Jazz breaking news: Polar Bear and Neil Cowley Trio Double Bill For Village Underground Show
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Spitalfields Summer Festival next week on 21 June features a fascinating double bill with two of the most talked about jazz groups of recent years appearing at Shoreditch venue Village Underground.
Polar Bear and the Neil Cowley Trio come at jazz from very different perspectives although both share the desire to reach out to other musical communities.
For Polar Bear this has meant a certain crossing over to indie and electronica fanbases and remixes of recent work like their last album Peepers relocates their music to places other jazz groups rarely visit. The Neil Cowley Trio meanwhile has been lauded by the rock press as the go-to band for rock fans wishing to dip their toes in jazz waters while maintaining a close relationship with jazz audiences. Cowley himself is no stranger to working with rock and pop musicians, having performed with the likes of the chart-topping Adele extensively in recent years. The NCT is currently working towards a fourth album, the first to feature new bassist Rex Horan as well as a string section on some tracks. The Village Underground itself is an interesting cultural space created around old London Underground train carriages recycled to form studios and the raw space of an old Victorian warehouse. Should be an intriguing evening all round.
– Stephen Graham
For tickets go to www.villageunderground.co.uk