STOP PRESS: 5 star reviews and other cool coverage for Jazz In The Round first night.

Jazz In The Round continues on May 28th, starting at 6pm, with a DJ set in the bar. First act at 8pm and tickets (book below) are £7. 

Zara McFarlane headlines, Finn Peters to play an exclusive solo set, and we begin the night with Husk

28 year-old London vocalist, Zara McFarlane, has made a string of impressive appearances with musicians who do no choose their collaborators without careful consideration –Denys Baptiste, Orphy Robinson, Soweto Kinch and Jazz Jamaica All Stars to name but some. In 2001 she studied popular music performance at Thames Valley University and then went on to complete a Masters Degree in Jazz Studies at the Guildhall School of Music in 2009. McFarlane is as drawn to popular culture as she is high art, and her work to date wholeheartedly shows that she is comfortable in a wide variety of contexts. She has collaborated with the acclaimed house producer Bopstar, contributed one of her original compositions to the contemporary soul compilation Basement Soul and also done gigs with South African icon Hugh Masekela and the gifted British pianist and arranger Alex Wilson. McFarlane adds a soul undercurrent to traditional jazz, so appeals to audiences  weaned as much on Jill Scott and Erykah Badu as Cassandra Wilson and Dianne Reeves.

Finn Peters is one of the leading flute and sax players in the UK today. Coming from a long-line of musicians, after spending his teens practicing non-stop, he studied musicology at Durham University, then completed a post-graduate course at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.His widescreen approach to composition and improvisation comes from working with some of the last decade's most progressive artists. Moving to London in 1994 exposed Finn to many disparate musical styles, from which he has created an individual and genre-spanning musical language. He has traveled the world as a much-in-demand session player and has continued to learn about music from around the globe. This explorative nature has lead him to work with such pioneers as Frederick Rzewski, Bill Frisell, DJ Spinna, Sam Rivers and Sa-Ra creative partners, to name a few. All the while he has been developing his own productions, writing and playing and forging a new musical alloy from this melting pot of traditions.

Husk
Sam Wooster, Jimmy Brewer, Ashley Trigg, Jim Bashford

Led by Trumpeter, Sam Wooster, Husk’s original sound combines their collective obsession with both free jazz improv and Heavy Metal. Wooster on trumpet and digital effects, Jimmy Brewer on electric guitar, Ashley Trigg on bass, and Jim Bashford on drums also cite Vietnamese trumpeter Cuong Vu as a major influence. Formally The Sam Wooster Quartet, the group began in 2007 as the brain child of Sam Wooster and Tom Sinnett. Initially starting as a trio they experimented with the music of Cuong Vu. They performed around Birmingham for a year before embarking on their first original musical project with the addition of Jimmy Brewer on Guitar. Their debut album ‘Cap-a-tan’ incorporated along side the influence of Cuong Vu, the coarse sound of Indie Rock, sweeping textural sound-scapes and free improvisation.

“This night is the sort of thing I've wanted to be involved in for a long time,” says Jez. “The idea is to bring together bands and artists from different scenes, genres, cultures and generations. Our only watchword is quality. We considered calling the night ‘Jazz Snobs Eat Shit’ but decided it might limit our PR. But you get the idea. The whole thing  happens in the round, so there's a real intimacy between musicians and audience. Every night we have 3 acts - a headliner, a brand new act, and a one-off solo spot. I talk to the artists about whatever is on their mind - and dust down my Blue Note and impulse collections for a DJ set in the bar at the end of the night.”

NEWS: Troyka, Howard Riley and Sack O' Woe Qnt (ft Mark Crown & Lucas Dodd) are all confirmed for June. 

As if all that wasn't enough, we're excited to have Gina Southgate as our artist in residence, painting the action as it happens.  You can see her work on display in our foyer, on her website, and of course watch her painting live on the night...

Says Jez “Jazz in the UK is in a really healthy state. Week by week I hear strong CDs and see excellent gigs. And it's coming from all directions. Free music, electronica, more mainstream things, dance music, big bands. There are scores of excellent players coming out of colleges, but still great things rising up from underground scenes. We're still lucky to be able to hear great legends of UK jazz who started out in the 60s onwards, as well as new artists just finding their feet. We want to reflect and mix all of this.”

For The Cockpit, Jazz In The Round marks a return to musical form. Forty years ago, Humprey Burton broadcast T. Rex, among others, from the iconic seventies theatre off Marylebone’s Lisson Grove, as part of the London Weekend Television Music In The Round series (Video p.1 - Video p.2). Now, Jez Nelson’s Somethin’ Else, The Cockpit, and Prodigal Jazz, with sponsorship from Loudwater Partners, are reinventing the format as a live gig – though each night will be recorded.

Jez adds: “It's only 7 quid to get in! I hope this  means we continue to get a really wide range of people coming along just to open their minds and check things out."

Videos from February's JITR:

Every last Monday in the month. Starting at 6pm, with DJ set in the bar. First band 8pm.