There may be troubles in the Eurozone at the moment but on the evidence of this week’s programme, for the continent’s jazz it’s a case of ‘Crisis – what crisis?’. We’ve two stonking sets from the recent Match & Fuse event in London – there’s a real festival feel to this showcase of the brightest new talent from across Europe.
Our first performance comes from the festival’s creators, the punky and funky quintet World Service Project. The band brim with energy and really know how to play the crowd – as much through music that, as leader Dave Morecroft explains in conversation with journalist Marcus O’Dair, seeks to ‘taunt and flirt’. There are twists and turns, stops and starts peppered throughout, nowhere more so than in the second number, De-Frienders, where among the thrashy noise there’s a real subtlety to the way the material darts around.
World Service Project on the Match & Fuse outside stage (c) Philip Ower
Our second band is the Irish quartet ReDiviDeR, a palindromic bandname that undoubtedly works best on the page (do you know of any other jazz palindromes?). Still groovy but slightly less in-your-face, they explore the space between written material and collective improvisation. There are hints of the M-Base rhythmic approach in tunes such as Riot Peace, where the band also show off a freer, more atmospheric approach to great effect.
Also on the programme, we’ve an exclusive session track from another Irish musician, saxophonist Matt Halpin; and I’m sure many of you will by now have heard the very sad news of the death of British improviser Lol Coxhill at the age of 79. I found out in the middle of the recording of this programme and we simply had to commemorate his wonderful career with a track from his 2005 session for Jazz on 3 with Clearframe. We’ll be paying fuller tribute later this year.
Join Jez for all of this on Monday 16 July from 11pm on BBC Radio 3, or listen online for seven days after broadcast.
The Jazz on 3 team