Soweto Kinch, Yazz Ahmed and Elliot Galvin for Around The Houses online jazz festival
Mike Flynn
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
A five-day online jazz mini-fest kicks off today with a some of the UK’s leading musicians raising funds for the Help Musicians Covid-19 Hardship Fund
Some of the UK most exciting jazz musicians will be taking part in Around The Houses, a five day/night online festival to raise funds for the Help Musicians Covid-19 Hardship Fund. The charity has been quick to react to this crisis and is issuing small grants of £500 to musicians experiencing financial hardship.
Collectively the line-up have been nominated for the Mercury Prize and won numerous MOBO, Jazz FM and Parliamentary Jazz Awards, yet they’re coming together to perform live sets that will be streamed live via the Around The Houses Facebook page.
Several of the artists are based in Birmingham, which is also home to Stoney Lane Records, and several of their artists are involved too. These include singer Sara Colman and bassist/electronica artist Chris Mapp, while Birmingham-based virtuosos include trumpeter Percy Pursglove, acclaimed saxophonist/rapper Soweto Kinch and BBC Young Musician Of The Year winning saxophonist Xhosa Cole.
Further high-calibre names include trumpeter Laura Jurd and pianist Elliot Galvin (both members of Mercury nominated band Dinosaur, but performing separately); rising star trumpeter Yazz Ahmed; leading UK saxophonist Trish Clowes; acclaimed pianist Liam Noble; talented pianist/singer Reuben James; gifted guitarist Tom Ford and the virtuosic pairing of singer Fini Bearman and pianist Tom Cawley. Kicking off with kids shows each morning, mid-afternoon matinee performances and evening headliners – the full line up is listed below:
To see the performances visit the official ATH Facebook page here and see the website for info on the artists www.aroundthehouses.net
