get The Blessing, as previously reported in jazzwisemagazine.com before Christmas, are returning after an absence of more than two years since their last album Bugs In Amber.

OC DC, out on 5 March is their first for Salisbury-based label Naim jazz and the new album has eight numbers so expect a few previews tonight to follow tasters in Bristol and Bath at the tail end of 2011. Title track ‘OC DC’; ‘Americano Meccano’; ‘Torque’; ‘Adagio in Wot Minor’; ‘Between Fear and Sex’; ‘The Waiting’; ‘Low Earth Orbit’; and ‘Pentopia’, are the ones to listen out for and check the monstrous bass opening to title track ‘OC DC’ if it’s on the set list.

The new material draws to mind the world of 1970s Brit crime flicks and this connection to the likes of Get Carter goes back to the early days of Portishead, which Get The Blessing owes a direct lineage to as the seminal trip hop band played to live screenings of the film in their early days. The Get The Blessing sound is remarkable for its “behind the beat” post-hard bop and trip hop feel and the recessed rhythms of Barr, the guiding light with Deamer of Get The Blessing, which originally debuted as The Blessing naming itself after the Ornette Coleman song from Something Else!!!!.

– Stephen Graham

Interesting melodies and well-crafted solos over a swinging organ-and-drums rhythm section quickly warmed up the Hideaway audience on a chilly winter evening last Friday. Trumpeter Quentin Collins and tenor saxophonist Brandon Allen share inspiration in the glory days of hard bop and the music of Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley and its other great proponents but, while they bring its values to their own quartet, this is no mere tribute band. Their music is all original and their two opening numbers, the title track of their current album ‘What’s It Gonna Be?’ and ‘No Way José’ highlighted the writing talents of both co-leaders. Each of their songs has a distinctive character, often long-form and gradually unfolding with several sections and interludes between solos, punctuated with effective rhythmic kicks. Both pace their solos well, maintaining the audience’s attention with skilfully developed ideas and a sense of form. The virtuosity is there but never overstated. Drummer Enzo Zirilli plays a key role in all this, supporting and prodding, always swinging. Mike Gorman, substituting on organ for Ross Stanley, more than rose to this challenge with swinging bass lines and chords and several fine solos.

Guesting with the quartet in their second set was acoustic guitar master Antonio Forcione. His music is a far remove from hard bop, with influences ranging from flamenco to Balkan and from Arabic to American acoustic guitar styles, but he is thoroughly conversant with the jazz language. Opening with his dramatic ‘Africa’ and concluding with his joyful ‘Maurizio’s Party’, the contrasting character of this set rounded off an excellent evening of creative music.

– Charles Alexander

The Quentin Collins / Brandon Allen Quartet has a monthly residency, The Late Set Sessions, at Hideaway featuring a guest artist. The February date features guest Hamish Stuart bit.ly/wNEFkN

Avant jazz-funk band WorldService Project are joined by ReDiViDeR on the latest Match and Fuse tour at the Vortex in London tomorrow night (Friday 19 Jan). They’ll then take the show across the country this weekend with a free entry gig at the Café Bar Contemporary in Nottingham on Saturday; to Leftbank in Bristol on Sunday; with a further date planned for Dublin in the summer. The ongoing Match and Fuse projects have seen WSP tour alongside their various peers from across Europe. For those who missed WSP’s previous couplings with Norway’s SynKoke and the Berlin based band Schulbus, accompanying dual band EPs for sale from each earlier tour will be available at the tour venues. At this weekend’s gigs there will also be a third EP split between WSP and ReDiViDeR available to purchase. WSP is led by pianist Dave Morecroft, joined by Tim Ower on saxophone, Raph Clarkson on trombone, Neil Blandford on drums and the young up-and-coming bassist Conor Chaplin who can also be found laying down equally funky lines in trumpeter Laura Jurd’s Quartet. After their pairing with breakout Irish band ReDiViDeR (below, right) WSP play a string of solo dates before they join Italian band Tribaco for a quick tour across the UK and then Italy.

– Chris Hyde-Harrison

For the London date click www.vortexjazz.co.uk, Nottingham www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/event/world-service-project-0 and Bristol www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/leftbank/sun-22-jan-match-amp-fuse-feat-wsp-amp-more-5393