Jazz breaking news: Richard Bona and Poogie Bell Get Revamped Pizza Thumping
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Soho’s Pizza Express Jazz Club, the flagship music venue and restaurant for the up-market pizza chain, has now had a full refit in its upstairs restaurant and smart-looking frontage added, with a look more in keeping with its illustrious 45-year old basement jazz club.
The latter’s careworn chairs have also been replaced and there are plans to install a new high-tech PA system, according to venue manager Ross Dines. All of which comes off the back of the club’s most successful year to date in 2012, with 2013 already off to a flying start. A new four-night ‘Thump’ drum festival kicks off tomorrow, 30 May, with two nights from a dynamite new trio featuring Cameroonian bass guitar icon Richard Bona (pictured left), London-based latin jazz drummer Ernesto Simpson, and in a last minute line-up change rising star Cuban jazz pianist Osmany Paredes Gonzalez – who Bona has described as “one of the hottest new Cuban jazz players around today.” The second night here features Israeli jazztronica drummer Oded Kafari who’s had over 1.5million YouTube views thanks to his extraordinary performances busking on the streets of London and beaches in Tel Aviv.
The mini-fest also includes popular jazz-funk drummer Poogie Bell’s band, in a hard-grooving double bill with London-based drummer Matt Skelton Trio (1 June) followed by a tribute to the music of Tony Williams from young British drummer Moses Boyd in a band that includes Soweto Kinch and Jay Phelps, plus an opening set from Hungarian drummer Tamas Berdisz (2 June). With a busy monthly programme other big name highlights coming later this year include the return to the club of top UK saxophonist Courtney Pine, veteran hard-bop piano great Barry Harris, Brit jazz luminary Stan Tracey CBE with his ‘Seventy Years in Jazz’ Octet, the fourth run of singer Georgia Mancio’s ReVoice! Festival, top US jazz vocalist René Marie, and the return of exciting Anglo-American fusion quartet The Impossible Gentlemen.
– Mike Flynn
For more info go to www.pizzaexpresslive.co.uk