Birmingham Jazz Festival

[MilkyBarKid]

I've just looked at the lineup for this festival and I know amost none of the acts - can anyone recommend some acts with good bass players - funk, fusion that might be worth seeing.

Thanks

 

[Jakester]

Hmm, of the lineup I think I recognise Chris Bowden (sax) and Art Themen (also sax), and 'Shanghai Hustle' has Tom Clarke-Hill playing, who's a great double-bassist (and was once the voice of Tony the Tiger!) but other than that, no idea, sorry. 

 

There was a core of very good musicians on the Brum jazz scene back when I lived up there like Percy Pursglove, so hopefully that's still the case. 

 

Perhaps get along to a couple of gigs and see what's what?

[Leonard Smalls]

The Antidote are pretty good in a jazz-but-funky sort of way...

[jazzyvee]

I'm a brummie through and through and a lover of jazz but I am embarrassed by the Birmingham Jazz festival it's a joke compared to any other jazz festival I have been to around the UK. 

Every year that festival is on i'm put off because most of the bands are the trad jazz and little of the modern jazz and rarely any kind of  fusion or jazz funk.  Anything that has Tom Hill, Art Themen or Chris Bowden playing in is worth going to see. Both are extremely good players.  One year when it covered Solihull, i went there for and there was not a single band playing jazz music at all. There was a bands playing country, ska and other non jazz genres.

 

There are a lot of superb jazz musicians and younger jazz musicians with new slants on the genre in and around Birmingham but they don't seem to fit with the theme of the Birmingham "Trad" Jazz festival.  If i'm honest i think it needs to be scrapped until it can provide a more diverse range of music.

 

Let me have a look at the lineup for this year and see if i can be pleasantly surprised. 🥱

[Jakester]

16 minutes ago, jazzyvee said:

I'm a brummie through and through and a lover of jazz but I am embarrassed by the Birmingham Jazz festival it's a joke compared to any other jazz festival I have been to around the UK. 

Every year that festival is on i'm put off because most of the bands are the trad jazz and little of the modern jazz and rarely any kind of  fusion or jazz funk.  Anything that has Tom Hill, Art Themen or Chris Bowden playing in is worth going to see. Both are extremely good players.  One year when it covered Solihull, i went there for and there was not a single band playing jazz music at all. There was a bands playing country, ska and other non jazz genres.

 

There are a lot of superb jazz musicians and younger jazz musicians with new slants on the genre in and around Birmingham but they don't seem to fit with the theme of the Birmingham "Trad" Jazz festival.  If i'm honest i think it needs to be scrapped until it can provide a more diverse range of music.

 

Let me have a look at the lineup for this year and see if i can be pleasantly surprised. 🥱

 

Yep, I think a better shout would be the Mostly (Moseley) Jazz & Soul festival, which at least has some decent artists appearing!

 

I think the problem with the Brum 'scene' is that it's stitched up by a few people who are very protective and as you say, lean far more towards the 'trad' end of things. I remember a run-in with one of them when I was trying to get gigs, and his exact words were "why should I give you a gig when I've never seen you at one of my gigs?" (meaning Birmingham Jazz gigs, which was of course patently untrue!). Very much gatekeeping unless you paid the appropriate amount of fealty. 

[MetricMike]

I enjoyed ARQ (Alison Raynor Quartet when I saw them in Nottingham at the end of last year, and Alison Raynor certainly knows her way around a bass.

 

A sample of what they do
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IHvKXPDKDs&ab_channel=blowthefusemusic

 

[jazzyvee]

I have seen Alison Raynor Qt a number of times and they are a great band.

Mostly Jazz festival is a more representative of what I would consider a Birmingham Jazz festival. Shame it is only over a long weekend. Actually my band has played there a few years ago.

The Birmingham Jazz festival is not put on by the organisation called "Birmingham Jazz". Birmingham Jazz put on smaller gigs which I have been to over the years and occasionally have a small festival.

The Birmingham Jazz festival now called (Birmingham Sandwell & Westside festval) is put on by an organisation called Big Bear Music which i think is based in wolverhampton. Here is this year's lineup.
http://www.birminghamjazzfestival.com/calendar/

Let me know of any hard hitting jazz funk or fusion bands in the roster.