Bloto: Kwiatostan

Sun 15 November, co-organised by B-Side Events

Stream time / 8:30pm WATCH HERE

Błoto is a somewhat accidentally formed band made of musicians from Polish sextet EABS, their music is deeply rooted in brutal hip-hop grooves, referring quite loosely to the sound of the 90s. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak disrupting promotional and concert plans of the band Błoto, the three pressings of the debut album ‘Erozje’ have quickly sold out. Instead of leaving fans with old (recorded in 2018) material, the quartet decided to build the momentum and release the second album in 2020, entitled ‘Kwiatostan’ (‘Inflorescence’).

Based on the collective improvisation, they recorded their new material in three days. Despite their previous success, the team did not try to recreate proven patents from ‘Erozje’, but rather treated them as a starting point. We can still hear the influence of the golden era’s hip-hop, but this time the inspiration goes deeper to the connotations with club music (house, juke), and everything, as usual, is based on jazz music. Anthony Mills’ unexpected cameo in his rap incarnation as Toni Sauna completes the album entitled ‘Kwiatostan’.

Błoto will play an international premiere of the new album in Jassmine club where the recording took place to both physical and online audience.

Jerry & The Pelican System

Sun 22 November, co-organised by B-Side Events

Stream time / 8:30pm WATCH HERE

Jerzy Mączyński, Polish saxophonist and composer, presents Jerry & The Pelican System Virtual Tour in concert at CK Zamek in Poznan, Poland – a culmination of an online project series which involved artists from around the world. This is a recording made available for the EFG London Jazz Festival.

His latest project ‘Jerry & The Pelican System – Virtual Tour’ is a response to the demand for a virtual cultural offer in the age of coronavirus pandemic.

The project is continuation of an idea to create a dialog with artists from different musical traditions from around the world (eg India, Peru, Nepal, Iran, USA and Slovenia) and an attempt in creating a space in search of formal and audio-visual experiments with various musicians to establish new ways of communication and online collaboration. As part of the project a series of 7 music episodes was created. They have been made available online.

Live concert which is a culmination of the project take place at the end of September at CK Zamek in Poznan. Full concert will be available online for a very limited time as part of EFG London Jazz festival. This concert is a premiere of brand new repertoire: Jerry & The Pelican System – Virtual Tour Final Episode.

James Holden & Waclaw Zimpel

Mon 16 November, LONDON Jazz Cafe

Stage time / 9:00pm, BOOK HERE

Synth wizard James Holden teams up with celebrated Polish clarinet guru Waclaw Zimpel.

Both have had the privilege of immersing themselves in the rich Gnawa musical tradition carried down via Morocco’s Guinia family, with Holden recording first with the late Maalem Mahmoud Guinia and later his son Houssam, whilst in 2012 and again in 2015 Zimpel improvised his way around Poland in a live collaboration with Mahmoud’s younger brother Mokhtar.

Having publicly debuted their collaboration in a live performance at Poland’s Unsound Festival in at the end of 2019 Holden & Zimpel will now repeat the improvisational experiment for this intimate show at The Jazz Cafe.

Tomasz Bura & The Scientists

Thu 19 November, LONDON Spice of Life

Door time / 7:00pm, BOOK HERE

The Scientists are a F.M.E (Free Music Expression) duo formed in London in 2017 by singer/composer Rouhangeze and pianist/composer Tomasz Bura. In today’s world of Jazz, we are seeing an homogenous stream of cultures fusing from into world, jazz, soul, funk but with a sophistication through composition.

The Scientists attests this new movement, which technically passes its virtuosity to pierce a delicate sensitivity with maturity. An impassioned, heartfelt ensemble, with dynamic extremes. Compelling in its navigation through electronics and the acoustic, with the unique lifting voice of Singer Composer Rouhangeze Baichoo melodically soaring over complex harmonic structures to a powerhouse trio, lead by Pianist Composer Tomasz Bura never ceasing of groove and feel.

Tomorrow’s Warriors ft. Special Guest Dennis Rollins & Aleksandra Topczewska Quartet

Fri 20 November, LONDON Spice of Life

Door time / 7:00pm, BOOK HERE

ALEKSANDRA TOPCZEWSKA QUARTET featuring members of TOMORROW’S WARRIORS will perform a set of contemporary arrangements of compositions by the great Charlie Parker and a set of music inspired by the Brecker Brothers’ ‘Out of the Loop’ album – an influential amalgam of post-bop jazz, hip-hop and funk. There will be commentary involved outlining the milestones of Parker’s career and talking about his most well known compositions.