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| Christian Miller |
The Balagan Café Band
Christian Miller - guitar
Shirley Smart - Cello
Richard Jones - violin
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Joe Browne - saxophone
Alice Zawadzki - voice
Mike Guy - accordion
Date - 23rd March 2018
Venue - The Green Note, Camden, London, UK
Current album - The Balagan Café Band (
F-IRE 2018)
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| Mike Guy |
Future performance
3rd May 2018 - Inventions and Dimensions, Kingston-upon-Thames, UK
13th May 2018 - Southampton Modern Jazz Club, UK
18th May 2018 - Paxton Centre, Paxton Arms Hotel, SE19 2AE, UK
The Balagan Cafe Band launched their debut album in the atmospheric candlelight of the Green Note in Camden this week. The trio draw inspiration from a broad range of feisty cultures around the world but are very much grounded here in London. There is a zesty pleasure in their music, a liveliness that sparks with passion and intelligence. Special guests included Joe Browne (soprano saxophone), Alice Zawadzki (vocals) and Mike Guy (accordion).
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| Joe Browne |
An eclectic new project, this group combines the worlds of jazz,
world music and classical, featuring the intimate chamber
instrumentation of violin, guitar, cello and accordion and an elegant
yet fiery fusion of improvisation and written music. Ranging from Parisian and American Jazz, the Chaabi music of
Algeria, Tango from Argentina, Balkan folk melodies through to
the early modern and folk music of Western Europe, Balagan fuses
these threads into a coherent and characteristic sound world.
‘…this is music for the ears, heart and feet.’
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| Alice Zawadzki |
The past couple of years have seen the band perform at venues
including the Elgar Room, Omnibus and National Portrait Gallery to
enthusiastic public responses. The ensemble features some of the UK’s
most versatile and capable artists.
Having traded Astronomy for jazz,
Christian Miller has played guitar with
the broadest possible spectrum of UK jazz musicians – including
Heidi Vogel, Mike Mondesir, Adrian Cox, Alex Garnett and Nigel
Price, as well New York swing scene favourite Gordon Webster. Equally
at home on electric and acoustic instruments, his current projects
include Kit Massey’s Hot Club of Jupiter, the Southside Gypsy Trio
and his own trio and quartets playing modern and contemporary jazz.
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| Richard Jones |
Richard Jones is a dynamic, exciting young British musician who
strives to forge and unearth musical collaborations between a wide
range of musical contexts. Since completing his Masters studies at
the Guildhall, he has immersed himself in the London music scene and
has found a seat within a plethora of different bands. Far removing
the violin from the orchestral setting, he delves into rock, folk,
world music and jazz to find his sounds. Already, Richard has had the
pleasure of working with a host of renowned musicians, including
Nicolas Meier, Audrey Riley, Robert Mitchell, Alex Hutton and
Christine Tobin.
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| Shirley Smart |
After 10 years living in Jerusalem,
Shirley Smart now lives in London, where she has quickly established
herself on the jazz and world music scenes. She has performed with
Yo-Yo Ma, Yasmin Levy, Neil Cowley, Gilad Atzmon, Antonio Forcione,
Shekoyokh, Kosmos, London Klezmer Quartet, Avishai Cohen, Omer
Avital, Sabreen, Ross Daly, Arun Ghosh, Alice Zawadski, Maurizio
Minardi, Sefiroth Ensemble and Partikel as well as leading her own
projects, including North African and Middle Eastern group the
Melange Collective. She also performs on releases by singer
Alice Zawadski on Whirlwind label, and Maurizio Minardi’s Piano
Ambulance.
