World Service Project is to host a free entry festival on 15 and 16 June under their Match&Fuse banner with bands taking part at the fest, to be held at the Vortex in Dalston, to include “mash up” big band Alfie Ryner from France, Redivider from Ireland, Led Bib (UK), Polish mavericks Owls Are Not What They Seem, Italian band Tribraco, trioVD (UK) and Norwegian newcomers, Pixel.

The collaborative boundary-breaking, Eurosceptic-crushing spirit of cultural adventure is at the heart of World Service Project, a band that has championed transEurope explorations at the cutting edge of the young Brit-jazz and Euro-jazz scenes over the past few years. Led by pianist Dave Morecroft, with Tim Ower on saxophone, Raph Clarkson, trombone, Neil Blandford, drums and bassist Conor Chaplin, their latest run of Match and Fuse gigs – the name the band gives to a process that has involved touring with new cutting edge outfits from countries like Norway, Germany and Ireland – this time seeks inspiration from the Eternal City, with Italian band Tribraco. The tour begins tonight in Basingstoke, at the Haymarket.

Tribraco since forming in Rome eight years ago have refused to insulate their loops-laden impulses either in terms of genre by their meshing of free form jazz, electronica and jazz-rock into a sturdy platform for improvising, or by isolating their concepts for narrowly targeted audiences only, as guitarist Lorenzo Tarducci’s band has regularly worked in front of non-jazz audiences performing in the company of actors, video artists and dancers. The latest WSP tour follows January’s gigs with Irish pace setters Redivider and recent appearances at Jez Nelson’s Jazz in the Round and at 12 Points in Portugal. More dates are: Vortex, London, tomorrow (12 April); and the Drum, Birmingham on Friday (13 April).

– Stephen Graham

World Service Project (pictured  above)

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