Tuesday 30 April 2019

Steve Williamson and Hamish Moore - A World in London



Steve Williamson
Hamish Moore

The Steve Williamson Experience on this A World in London! 

Hamish Moore
One of the UK’s most revered musicians is back with a brand new trio and a whole new experience! Sax hero Steve Williamson launches his tour on May 1st at Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room, flanked by two fine up and coming talents, double-bassist Hamish Moore & percussionist Zoe Pascal. They’ve blossomed out of the vibrant South London hot-house collective, Tomorrow's Warriors, founded by innovative and inspirational Gary Crosby & Janine Irons, which has revitalised British jazz beyond recognition, creating a cult that is also inclusive of women and black musicians. Steve is a key role model for Tomorrow’s Warriors and his new UK tour is a collaboration with them, adding Tomorrow's Warriors StringTing as support. The jazz scene has its own protocol, and this includes passing the baton to the next generation of musos, plus learning the essential Jazz standards. For Steve growing up in West London, mentors were in short supply aside from Art Blakey, so he had to look Stateside. He recalls practising on his saxophone for at least thirteen hours every day, absorbing tunes by John Coltrane and Joe Henderson, that is, when he wasn’t performing with mighty reggae stars like Mafia & Fluxy or Misty In Roots. In the 90’s Steve was intensely active, producing three acclaimed albums within as many years and collaborating with Shabaka Hutchings & Courtney Pine to name but a few. On this AWIL he tells us about how his brain is perpetually in motion composing new pieces, and we see him on the sax - fiery, brilliant, sensitive, and, intense. In fact that intensity, plus authenticity, underlines Steve’s way of being - as with many exceptionally talented musicians – prolific bursts of energy, touring, creating, recording, and then bouts of withdrawal and rest. It’s all about balance, and Steve describes life as an ‘undulating sound wave’. Catch him now, peaking at the top of one of those waves, with the Steve Williamson Experience! Full tour dates are: May 1st Purcell Room London, May 10 Turner Sims Southampton, May 18 CBSO, Birmingham, May 23 St. Georges Bristol, May 24 Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury, July 20 Hull Jazz Festival.  www.tomorrowswarriors.org

24/4/19 – AWIL 207. Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/…/a-world-in-london-24th-april-20…/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Lucas Keen, artist Alban Low, and Jess Low. Also this week Grammy nominee composer Ella Spira from INALA: A Zulu Ballet at SOAS Radio, click: https://www.mixcloud.com/SOASr…/a-world-in-london-297-Inala/ Next week Nina Swann from Live Music Now at SOAS Radio and Samaïa at Resonance. Download the AWIL Album Wonderland 2018 from #Spotify! Top 50 global CDs handpicked by #AWorldinLondon – Click here: https://open.spotify.com/…/34igi7n6p14p56303se0gtkyj/playli… #TheSoundofDiverseLondon #ConnectingCulturesThroughMusic – thirteen years - #DJRitu. Live on Wednesdays 6.30pm Resonance 104.4 https://www.resonancefm.com/ & 4pm SOAS Radio https://soasradio.org/ Online worldwide at #Mixcloud. Join us on Twitter & Instagram @aworldinlondon @djritu1 http://www.djritu.com
#London #globalmusic #worldmusic #jazz #livemusic #music #radio #saxophone #doublebass #composer #musician #SteveWilliamson

Tuesday 16 April 2019

Alvorada - First Light



Jeremy Shaverin
Luiz Morais
Alua Nascimento
Rachel Hayter
Andrew Woolf
Jeremy Shaverin

Andrew Woolf
The First Family of choro, Alvorada on this A World in London! 

Luiz Morais
One of the most exciting new bands in London have just launched their debut album but because the gig was packed out they’ve added an extra date at Pizza Express Holborn on May 2nd 2019! Alvorada’s ‘First Light’ showcases their fresh take on choro, the lively, instrumental music style born in nineteenth century Rio, which they fuse with Jazz, samba, and baiao. It’s a genre which came out of intimate bars/rodas, where musicians are grouped closely together right in the thick of the crowd. Alvorada played exactly in this way on our show, huddled together like a tight-knit family of virtuosos, skilfully improvising through challenging rhythms and intricacies. The band formed in 2016 and boasts a sterling line-up derived from Brazil’s music royalty -  Luiz Morais on seven-string guitar, and Alua Nascimento on pandeiro, plus Brazilian music aficionados – flautist Rachel Hayter, Andrew Woolf on clarinet, and Jeremy Shaverin on cavaquinho. Catch the First Family of choro, on this AWIL and reserve a copy of First Light before it comes out on May 1st!
                 
Alua Nascimento
10/4/19 – AWIL 205. Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-10th-april-2019/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Lucas Keen, artist Alban Low, and Jess Low. Also this week singer/songwriter Fiona Fey at SOAS Radio, click: https://www.mixcloud.com/SOASradio/a-world-in-london-296-fiona-fey/ Next week Bonnendis at SOAS Radio and Aimee Leonard Choir at Resonance. Download the AWIL Album Wonderland 2018 from #Spotify! Top 50 global CDs handpicked by #AWorldinLondon – Click here: https://open.spotify.com/user/34igi7n6p14p56303se0gtkyj/playlist/5hjexMuYohZ6d4zjuoGIfm?si=Gy0ckfI_QaWw4xqKQ-VGhw  #TheSoundofDiverseLondon #ConnectingCulturesThroughMusic – thirteen years - #DJRitu. Live on Wednesdays 6.30pm Resonance 104.4 https://www.resonancefm.com/ & 4pm SOAS Radio https://soasradio.org/  Online worldwide at #Mixcloud. Join us on Twitter & Instagram @aworldinlondon @djritu1 http://www.djritu.com  
Rachel Hayter


Tuesday 2 April 2019

Al Nicholls - The Exchange, Twickenham

Al Nicholls

Joes the Hat presents
Al Nicholls
Sandra Mae Luykx
Leon Greening
Dave Chamberlain
Sebastiaan de Krom

29th March 2019
The Exchange, Twickenham, UK

Leon Greening
Al Nicholls gained a sound musical education at Leeds College of Music (1983-6).  After leaving Leeds he cut his teeth in a succession of Jump Jive and Rhythm and Blues bands. In 1987 he joined Mike Sanchez’ Big Town Playboys, undoubtedly the best British R&B band of their generation. Al met Dick Laurie when he moved London (Putney) and played in various versions of Dick’s ‘Elastic Band'. In the 90s he became a major figure in the R&B/Jump Jive scene. 

Sebastiaan de Krom
After bringing some discipline and musicianship to the wonderful musical mayhem which was King Pleasure & the Biscuit Boys (1992/4), he fitted in superbly with the highly skilled masters of the JJ idiom, The Ray Gelato Giants (1994/6), becoming their principal arranger. In recent times Al continues to be a sought-after session musicians and freelance swing saxophonists, regularly invited to appear at prominent jazz venues, clubs and festivals, with such as Pete Long’s Echoes Of Ellington and many others. He’s also a regular member of T.J. Johnson’s band, Tony Pitt’s All Stars and, of course, Blue Harlem. 

Sandra-Mae Luykx
A talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, Sandra-Mae Luykx plays saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone), guitar, piano, percussion and has performed around the world in places like London, Amsterdam, New York, Brazil and in some of Vancouver's most prestigious venues including The Orpheum Theatre. Now living in London (UK), Sandra-Mae was a regular on the Vancouver music scene. She has played almost every venue in Vancouver (including the Vancouver International Jazz Festival) with her own groups performing jazz, pop, soul, R&B, folk, disco, Motown, funk and Brazilian music. She was in the house band for Vancouver's Backstage Lounge for five years playing baritone saxophone in the Funk/Soul/Motown band The Phonix.
Dave Chamberlain