British Jazz Blog's Top 3 To Watch @ Marsden jazz Festival 2011

A small portion of my day today, was taken up by the short but never the less arduous train journey from Huddersfield back to Leeds, the bitter taste of a penalty shoot-out defeat for Huddersfield town still ringing true in my mouth. I'm never normally grateful of any sort of train journey to be honest, I grow impatient and continuously wish the excursion over in my head. I know people have bigger problems but that was my dilemma and I'm happy relaying the slight irritation it caused me, although quite how happy you are to be reading about it begs a different response I'm sure. I was, however, grateful of this journey for one reason. As I glanced up at the rail map in an effort to avoid eye contact with an equally moody looking stranger, I noticed the Marsden station situated just outside Huddersfield and thought... Marsden Jazz, its this weekend! Inadvertently the train journey had given me time to get excited about the festival and I had a brief spell to peruse the lineup on my phone and pick out my top 3 acts to go and see. So here they are:

Owl Ensemble

Regular readers to the blog will know how much I rave about Olivia Moore and her Owl Ensemble. A string quartet fused expertly with a jazz trio creates the most hauntingly beautiful of sounds. Elegant motifs played by the quartet are usually underpinned by a slow paced drum part with a heavy groove which drenches the whole concept in class and originality, an incredible unique sound that will not be one to miss!

Submotion Orchestra

Soulful and ambient would be the two words I'd use to describe their sound. Utilizing electronic instruments just as much as they do acoustic ones, Submotion Orchestra are probably one of the more original acts at the festival. Their edgy contemporary sound is accessible aswell as extremely expressive so your bound to take away a lot from of this performance. I've never seen them live but if they're as good on stage as their recorded material insinuates, their gig promises to be a real head turner.

Soweto Kinch

A modern jazz legend! How could I not include Soweto in the lineup! The man's a bit of a genius in my opinion, he's rap, hip-hop and jazz all combined into one disgusting conglomeration which shouldn't work but does, so well!  Want to see a true innovator at work? This is your gig!

British Jazz Blog: New Mailing Address For Press Releases

My super organized draw for the best old press releases and promo's

My mailing address has changed so for anyone who has sent me press releases or promo's by post before please contact me to get the new British Jazz Blog mailing address:

britishjazzblogjosh@googlemail.com

As you can see, I don't get nearly enough stuff sent by post, emails are so boring but so plentiful!

The Stuart McCallum Album I'd Hesitate To Call Jazz - But Who Cares It's Bloody Amazing

As I walked through Leeds' very own Hyde Park today, I took a glance across the landscape at the swathes of students transcending raucously down each of the grassy summits. I looked up at the vibrant blue sky and at the single lonely cloud which was making its way, steadily, along my eye-line and I felt the unlikely sting of the afternoon sun permeating my clothes and beginning to burn my pale, vulnerable skin. But most importantly, most annoyingly infact, I looked deep into my trouser pocket and found that I didn't have my ipod. Disaster!This weather isn't going to be here for long, I need a filmic type moment complete with gorgeous ambient music to fullfill my appreciation of a glorious day and today I couldn't have that, so I improvised. I hummed three tunes from one album, an album of which I wouldn't associate squarely with jazz, but one that I wouldn't dispell from the genre altogether - Stuart Mcallum's 'Distilled'.

McCallum is described on his sites biography as 'Alternative Jazz' and that really comes across in the album. I don't want to say too much to be honest because I honestly feel this album provides more within the experience of listening to it than any amount of descriptive musical jargon splayed out on this page can give. It's a triumph, somehow, for all the senses. I went back out today listening to the title track 'dr Doctor', I returned to the same scene in Hyde Park, saw the same sights and smelt the same smells, only this time I had this incredible soundtrack running in unison with my day. My whole world seemed to envelope me in colour, I felt happy and completely assured that his incredible piece was doing justice to my filmic scene. I felt, in short, Like I was walking confidently through the park as if I was the focal point of the summers biggest blockbuster. I want that feeling every time I walk through that park so I guess I'm going to be listening to a hell of a lot of this album!

Here's the Spotify link: Stuart McCallum - Distilled

Here's Stuart's website: http://stuartmccallum.com/

How British Jazz Is Dispelling Its Contrived Stereotypes

Being a student surrounded by people obsessed with the latest fashion trends and topics, I often encounter the same looks and the same strange responses when I answer the question 'What music do you like?' with 'I like jazz'. I've done a post on the blog before detailing the extensive list of weird stigma's that jazz fans have accumulated (which you can see here) but today thought I'd focus on the music!

There's many labels and inaccuracies attached to jazz which are either completely out of date or just plain perplexing. The following statements are all ones that I have encountered, but instead of ranting arduously about how their wrong, I'll dispel the myth by supplying a UK artist, active on the circuit, who completely contradicts the statement! 

"Jazz is out of touch with the commercial market"

It is simply not possible to say that jazz music is out of touch with the commercial market when such a massive name within said market is the genres biggest advocate! Jamie Cullum does wonders for jazz with his more poppy approach. He's a frequent guest on TV and radio, a household name and a jazz lover!

 "Jazz hasn't progressed for years, its a stationary genre"

I've been told frequently that jazz is a stationary genre and one that hasn't really progressed significantly since the 1980's. The same classics are re-visited, the same musical genius's are thrown up and anyone new that does come around just re-iterates sounds from a by-gone era. Well that couldn't be further from the truth, as mercury nominated jazz outfit 'Portico Quartet' so clearly indicate. Using a steel drum type instrument called a 'Hang', they have revolutionised their music and the sound of contemporary jazz in general. With the melodic steeliness of that hang drum, there's no-one who sounds quite like them!

"All the British Jazz legends have died out"

Its true, a lot of the great British jazz icons have died, Humphrey Lyttelton and Sir John Dankworth just two of the names which spring to mind. However, in the wake of such great names this era is bringing up its own legends. Players like Alan Barnes and Dave Newton who have been performing at the highest level for years contribute so much towards great British jazz and should be hailed as modern legends within their own rights. Obviously its not specific to these two players as there's also the likes of Stan and Clark Tracey and Michael Garrick but these modern heroes deserve just as much celebration as the old school!

"Jazz music is Self indulgent and goes on too long" 

 Listen to any of Neil Cowley's albums and the melodic work is exceptional! He was the pianist on Adele's summer smash 'Rolling In The Deep' so you know your in safe hands. 

 "Jazz is like classical -EXPENSIVE"

Ticket to go and see xfactor live - £38.00                                                             Ticket to go and see the biggest names in jazz at Herts or Seven Jazz - £5.00 

"Jazz is Too much like hard work, I can't be bothered to learn to play it so I'm sure not going to bother listening to it"

Here's a photo of me looking disgusted at you!

No of course tastes differenciate from person to person, so if jazz really isn't your thing then there's nothing wrong with that! Just like an avant-garde dubstep/ folk combination wouldn't be mine!

Move Over London: It's Leeds In The Limelight

Toby Greenwood Is Peering Round His Sax At You

When talking about UK jazz there's a strong tendency to focus largely on London and its immediate surroundings. Being from one of these area's in question, I understand why. There's a vibrant and interesting jazz scene 'Daaan Saaaf' with the obvious clubs like Ronnies, The Vortex and 606 boosting the musical credentials of the capital by a considerable margin. Now, before angry residents situated outside of that M25 ring road jump down my throat, I am also fully aware of the brilliant jazz scene up north, clubs like Seven jazz and Marsden Jazz festival boasting some of the top names in the market! I'm simply saying that because of the higher concentration of jazz clubs within London, it can be a lot easier to familiarise yourself with certain individuals on the circuit, and that therefore our beloved countries northern jazz scene can be slightly under-represented in comparison. Well I'm back in Leeds now so thought I'd give the local scene a pat on the back for producing this guy: Toby Greenwood

Toby Greenwood is a Leeds based musician who has been a professional saxophonist since the age of 16 and according to the Seven Jazz website,  it was with the release of his debut album 'A dove in every pocket' in 2010, short-listed for Jazz Yorkshire Album of the Year, which fully demonstrated his warm and engaging approach to jazz composition. 'A dove in every pocket' features compositions from Toby's seven piece ensemble 'We Free Kings', which features some of the finest Leeds jazz based musicians in... well Leeds! Fearing that I may not be doing the instrumentalists justice with that sentence I think it important to discuss my love for the sound of this superb record!

On his myspace page, Greenwood states that he tries to make jazz which is 'accessible without diluting any of its core jazz' and the reason that I thought that statement was important was because I couldn't think of a more concise description of his sound! The album conforms rigidly at times to some gorgeous but never the less simple harmonic structures before straying into a sort of musical unknown territory. Just as you feel that the piece is running away from you and the groove is subsiding, a strong hook will come crashing in, usually with a couple of instruments in unison and sweep you back off your feet! Its so refreshing to hear an ensemble that also deviate from a standard quartet or trio lineup with the inclusion of a fugelhorn, baritone sax and trombone, and these additions make such an impact on the records sound; smothering it in originality! My favourite track is still the opener 'Childs Place' but with the wealth of great tunes the album boasts, I'm sure that will continue to change through time!

Here's the spotify link to the album: 

Toby Greenwood's We Free Kings - A Dove In Every Pocket

This seven piece has truly blown me away! Go see them on October 2nd at Seven Jazz:

http://www.sevenjazz.co.uk/