Coventry Jazz Festival,

Coventry Transport Museum’s new coffee House, Esquires, will see four artists perform in a free prelude to the festival. ‘Best Served Chilled’ features John Shepherd, Wayne Matthews, Matt Bramhall and Gary Rollins.

Clark has been leading his own bands for nearly 30 years as well as working with father, Stan. Like his great hero, Art Blakey, he has always led exciting bebop bands often featuring the cream of the crop of new musicians and this exciting line-up is no exception. Twenty year old vibes sensation, Lewis Wright, – winner of the 2006 Jazz Services best newcomer award – brings a new sparkle to a classic jazz format.

Given her musical pedigree, it’s no surprise that Jacqui is considered to be one of the UK’s finest singers. Over the last few years, Jacqui has made an enormous worldwide impression wowing discerning audiences at places like Ronnie Scott’s in London, The Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles and performing to packed houses at major venues and festivals across the globe. Spring 2009 sees the release of her eagerly awaited third solo album – a delicious mix of her own catchy compositions – fusing jazz, soul and blues – plus snazzy arrangements of a few classics.

“There are very few singers that can sound so good on record and even better when you see them live on stage. Jacqui Dankworth is one of the few who sounds fantastic all the time!”

Michael Parkinson

A flying saucer shaped percussion instrument called ‘the Hang’ give Portico Quartet their inimitable sound. With a mix of ethereal saxophone, spacey percussion, and earthy double-bass, their dance friendly 2008 album, Knee-Deep in the North Sea, was Mercury prize nominated and a winner of Time Out’s jazz album of the year in 2007.

Portico Quartet are Jack Wyllie (soprano Saxophone), Milo Fitzpatrick (double bass), Nick Mulvey (Hang and percussion) and Duncan Bellamy (drums and Hang)

“The darlings of the jazz/leftfield jazz scene”

Big Chill website

Solo jazz guitarist, Si Hayden, launches Saturday with a free gig at the Tin Angel.

A unique character in UK jazz, Themen held down two careers. The first – until his retirement as an orthopaedic surgeon – and the second as a jazz musician. But this was no reflection on his abilities as a player. He was the saxophonist with Stan Tracey’s quartet for over two decades and even found time to play with Cream bassist, Jack Bruce, in his 70’s band (and sometimes having to cut short the performance to go and operate). In this quartet he explores the music of two of his principal influences – Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. He is joined by pianist Dave Newton, drummer Spike Wells and bassist Andy Kleyndert.

Multi-instrumentalist, Theo Travis, teams up with guitarist, Robert Fripp, for a performance of music drawn from their successful 2008 CD Thread. Fripp is best known as founder member of seminal rock band King Crimson, as well as collaborating with the likes of Brian Eno, David Bowie and David Sylvian. With similarly eclectic interests, Travis plays with Gong and Soft Machine Legacy. Ideally suited to the expansive, beautiful and spiritual space that is Coventry Cathedral, this unique event will undoubtedly be something very special and is not to be missed!

Originally brought together for a commission as part of the much-lamented Appleby Jazz Festival, Don Weller’s Big Band has become a regular meeting ground for like-minded jazz musicians. The saxophone line-up alone is a virtual who’s who of British jazz, with Peter King and Alan Barnes just two of the names to mention alongside Don himself. This is a hard swinging band, packed with virtuoso musicians playing with real fire and a palpable sense of enjoyment – a testimony to Weller’s music and his deep knowledge and love of jazz.

Bandleader & Tenor Sax: Don Weller | Trumpets: Martin Shaw, Dick Pearce, Tony Fisher, Stuart Brooks | Trombones: Mark Nightingale, Adrian Fry, Martin Gladdish, Sarah Williams | Saxes: Alan Barnes, Martin Speake, Peter King, Art Themen, Mornington Lockett | Piano: Gareth Williams | Bass: Andy Cleyndert | Drums: Dave Barry

A free preview gig ahead of Empirical with BJ Cole and Roger Beaujolais.

Gary is one of a rare breed of musicians acknowledged internationally as both a drummer and a keyboard player. His classical roots, his development as an improvising talent – not to mention a high profile pop and rock career with Jack Bruce, Jeff Beck and others – are all evidence of his musical personality. Whether working with John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham or cult guitarist Alan Holdsworth, Husband comes across like a force of nature. His new band ‘Drive’ featured on the 2009 album, Hotwired, has Richard Turner on trumpet and electronics, in-demand UK saxophonist Julian Siegel, and American bassist Michael Janisch.

“Immense musical talent.”

John McLaughlin.

Empirical expertly incorporate elements of classical, African and Cuban musical forms into its original, sophisticated, fresh-sounding jazz. They perform with astonishing musical maturity, confidence and cohesiveness. The band continues to evolve as demonstrated with line up changes that introduced vibes player Lewis Wright to the core of Shane Forbes, Nathaniel Facey and Tom Farmer – adding a different element to the bands range and audience appeal.

Cowley has played with some of the best soul and funk bands of the day including the Brand New Heavies, as well as producing critically acclaimed albums that set the world of jazz chill-out music alight. However, he began to find the experience of extracting music from a computer chip unbearable. So with renewed enthusiasm for creativity without technological hindrance, Cowley began composing and (realising a long-standing ambition) formed a jazz trio with Richard Sadler on double bass, and Evan Jenkins on drums. Their success has been astonishing, fuelled both by the music’s catchy hooks and thrilling climaxes – but also by Neil’s sense of humour and easy rapport with his audience.

Tim Garland is widely known as one of the UKs most successful musical exports. He first made international waves playing with Chick Corea and with Bill Bruford’s Earthworks and his prolific output reflects interests well beyond conventional jazz boundaries. Solo projects have sat alongside compositions for symphony orchestras in the UK. His trios have often chosen to perform in spaces with special acoustics and this group featuring bassist Mark Hodgson and John Turville on piano will be well suited to the wonderful ambience of St Mary’s Guildhall. The set will include some tango and Spanish influences.

“Garland’s sheer virtuosity is breathtaking”

The Observer

The name is synonymous with funky music, his pedigree is impeccable and his band is the tightest little funk orchestra on earth. Everyone knows by now that he has played with each and every leader of funk, his start with James Brown – which Maceo describes as “like being at University” – before jumping aboard the Mothership with George Clinton and stretching out with Bootsy’s Rubber Band. He’s the living, breathing pulse which connects the history of funk in one golden thread. For the past sixteen years Maceo has developed his own career with tour de force performances all around the world, building a new funk empire that is fresh and stylistically diverse. He navigates deftly between 1960’s soul and George Clinton’s 1970’s freaky funk while exploring mellower jazz and taking on board newer grooves from the hip-hop scene.

Born in São Paulo, Mônica Vasconcelos served her musical apprenticeship in Brazil before moving to London. There she hooked up with musicians of the calibre of Steve Lodder and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, developing into the leading light on the UK Brazilian scene. With her 2008 album, Hih, the recipient of across board rave reviews, this late night concert catches at her best, in the company of an extended version of her current band – all good friends with a shared love of those deep Brazilian grooves.

“One of the most sophisticated Brazilian artists to have made the UK’s shores her home.”

Songlines

Michael Roach & Johnny Mars
It seems inevitable that acoustic country blues guitarist Michael Roach and electric blues harmonica player, Johnny Mars, would team up to create one of the most exciting blues duos of recent years. Michael Roach, one of thirteen children born to Ted and Sadie Roach of Washington, D.C., USA, sings and plays guitar in an East Coast style of blues that dates back to the 1920s. Songwriter, harmonica player and singer Johnny Mars was raised in a sharecropping family. He was given his first harmonica at age nine. His family lived in various places around the South, including North Carolina, together, they mix country acoustic and city electric blues styles to wonderful effect.

Abie Budgen
With her quirky original songs, unique voice and intricate guitar style Abie is nicely ‘left of left’. Her roots belong in the country blues tradition and the recordings of the 1920s and 30s, and in the madness of Syd Barrett.