Jazz In The Round

Barrier-busting jazz/contemporary music binge with Jazz on 3 presenter Jez Nelson. Every last Monday.

Jason Yarde's TRIO WAH! headline, New York based saxophonist Matana Roberts to play a UK exclusive solo set, and we begin the night with supernatural soul from Shadow Writing

“This night is the sort of thing I've wanted to be involved in for a long time,” says Jez. “The idea is to bring together bands and artists from different scenes, genres, cultures and generations. Our only watchword is quality. We considered calling the night ‘Jazz Snobs Eat Shit’ but decided it might limit our PR. But you get the idea. The whole thing happens in the round, so there's a real intimacy between musicians and audience. Every night we have 3 acts - a headliner, a brand new act, and a one-off solo spot. I talk to the artists about whatever is on their mind - and dust down my Blue Note and impulse collections for a DJ set in the bar at the end of the night."

Jason Yarde's TRIO WAH!

Jason Yarde saxophones, Larry Bartley bass, Mike Pickering drums

In contrast to playing in the big bands of Andrew Hill, McCoy Tyner, Sam Rivers, Hermeto Pascoal, Roy Ayers, Manu Dibango and his own Acoutastic Bombastic... Trio WAH! is a chance to hear Yarde's playing and compositions in an intimate and stripped down setting.

Jason and Larry (Courtney Pine, Byron Wallen, etc...) forged their musical relationship through playing in the original Jazz Warriors and Mike (Billy Jenkins, Christine Tobin, etc...) and Jason through the London based 12 piece, Rare Mix.

Over the 15+ years since, they have developed a fluid trio connection covering greatly varied musical terrain. From tight and constantly shifting rhythmic patterns to free flowing rhapsodic episodes. Trio WAH! Can cover the calm and the storm within a few bars never losing the important elements of rhythm, melody and even harmony in this exposed format.

'The group modulates easily from spacious post-bop to dirty grooves via Ornetts-ish noise, showing a creative approach to form…' - Jazzwise

Shadow Writing

Neo Joshua (vocs), Dave O’Brien (keys), Richard Gold (guitar) and Ed Hiller (drums) Andrew Woolf (tenor sax), Pete Horsfall (trumpet)

Original, thoughtful, intense and uplifting progressive soul music, delving into lyrical territory that obscures the lines between reality and the supernatural with an ever-inquisitive sensibility for the unusual.

Sleeve notes: Sean Corby's exclusive interviews with Jason Yarde, Dave Elliot and Shadow Writing are at prodigaljazztalk

NEWS: Arun Gosh Quartet, World Service Project and John Russell are all confirmed for April.

Says Jez “Jazz in the UK is in a really healthy state. Week by week I hear strong CDs and see excellent gigs. And it's coming from all directions. Free music, electronica, more mainstream things, dance music, big bands. There are scores of excellent players coming out of colleges, but still great things rising up from underground scenes. We're still lucky to be able to hear great legends of UK jazz who started out in the 60s onwards, as well as new artists just finding their feet. We want to reflect and mix all of this.”

For The Cockpit, Jazz In The Round marks a return to musical form. Forty years ago, Humprey Burton broadcast T. Rex, among others, from the iconic sixties theatre off Marylebone’s Lisson Grove, as part of the London Weekend Television Music In The Round series (Video p.1 - Video p.2). Now, Jez Nelson’s Somethin’ Else, The Cockpit, and Prodigal Jazz, with sponsorship from Loudwater Partners, are reinventing the format as a live gig – though each night will be recorded.

Jez adds: “ It's only 7 quid to get in! I hope this means we continue to get a really wide range of people coming along just to open their minds and check things out."

For tickets call The Cockpit box office on: 020 7258 2925 (lines open 12-6 Monday to Friday), or scroll down to buy online.

Tickets £7 online, by phone or on the door (if you're lucky)