Jazz breaking news: Brecon lights up with Courtney Pine, Phronesis and the Impossible Gentlemen
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
This year’s Brecon Jazz Festival kicks off from Friday 9-Sunday 11 August with an exciting and diverse range of names, including Courtney Pine’s House of Legends band (pictured), Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, ECM’s jazz-folk trio Quercus, striking piano trio Phronesis, Mercury Prize nominees Roller Trio, The Impossible Gentlemen, and jazztronica duo of trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer and laptopist Biosphere.
This is the first time that festival promoters Orchard have organised the whole event, having jumped in at short notice last year to create a strong line-up under considerable time pressure.
The festival, held in the picturesque town in the Brecon Beacons National Park, will spotlight up-and-coming talent presented by Paula Gardiner, head of jazz at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Artist-in-residence Huw Warren (also a member of Quercus) will create two unique international collaborations with renowned New York ‘downtown’ drummer Jim Black, and Italian singer Maria Pia de Vito – with whom he will explore a delicate mix of Brazilian and Neapolitan songs, as well as new material. And in a festival first, the collaboration between Warren and de Vito will be streamed live from the Chapter Stage at Brecon Cathedral as a webcast at 17:30 on Saturday 10 August at www.breconjazz.com/live.
The festival will also see an increase in the number of street performances, gigs and musician-led workshops around the town, as well as a late club night at the Market Hall in the centre of Brecon. It is hoped that this partnership with the Brecon Fringe will complement the main programme, and increase interest in the festival. For more information and ticket sales, go to www.breconjazz.com.
Fans of the Brecon festival and jazz photography will be pleased to hear that a new book of photographs will be launched ahead of this year’s event. The Brecon Jazz Story in Photographs, by Gena Davies, is being published on 7 August through Crooked Window Publishing. The book reveals the way the festival’s character has changed in its 30 year history, as well as showing off the unique location of this ancient Welsh market town. The book features photos of some of the most famous names in jazz, including Lionel Hampton, Gerry Mulligan and Stephane Grapphelli, as well as the carnival atmosphere of the town, and why the festival attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Gena Davies has lived in Brecon since 1971, and has photographed the festival every year since it began in 1984. She says that when she heard about plans for the festival, she “Couldn’t believe that it was serious,” and decided to take her camera and have a look at what was going on. This record of the festival is annotated with quotes and anecdotes to compliment the images. The book’s editor, David Moore, has lived in Brecon for the past 20 years, attending every festival in that time. He formerly curated the Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery, and organised many festival exhibitions.
– Nick Webb