Jazz breaking news: Gershwin reimagined by Soweto Kinch
Monday, March 12, 2012
Part of the Gershwin 75 festival Soweto Kinch is to appear tomorrow with the University of Southampton’s Progression Ensemble in a special presentation called Gershwin Re:mixed.
According to the organisers the concert will explore the Gershwin canon in a “contemporary setting”, interpreted by the influential Birmingham-based alto saxophonist/MC and the Progression, a University of Southampton-based group musically directed by Dan Mar-Molinero.
The gig is a return to the south coast for Kinch, who last April performed a special collaborative concert with students from the Southampton Guildhall called The Jazz Ticket. That event involved schools and Mar-Molinero again, with workshops taking place that saw the participation of a wide range of youth ensembles. Kinch, known as much for his burning Charlie Parker-rooted alto saxophone playing as his insightful “conscious” rap and freestyle routines, appeared recently as a mentor on Sky Arts programme First Love where he had his work cut out to tutor saxophone novice Shaun Ryder, formerly of the Happy Mondays.
Kinch’s latest album, The New Emancipation, was released just under two years ago, and among a wide variety of projects he has worked on since its release, one involved a special concert invoking the spirit and music of long-time hero free-form pioneer Joe Harriott, whose memory and music Kinch has done so much to keep alive. Kinch typically appears with his band of Berklee-trained bassist Karl Rasheed-Abel, and broken beats stylist drummer Graham Godfrey.
– Stephen Graham
For last minute tickets go to www.turnersims.co.uk