jazz – The Cultural Exposé

Counting down to Jazz Re:Fest

Matilda — Sun, 13 Sep 2015 19:30:43 +0000

The mighty Jazz Re:freshed crew are leaving their West London home and heading to the Southbank next Sunday (20th) for Jazz Re:fest – a free one-day celebration of the innovative, jazz-inspired music the collective has championed over the years. If you’ve ever been to their Thursday night jam at Mau Mau Bar on Portabello Road, you know this will be an incredible day of joints and jams – especially as the festival line-up includes over 45 DJs, musicians and artists including legendary hip-hopper Ty and saxaphonist/rapper Soweto Kinch. Head over to the Southbank Centre website to find out more or visit www.jazzrefreshed.com as they countdown to the big day.

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Somewhere you should go… Kansas Smitty’s Speakeasy

The Cultural Exposé — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:20:18 +0000

Jumpin’. Jivin’. Juleps. Jazz. Sounds like the perfect ingredients for a Saturday night, which is why this new speakeasy caught our attention at TCé. The one-off at the Peckham Liberal Club brings together some of the fiercest jazz musicians in town for a rollicking’ evening of bourbon-fuelled dancing, inspired by the 1930s US southern scene. You’ll get to booty-bump along to the Kansas Smitty’s House Band, which has become quite the name, selling out shows at the Servants Jazz Quarter and popping up at secret warehouse parties. So you can expect they’ll get the party started right, along with the Kansas Smitty’s DJs, who’ll be filling in the gaps with quality swing and rhythm and blues.

As for the eats and drinks, The Tamale Shack will be dishing up the Mexican classic aplenty, while Stav B will be hosting the bar, knocking out bourbons with the creative skill and precision this pop-up liquor bar has become known for. Just make sure you sign up for membership at Kansas Smitty’s ASAP so this weekend you can let the good times roll.

Apply for Kansas Smitty’s membership at: www.kansassmittys.com
For tickets visit: www.billetto.co.uk/kansassmitty

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Something you should see… Soweto Kinch: The Legend of Mike Smith

The Cultural Exposé — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 10:00:11 +0000

Earlier this year, Soweto Kinch‘s prized saxaphone was stolen – and though the felony didn’t quite make Crimewatch, it was enough of a tragedy to see the jazz star’s countless fans show their solidarity by joining him in a massive social media campaign to get the sax back, which he did a month later. To that end, the news of Kinch‘s forthcoming show at The Albany this month is a sigh of relief – we’ll get to see the award-winning musician reunited with his trusty 1963 Selmer Mark Vi to perform a dynamic live version of his album The Legend of Mike Smith.

It tells the story of a young MC facing a world of temptations, and with choreography coming from hip-hop pioneer Jonzi D, it’s little wonder critics are calling it “mindblowing” in its clever take on The Seven Deadly Sins and Dante’s Inferno. It’s only got a short run though (wraps up October 5th), so don’t miss this chance to see this mighty man and his sax in action.

For more info, visit: www.thealbany.org.uk

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Somewhere you should go… Jazz Re:fest

Matilda — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 10:00:49 +0000

It was 10 years ago that a cool crew of jazz aficionados from West London decided to honour their beloved genre with a weekly live residency, offering a forum for likeminded fans to enjoy incredible music plus have a great night out – the ultimate win-win, really. Since then, Jazz Re:freshed has seen all sorts of jazz-inspired acts (established, homegrown, international, et. al.) bless their stage in a way that’s belied the stoic nature of the genre in the mainstream – and it’s this philosophy that has put JR in good stead over the last decade. So you can imagine they’ve got plenty to celebrate, which is why they’re marking their anniversary with a festival featuring some of those amazing bands and acts that have shown Jazz Re:freshed love at some point or other.

For those in the know, that includes Daz-i-kue (Bugz in the Attic), Eric Lau, Nathan Haines, Vanessa Freeman (Kyoto Jazz Massive, Reel People) and the indomitable singer Vula – and if you don’t know, you’ll get your chance to on Saturday, August 24th, when they’ll be holding court at The Flyover after hours from 9pm. So come with an open mind (and your dancing shoes!) for this pre-carnival warm-up.

For more info, visit: www.jazzrefreshed.wordpress.com/2013/07/21/jazz-refest

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Somewhere you should go… Jazz Re:freshed

Matilda — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:00:36 +0000

It’s a damn near crime we’ve taken our sweet time to spread the word about weekly music night Jazz Re:freshed, but that’s only because we’ve selfishly enjoyed being amongst the first few privy to their long-standing, progressive movement in our neck of the woods. Since 2003, they’ve inspired West London locals and musos all over town to pack out the tiny Mau Mau bar on Portobello Road where some of the best homegrown and international alternative musicians are given a platform to showcase their stuff. Artists such as Jose James, Kaidi Tatham, Mark de Clive Lowe and N’Dambi have crossed their threshold (and if those names mean anything to you, you’ll understand JR offer nothing less than superior talent), and with a mission to redefine the concept of jazz music, they’re doing a grand job of honouring the artists doing just that. If you’re not already in the know, it’s about time you check out how it goes down every Thursday at one of the coolest, mid-week nights in town (so you can’t say we didn’t tell you ;-)

For more info visit: www.jazzrefreshed.com

N’Dambi at Jazz:Refreshed

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