RM3io@ Brecon Jazz 2011

Had a really great time at Brecon Jazz Festival with the 3io. Had been there previously playing with Dan Stern, Omar Puente, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, and J-life - so really great to present the 3io for the opening show. (Sorry to those who had more of the big tent soundchecking in the background - we were having a grand time onstage tho! The timing of 'A Desperate Man' and your fine voices helped i hope !!.... that last gliss - ouch....). Sure those who stayed for the entire thing had a fantastic time.

Many thanks to Sarah Denehy and Jesse Inghams and all who helped us at the festival. We wanna return. Thanks to all who made it down - and hope you enjoy the whole weekend if staying..I ended up staying for the whole John Surman show (rather than run around to three bits of shows - ) - which was fantastic. Mental trip back missing connecting trains due to the rugby at Cardiff. Even three or four hours before the match - there seems to be a mild panic (and really short trains - Abergavenny - come on!). All the railway folk were very cool about it (and the huge breakfast had definitely helped fuel our quest). Can i add a shout out to sitarist Mehoob Nadeem (from Blues Sans Frontieres) and Jeff from the Outlaw Collective (for the shared cab and cool heads!)

Many thanks to Dave Stapleton and Tim Dickeson - for looking after so much stuff at the great Edition HQ on the Brecon site. Amazing job guys.

And huge thanks to Tom Mason and Shaney Forbes for all the hard work. Our sincerest wishes go to the family of Richard Turner (such sad news).

Robert Mitchell's Panacea - Video Update!

Here are some videos just put up - from the recent tour and just before!

Massive thanks to Garth Thomas for recording!

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-YYg8TlILs

(Lucid Dreamt - Kings Place Feb 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ-LoRRsR2o
(A Map Of The Sky - Kings Place Feb 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsMmlwa0vFY
(Mio Inamorato - )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvIfVJjm1FU
(Aura - Vortex 2010 )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM7M260sva8
(Red Bridge intro - Kings Place)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLXx64IxbIA
(Redb Br vs Round Mn - The Forge)

Robert Mitchell (Solo Piano) - Revew Feb 2011

Robert Mitchell, Ray’s Jazz at Foyles, Thursday 10th February 2011

Matt Phillips

Robert Mitchell is one of the most original pianists on the UK scene. Mainly known for his Panacea group, he has also worked with US saxophonists Greg Osby and Steve Coleman and in a duo format with violinist Omar Puente. But this solo gig was the first in a new series at Ray’s Jazz cafe in Foyles bookshop on London’s Charing Cross Road, a delightful place to watch music with its great sight lines, sparky acoustics and nicely bohemian vibe.

Mitchell’s compositions are probing, labyrinthine tone poems which bear little or no relation to classic song forms or the blues tradition. Yet they’re not tricksy or difficult to follow – they seem logical in the way that Thelonious Monk’s compositions seem logical, with a frequent juxtaposition of a simple melody and complex harmony. The more oblique melody lines and surprising chord changes sometimes bring to mind the music of Wayne Shorter.

At Ray’s, Mitchell went about his business in a remarkably unruffled, considered manner, frequently pausing for Monkishly long periods between notes and revisiting melodic ideas until he was happy with them before moving on. He often played ‘sound’ as well as melodic motifs, using ripples of notes to underpin his improvisations and frequently embarking on free passages which suggested the more outré stylings of ‘Facing You’-era Keith Jarrett. Jarrett was also invoked in the occasional outbreak of rhapsodic, major-chord lyricism. ‘The Red Bridge v. Round Midnight’ raised a few smiles with its neat mash-up of Monk and harmolodics, with Mitchell conceding ‘I think “Round Midnight” won that time, as usual…’

Mitchell frequently turned jazz piano logic on its head, comping with his right hand and soloing with the left, and even embarking on a piece written solely for left hand which somehow didn’t scrimp on melodic invention or variety. How many jazz pianists have done that? (Send in an email if you can think of any…) Mitchell seemed to be looking to surprise himself at every turn, in turn surprising his audience too. You can’t ask for more from a jazz musician than that.

Ritual (At The End Of The Rainbow - Nitro/All Change)

I have had a great time writing music for a project called 'At The End Of The Rainbow' for Nitro (Black Music Theatre) and AllChange. Three pairings of poet and musician (HKB Finn and Alex Wilson, Zena Edwards and Arun Ghosh, Yemisi Blake and myself) were given the choice to work with a selection of community groups in North London. And we would try to find out what is at the rainbow's end for the folk in these groups...

Yemisi and I chose to visit a day centre for elders. Some really fascinating conversations arose as a result of this. This centre caters for a large range of cultures - with the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean being amongst the most prominent on the days we visited. A number of common themes did emerge - family, food, weather, religion, travel, work, health. Getting more deeply into certain subject matter - I was really struck by some fascinating memories that were shared with us.

One person had a surprising combination of cultures involved in their childhood (esp for the times) - and worked at the MoD later on. Another , amazingly - was a dresser at the Royal Opera House - meeting legends on a regular basis (Maria Callas, Pavarotti, Nureyev and more). I sense this was the tip of the iceberg. Meeting those who had lived/worked in very different fields/eras - meant experiencing wisdom that is too often undervalued. This interaction across generations should be in the curriculum . I don't believe it can ever fail to be beneficial. As an ageing population - it surely has to be a natural progression. Perhaps a progression towards this as a ritual , ensuring a strengthening of connection between more of us. (This is definitely part of my rainbow..)

It was a fantastic pleasure to perform the resulting music/poerty at Freeword . It was very special - as a few of the people we chatted to at the centre , managed to come to the performance.

I would like to thank Suzanne (All Change - http://www.allchangearts.org/) and Felix (Nitro - http://www.nitro.co.uk/whats-on/now/generations-at-the-end-of-the-rainbow/) . Freeword is a wonderful venue (http://www.freewordonline.com/). A link to the video recording of the performance will be up soon.

Please checkout writer Yemisi Blake! at - http://www.yemisiblake.co.uk/

RM