Jazz In The Round

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

Jazz In The Round continues on April 30th, starting at 6pm, with a DJ set in the bar.

Arun Ghosh Quartet headline, John Russell to play an exclusive solo set, and we begin the night with World Service Project.

Arun Ghosh Quartet cleverly combines the spirit and language of jazz with the sounds and styles of hip-hop, Indian Classical and folk, western classical, rock and pop. They create a complexity of sounds which is sure to take you on a thought-provoking journey into searching harmonies.

John Russell has been a part of London's free improvisation scene since 1972. After founding the Quaqua project in 1981, Russell went on to form Acta Records in 1987 with John Butcher and Phil Durrant. He has been active consistently during that time as a promoter of concerts of freely improvised music in London, providing hundreds of playing opportunities for both local and international musicians.

Led by pianist/composer Dave Morecroft, World Service Project’s music speaks through dark, intense building passages, winding through dissonance, complex rhythmic manipulation and extreme dynamics. Other times it draws on the language of 20th Century Classical composers layered over boisterous grooves more commonly found in albums by heavy rock artists.

In essence, imagine a four-way cage match between Frank Zappa, Weather Report, Stravinsky and Meshuggah.
The result is high-octane experimental but accessible music with a smile on its face.


“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.”

NEWS: Zara McFarlane, Husk and Finn Peters are all confirmed for May.

As if all that wasn't enough, we're excited to have Gina Southgate as our artist in residence, painting the action as it happens. You can see her work on display in our foyer, on her website, and of course watch her painting live on the night...