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Tue, 9 Apr

 

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Please browse our programme, scroll down through the upcoming gigs below or select another date in the calendar on the left.

 

Coming up...

• Fri 24 May | 8.30pm
•  £10
• Book online

Steve Noble / Colin Webster / Alex Ward +
Dead Days Beyond Help

Unfortunately Sheik Anorak is unable to play at the Vortex tonight,
so in a change to the advertised programme the line up will be:
Steve Noble / Colin Webster / Alex Ward
+ Dead Days Beyond Help

Steve Noble / Colin Webster / Alex Ward

Three of our most musically adventurous minds come together for what promises to be a thrilling night of raw and uncompromising music.

Steve Noble studied with the Nigerian master-drummer Elkan Ogunde & his earliest professional playing was with Neneh Cherry's avant garde jazz-pop group, Rip Rig And Panic. Since then he's become one our great musical explorers, taking improvisation to new realms. Sax player Colin Webster is a fearless collaborator, working with musicians from Led Bib's Mark Holub to Dutch free-metal pioneers Dead Neanderthals, to London electro-pop band Chik Budo. Joining them is one of the UK's leading figures of the improv scene, reeds player Alex Ward.

Dead Days Beyond Help

Formed in 2006 and played their first show in February 2007. Alex Ward initially came to attention in free improvisation circles for his work as a clarinettist with the likes of Derek Bailey and Eugene Chadbourne, while his interests in rock music and composition first became apparent with the band Camp Blackfoot. His guitar playing has been featured with improv power-trio N.E.W. (with Steve Noble and John Edwards), and in recent live collaborations with such avant-rock luminaries as Tatsuya Yoshida, Shoji Hano and Weasel Walter. Dead Days Beyond Help teams Alex with virtuosic drummer Jem Doulton for an unrestricted exploration of the possibilities of the guitar/drums duo.

"Formidably knotty, complex music which avoids the dry geekiness of US math rock while beating it hands down in terms of intensity and fluidity... Ward’s guitar work leaps between metallic crunch, Fripp-esque tangle and Chadbourne choogle with astounding energy and precision, while Doulton’s drumming swings with commensurate joy and fury" - Derek Walmsley, The Wire.

• Sat 25 May | 8.30pm
•  £12
• Book online

Ian Shaw

One of Britain's most inventive jazz vocalists, Shaw's remarkable vocal range and mesmerising style has seen him breathe life into pop tunes and standards, reinventing even the most maudlin showtunes with sparkling wit.

"a masterly vocalist… one of the finest singers in contemporary music interprets some of the greatest songs of the last 50 years." Bruce Lindsay, All About Jazz

 

• Sun 26 May | 8.30pm
•  £10  
• Book online

Angela Carrington Awards

The 7th annual Awards night, celebrating open mic jazz singers and the people who run the monthly events in and around London.

Hosted by Brian Shaw, with the Bob Stuckey Trio plus four singers, selected through a rigorous series of auditions.

With special guests Cathy McNanamon and Catherine Lima.

All profits from the event will go to a chosen mental health charity.

• Mon 27 May | 8.30pm
•  £10
• Book online

Indigo Kid

Indigo Kid is a project that guitarist / composer Dan Messore has run for three years, which came out of his collaboration with saxophonist / composer Iain Bellamy. The result was the birth of 'Indio Kid' based on Iain's view of Dan as a little feral and a bit of a country boy. For their first album 'Indigo Kid' (babel) 2012, they were joined by Tim Harries (bass) and Gethin Jones (drums). Recently Dan has been recording 'Indio Kid II' with a new line up: Martin France (drums), Tim Harries (electric bass) and Trish Clowes (sax). Indio Kid will hit the road on a Jazz Services tour between May 16-27 with the Vortex marking the end of the tour.

As someone who has inherited and absorbed a diverse range of music, Messore's first album drew on the sensitive side of post-contemporary fusion where Pat Metheny meets Kurt Rosenwinkel; the rich folk traditions of John Fahey and the recently departed Bert Jansch. Not forgetting the open chords of Led Zeppelin, as on Dan's composition 'Mr Lepard'. But jazz is central, with hints of Bill Frisell's Americana on the tender 'Pages to a Friend', and a beautifully intimate rendition of the Gershwins' 'The Man I Love', while jazz fans' hearts are certain to melt to Messore's bossa-like 'New Man New Place' with Ballamy improvising in sumptuous Stan Getz-like mood.

• Tue 28 May | 8.30pm
•  £10
• Book online

Paul Dunmall - 60th Birthday

For thirty years Paul Dunmall has carved out a reputation for himself and is now widely recognised as one of the most uncompromising and talented reed players on the International jazz/improvised music scene.

He turns 60 this month and the Vortex is very proud to host his birthday celebrations. Paul will be joined by friends and special guests:

1st set

Paul Dunmall - sax
Simon Picard - sax
Niel Metcalfe - flute
Nick Jurd - bass
Jim Bashford - drums

2nd set

Paul Dunmall - sax
Howard Cottle - sax
Jim Dvorak - trumpet
Paul Rogers - bass
Tony Bianco - drums

• Wed 29 May | 8.30pm
•  £10
• Book online

Dunajska Kapelye

They’re back; violin-led authentic Gypsy and Balkan tunes to stir your heart and soul.

Whether it's a plaintive Gypsy ballad, a rumbustious Romanian dance or a Russian drinking song, this dazzling ensemble will enthrall and delight with their easy virtuosity, good humour and passionate playing.

http://dunajskakapelye.co.uk/

Piotr Jordan & Flora Curzon – violins,
Jez Cook – guitar,
Raph Mizraki - double bass,
Zac Gvirtzman - accordion, clarinet, piano.

"You can't help but leave with a big stupid grin on your face." London Metro

• Thu 30 May | 8.30pm
•  £9
• Book online

Aquarium

Pianist Sam Leak's London based contemporary jazz quartet Aquarium received widespread critical acclaim for their 2011 eponymous debut, listed by Mojo Magazine as one of the top ten international Jazz releases of the year. Tonight they kick off their album tour for their new album 'Places,' on the Jellymould Jazz label. Their follow up album is highly anticipated and this promises to be a very special evening.

"Multi faceted and smart as a pin, this is chamber jazz of a very high order" - Mojo Magazine

Sam Leak - Piano/Composition
James Allsopp - Tenor Saxophone
Calum Gourlay - Double Bass
Josh Blackmore - Drums

• Fri 31 May | 8.30pm
•  £10  
• Book online

Solus3

Post-jazz, post-punk and chamber dub sextet Solus3, featuring members of both Transglobal Underground & Krautrock improvisers Lunar Dunes, spotlight music from their sophmore album, Corner of the World, in an audio-visual collaboration with award-winning pinhole photographer Jan Dunning.

"Stalking a slinky, unlikely path between improvisation, dub and modern classicism, SOLUS3 are truly a law unto themselves." Uncut April 2013 (8 out of 10)

"Deeply excellent." - The Independent on Sunday - Jan 13th 2013 (4 stars)

"An approach that swerves between electronica, improvisation and classicism, this Brit sextet are out on their own." The Observer - Jan 6th 2013 (4 stars)

Tori Handsley - harp
Hamilton Lee - percussion
Ian Blackaby - bass
Jemma Freeman - vocals, guitar
Francesco Filizzola - trumpet, vocals
Jan Dunning - visual artist, projection designer

 

 

• Sat 1 Jun | 8.30pm
•  £12  
• Book online

Paul Rogers' Whahay / Dan Nicholls’ Mirror / Fofoulah / DJs

Free entry from 11:30pm

A chance to hear some excellent new music into the small hours, curated by members of the Loop Collective.

The first project as a leader from Paul Rogers for over a decade, Whahay sees Rogers joined by Robin Fincker and Fabien Duscombs to playing Mingus-inspired improvisations.

Dan Nicholls' Mirror performs music from Ruins – a genre-bending new album featuring an ensemble of some of the UK's most original and progressive new musical thinkers. With accompanying video/animation stills and words, Nicholls evokes the energy and groove of the downtown New York creative music scene.

Fofoulah blend Senegalese voice and west African rhythms with dub basslines, sci-fi synths, raw guitars and intense grooves. Featuring musicians from Senegal, the UK and The Gambia to create a sound that's unique to the UK music scene.

• Sun 2 Jun | 7.30pm
•  £12  
• Book online

Vocals @ Vortex

Open mic night hosted by Romy Summers and the Bob Stuckey Trio: Bob Stuckey (piano), Jerome Davies (bass), tbc (drums)

Please arrive at 7pm if you wish to sing and speak to Romy. Policy is first come first served, but we do try and get all singers on the list.

Music starts at 7.30pm. Entrance £9 to singers and non singers. Please bring music in your key and a copy for each of the trio.

Mini sets will be from Annie Peck and Victor Munt

• Mon 3 Jun | 8.30pm
•  £9
• Book online

Alex Roth's Otriad

In 1941, three Jewish brothers went into hiding in Poland's Naliboki Forest to escape capture by the encroaching Nazi troops. By the end of the Second World War, they had led over 1,200 other Jews to safety, establishing a tight-knit community that resisted the Germans on one side and their co-operating Belarussian forces on the other. The Bielski Otriad, as the group became known, defied the fate of so many of their kind by refusing to give up hope even under the bleakest conditions.

It is this strength of community spirit that inspired the formation of Alex Roth's Otriad, itself centred around three brothers of Polish-Jewish ancestry. Nick, Alex and Simon Roth (playing saxophones, guitars and percussion respectively) grew up to the sound of their mother's violin and piano, quickly taking up the instruments that would eventually allow them to develop a unique musical understanding together. This three-way dynamic has been pivotal to each of their careers thus far, forming the core of several groups along the way (including the ten-piece electro-acoustic chamber ensemble Sefroth).

Otriad is completed by two musicians whom Alex has met through studying for his MA at the Royal Academy of Music: James Opstad, who has been the bassist in Alex's trio (with Simon again) since 2010, and saxophonist Joe Wright (half of the electro-acoustic improvising duo Wright/Roth, which has been active for almost two years).

Alex's music for Otriad is an expression of the relationships that have formed between these five musicians, moving between folk-like melodies, free-form improvisation, electro-acoustic soundworlds, complex rhythmic structures and richly evocative harmonies.

Nick Roth – saxophones
Joe Wright – saxophones, electronics
Alex Roth – guitar, effects
James Opstad – electric bass
Simon Roth – drums, percussion

• Tue 4 Jun | 8.30pm
•  £10
• Book online

Jeff Williams' UK Quintet

Finn Peters - alto saxophone and flute
Josh Arcoleo - tenor saxophone
Kit Downes - piano
Sam Lasserson - bass
Jeff Williams - drums and compositions

Drummer/composer Jeff Williams is a familiar presence at the Vortex with Martin Speake, the Phil Robson/Dave Liebman Quartet, various Hans Koller ensembles and others.

Last May he recorded his New York-based quartet's (Duane Eubanks, John O'Gallagher, John Hébert) live performance at the Vortex, resulting in the group's new CD, The Listener (Whirlwind Recordings Ltd), copies of which will be available this evening, as will the previous release, Another Time, selected by Downbeat as one of the best CDs of 2012.

For the past two years Jeff's UK group has been featured at the London Jazz Festival. John Turney declared in the London Jazz Blog, "...gem of the festival: I doubt if there was anyone doing jazz better, anywhere this evening".

Now a quintet (Finn Peters-alto saxophone and flute, Josh Arcoleo-tenor saxophone, Phil Robson-guitar and Sam Lasserson-bass) and a showcase for Williams' originals, tonight's performance is followed by the group's appearance at the Amazonas Jazz Festival in Brazil in July which will be recorded for future release. In Phil Robson's absence tonight is special guest Kit Downes.

In a career spanning four decades Jeff Williams has worked with Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Cedar Walton, John Abercrombie, Art Farmer and numerous others. Perhaps best known for his contributions to Dave Liebman's '70s cooperative, Lookout Farm, Jeff is also heard on key recordings by Bill McHenry, Ethan Iverson, Mike Gibbs, Nikki Iles, Barry Green, Konitz, Speake, Koller and many more.

Visit Jeff on the web at www.willfulmusic.com

• Wed 5 Jun | 8.30pm
•  £8
• Book online

Terry Day / Alex Hawkins / Alex Bonney / Guillaume Viltard / Seymour Wright

Alex Hawkins - piano
Alex Bonney - trumpet
Seymour Wright - alto sax
Guillaume Viltard - bass
Terry Day - drums

A night of improvised music led by Terry Day, a pioneer of the scene, and bringing together some of the brightest and most exciting young improvisers around. This will be the second outing for the group.

As a pioneer of the improvisation and free jazz movement, Day also formed a duo with Derek Bailey, was a regular member of Company & seminal groups such as People Band & Alterations. He also collaborated extensively with the second generation improvisers including Steve Beresford, John Russell & Nigel Combes

ALEXANDER HAWKINS / piano

Alexander Hawkins is a pianist, organist, composer and bandleader who is ‘unlike anything else in modern creative music’ (Ni Kantu) and whose recent work has reached a ‘dazzling new apex’ (Downbeat). Self-taught, he works in a vast array of creative contexts. His own highly distinctive soundworld is forged through the search to reconcile both his love of free improvisation and profound fascination with composition and structure.

ALEX BONNEY / Trumpet

Alex studied jazz compostition at Middlessex University under former Loose tubes members Eddie Parker, Chris Batchelor, Stuart Hall and also Nikki Iles.

He is based in London and plays in a variety of projects, Including Splice, electro acoustic trio Leverton Fox (who in 2010 played a UK tour supporting Norwegian band Humcrush), he has a critically acclaimed improvising duo with bassist Dave Kane, a jazz quartet quartet performing original compositions featuring Jeff Williams and a tribute to Albert Ayler project featuring Paul Dunmall and Mark Sanders.

GUILLAUME VILTARD / double bass

Born in 1975 in the North of Ivory Coast, Viltard grew up in the wild countryside with almost no music. Back in France, he played with many artists of the French underground improv scene, including dancers and poets as well as musicians.

After moving to London in late 2007, Viltard has worked with many of London’s best improvisers, forming strong associations with the circle of musicians centred on Eddie Prevost's experimental workshop, becoming a mainstay of the London Improvisers Orchestra, and playing in a great free jazz trio with Tony Marsh and Shabaka Hutchings that was sadly curtailed by Marsh's untimely death.

It is this eclectic appetite for collaboration across the whole spectrum of improvised music as well as his resolutely unamplified and powerfully physical playing that marks Viltard out as one of the most interesting musicians to emerge from London's fertile improvised and experimental scene in the last few years.

SEYMOUR WRIGHT / saxophone

"Saxophonist Seymour Wright has emerged as the most important saxophonist of his generation. . . [He] shows a command of the saxophone which in contrast to most ‘non-idiomatic’ playing – cynically translated as ‘make your saxophone sound like anything other than a saxophone’ – has deep roots in a tradition of playing that goes back to Frankie Trumbauer, Coleman Hawkins and Willie Smith." - Brian Morton

• Thu 6 Jun | 7.30pm (Quiz starts 8pm)
•  £ 6  
• Book online

The Vortex Jazz Quiz
plus music from The Peter Edwards Trio

The return of the V's fun and friendly jazz quiz night.

Come and pit your wits against fellow gig-goers, musicians, jounalists and Vortex staff . Prizes for first, second and third teams. There'll be guest ales from local microbreweries plus other treats.

Teams of 2 to 4 people, but don't be put off coming on your own as we'll find you a team. Places are limited and it's sure to sell out so book now!

After the quiz there will be a set from The Peter Edwards Trio.

The Peter Edwards Trio is fast becoming one of the most exciting dynamic trios in London. The group have recorded a EP, won a ‘Development Award’ from the Musicians Benevolent Fund, performed at prestigious London venue, The Kings Place, broadcasted on Jazz FM and have received a 3 star review from Jazzwise.

"Peter Edwards is a roll your sleeves up and get down and swing guy… he skates seamlessly through skittering meters before zoning into a no frills exposition …[He] has an ear for a soulful song and a Caribbean bounce." Andy Robson, Jazzwise

"[The] trio has an urgency that captivated us all!" Bootleg Jazz Festival, Leicester 2013

• Fri 7 Jun | 8.30pm
•  £ 9
• Book online

Maurizio Minardi

Maurizio Minardi is a London-based composer, pianist and accordionist. He performs with his trio, the Maurizio Minardi Trio, which also includes Nick Pini (double bass) and Jason Reeve (drums). The trio performs Maurizio's original compositions.

Maurizio's style is reminiscent of Esbjorn Svensson Trio, Avishai Cohen, The Bad Plus, Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, Yann Tiersen and Michael Nyman.

In 2013 Maurizio released his latest album, 'The Cook, the Clown, the Monk and the Accordionist'.

"A standout recording, full of atmospheric music that combines immediately engaging hooks with sweeping narrative and emotional depth ... A pleasure from first note to last." All About Jazz

On Maurizio's previous album, 'My Piano Trio'.

"Lyrical, intelligent, contemporary piano jazz with its roots in the European classical tradition and beyond..." The Jazz Mann

"The overall feeling is tranquil and meditative- interesting, crafted writing, fine playing and above all a strong emotional appeal" LondonJazz

• Sat 8 Jun | 8.30pm
•  £ 12  
• Book online

Partisans

Partisans have been thrilling audiences since its formation in 1996, with its tightly knit themes and a great freedom coming from years of playing together.

"This foursome are often cited as godfathers of the ferocious 'post-jazz' groups." - Times****

"...tricky zigzagging heads are played with flawless attack, and the quartet's trademark of seamless idiom and time-shifting within each piece operates with a gleeful tautness." - Guardian****

"Partisans present some of the most refreshing music I've heard in a long while, uncompromising, very well written and very well played. It demands serious attention. I hear in these players a sense of common purpose and resolve, and a strong command of a dialect uniquely suited to this music. It's heartening to hear music that looks to find its own particular place." - Steve Swallow

"It's bad, man" - Delfeayo Marsalis

"One of the most exciting all star experimental groups in Jazz today" - BBC Radio 3 Jazz Line Up

"Partisans were the highlight of the festival, jazz that makes you blink in its glare"- John Fordham, The Guardian, Cheltenham Jazz Festival

• Sun 9 Jun | 8.30pm
•  £ 12
• Book online

Annie Whitehead Rude 2.0

Annie Whitehead - trombone & fx
Chris Dowding - trumpet/flugel horn & fx
Jennifer Maidman - bass & guitar
Liam Genockey - drums

Rude was originally formed in 1992 by Annie Whitehead, Jennifer Maidman and Liam Genockey with the late Harry Beckett on trumpet and flugel. The band only released one album ‘This is Rude’ on the Voiceprint label, but in live performance their music developed over the years into an eclectic fusion of melody, free improvisation and driving funk, jazz and reggae rhythms. Now Annie, Jennifer and Liam are back with Rude 2.0, built on the same musical ethos and joined by Chris Dowding, a trumpet and flugel horn player based in East London.

Annie is well known as a much-in-demand trombonist, band leader and composer and has released several albums in her own name including ‘The Gathering’, ‘Home’, ‘Naked’ and ‘Mix Up’. She was a member of Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath, has collaborated extensively with Robert Wyatt and also plays regularly with Sarah Jane Morris. Her session credits include Eric Clapton, Doctor John, Jamiroquai, The Spice Girls and Elvis Costello. Along with Jennifer she was a member of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) for many years.

Chris first played with Annie, Jennifer and Liam at Harry Beckett’s memorial concert and also works with the band ‘Natural Causes’. He regularly leads workshops and has appeared at a number of festivals including Glastonbury, Huddersfield and Dartington, and played flugel horn in Opera North’s production ‘Song at a Year’s End’.

Jennifer is a multi-instrumentalist, writer and producer who has been working with Annie for many years and was also a long time member of the original PCO. She has worked with David Sylvian, Joan Armatrading, Gerry Rafferty, Paul Brady, Shakespears Sister, Boy George and Murray Head amongst others. She sang lead vocals on Annie and Robert Wyatt’s ‘Soupsongs’ project and recently formed ‘The Orchestra that Fell to Earth’ with a number of other original PCO members including Annie and Liam.

Liam Genockey has also been working with Annie and Jennifer for many years and also plays with Paul Brady, Sarah Jane Morris, Buick Six, Pass the Cat and the Soupsongs project. He is well known as a member of Steeleye Span and has also worked with Gerry Rafferty, Zzebra, Trevor Watts and Soft Machine Legacy amongst others.

• Wed 12 Jun | 8.30pm
•  £ 12
• Book online

Tom Rainey Trio with Ingrid Laubrock and Mary Halvorson

Tom Rainey - drums
Ingrid Laubrock - saxophones
Mary Halvorson - electric guitar

Drummer Tom Rainey unites the female sound worlds of guitarist Mary Halvorson and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock in his trio – 3 of the most fascinating musicians in the current New York music scene.

"... there is some magic happening here - a beautiful contrast beetween Zen-like calm and alarming bombast that makes Pool School a must hear ..." Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times

Tom Rainey Trio - photo by Peter Ganushkin

• Thu 13 Jun | 8.30pm
•  £ 9
• Book online

Tony Bevan/Eddie Prevost/Trevor Watts/John Edwards

Following their last two shows at the Vortex, we're delighted to have this quartet back.

The result of what was meant to be a one-off performance in commemoration of the late Lol Coxhill, the music produced by the group proved so good it seemed natural to continue. Consisting of two legends of Improvised music in Watts and Prevost, and two younger veterans with their own international reputations with Edwards and Bevan, it’s hard to describe the quartet as anything but a supergroup.

Trevor Watts – Soprano and Alto Saxophones
Tony Bevan – Soprano and Bass Saxophones
John Edwards – Double Bass
Eddie Prevost – Drums

"Eddie Prevost reminded why he is one of the world’s great drummers with bassist John Edwards and saxophonists Trevor Watts and Tony Bevan, all on spectacular form" Jazzwise November 2012

"Bevan is already a giant of contemporary saxophone" Point of Departure U.S.A.

 

 

>>> For more, pick another date or browse our programme >>>

 

 

The Vortex Jazz Club
Live Jazz Award winner in the
2013 Parliamentary Jazz Awards

Highlights

Mon, 27 May

Indigo Kid

 Details and booking

To return to top | Phone bookings 020 7254 4097 | Email Info(at)Vortex