CIAO! TRAVEL 2006 JAZZ EUROPE TOURS 

2006  LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL PROGRAM

      November 10-19, 2006

Day/Date

Artist

Wayne Shorter

Saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter has been consistently at the cutting edge with Art Blakey, Miles Davis and of course Weather Report. In his first London show since his triumphant residency at the Barbican two years ago, Shorter performs here in an acoustic format, with the all star band of pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade, to create music that rushes with individual virtuosity and intuitive interplay.

Stan Tracey
A classic double bill is completed by the trio of Britain’s “godfather” of jazz. Stan Tracey’s piano style is instantly recognisable – spikily original and full of melodic and rhythmic twists and turns. Celebrating his 80th birthday year, Stan Tracey continues to perform at the very highest level.

Barbican Hall

Richard Bona

Richard Bona has played bass with the Pat Metheny Group, and worked with Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin among many others, but now he's being recognised as a great songwriter and vocalist - "an angelic voice up there with Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal", Downbeat. His songs bubble with latin, gypsy and African influences - Bona's latest Universal album Tiki was described by The Guardianas "music that makes you smile, moves your feet and touches your heart in ways that more celebrated music personalities can only dream about".
 

Zoe Rahman
"One of the UK's most distinctive jazz talents, pianist Zoe Rahman draws the listener into her own absorbing world", commented the Mercury Prize Judging Panel, which has just shortlisted Zoe for this year's Mercury Prize for her new album Melting Pot.

Queen Elizabeth Hall

Oregon

For over thirty years Oregon has made fresh and appealing music that accepts no label. Guitarist Ralph Towner, Glen Moore on bass, Paul McCandless on woodwind and percussionist Mark Walker combine classical, jazz and world music influences to create “inspired original compositions, intricate and alluring melodic soundscapes that are organically beautiful, dramatic and timeless”, Jazzonline.
For their first London concert in many years expect a performance that is a joyful embrace of adventure. “Oregon never slows with age, never ceases to celebrate their singularity and never misses a chance to defy commerciality. Their influence on international music has proven nothing less than monumental”, Jazziz.

Queen Elizabeth Hall

Cassandra Wilson

"She sings the body eclectic....." Better than anyone, Cassandra Wilson takes an intensely personal journey through a mix of pop songs, classic blues, folk ballads and jazz. With her latest Blue Note release, thunderbird, her honeyed voice assumes an entirely new dimension - primal, warmly intimate and full of delicate nuances, a post-modern take on roots music, produced by the acclaimed T-Bone Burnett. Inspired by an ancient Native American myth, thunderbird features a characteristically inventive choice of songs, from traditional folk songs and blues by Willie Dixon and Blind Lemon Jefferson to contemporary songwriter Jakob Dylan, and Cassandra's own crafted, haunting songs - tales of betrayal, intimacy and wonder. A charismatic live performer, and perhaps the most individual jazz-inspired vocalist in today's music, Cassandra Wilson plays the BBC Radio 3 London Jazz Festival in her first UK concert in over two years.

Barbican Hall

Queen Elizabeth Hall

Michel Camilo

& Tomatito

One of the giants of Latin jazz, pianist and perennial pollwinner Michel Camilo, making a rare UK appearance, teams up with the virtuoso guitarist Tomatito, bringing together two distinct voices from different musical worlds. To see Camilo live is tantamount to witnessing the energy of a tropical storm unleashed on 88 keys - an expansive and spectacular performer.

Tomatito, who was discovered by Paco de Lucía in his early years and is acknowledged as the premier flamenco guitarist of his generation, returns to the Barbican following his sell-out show with Estrella Morente. Navigating the boundaries of jazz and flamenco with music that positively fizzes with life, they play London together for the first time, celebrating the release of their second Universal CD, Spain Again - "together, the duo finds an elusive grace..." (NY Times)

Julia Sarr and Patrice Lacrose

Introduced by Youssou N'Dour as 'the fresh face of African music', Senegalese singer Julia Sarr and flamenco inspired guitarist Patrice Larose open the evening with their first UK concert appearance.

Barbican Hall

Randy Weston

with the BBC Big Band

Pianist Randy Weston is one of jazz’s visionaries, with a restless, questing musical spirit. Beginning his career in the late 1940’s with Monk-inspired bop, he has gradually absorbed the letter and spirit of African and Caribbean rhythms and tunes, welding everything together into a searching, energizing, often celebratory blend - he’s a world musician in that he’s long been fascinated by improvised music from other cultures, especially the music of Africa and in particular the traditions of the Sahara. For this special concert created for the Festival, he will be working with the BBC Big Band, one of the world’s great radio big bands that has created several ambitious concerts for the Festival over the years. You will hear special arrangements of his work from throughout his prolific and illustrious career. “When Randy plays” said poet Langston Hughes “a combination of strength and gentleness, virility and velvet emerges from the keys in an ebb and flow of sound seemingly as natural as the waves of the sea".
 

 Take 6 + Juliet Kelly

Take 6 are six phenomenal American gospel singers who have taken hold of the street corner acapella tradition and fused it with jazz, rhythm and blues and the funkiest vocals you have ever heard - rhythm does not come more supple and harmonies deeper. Discovered by Stevie Wonder, filmed by Spike Lee and produced by Quincy Jones, they are the most spectacular close harmony group in the world.

Singer-songwriter Juliet Kelly sets out an acoustic soul groove with velvety vocals and jazz phrasings applied to her own lilting melodies

 Queen Elizabeth Hall

Dave Holland 60th Birthday Concert w/the Dave Holland Quintet &  Jim Hall
Dave Holland Dave Holland is a pivotal figure on today's international jazz scene. From an intense period of playing in London in the 60s, he was pitched into the creative maelstrom of the Miles Davis...and the rest is history. Virtuoso bassist with artists as diverse as Chick Corea and Anthony Braxton, Sam Rivers, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, he's one of a few British players to have made a significant mark on the American scene...and over the past couple of decades he has become hugely respected worldwide as an award-winning composer and leader.

The London Jazz Festival and Barbican Jazz are delighted to celebrate Dave's 60th birthday with a concert built around his stellar quintet - a joyously free-wheeling band of extreme talent, featuring saxophonist Chris Potter, trombonist Robin Eubanks and the stunning vibraphonist Steve Nelson.

An undisputed jazz great joins Dave for a mouthwatering duo set. Jim Hall set the standard for a mellow, subtly melodic guitar style back in the 50s and 60s - the epitome of cool, he played crucially with Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Jimmy Giuffre, and remains a profound influence on contemporary heroes such as Bill Frisell. Well into his 70s, he's still playing at the very highest level - a rare opportunity to hear a master at work.
 

 Queen Elizabeth Hall

Soweto Kinch

Abram Wilson

A double Festival event that points to the musical future. Soweto Kinch has won a string of BBC, Mercury and MOBO nominations and awards for his stunning mix of bluesy jazz saxophone and eloquent rap. This show celebrates the release of his second album Tales of the Tower Block on Dune Records, Britain's premiere independent jazz label, which is also the home of exuberant trumpeter Abram Wilson, who lives here but hails from New Orleans. The Guardian called his recent record Jazz Warrior "a one-man MOBO awards. Album of the week. Make that album of the month".