Django Bates to play a rare solo gig at the Vortex

''You can't have everything'' as the Django Bates classic has it: but you can hear Django playing solo for the princely sum of £20 in one of London's best jazz rooms in January. No better a way to start 2024 for Django Bates fans with news of a …

Published: 16 Dec 2023. Updated: 4 months.

''You can't have everything'' as the Django Bates classic has it: but you can hear Django playing solo for the princely sum of £20 in one of London's best jazz rooms in January.

No better a way to start 2024 for Django Bates fans with news of a rare solo piano gig at London jazz club the Vortex on 4 January. The influential Loose Tubes era keyboardist and composer writes on Facebook: ''I haven't played Vortex Jazz Club for 10 years. Very excited to revisit my old stamping ground and the scene of so many real-life dreams. Book now or wait for the next one in 2034.''

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Bates' solo work includes the highly collectable Autumn Fires (and Green Shoots) going back to his 1990s tenure on the JMT label - pretty hard even to track down online.

On the club site he adds further thoughts: ''When I began writing new piano music two years ago I wanted to simplify everything in my life, and so began a process of distillation. Emerging compositions such as 'Flurry In The Desert,' 'Iris,' 'My Idea Of A Good Time,' embrace all the ways the piano has been my belovèd friend. From my childhood alone with my favourite toy - a beat-up D'almaine upright (semitone flat) - through my formative experiences in the bands of Dudu Pukwana and Bill Bruford’s Earthworks, to playing the great concert halls of Europe with Anouar Brahem, Dave Holland, and Jack DeJohnette, the piano has been a lifelong companion.'' Link for tickets

Django Bates, photo: ECM

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JD Allen, This, Savant ***1/2

You probably won't have heard tenor saxophonist and composer JD Allen in quite the same way before. Yes, his powerful Coltranian sound is still at the heart of the album but there's a big role too for the mysterious electronics backdrops of Alex …

Published: 16 Dec 2023. Updated: 4 months.

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You probably won't have heard tenor saxophonist and composer JD Allen in quite the same way before. Yes, his powerful Coltranian sound is still at the heart of the album but there's a big role too for the mysterious electronics backdrops of Alex Bonney and a very open role for drummer Gwilym Jones who is tremendous throughout. No stranger to the UK scene in recent years the album was recorded in south London earlier this year. Tracks such as the slogan the London Underground uses 'See it, say it, sorted' are a potent indicator of a player who is embracing change and willing to experiment.