TURNER SIMS celebrates this year the 40th anniversary and, as part of the celebration, presented an exclusive weekend of music with composer and multi-instrumentalist John Surman on 7 and 8 February.
For the upcoming events, visit www.turnersims.co.uk
7/8 Feb John Surman Weeked
JOHN SURMAN WEEKEND | Saturday 7 – Sunday 8 February
Composer and multi-instrumentalist John Surman is one of Britain’s most well-known and well-respected jazz performers, a key figure in a generation of European musicians who expanded the international horizons of jazz during the last three decades of the twentieth century. A stalwart of the ECM record label, and long acknowledged as an improviser of world class, he is composer of a body of work that extends far beyond the perceived boundaries of the jazz repertoire. Turner Sims has enjoyed a strong relationship with John over many years including presenting the first UK live performances of his ECM discs Rain on the Window and Saltash Bells. As part of our 40th anniversary, Turner Sims is delighted to present a weekend of music with Surman at its heart which celebrates this outstanding artist.
20 Feb Courtney Pine/Zoe Rahman
In the 80s he was one of the first black British jazz artists to make a serious mark on the jazz scene and some 20 plus years on, Courtney Pine continues to break new ground with a string of highly acclaimed recordings and prestigious Industry awards. With his latest project, he plans to strip everything right back for the most intimate shows of his long and celebrated career as he takes to the stage playing bass clarinet accompanied only by fellow Mercury nominee and MOBO Award winning pianist, Zoe Rahman. A vibrant and highly individual pianist/composer, her style is deeply rooted in jazz yet it reflects her classical background, British/Bengali heritage and very broad musical taste.
28 Feb Ian Shaw
Ian Shaw vocals
Barry Green piano
Mick Hutton bass
Dave Ohm drums
Charismatic jazz vocalist Ian Shaw returns to Turner Sims. Having amassed a number of highly acclaimed releases Shaw’s performances both in the UK and the US go down a storm. Not without good reason has he been cited, along with Mark Murphy and Kurt Elling, as one of the world’s finest male jazz vocalists.
6 March Azymuth
Alex Malheiros bass
Ivan ‘Mamao’ Conti drums
Fernando Moraes keyboards
Combining funk, soul and jazz with Samba, Azymuth are the legendary Brazilian three piece orchestra who were responsible for creating a new sound and genre of their own – ‘Samba Doido (Crazy Samba)’
Tonight they revisit their legendary debut album, released in the summer of 1975, Azimuth. It is the band’s definitive work, a raw stew of psychedelic guitar fuzz, tripped out of space-funk and lush jazz soundscapes. 2015 sees them reissue this seminal work to mark its 40th anniversary.
13 March Ravi Coltrane
Ravi Coltrane saxophone
David Virelles keyboards, piano
Dezron Douglas bass
Johnathan Blake drums
Grammy-nominated saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, son of the legendary John Coltrane, has matured into an artist at the height of a career built on his talent, not his name. He has been praised for his music’s elusive beauty (Downbeat) and for his style informed by tradition but not encumbered by it (Philadelphia City Paper). Tonight he appears at Turner Sims with his talented quartet.
14 March GoGo Penguin
Chris Illingworth piano
Nick Blacka bass
Rob Turner drums
Manchester trio GoGo Penguin are hotly tipped as the rising stars of the UK Jazz scene. They are an exhilarating live act, drawing on a heady brew of influences from Aphex Twin to Shostakovich, Massive Attack to Manchester’s grey rain-streaked urban streets.
GoGo Penguin’s skittering break-beats, telepathic interplay and a penchant for anthemic melody all contribute to a sound that’s wholly their own. Pianist Chris Illingworth’s yearning classical influenced melodies are filtered through the dance music energy of bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Rob Turner. Their instrumentation might be the archetypal piano trio but while the melodic, harmonic and structural ideas are influenced by both classical and jazz the rhythms are drawn from left field electronica and it’s this meeting of opposites that makes their unique acoustic-electronica sound so exciting and creates such an interesting and emotionally rich palate for the listener - as drawing on a heady brew of influences from Brian Eno, John Cage and Squarepusher. Their album V2.0 (Gondwana Records) was a Mercury Prize album of the year 2014.
19 March Marius Neset
Marius Neset saxophone
Ivo Neame piano
Petter Eldh bass
Jim Hart vibes
Anton Eger drums
In April 2011, Marius Neset released his debut album Golden Xplosion and became one of the most talked-about newcomers on the European jazz scene. He has since continued to dazzle audiences across Europe with his virtuosity on tenor and soprano saxophones, as well as his brilliance as a composer of intricate, compelling music. Tonight’s return to Turner Sims will see him play music from his latest album, backed by his magnificent band.
30 April Andy Sheppard Quartet
Andy Sheppard saxophones
Eivind Aarset guitar
Michel Benita bass
Seb Rochford drums
Legendary British saxophonist Andy Sheppard brings his new quartet to Turner Sims to showcase music from his latest ECM Records release.
For the upcoming events, visit www.turnersims.co.uk
