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

In 2009, Tim Whitehead was appointed to be the first ever musician Artist in Residence at the Tate Gallery. He spent ten months improvising in front of a series of sketches by JMW Turner. The sketches – known collectively as Colour Beginnings – were described by Turner’s contemporary John Ruskin as “more precious and lovely than any finished drawings.” They reveal the inner workings and raw edges of this genius of light, form and atmosphere and were an inspiration for artists such as Mark Rothko and David Hockney. 

From these improvisations, Tim produced his latest album Colour Beginnings, which he'll perform live at the Festival - at artsdepot, and at the Royal Academy of Arts. Projected images of the sketches will appear throughout the performance, alongside a personal commentary about Turner and his work given by Whitehead himself.

I could spend a further ten minutes attempting to explain this project to you, but this short documentary does a far better job:

Tim Whitehead (vocals, sax), Liam Noble (piano), Pat Bettison (bass), Milo Fell (percussion).

Look forward to seeing all of you art enthusiasts in November...