London Jazz Festival, in association with BBC Radio 3, Friday 11 to Sunday 20 November 2011

Freda, Sophie and myself spent last weekend in the hills at Brecon Jazz Festival, listening to lots of music, meeting lots of jazzers, and eating LOTS of welshcakes.

Here’s a snapshot of the weekend, through the LJF lens…

FRIDAY 

Robert Mitchell 3io:
Very nice. Intricate and flawlessly executed music. Lovely compositions by Robert Mitchell and, as ever, solid support from Tom Mason and Shane Forbes. A classy act.

Robert Mitchell’s Panacea play Charlie Wrights on Friday 11 November.

Image: Tim Dickeson

Fringe magnetic:
Some captivating moments in this set. The pieces that Rory had arranged in a more orchestral style were very strong - he's clearly a great composer with a good ear for arrangement, and certainly the line up suggests he's interested in music with a classical dynamic.

Fringe Magnetic play Kings Place on Saturday 19 November, as part of this year’s Festival residency, showcasing emerging musicians from both sides of the Atlantic.

SATURDAY

Rocking Chair:
Loved this group. They're labelled as Jazz-rock, but it wasn't as simple as that - they're not Acoustic Ladyland or Led Bib - they're probably more jazz than that, but hop into some quirky territory by virtue of some almost pop like melodies, occasionally rock riffs and indie-ish compositions. Some tunes involved some delicate electronics too, which were woven into the music in a very deft fashion and sounded almost Bjork-like at times. They also included a female trumpeter, who was refreshingly good and even more refreshingly understated - both in playing and in gender.

Kevin Brady Trio featuring Bill Carrothers:
Drummer-led but piano-driven. Hard swinging, felt very American in style. A slick outfit, playing with style and assurance.

Yaron Herman trio
It was a shame not to see more people turn out to see Yaron, but those that did caught a touching and clever set, and it was good to see raucous rounds of applause throughout and a good proportion of the audience jumping to their feet at the end.

Polar Bear & Jaeger
Stylistically the pieces felt very well-formed and the introduction of an MC really worked; he had a strong presence without looking like he was trying too hard, which made him instantly accessible, and had the same kind of effortless confidence that Wendy Lewis brings to The Bad Plus. Packed audience and even a couple of crazy dancers in the aisles (who were assumed were just on a musical high..).

Phronesis
Premiere of their new project – Pitch Black. And pitch black it was. For 50 minutes, the trio played in complete darkness and we were invited to experience a live performance “blind”. Not sure we can articulate this better than James Lachno (The Telegraph). The enthusiasm from the audience throughout, plus the leaps to a standing ovation at the end, spoke volumes.

The project will receive it’s London debut at this year’s Festival – on Wednesday 16 November in the Purcell Room.

Image: Cat Munro

SUNDAY

Aquarium:
This proved the perfect Sunday morning tonic. Leader Sam Leak’s melodious, flowing compositions had an inky depth to them - like watercolours – and took the audience on a soothing, satisfying journey through the 75 minute set.

Aquarium play Charlie Wright’s on Sunday 13 November. 

The Sam Crowe group:
Excellent gig with cream of the crop line-up. Interesting and diverse repertoire, excellent musicianship and great chemistry on stage - it was buzzing all the way through. Particularly impressive given that table tennis was played into the wee small hours the night before. Big audience and rapturous reception suggested we weren't the only ones to appreciate this.

Sam Crowe plays Oliver’s on Saturday 19 November.

Image: Tim Dickeson

Stonephace Stabbins:
A tight, but playful affair which gives Larry a great base to play around, though he does this with healthy brevity so it doesn't feel too much like a leader and sidemen. Zoe Rahman is sounding amazing at the moment; really beautiful, generous and open playing. Lovely.

Robert Glasper Experiment
Quite a small audience for this show – but nevertheless the group gave a consummately excellent and undeniably powerful performance.

Robert Glasper Experiment play XOYO on Wednesday 16 November, and then Glasper takes his trio to Kings Place on Friday 18 November, followed by a short UK tour.

Femi Kuti
Amazing performer, great vibes and some amusing anecdotes woven into his set. Fantastic way to end the festival; he had the Big Tent jumpin’.

All in all, a wonderful weekend. Viva la Brecon!

Have a read of the reviews below, to hear what the journos particularly enjoyed:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/brecon-jazz-festival/8700833/Brecon-Jazz-Festival-Phronesis-The-Hall-Christ-College-review.html

http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/news-mainmenu-139/68-2011/12014-jazz-breaking-news-phronesis-shine-in-the-dark-at-buzzing-brecon-jazz-fest

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/aug/16/brecon-jazz-festival-review

http://www.jazzfm.com/2011/08/brecon-jazz-festival-2011/

http://londonjazz.blogspot.com/2011/08/brecon-festival-round-up-of-sunday.html

Image: Amy C's Blackberry