You are cordially invited to join the FlipSide Festival in Suffolk on Saturday, October 7 for a night of non-stop music and dancing with Mônica Vasconcelos and The London Bossa Collective, followed by Son Yambu with special guest Cuban singer-songwriter, Osvaldo Chacón. Mônica Vasconcelos brings her trademark joyful, jazz infused blend of gorgeous Brazilian classics and originals to FlipSide alongside the London Bossa Collective, a band comprising some of the finest exponents of Brazilian music. Son Yambu play authentic ‘Son Cubano’ or Cuban son – the essential Afro-Cuban music that originated in the streets of eastern Cuba at the turn of the last century. Son is a fusion of Spanish and African rhythms and is the root of all salsa music. Tickets are £16 and available from www.flipsideuk.org.This event is part of the FlipSide Festival running from October 6-8 at Snape Maltings on the beautiful Suffolk coast.
Gregory Porter, Jamie Cullum, Curtis Stigers – all household names and high profile performers. Then there’s unsung artists such as Memphis bluesman Charlie Wood who many critics feel deserves an equally high profile. Charlie brings his all-star band to Colchester this month. A musician whose eclectic musical style incorporates elements of jazz, blues, soul, traditional R&B and popular music, Charlie is a singer who’s as soulful as his song writing is smart, and a wicked piano player. Charlie sent the audience at Colchester Arts Centre into raptures when he guested with Chris Allard in January- and now he’s back for an evening of originals and covers with his own stellar seven-piece, who between them have performed with such luminaries as Bill Withers, Mose Allison, Mark Knopfler, Cedar Walton, Amy Winehouse, Gregory Porter, Paloma Faith, Sting and Steely Dan. In his early 20s, Charlie toured with legendary blues guitarist Albert King, before securing a long-term residency on Beale Street with his Hammond organ trio. He so impressed touring musicians such as B.B. King, Georgie Fame, Joey DeFrancesco and Mulgrew Miller, that they asked to sit in with him. An accomplished and prolific singer/songwriter, Charlie’s albums have received stellar 4-star reviews, while one of his original compositions won first prize in the jazz category of 2015 American Song writing Competition, and another, ‘Never Gonna Stop New Orleans’, was recorded by soul great Irma Thomas. Here’s the line-up for Sunday, October 22 : Charlie Wood (piano/keyboard/vocals), Chris Allard (electric guitar), Ben Castle (tenor saxophone), Tom Walsh (trumpet), Mark Nightingale (trombone), Dudley Philips (double Bass) and Nic France (drums). Tickets are £15 / £13 concessions and doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.
Next month sees the Cambridge International Jazz Festival which runs from November 16 to 27. The festival is a celebration of the huge variety of music that jazz encompasses, from gypsy jazz to funk, from solo artists to big bands and to open jazz up to new audiences, particularly young people, and to give them the chance to get involved as well as come and listen. This will hopefully break down some of the old preconceptions and stereotypes, and present jazz in Cambridge as what it truly is – a thrilling, varied, and compellingly creative art form. A lot has changed in 45 years, as you’ll see…come to the gigs, see the films, hear the talks, and learn something new at the workshops of the Cambridge Jazz Festival. From magical storytelling, including live jazz, and infectious fun with an array of jazz, pop, soul, and Disney tunes, to a range of workshops for those budding Louis Armstrongs or Billie Holidays and the best of UK hip hop for the teenagers. There is something for all ages.
