Huw Warren workshops

Huw Warren is hosting a series of workshops and jam sessions in Gwynedd this weekend.

Sat 28 June - 9pm - Y Fricsan (Snowdon Inn), Llanberis rd, Cwm y Glo, LL55 4EE - Huw Warren Trio + Jam Session - open invite to all players and a few surprise guests planned. Late night DJ set follows- free entry. See www.snowdoninn.co.uk for more details.

Sun 29 June - 10am-3.30pm - Jazz Day at the Galeri, Caernarfon
An exciting and fun day led by Huw Warren and Paula Gardiner and featuring young musicians from the jazz department of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff alongside players from the Gwynedd and Môn Youth Jazz Band.

Workshop 10am - 1pm - "Exploring Improvisation" - open to all ages (intermediate to advanced level). Followed by a performance at 2pm - a chance to hear Huw, Paula, and all the workshop participants perform in an informal and relaxed setting in Galeri’s Bar. Tickets £5 - call 01286 685222 for details.

Mon 30 June - 10.30am - Jazz for Juniors - Theatr Harlech
Concert and workshop for primary schools with Huw, Paula and students from the RWCMD
more info - 01755 760667

www.myspace.com/worldjazznetwork
www.myspace.com/huwwarrenmusic

Jazz Connection playlist 23 June 2008

Here's what I played on the Jazz Connection on Radio Cardiff 98.7 on Monday 23 June - including three tracks by the Esbjörn Svensson Trio (EST) as a tribute to the pianist who died last weekend:

Kenny Dorham - Minor's Holiday
EST - Tide of Trepidation
James Brown - There Was A Time (Kenny Dope remix)
Pentangle - Light Flight
Robert Walter - Maple Plank
George Benson - Summertime
EST - Little Rootie Tootie
Lauren - Glory Box
Tom Richards Orchestra ft Jamie Cullum - Smoke and Mirrors
Liberty Street Jazz Band - Bugle Call Rag
Red Eyed Fly - My Name Is On The Bills
EST - Believe, Beleft, Below

Click here to listen to the show online.

The next edition of the Jazz Connection is on Monday 7 July at 8pm - but I'll be back next Monday 30 June with my Middle Eastern beats and bellydance show, A Night in Tunisia.

The two shows will alternate on Monday nights for the forseeable future - let me know if you have any music suitable for either programme.

Julian Martin/James Chadwick Workshop - July 6

Guitarist James Chadwick is setting up a one-day workshop with pianist Julian Martin on Sunday 6 July in Cardiff.

The course will include tuition from 10am till 5pm followed by a performance in the evening.

The cost is £50 - venue to be confirmed.

Email james2007guitar @ yahoo.co.uk for details.

Brecon shock at Esbjörn Svensson death

Organisers of HSBC Brecon Jazz say they're saddened at the death of the Swedish jazz pianist and composer Esbjörn Svensson, who was due to headline at this year's festival.

Svensson (pictured centre with trio colleagues Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström) died in a scuba diving accident in Stockholm on Saturday. He was 44 years old.

The manager of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio (EST) Burkhard Hopper said: "Musically, he was the light that lit the world because in what he did he was pushing boundaries. His music inspired people in all corners of the world."

HSBC Brecon Jazz Festival Director Jim Smith said: "The Brecon Jazz team and I are extremely saddened by Esbjörn Svensson's untimely death.

"I'm sure I speak for many people in saying that it was truly a privilege to watch this man perform. He was a legend in the true sense of the word. My thoughts are with his family at this time."

Formed in 1993, EST produced a string of 13 albums, which brought both critical acclaim and commercial success. They were the first European combo to be honoured on the cover of the prestigious American jazz magazine Down Beat in 2006.

Following a 2005 sell-out debut at Brecon, EST were due to headline the Saturday night at this year's HSBC Brecon Jazz Festival, in a UK concert exclusive.

Esbjörn Svensson is survived by his wife and two sons.

See www.est-music.com for details of his life and work.

I'll be playing some tracks from the trio as a tribute in the next edition of The Jazz Connection on Monday 23 June.

Jazz jam for No Bar 2 Far

Chris Gilligan leads a jazz jam to launch Friday Night Live on June 20 at No Bar 2 Far in Cardiff city centre.

It's the former Dewi's Bar, next to Cineworld and opposite Cardiff International Arena.

Anyone wanting to play needs only to bring along their instrument and have a word with Chris.

Friday Night Live will offer a range of bands with plenty of jazz and blues - future attractions including Virgil & the Accelerators on (July 4), Dave Arcari (August 1) and Jay Tamkin & the Crackers (August 22).

See www.myspace.com/fridaynightlivecardiff for more info.

Jazz at the Margam Festival

Saxophonist Simon Spillet and the Dave Cottle Trio are among the attractions of this year's Margam Festival near Port Talbot in July.

They play a gig at the Orangery on Tuesday 8 July, starting at 8pm with tickets £7.50 and £6 concessions.

That's followed on Wednesday 9 July by saxophonist Alan Barnes with the Capital City Jazz Orchestra, also at the Orangery.

Support comes from the Liberty Street Jazz Band who kick off the evening at 6.30pm with the main event at 7.30pm.

There is a fully licensed bar and a traditional hog roast during the interval. Tickets cost £15 and £13 concessions.

See www.npt.gov.uk/margamfestival for more details.

Jazz Connection playlist 9 June 2008

Here's what I played on the Jazz Connection on Radio Cardiff on Monday 9 June:

Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis – Bright Lights Big City
Paul Weller & Robert Wyatt - Song for Alice
Jimmy McGriff – The Worm
Dave Stapleton & Matthew Bourne – Like Enlightenment*
Kevin Figes – Listless*
Dinah Washington – Cry Me a River (Truth and Soul Remix)
Bobby Previte & the New Bump – She Has Information
Ola Onabule – Never Known
Paula Gardiner Trio – In The Garden*
Tim Garland – Epilogue: From The Land
Mike Markey & Nick Jones – Filthy Rich
Bourne/Davis/Kane – De Selby's Earth*
The Jiveoholics – Jiveoholic Boogie
Jeremy Steig - Howling For Judy

*Tracks chosen and discussed by my special guest Dave Stapleton from albums on his new label Edition Records.

Hear the show right now at www.jazz-connection.co.uk

The next show will be on Monday 23 June - let me know if you have any gig info or CDs for use in future programmes.

Cardiff Jazz Festival - Sunday gig

An extra gig has been added to the Cardiff Jazz Festival line up - a rare Sunday event for Cafe Jazz with the Rory Simmons Quartet and the Dave Stapleton Quintet on June 8.

After another successful year on the international jazz scene, it's a rare hometown gig for Cardiff-based Stapleton and the quintet. Featuring Dave Stapleton on piano, Jonny Bruce on trumpet, Ben Waghorn sax, Paula Gardiner bass and Elliot Bennet drums.

Trumpeter Rory Simmons has spent a year touring with Jamie Cullum and appears with a band made up of members of London’s Loop Collective - Ivo Neame on piano, Jaspy Hoiby bass and Dave Smith drums.

The gig starts at 8pm and admission is £6.

See www.myspace.com/cardiffjazzfestival for full details.