SOWETO KINCH RESIDENCY
For some time, we had been working with the good folks at the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival to organise a residency for MOBO and Mercury award-winning alto-saxophonist, composer and rapper, Soweto Kinch. Kinch’s music approaches jazz sideways, merging it with rap and hip-hop while bringing in electronic and experimental elements and allowing the music to run free. His music reflects upon racial and jazz history as they intertwine with division and appropriation, while moving for a conscious, appreciative and respectful diversity in art.
Kinch was to join us for two full 9pm performances today and Friday while taking part in Saturday’s ‘World Premier’ Quintet and linking up with guitarist Aki Remally’s late-night funk bands over the weekend. Today’s performance would see Kinch join the young Glasgow-based band corto.alto, with Friday’s performance arranged as a tribute to the master Charlie Parker, featuring local quartet with pianist Fraser Urquhart.
BUT IS IT JAZZ?
From bebop to hip-hop and everything in between, Kinch is one of the most versatile young players around. Served well by bebop’s ever-fresh sound and free-running style, the move from jazz saxophone to rap vocals is not a long leap to make. Here’s an interesting interview from The Writer’s Bench with Kinch, who holds a degree in Modern History from Oxford Universty, about the future of jazz in relation to its history, and the appropriation in progression – alongside live recordings from his performances.
During the lockdown, you can keep up with Kinch’s broad music by following his Lockdown Sessions Live Streams here.
Or check out his extensive music catalogue available from Music Glue here.
For somewhere to start, Kinch’s acclaimed release, Nonagram, reflects his versatile artistic taste – the concept revolving around a nine-sided wheel or nonagon. Each musical point along the wheel explores a feature of different numbers or shapes. Through shifting time signatures, harmony and tonality the music explores how sound can describe incorporeal ideas of mathematics, giving form to ideas that can’t be seen in the natural world. “In an age where words, science or religion are often used to divide people, I’m largely inspired by these numerical and sonic aspects of music that transcend cultural differences. I wanted to inject a musical antidote that instead inspires us to see new visions of the surrounding world.” – Soweto Kinch
CHAMBER MUSIC LIVE STREAMS – WEDNESDAYS
Chamber Music Scotland have set up four wonderful live stream home concerts this month, on Wednesday evenings from 7.30pm. The first of these will take place tonight featuring pianist Euan Stevenson as he runs through classical, jazz and folk.
Tune into YouTube at 7.30pm tonight to catch the show!
DONATE
You can continue to support us and the professional musicians who are struggling right now, by donating what you might usually spend on an entry fee or a drink, or any other amount that you wish. Professional musicians and all hospitality/event staff are facing an incredibly difficult time, having seen months of steady work disappear over-night. Any donations would be extremely appreciated to help us to continue to pay our staff through our closure and support our local event staff community in any way that we can.