Reside Music Change Weblog
Visitor blogger Alison Eales writes about Glasgow’s common jazz periods on this week’s weblog, and finds a dynamic scene which options a mixture of trad, mainstream, and trendy jazz types throughout town, each indoors and within the metropolis’s outside public areas. Certainly one of her predominant findings is the expansion of a youthful jazz scene which inspires musicians to play extra trendy types of music, and a part of the weblog put up explores the explanations for this rising development.
This put up appears at a few of the common jazz periods which happen in Glasgow’s bars, pubs and public areas on a weekly or month-to-month foundation, and that are free to attend. Most of those periods are included within the fringe programme of Glasgow Jazz Pageant annually. Numerous varieties of jazz are coated, from trad by way of to extra trendy types, to periods with a barely broader remit concerning funk and Latin sounds. Not coated listed below are ticketed jazz gigs: a notable omission, due to this fact, is the Bridge Jazz collection, run by Invoice Kyle (proprietor of Edinburgh’s Jazz Bar). Supported by Inventive Scotland, Bridge Jazz brings trendy jazz acts from everywhere in the world to Edinburgh and Glasgow, in addition to showcasing native expertise. Its Glasgow gigs are normally on Thursday evenings on the Artwork Membership. One other current growth not coated on this article is a brand new ‘Jazz within the Afternoon’ collection on the Tron Theatre.
This put up is accompanied by a video of a few of the periods coated (to see which clip is through which venue, see the video info on YouTube):-
There’s additionally the next map which reveals the places of the venues (click on on the blue icon for a basic overview of the venues; clicking on the pink markers offers you additional details about every venue):-
Trad Jazz Periods
For the needs of this put up, ‘trad jazz’ wants a broad interpretation, because the bands who frequent Glasgow’s well-liked periods are usually not New Orleans purists. These bands typically have a typical ‘trad jazz’ line-up together with banjo, clarinet and many others., however incorporate later huge band-style songs and requirements alongside a ragtime or Dixieland repertoire. The periods at which they play usually happen in metropolis centre bars on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and have a tendency to attract an older viewers, with the vast majority of attendees maybe of their 50s-70s. There’s normally a superb gender combine – in truth, it isn’t uncommon for there to be barely extra ladies than males. Folks will typically rise up and dance (if there may be room!).
Avant Garde (previously Laurie’s) has been refurbished pretty just lately, and its new, trendy decor is in step with different bars close by. Its Saturday afternoon jazz periods, nevertheless, predate the refurbishment – the six-piece trad band have been resident right here for years. Led by Dave Wilson (a well known banjoist, pianist and piano tuner) till his demise in 2013, their line-up is augmented by a bluesy feminine singer for some numbers; she is considered one of solely a tiny variety of feminine performers to seem at any of the periods talked about on this piece, and even perhaps the one one who performs often.
King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut is usually identified for rock and indie/various music. Every Saturday afternoon, nevertheless, Penman’s Jazzmen – considered one of Glasgow’s longest-established and best-loved jazz bands – take over the downstairs bar. On one event I acquired chatting to a gentleman, maybe in his early 60s, who had travelled from East Kilbride to return to this session, bemoaning the dearth of dwell music in his dwelling city. Earlier than leaving, I pointed to a Belle and Sebastian poster on the wall and informed him that I as soon as noticed Dave Wilson’s Uptown Shufflers supporting them in Dunoon. To not be outdone, he informed me that he as soon as noticed The Rolling Stones supporting Acker Bilk on the Isle of Man.
At The Three Judges’ Sunday afternoon periods, music is offered by both Muldoon’s Ragtime Band – who even have a Saturday afternoon residency at MacSorley’s – or The Witnesses. This session is at all times extraordinarily busy: flip up at 3pm and you’re unlikely to get a seat; flip up early to get a seat and you’re prone to displace an everyday. Alongside one facet of the pub, near the place the band play, there may be normally a core of people that appear to know one another nicely. One afternoon, the entire pub was handled to sandwiches and sausage rolls introduced in by somebody celebrating a birthday.
Glasgow’s trad jazz periods are outstanding by way of their reputation and heat. On a superb day, dropping in to at least one feels virtually like crashing a celebration: many attendees are long-standing regulars, mingling from desk to desk, chatting to previous mates.
Trendy Jazz Periods
When it comes to extra trendy and mainstream jazz – once more, phrases which require broad interpretation – there look like two scenes in Glasgow, characterised by a generational distinction, however with a considerable overlap. Sure trendy periods appeal to a usually older viewers (although youthful than the trad periods), maybe of their 40s-60s. While there may be nonetheless a superb gender stability, it’s typically the case that there are extra males than ladies.
On the primary Saturday of every month, Ubiquitous Chip hosts a jazz lunch in its downstairs restaurant. From 1pm til 4pm, a set menu is obtainable, accompanied by dwell music – usually a trio or quartet enjoying requirements. The jazz lunch is well-liked sufficient that reserving prematurely is suggested, but the music itself is a notably unintrusive ingredient of the occasion, performed at a low sufficient quantity that diners are in a position to converse. Even with out amplification, the venue’s excessive ceiling, brick partitions and cobbled flooring enable sound to journey.
Maybe one of the prolific jazz musicians in Glasgow, saxophonist Michael Deans has a Thursday evening residency on the Beer Cafe, a contemporary bar adjoining to the Metropolis Halls. Deans’ repertoire relies upon partially on the line-up of his band – once more, usually a trio or quartet – which varies from week to week. Keyboardist Pete Johnstone brings a funk/prog edge to the band when he brings his Hammond (or, a minimum of, his Nord) alongside. On different events, the band undertake a extra Latin sound. Deans additionally performs with a quintet every Sunday within the Whisky Bar at Òran Mór, all darkish wooden and low gentle with casks mounted behind the bar. It isn’t unknown for impromptu trad jazz periods to happen right here. The format of the bar isn’t superb, nevertheless: the band are squeezed right into a nook near the bogs, with a seating sales space instantly in entrance, performing as a kind of barrier between them and the remainder of the bar.
Up to now few years, numerous new trendy periods have sprung up in Glasgow. These periods are likely to function youthful musicians, appeal to a youthful crowd (maybe of their 20s-40s), and, as with the trad periods, there may be normally a superb gender stability. These periods are usually later and louder than these talked about above (with the doable exception of the Beer Cafe).
Jazz at The 78, which takes place each Sunday evening, has change into one of many venue’s hottest occasions. The resident trio are pianist Tom Gibbs, bassist Euan Burton and drummer Stu Brown, with many native and visiting musicians sitting in. It’s at all times busy and it may be difficult discovering a seat, particularly near the band. This is without doubt one of the Glasgow’s louder jazz periods, not simply by way of the amplification of the band, but in addition within the quantity of dialog and applause.
One of the current additions to The Halt Bar’s calendar of dwell leisure is a Saturday afternoon jazz session. The band, whose membership varies from week to week, will usually play two units. Throughout the first set, they often follow requirements; after a brief break, they may play a louder and extra uptempo set, the numbers extra trendy, the solos extra exuberant. One other of the newer periods, Jazz at Slouch is just like the 78 periods – normally busy, maybe surprisingly so for a late Tuesday evening session. Equally, the Wednesday evening session at The Rio Cafe (normally hosted by bassist Brodie Jarvie or guitarist Allan McKeown) begins at 9pm however nonetheless attracts an honest crowd.
The emergence of those ‘youthful’ trendy jazz periods could also be related to the institution of the BMus in Jazz on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, led by Tommy Smith. The course admitted its first cohort in 2009; Jazz on the 78 predates this by two years, however the periods at Slouch and the Halt are newer (having been established in 2012 and 2013 respectively). The course’s consumption is deliberately small, however its college students are inspired to hunt as a lot work on the native scene as doable in an effort to construct expertise and contacts, accounting for a small enhance within the provide of jazz musicians within the metropolis. That there seems to be ample demand to accommodate them may be very promising – even late on a Sunday or weekday night, their periods appeal to a full of life and appreciative viewers.
Jazz in public areas
In October 2013, as a part of the Glasgow Metropolis Advertising Bureau’s ‘Folks Make Glasgow’ marketing campaign, the St Enoch Centre begun to play host to dwell leisure in an effort to carry folks in for early night purchasing. An empty retail unit on the bottom flooring was used as an area for stand-up comedy, while on the primary flooring, an space alongside giant promoting hoardings and a stall promoting artwork prints turned an impromptu jazz stage. Tuts’ resident trad band, Penman’s Jazzmen, have been one act to play right here. Representing the extra trendy finish of the spectrum – with explicit leanings in the direction of funk and fusion – have been the Marco Cafolla Trio. The band may be discovered enjoying in numerous bars round Glasgow throughout the week, and likewise performed in Central Station as a part of the 2013 Glasgow Jazz Pageant, as a part of a unbroken initiative to supply dwell music on the station concourse on Friday evenings.
Glasgow additionally has its share of buskers, in fact, although the climate isn’t at all times suited to enjoying outside. I as soon as encountered the gentleman within the video assembling his clarinet on the Subway. “I’m simply cleansing it,” he introduced unconvincingly to the carriage, earlier than launching into ‘Stranger on the Shore’.
Blowing modifications
While probably the most persistently busy jazz periods in Glasgow nonetheless lean in the direction of the trad/huge band finish of issues, there does look like an thrilling shift in progress. Alternatives are arising for youthful musicians to play extra trendy types of music (certainly, these musicians are actively creating their very own alternatives to take action), and the ensuing periods are proving well-liked with a youthful viewers. The repute of those periods extends past Glasgow: Jazz on the 78 was just lately featured in a checklist article detailing fascinating issues to see and do within the metropolis (The Halt Bar and Òran Mór are additionally talked about within the article, although not for his or her jazz periods).
It is going to be fascinating to watch how these periods develop as additional cohorts of younger jazz musicians emerge from the Conservatoire. It can even be fascinating to see what number of extra such periods this youthful scene can and can maintain.
