This is the first night of a 3-day festival commemorating Jelly Roll Morton, who died 75 years ago this weekend, and celebrating how his spirit lives on – but with a very different musical legacy! – in East London today. Featuring gu zheng (Chinese harp) virtuoso Zhu Meng Xiao, sitar maestro Baluji Shrivastav, tabla wizard Yousuf Ali Khanand Shanti Paul Jayasinha (who combines amazing jazz chops with deep roots in South Asian music), their stunning improvisation transforms ancient Chinese court music, Indian classical ragas and Bengali traditional song – with surprising harmonic and rhythmic twists.
LINE UP
Zhu Xiao Meng (China) – gu zheng (Chinese harp)
Baluji Shrivastav (India) – sitar, dilruba
Yousuf Ali Khan (Bangladesh) – tabla, dholak
Shanti Paul Jayasinha (Sri Lanka/Scotland) – trumpet, flugelhorn
Louise Elliott (Australia) – tenor saxophone, flute
Gerry Hunt (England) – guitar, soprano saxophone
Andres Lafone (Uruguay) – bass guitar
Paul Clarvis (England) – drums
under the direction of Tony Haynes (piano, trombone) – composer/arranger
Grand Union presents its incomparable roster of world jazz musicians playing in an unusual variety of musical contexts in the intimate cabaret setting of the Vortex.
“The Grand Union Orchestra has been making great, radical world jazz in the musical melting pot of London’s East End for thirty years.” – Duncan Heining, Jazzwise Magazine
For complete details, go to
www.tonyhaynesmusic.wordpress.com