Sahra Gure - Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer

Sahra Gure

28/02/2020

Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer, London, UK

Sahra Gure is a Berlin born, London based vocalist who works across a range of genres. Born to a Somali father and German mother, Sahra grew up surrounded by different cultures and sounds that shaped her character and musical personality. Sahra began her musical life as a classical violinist. It wasn’t till she was 14, when she joined the Aldeburgh Young Musician program, that she discovered her love and passion for singing. Sahra was able to study with Brigitte Beraha, Cleveland Watkiss, Pete Churchill, Norma Winstone and many more before accepting a scholarship to study Jazz Performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance where she became the 2019 Jazz representative for the gold medal award held at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Despite her tender age of 22, her mature and versatile approach to singing has seen Sahra work with the likes of Orphy Robinson, Dele Sosimi, Cleveland Watkiss, Ashley Henry, Tori Handsley, Mark Mondesir and Kishon Kahn to name a few. Performing at London Jazz Festival, Havana Jazz Festival, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Dimensions Festival, WOMAD and many more.

Mads Matthias - Downy cheek

Mads Mathias - saxophone

Peter Rosendal - piano

Mads Mathias - Vocal and saxophone
Peter Rosendal - piano (& flugelbone)
Ferg Ireland - bass
Chris Higginbottom - drums

Venue - Royal Festival Hall Foyer, South Bank Centre, London
Date - 16th October 2015
Current Album - Free Falling (Calibrated)

Mads Mathias next UK dates - February 2016

Friday 5th - The Cinnamon Club, Manchester
Saturday 6th - Southport Melodic Jazz Club at The Royal Clifton Hotel 11am
Sunday 7th - Seven Jazz in Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 1.30 - 4pm...
Friday 12th - Lighthouse Poole
Saturday 13th - Pizza Express Jazz Club - 7pm
Saturday 13th - Pizza Express Jazz Club - 10pm
Sunday 14th - Pizza Express Music Lounge Maidstone

Chris Higginbottom
- drums

Gilt edge jazz from blonde tousled Mads Mathias, half rough cheek, half downy. Ferg Ireland the best nose in jazz bass, a symmetry with his instrument. Elegant and beautiful. Tea For Two, slack jaw Peter Rosendal mouthing the dexterity beside Higginbottom.

The South Bank doing what it does best, mixing respectables and those walking in from Thames side concrete. Hundreds of faces, happy free people.

Up and down What Is Time, the gentleness of toes on their tips leaving room for Rosendal's piano. He treads softly, more spring carpet like than the crackling leaves that currently surround. Glide, arch, swirl and turn.

Ferg Ireland - Bass

Conversational swing, Free Falling. Playful run up, run the tapper. Mathias is a wagtail, flirting, buoyant. Drums cut against the pillow filling, the eider cushion.

Full mouthed, plummy, juicy Labour of Love. Slide of oiled wood on Nordic grain, transatlantic adrift.

Round ball, contented roller, Fool for Love. Delicious piano snatch, a slice, a trick and waft. Knees high in a crisp step.

Sophisticated in and out clubs, The Henpecked Man, made of droplets, small colourful splashes. No killings, no artic belt deaths. Fresh spruce and always tasteful.

AL.

Fergus Ireland - Southbank leftfield

Fergus Ireland - Bass

The Samuel Eagles Quartet took their debut CD for its first spin in public on the 14th March 2014 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall's Front Room. Despite the CD remaining unreleased at the present time, Eagles had received his personal copies just hours before this showcase gig. The album will break onto the scene via F-IRE's ever growing stable of talent during 2014, when, it still remains a mystery.


Samuel Eagles -
Alto and Soprano Saxophone

Samuel Eagles encourages mysterious musings through his music and demeanour. Never have I seen a front man take such a back seat on the jazz circuit. It is unnerving but also charming in this day and age of big mouthed performers. Despite Eagles reputation as an introvert the compositions on his debut album 'Next Beginning' are light and expansive, with more than a hint of a Mediterranean breeze. He leaves so much space for both the audience and his quartet to breath.

Ralph Wyld - Vibes

Much of the Samuel Eagles Quartet's levity is courtesy of vibesman Ralph Wyld. Tonight in the Frontroom he took the eye with a smock of gold and blue. His purple sticks taking control of a lush solo during second tune 'My Instigation', it was like shattering a slab of dark chocolate, the sweet jagged shards greedily consumed by a packed out Southbank audience. In fact I once again crossed paths with the busiest man on the London circuit, Steve Marchant.

Eric Ford - drums

The brushes of Eric Ford reflected beautifully the descent of the night's haze, as the colours began to bleach from beside the Thames. Despite the first warm drafts suggesting an end to the long winter I can't say in all honesty that 'Smells Like Summer' was the metrological cusp of better things but Eagles soprano reminded us of the dancing shadows that will warm our cockles in the months to come.

Throughout tonight's performance Samuel Eagles was true to form, stepping back again and again. Although he played his part too. Eagles tumbled straight into 'The Outsider' while Fergus Ireland's rich and thick musical presence made sure he wasn't alone. The lament of Eagles was a call, a sweet cry that pined for a response. It was answered once again by the ever impressive Ireland, whose playful solo never quite lost its grip despite Eagles vertiginous slide down a scree slope of melodies. Ireland continues to impress on the circuit and his growing reputation gains momentum, I am due another visit to SE Collective's den of iniquity at the Amersham Arms where he regularly plies his trade.

AL.

Peter Lee / Narcissus - The Bold, Beautiful, Young and Serious

Peter Lee - Piano

The bristling jazz organisers, Young & Serious, hosted a suitably edgy concert at the EFG London Jazz festival this year (19/11/2013). Providing a platform for the exciting 5 piece Narcissus, under the leadership of Peter Lee.  Pitt the Younger would have been proud of Lee's assured performance in the Front Room of Queens Elizabeth Hall before an overflowing audience and a selection of older jazz glitterati. As I stood there sketching I noticed amongst others Gareth Lockrane, Eric Ford and Geoff Gascoyne come in to check-out jazz's new breed.

Huw Foster - Bass

With a nod between Peter Lee and Ali Thynne on drums we ran into the opening tunes' flip flopping tempos. Huw Foster's bass drove his deep tyre tracks all over it and again on second composition 'Mirror Stage' he was the pathfinder, navigating with a slow power. His deep grooves kicked sand in our faces, creating a thirst that needed to be sated by Josh Arcoleo. Even though we gorged on his saxophone we wanted more and splutteringly we gulped it in.

Josh Arcoleo - Saxophone

Arcoleo rode the waves while Tom Varrall skimmed his short hard slingshots across the third tune 'Dependency'. The next, 'Criss Cross' brought Peter Lee to the fore and it was a standout in this succinct 6 tune set. Lee cuts a frail and languid figure, dark and attractive like Lucky Luke in appearance. His rising stance announced the composition's 'prog jazz' spring and Lee enticed us with a light and fumbling happiness. The tune darted into the audience like a rolling coin, balancing on its edge, people rose in their seats to see where the nugget's journey would end.

Tom Varrall - Guitar

The Christian Hymn 'How Great Thou Art' combined Synth and Bass in a pulsating performance that sucked our meandering feet into its sludge yet we stood looking up into the light.

Ali Thynne - Drums

Finally as the QEH filled to bursting, Narcissus signed off with 'Writer's Block' and its upbeat punch, like walking down a NYC sidewalk. The crowd swelled with coffee swiggers and baguette wolfers who crammed every available floor space as though we had in reality found ourselves in the city's rush-hour traffic. We fell back into the shards of the metropolis and the saxophone's sirens hit hard.

AL.

Bethany Jameson - Racing Pulses

Bethany Jameson

Mr Rainlore has just written a review of Bethany Jameson's Cabaret Vérité Live At The Royal National Theatre Foyer, South Bank, London SE1, Sunday 3rd February 2013.

Read it here -
LINK HERE to Rainlore's World Website