Whirlwind Recordings Night Presented By Michael Janisch

Dubbed the "new label of the moment" (BBC Radio 2) Whirlwind Recordings was established in 2010 by US expat bass player/composer and producer Michael Janisch, who initially created the label to record and promote his debut solo album Purpose Built. Since then the label has grown considerably, releasing an eclectic catalogue of adventurous music that spans genres but with an emphasis on improvisation, with artists on the label ranging from established masters to undiscovered stars in the making. Although many of the Whirlwind musicians already perform here at the Club we thought it would be nice to "formalise" things a little, so from this month (September) we will be presenting a monthly "showcase" of artists featured on the label, including the appearance of "Special Guests" from the UK and beyond. Curated by Michael (a very old friend of the Club) this promises to be an exciting and unique opportunity to hear some of the finest musicians working in the UK in a mix of established and more informal musical settings. And to add a little "spice" to the proceedings there will also be an "invite only" jam session (we love jam sessions!) as part of the second set. To start things off Michael has put together a band that features not only himself on bass (he is widely considered to be one of the best bass players around), but also the wonderful Russian-born saxophonist Zhenya Strigalev. A native of St Petersburg, Zhenya won a full scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating in 2007. Since then this award-winning saxophonist has established himself as one of the UK's leading young jazz musicians, worked extensively both in the UK and the US. In his relatively short career he has already produced four solo albums, the most recent of which, ‘Smiling Organizm: Robin Goodie’, released on Whirlwind, brings together musicians from both sides of the Atlantic, including Ambrose Akinmusire-trumpet, Larry Grenadier (Brad Mehldau)-double bass and Eric Harland (Joshua Redman)-drums and has been received with considerable acclaim. Zhenya's searing, fluent and incisive playing has been featured with numerous high profile bands, including the Moyses dos Santos band that performs regularly here at the Club (3rd) and it is with great pleasure that we welcome him as part of this Whirlwind evening. Completing the line up will be the pianist Rick Simpson and drummer Dave Hamblett. The music promises to be of the highest calibre and watch out for some Special Guests joining the musicians for the late set jam.

“Whirlwind has established itself, in a remarkably short time, as a natural home for music of power and quality.” LondonJazzNews;
"Strigalev...fast and furious, tender and emotional and a whole lot of fun too" Jazzwise;
"As a composer and arranger, Strigalev subverts the roles of soloist and rhythm section but it's his sax playing that lingers." Evening Standard; "...saxophonist Zhenya Strigalev...a leading figure on the UK scene" Jazz FM