Yesterday I really enjoyed the morning at Birmingham, I was
at 3 different venues and really had the chance to listen great music and
authentic performances from people coming from different backgrounds. Yes, this
festival is getting better and better!
First I went to the Jewellery Quarter (St Paul’s Churchyard)
and saw Mr Art Themen and his band performing, “that’s a saxophonist!!!!” I thought. But also the full quartet is
amazing.
This man has a story: Themen was born on 26 November 1939 in
Manchester.
In 1958 he began his medical studies at the University of Cambridge, going on
in 1961 to complete his studies at St Mary's Hospital Medical School
in London, qualifying in 1964. He specialised in orthopaedic medicine,
eventually becoming a consultant.
But his passion was the jazz and he has performed with the
best, actually, is one of the bests!
His style originally owed much to the influence of Dexter Gordon
and Sonny Rollins,
but later influences included such disparate saxophonists as Coleman
Hawkins, Evan Parker, and the “sheets of sound” John Coltrane.
I have an example of what he showed yesterday in a bucolic
environment:
In the
break I had to leave because I wanted to see another band playing: Kansas
Smitty's Big Four.
Great!!!
Amazing surprise!! I went to the Colmore Square District and not much people
were stopping there, but the ones that did it really enjoyed top quality music.
Kansas
Smitty’s Big Four is the feisty little brother of the London-based Kansas
Smitty’s House Band. While the House Band draws its main inspiration from Count
Basie and Kansas City, the Big Four is interested in the music of Sidney Bechet
and the upbeat swing of New Orleans. The Big Four’s unique combination of
trumpet, soprano sax/clarinet, guitar and bass, separates the group from
traditional dixieland groups. The Big Four have performed at many London venues
and were recently featured on BBC Radio 2.
By the way, I saw the Spaniards Potato Head Jazz Band betwen the crowd, I love when the artists support each others.
I had the
chance to interview them and here is the result!
And
finally I went to the Brasshouse bar and saw Giedre Kilciauskiene from
Lithuania.
One of
the big successes of last year‘s Birmingham International Jazz and Blues
Festival, Giedrė Kilčiauskienė has returned this year with her full band. Giedrė,
who was well-known in Lithuania and abroad as the lead vocalist of hip and
extremely popular electro-punk bands Milky Lasers and Empty for some years, has
recently switched to acoustic jazz settings with Jazz Miniatures. She adds
intelligence and taste to a marvellous voice of unique sweet timbre, bright and
wide palette, perfect pitch and controlled power. Pianist and arranger Andrej
Polevikov, her regular collaborator who appeared with her at Birmingham 2013,
is joined in Jazz Miniatures by Vytis Nivinskas (bass) and Darius Rudis
(drums). The Jazz Miniatures quartet has just released their first CD Jazz
Miniatures.
I wasn’t very long, the concert was about to finish, but I could
record her amazing voice and here you have it!
That was a great Wednesday, today, Thursday, should be as well, big quality, fantastic weather... This is one of the best festivals that I remember!!!!
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