MORE GIGS TO GO TO
Alyn Shipton “Gerry Mulligan” quartet ST GILES’ CHURCH, OXFORD 21 Mar
“WITH MANY A SOUN OF SONDRY MELODYE” – Geoffrey Chaucer, The Clerk’s Tale: Not wedding music to riff away from the context the phrase cited was meant, that England’s greatest poet before Shakespeare would have been at all familiar with, more a deeply felt statement of jazz vows to be presented centuries on in store at this gig. For a courtly dander to the gig down the old streets of Oxford where Chaucer’s fictional clerk roamed, ‘Walkin’ shoes’ are needed in more senses than a simple pair. In Jeru’s world he grows one, partying not à la Chaucer like it’s 1387 more like 1957 when the great American-Irish baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan (1927-1996) classic Mulligan Meets Monk was issued by Riverside, the sound is the epitome of the much misunderstood term “mainstream” played here at this Oxford church gig to be held in the city of dreaming spires by the double bass playing tweedy BBC Radio 3 Jazz Records Request presenter Alyn Shipton and chums. These are the “Parky jazz” English reeds icon Alan Barnes who fulfils the onerous task of agreeing in best Stars in their Eyes fashion that “Matthew, tonight I’m Gerry Mulligan”; then there’s drummer Clark – “son of Stan” – Tracey who conjures his inner Chico Hamilton fascination; and, not to be outdone, trumpeter Ian Smith dreams he’s Chet! A noted biographer, scholar and trad-jazz loving type elsewhere to boot, Alyn is also the author of The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets (Oxford University Press, 2023). It’s Bob’s your uncle – I mean you in the dear readership if a peregrination for some piano-less 1950s jazz appeals – and why not – with Alyn in the Bob Whitlock spot.
Svaneborg Kardyb NATIONAL CONCERT HALL (THE STUDIO), DUBLIN 21 March
Hans Koller Quartet BURLINGTON HOUSE, CHELTENHAM 23 Mar
Billy Marrows Band, MATT AND PHRED’S, MANCHESTER 25 Mar
Sarah L. King, WORLD HEARTBEAT, 9 ELMS 26 Mar
Tori Freestone Trio 1000 TRADES, BIRMINGHAM 27 Mar
Bremer/McCoy EARTH, DALSTON 29 Mar
The Bad Plus, Chris Potter and Craig Taborn BARBICAN, CITY OF LONDON 30 Mar
Aga Zaryan WESTERN HOTEL, ST IVES, CORNWALL 31 Mar
Nils Petter Molvær Group TRISKEL, CORK CITY 3 Apr
Blair/Huber SJQ, DALSTON 6 Apr
Soft Machine BAND ON THE WALL, MANCHESTER 7 Apr
Chuck Israels PAVILION, GUILDFORD 8 Apr
Rare sighting in England of the Bill Evans legend double bassist Chuck Israels who turns 90 later this year. He’s at the Pavilion with saxist Fraser Smith, guitarist Jonas Metsäkylä and the drummer Steve Brown known for his work with Scott Hamilton. It’s part of a tour – with dates at Chelsea’s 606 on the 9th and Brighton spot The Verdict on the 11th.
Soft Machine ZEFFIRELLIS, AMBLESIDE 8 Apr
Touring the superb Thirteen this spring – as much jazz as it is prog.
Oddgeir Berg Trio SCOTT’S, BELFAST 10 Apr
Daniel Casimir Big Band NORWICH ARTS CENTR, NORWICH 11 Apr
Buckley-Batchelor: Zone-B WOLVERHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE, WOLVERHAMPTON 16 Apr
Jo Harrop HIDDEN ROOMS, CAMBRIDGE 16 Apr
Gediminas Karkauskas WEXFORD ARTS, CENTRE, WEXFORD 17 Apr
Sophie Alloway + Hannah Horton Quartet HAVERHILL ARTS CENTRE, HAVERHILL 18 April
Mark Kavuma THE JAM HOUSE, BIRMINGHAM 22 Apr
Neil Cowley Trio, APEX, BURY ST EDMUNDS 23 Apr
Bill Frisell & Eyvind Kang CADOGAN HALL, CHELSEA 23 Apr
Liane Carroll Trio COWSHED JAZZ CLUB, ASHWELL 24 Apr
Knats THE GLAD CAFE, GLASGOW 1 May
Makaya McCraven NATIONAL CONCERT HALL, DUBLIN 7 May
Mark Nightingale + Hannah Horton Quartet HAVERHILL ARTS CENTRE, HAVERHILL 10 May
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox ANVIL, BASINGSTOKE 13 May
Elina Duni & Rob Luft With Corrie Dick WOLVERHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE, WOLVERHAMPTON 14 May
GoGo Penguin EPIC STUDIOS, NORWICH 23 May
Cécile McLorin Salvant, Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, Oxford 28-29 May
Matt Benson CRESCENT ARTS CENTRE, BELFAST 30 May
Tomorrow’s New Quartet BREWERY ARTS, KENDAL 11 June
Shuteen Erdenebaatar Quartet Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick City 19 June
Quite a revelation in 2023 – Rising Sun from pianist Shuteen Erdenebaatar, a musician hailing from Mongolia where she studied in Ulaanbaatar later championed by the Goethe Institute and excelling academically in Munich, Erdenebaatar was joined by soprano saxophonist Anton Mangold who also plays flute on the record and by bassist Nils Kugelmann and by drummer Valentin Renner. Tunes are strong, often quite bittersweet and poignant in nature, with hints of folklore from her homeland as on the flute line on ‘An Answer From The Distant Hill’. Gentle and thoughtful it’s all highly distinctive and speaks to the heart. Further Irish touring dates in June – the band along with Shuteen are Simon Comté on sax,Kugelmann and drummerAmir Bresler – include Triskel, Cork city (20th); Siamsa Tíre, Tralee (21st); Sugar Club, Dublin (24th); Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray (25th); and Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny (26th).
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis NATIONAL CONCERT HALL, DUBLIN 13 August
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis UNIVERSITY CONCERT HALL, LIMERICK 14 August
MORE FROM MARLBANK – FESTIVALS COMING UP
