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Due to current circumstances and the clear Government Coronavirus advice Jazz at the Blue Lamp regrets that we are cancelling all gigs at present scheduled, both on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons . The wellbeing of our audience, musicians, volunteers and all involved at the Blue Lamp is our foremost concern so we have no option but to call a halt for the time being. Refunds for tickets already purchased can be obtained from the relevant box office. We will be back up and running as soon as we are able to do so and updates will be posted on the website. In the meantime, our thanks for your continuing support – you really are ‘The best audience in the UK’!  

Tina May & Brain Kellock – Oscar & Ella

Ella Fitzgerald was the greatest jazz singer of all and to celebrate her centenary last year, the UK’s leading jazz vocalist Tina May and her world class accompanist, Scotland’s own pianist Brian Kellock revisited the classic meeting between Ella and piano giant Oscar Peterson for an enthusiastically received national tour. We’re delighted to welcome them to the Blue Lamp to open our new Autumn season with a reprise of their Ella & Oscar show because reports of the tour told us that the duo was absolutely flying, creating freshly minted versions of songs including April in Paris and Midnight Sun every night.

Tina May has sung with a kaleidoscope of talents including the great American jazz players Nat Adderley, Joe Henderson, Kenny Clarke and Ray Bryant, whose songs she wrote lyrics for and recorded with Bryant himself at the legendary Van Gelder studio in New Jersey. Her latest album, Cafe Paranoia, a tribute to the hippest of hip jazz singers, Mark Murphy, has received unanimously warm praise. Her great friend and musical sounding board, Brian Kellock is the creative master sought out by Stanley Turrentine, Scott Hamilton, Sheila Jordan, Carol Kidd and many more as their accompanist of choice and is revered for his long‐running partnership with saxophonist Tommy Smith.

Consummate singing, supreme musicianship and two natural onstage personalities combine in an evening of musical magic.

19th March, 8pm at The Blue Lamp

 

Admission: £18, concession £15, students £5

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Cedric Hanriot Trio

Cédric Hanriot is a French pianist, band leader, music composer, arranger, sound designer, music producer and educator who has worked for Grammy Award winning projects. His last visit to the Lamp was a couple of years ago when he more than earned a return visit. He plays piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards, synthesizers, digital audio workstation synthesizers, and executes real-time audio processing using a laptop. Cedric has worked with some of jazz’s legends including Dianne Reeves, John Patitucci, Donny McCaslin, Clarence Penn, Jeff Ballard, as well as Gregory Porter, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, George Duke, and Robert Glasper. With this project, Cédric Hanriot offers a music open to the cross-currents of jazz, pop and groove. The group playfully explores famous international themes taken from the pop of Katy Perry, the rock of Nirvana, the electronic music of Massive Attack as well as revisiting a number of popular French songs (Brel, Piaf, Delpech, Nougaro) and exploring Cedric’s original compositions in which groove and interaction are the main focus. The music is distinguished by the addition of electronic textures that interact with acoustic instruments (piano, drums and bass) bringing a cinematic dimension to the trio.

 

“Cédric Hanriot has created an “improvisational concept” that takes mainstream jazz styles for quintet and links them to literary and artistic archetype.”   Downbeat Magazine

 

Piano:   Cedric Hanriot
Drums:  Bertrand Beruard (bass, double bass)
Bass:      Bertrand Beruard

9th April, 8pm at The Blue Lamp

Admission: £15, concession £12, students £5

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Mezcla

One of the big names in young Scottish jazz, Glasgow based world/jazz fusion ensemble, Mezcla is attracting attention for their soulful blend of eclectic jazz and infectious grooves. Skilfully fusing influences from West Africa to Latin America and beyond. Mezcla’s music is distinguished by its uplifting melodies, shimmering textures, and visceral improvisation. Led by bass player David Bowden (BBC Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year 2017), the line-up features some of the best of Glasgow’s vibrant young jazz scene. Performance highlights have included BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend, Belladrum Festival, Celtic Connections and London Jazz Festival. Mezcla’s debut album ’Shoot the Moon’ will be launched in February 2020.

 

“Gleefully combining African, Latin American and even Scottish influences with exuberant energy”   The Scotsman
“Fresh and vibrant”   BBC Radio 3
“They cooked up a storm”   London Jazz News

 

Joshua Elcock              – Trumpet
Michael Butcher          – Saxophone
Alan Benzie                    – Keyboards
Ben MacDonald           – Guitar
David Bowden              – Bass + Compositions
Stephen Henderson   – Drums

Rachel Lightbody       – Vocals
Steve Forman              – Percussion

16th April, 8pm at The Blue Lamp

Admission: £15, concession £12, students £5

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Steele/Hamilton/Lowit/Cosker with special guest Marisha Addison

Aberdeen singer and jazz legend Marisha Addison joins four of Scotland’s best known jazzers to provide a night of uplifting, joyous and entertaining music. Colin Steele, Steve Hamilton and Alyn Cosker are joined by Aberdeen’s Pete Lowit on bass to play a mix of standards and their own compositions and arrangements. These guys need no introduction to the Lamp as they are simply the best jazz musicians around plus it’s great to see Pete Lowit playing in such esteemed company. Marisha leads the second set with a tribute to her favourite singer Peggy Lee so expect to hear songs such as ‘Fever’, ’Is That All There Is’, “I’m a Woman’ and “The Folks Who Live on The Hill’…oh what a great song!

23rd April, 8pm at The Blue Lamp

Admission: £15, concession £12, students £5

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Dominic Ingham Quintet

Jazz violinist, singer and composer Dominic Ingham is “a rare treat and should be heard live whenever possible”(Kit Downes) and his compositions have been described as “modern-day lullabies” (The Jazz Mann) inspired by his influences of folk and classical music, as well as the music of some of his favourite jazz musicians – Theolonius Monk, Wayne Shorter, Ambrose Akinmusire and Joel Ross. Dominic has toured Europe extensively as well as performing at prestigious venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Jazz and the Royal Albert Hall. Dominic is involved in other UK bands including Jonathan Mansfield’s ‘Elftet’, and ‘Bonsai’. Both bands are releasing debut albums this year. At the Blue Lamp he will be joined by some of the most exciting jazz musicians in the UK.

 

Dominic Ingham – Violin
Jonny Mansfield (Kenny Wheeler Prize 2018) – Vibraphone
David Swan – Piano
Will Sach – Bass
Boz Martin-Jones – Drums

30th April, 8pm at The Blue Lamp

Admission: £15, concession £12, students £5

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Zhenya Strigalev – JV Replacement

 

Jazzwise magazine described Zhenya as a mix of “Aphex Twin, Jimi Hendrix and Art Pepper”. There is no doubt that he brings energy and intensity to every performance and his latest project with drummer Jamie Murray is certainly that. They will preview music from upcoming album ‘Disrespectful’. The music is inspired by Zhenya and Jamie’s musical journeys and studies, and these ideas are combined to create an organic and very original sound. Some people hear Indian influences, some Charlie Parker, some Chris Dave or Michael Brecker. The focus is to create something very tight and precise while being totally free and creative.

 

Zhenya Strigalev is from St Petersburg, Russia, and has worked with some of today’s most respected musicians (including Eric Harland, Ambrose Akinmusire, Tim Lefebvre, Chris ‘Daddy’Dave, Alex Sipiagin, William Parker, Aaron Parks, Joseph ‘Foley’ McCreary from Miles Davis fame and Larry Grenadier). He has recorded 4 albums with his groups Smiling Organizm and Never Group and his music is regularly played on BBC radio as well as national radio stations in Austria, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Australia, France. He enjoys the challenge of shining a light on the undiscovered, and describes the desired on-the-edge thrill that unfolds: “The whole point of what I do is that I need to surprise myself”.

 

Jamie Murray (drums) is a forward thinking and conceptual player, with a solid groove style yet an open minded approach to free experimentation. His performances are always fresh and exhilarating and he has played and recorded with jazz giants including the Sun Ra Arkestra Members Knoel Scott and Cecil Brooks as well as many other musicians in today’s Jazz scene. Having performed with his own bands on a regular basis at Ronnie Scott’s and some major festivals including Love Supreme, Glastonbury and Afro Punk in New York, Jamie Murray is a name to keep an eye on. Recently Jazzwise magazine featured him in the “Shape of Jazz to come 2019”.

 

“A drummer to watch out for”   Rhythm Drummer
“Phenomenal UK drummer”   Jazzwise
“Strigalev has long had a knack for conjuring big, frisky statements out of tight starting blocks… inventive, fluent and thrilling… serious fun”   Evening Standard

7th May, 8pm at The Blue Lamp

Admission: £15, concession £12, students £5

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Phil Bancroft Quartet

 

It’s always a great night when Phil Bancroft turns up at the Lamp with his quartet! A major figure on the Scottish Music scene for over 30 years, Phil Bancroft forged his reputation in influential Scottish bands such as Celtic Feet, award-winning Trio AAB, Colin Steele’s Stramash, the SNJO and lately in his work in world music. Phil has developed a truly authentic voice on saxophone, combining the study of Jazz, Celtic, Indian and Classical music to produce a unique mix of virtuosity, expressive sound and heart-felt conviction. He has performed with luminaries Sun Ra, Kenny Wheeler, Oliver Lake, Ernst Reisinger and Joe Lovano- and he has composed music and developed multi- media for his own small and large ensemble projects. These include the multi-media show ‘Small As The World’, exploring the meaning of ‘Home’ with 7-piece band, interactive website, musicians joining-in over live Skype feeds from around the world and animated tin-foil space ships. At the Blue Lamp he will bring his stellar quartet of Scottish musicians, all of them well known friends of the Lamp and always providing stunning performances.

 

Sax: Phil Bancroft
Bass: Calum Gourlay
Guitar: Graeme Stephen
Drums: Corrie Dick

14th May, 8pm at The Blue Lamp

Admission: £15, concession £12, students £5

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NIMA – Luca Manning and Irini Arabatzi

NIMA is the brainchild of Luca Manning and Irini Arabatzi – an opportunity for two great friends who love to sing together to perform new and exciting music. NIMA features Luca and Irini as well as collaborations with other artists. At the Blue Lamp they will be joined by Hugo Piper (bass) and StephenHenderson (Drums/Percussion). Luca and Irini began singing together when they met in Glasgow in 2017 and they have since continued to collaborate while they both moved to London around two years ago. The texture of the ensemble often features the unusual line up of two voices accompanied by electric bass and percussion – this provides an exciting sonic palette for improvisation and a chance to perform an eclectic selection of songs from the jazz, folk and world traditions – as well as some original music too! NIMA’s most recent performances include Edinburgh Jazz Festival and The Vortex, London, as part of Dave Holland’s “shape of jazz to come” series.

 

Luca Manning is a Jazz vocalist and songwriter from Glasgow, Scotland. He has played various festivals around the UK opening for the likes of Georgie Fame and Becca Stevens and is involved in a number of projects both as a bandleader and sideman. Now based in London, Luca has just finished his second year on the jazz degree at the Guildhall School of Music. He has already played major London venues such as Pizza Express Jazz Club and Ronnie Scott’s leading his own ensembles and featuring as a guest with renowned singers such as Liane Carroll and Ian Shaw. Luca was honoured to win the rising star award at the 2018 Scottish Jazz Awards and is now anticipating the release of his first album ‘When the sun comes out’ which features Scottish pianist Fergus McCreadie and special guest saxophonist Laura Macdonald.

 

Irini Arabatzi moved to Glasgow in 2016 from Greece and has performed on BBC Radio 3 with Euroradio Jazz Orchestra directed by Tommy Smith and with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra performing the music of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. She is seen as a rising star in Scotland and the UK with an extraordinary voice and a deep knowledge and affection for jazz traditions.

21st May, 8pm at Blue Lamp

Admission: £15, concession £12, students £5

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Alex Goodman Trio

Winner of first prize and the Public’s Choice Award at the 2014 Montreux Jazz Festival International Guitar Competition, Alex Goodman has been hailed as “a definite musical voice”(Guitar International), a player of “fluid lyricism” (Downbeat) and “dazzling improvisational dexterity and engagingly smart composition” (New York City Jazz Record). His quintet ‘LP Bridges’, released in 2011, was nominated for a Juno Award, Canada’s top recording honor, as the year’s best contemporary jazz album. In his time on the New York scene, he has played at all the city’s top jazz clubs, including the Jazz Standard, Blue Note, Smalls and Jazz Gallery, as well as at such venues as Lincoln Center and National Sawdust. The guitarist has also performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and Massey Hall in Toronto as well as at such festivals as Winter Jazz Fest in New York, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival and further afield in China, Ukraine and Bulgaria. In addition to his seven albums as leader or co-leader, Goodman is featured on recordings with such artists as John Patitucci, Dick Oatts, Joel Frahm, and Rich Perry. In addition to having performed with musicians like Charles Lloyd, Eric Harland and Ari Hoenig, the guitarist plays regularly in ensembles led by Manuel Valera, Lucas Pino, Mareike Wiening, Martina DaSilva, Roxy Coss and Remy Le Boeuf, among many others. Goodman has won an ASCAP Herb Albert Jazz Composer Award and he has composed and recorded a book of solo guitar etudes, along with writing scores for jazz and chamber groups, orchestra, big band and string quintet. He is a graduate of the Master’s program in Jazz Performance at the Manhattan School of Music.

 

Guitar: Alex Goodman

Drums: Adam Arruda

Bass: Martin Nevin

28th May, 8pm at Blue Lamp

Admission: £15, concession £12, students £5

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