IF YOU’RE a fan of jazz vocalist Georgina Barr, this is your lucky week. Her tour of the city’s venues begins at The Pavilion Hotel, Fulford Road, at 7pm this evening. She will be performing as a duo with pianist Mike Conliffe. The hotel has a lovely, intimate bar to relax in and enjoy a drink or some great food.

On Saturday and Sunday, Georgina is joined by York pianist Karl Mullen at different venues. On Saturday they will be performing at the The Hop in Fossgate. Then on Sunday they’ll be at one of Karl’s regular haunts, the Rook & Gaskill in Lawrence Street from 8.30pm.

On Monday, Georgina will be filling in for her teacher Kate Peters at The Phoenix Inn, George Street, while Kate is off honeymooning with myself. For this gig she’ll again be joined by Karl as well as bassist Emlyn Vaughn and drummer Trevor King.

There’s a change in schedule at The Red Lion Hotel in Poppleton tonight at 8.30pm. Many of the local jazz musicians will be enjoying the wedding of trumpeter James Lancaster. Pianist Mel Nicholls will bring a quartet to the venue.

Derrick Harris is a versatile performer having played extensively in the West End. This Sunday he will be demonstrating his improvising skills at Kennedy’s Bar, Little Stonegate, with Tom Riviere on bass and Paul Smith on drums. Music starts at 1pm. Later in the evening, the Firebird Quartet will be playing a mix of swing and contemporary funk at The Phoenix Inn from 8pm.

If you’d like to get out and play some jazz, you have two opportunities on Wednesday. The Phoenix Inn welcomes players of any instrument and ability from 8.30pm. Simultaneously, at The Victoria Vaults in Nunnery Lane, bassist Christian Topman hosts a gypsy jazz jam for acoustic instruments. The night has a great atmosphere and the music is in a traditional swing style.

 

Review: Daniel Herskedal, Slow Eastbound Train

THE tuba has a history in jazz dating to its birth, where it was used to play on beats one and three of the bar to provide a driving rhythm. Examples of the instrument being pushed through these boundaries are rare.

Herskedal uses the tuba to create melodies and rhythms you may not have realised were possible. Norwegian musicians often take a style of music and strip it to its bones, retaining the structure and rhythm but giving it a more haunting sound. Tracks such as the closer Sea Breeze Front are achingly beautiful in their simplicity, while other tracks feature perfectly executed rhythmic passages.

The Trondheim Soloists utilise the vast capabilities of their instruments, providing mellow arco foundations on the slower numbers while contributing with pizzicato interplay when the grooves kick in. Slow Eastbound Train would sit comfortably with fans of experimental Nordic rock bands such as Sigur Ros and Ulver.