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

This year’s Write Stuffers were out in full force, soaking up every inch of the London Jazz Festival and – as quickly as they had witnessed it- reporting back to us, providing some very insightful and engaging reviews.  

Here are just a few small snippets from reviews that we particularly liked. For full reviews you can visit The Write Stuff’s very own facebook page…but for now this little overview allows for some very pleasant reading...Enjoy! 

Jazz Voice, Barbican

 “The gripping evening came to an end with a collective enchanting tribute to Louis Armstrong’s 110th birthday with ‘What a Wonderful World’, sending listener’s home pleased and pleasantly teased eager to get lost in more of such experiences over the next 9 days of the London Jazz Festival.” Samrit Tekele

“it was Barker’s weighty arrangements that kicked this show, and indeed London’s jazz festivities wide open.” Mark Youll

McCoy Tyner Trio, Barbican

 “McCoy Tyner serves as one of the most commendable elder statesmen of Jazz. Yet, the legendary pianist played like he’s still got something to prove.” Gabi Tartakovsky

Phronesis: Pitch Black, Purcell Room

 “Phronesis did not 'rage against the dying of the light'. Rather they embraced it, the death of vision brought about an uninhibited edge to their playing and to myself in the audience.” Chris Hyde-Harrison

“a theatrical charisma and extreme dynamic ranges….that somehow naturally pull the listener into a very intimate sonic space.” Mak Murtic

Archie Shepp & Joachim Kuhn, Queen Elizabeth Hall

 “Archie Shepp lives up to his reputation, not so much as radical, more about doing his own thing” Roger Thomas

Empirical, Queen Elizabeth Hall

“energetic, and at times, ambient set that sucked from their latest Elements of Truth album, spurring a lengthy approval that was close to greeting Shepp and Kühn’s later, and equally rapturous welcome to the stage.” Mark Youll  

 Magnus Ostrom, The C.A.M.P

“Öström paid a moving tribute to Esbjörn that was swiftly followed by one of the heaviest grooves of the evening, proving that this was both ‘post-E.S.T.’ and singular in its own right…minimalistic yet entirely grooving” Patrick Groenland

Roy Haynes + Peter King, Queen Elizabeth Hall

“the drummer snapped and crackled with an energy unselfishly expended in supporting his trio.” Matthew Ellis

Beats & Pieces, Kings Place

“a fine teaser for what’s to come from a promising band.” Samrit Tekle

Ornette Coleman, Royal Festival Hall

“beautiful experiments at the threshold between ensemble and individual.” Matthew Ellis

This year, we also welcomed back a couple of Write Stuffers from the class of ’08. Still eager to come and enjoy the Festival (who wouldn’t!), Ade Stevenson and Howard Caine delighted us with their reviews all over again. 

Kenny Wheeler & Norma Winstone and the London Vocal Project, St James’ Piccadilly

“It would be a sour soul who wasn’t just a little moved by the joyous atmosphere inside the St James’ Church, Piccadilly last night for an evening with Kenny Wheeler and the London Vocal Project.” Ade Stevenson 

 Gwilym Simcock Trio, 606 Club

“The ever polite wizard of the keys” His trio “fizzed and sparkled like a firework, ideas spinning off in a multitude of directions before being pulled back together for a resolution.” Howard Caine

Serious and Jazzwise celebrate the Write Stuff’s 10th birthday in 2012.  If you are a former Write Stuffer, please contact nadine.wood@serious.org.uk (please include the year you participated), in order to find out what we have in store!