I’ve just put up a couple of gigs that have recently been confirmed for the coming months… There’s a few more in the pipeline too so keep checking the gigs page for the latest news!
4/02/10 The Spin Off, Bar Santiago, Leeds
21/05/10 The Forge Venue, Camden
We’ll also be playing at the Marlborough Jazz Festival over the weekend of the 9th July – exact day to be confirmed but should be a good one!
Posted by on 19/01/2010 at 13:14 in beats & pieces, gigs, news and tagged beatsandpieces, beatsnpieces, camden, forge, gig, leeds, london, marlborough, spinoff. Leave comments here.
We’ve got another review of the EP, this time by Jazzwise contributor Chris Ackerley, writing on his blog, The Sound Of Now – cheers, Chris! You can read the post here, or the full text is posted below. You may also have read the review in the NWJazzworks newsletter, thats written by Chris. If you don’t already subscribe, its a great monthly roundup of all the jazz happenings in the region, so head over to NWJazzworks to sign-up!
Remember, the EP is still available to purchase (£5, handmade limited edition CD) or download for free/flexible price at the Efpi Records site, but if you’re after the limited edition CD then hurry as we’re fast running out!
From its explosive opening bars until its final lingering hum, the Beats & Pieces Big Band’s first EP is nothing less than a bombardment of the senses. The brainchild of Manchester based composer Ben Cottrell, this sizable affair unites the cream of Manchester’s emerging jazz talent, including Sam Andreae (t. sax), Fin Panter (dr), and Graham South (trp).
At its core the ensemble is traditional big band, but by cross-stitching a multitude of genres to its already rich tapestry of sound, something both unique and fresh has emerged. On tracks such as Yafw (part iii) there are reminisces of Quincy Jones’ more malevolent 1970s blaxploitation soundtracks; the underlying latino groove being almost chased along by the dangerously edgy horn section.
Elsewhere, the compositions also show a real elegant restraint, with classy arrangements that show the record’s maturity. This is most notable in the EP’s final track, Broken, which also manages to combine subtle electronic elements successfully. Bjork is evidently an influence, and here the highly lyrical playing is matched with an almost Nordic chill, which acts as calming digestif after some of the more frenzied earlier tracks.
This is a rich and colourful first CD that comfortably combines Hendrixesque guitar riffs, Herbie Hancock style funk, and even inflections of Eno’s ambient music. While for many groups this osmosis of ideas would produce a conflicting overall sound, Beats & Pieces Big Band have created something that’s both catchy and original.
Posted by on at 13:09 in beats & pieces, news and tagged beatsandpieces, beatsnpieces, chrisackerley, efpi, ep, review, thesoundofnow. Leave comments here.
I spent last week in Helsinki on an Efpi Records ‘business trip’, visiting Sam and doing a gig with ‘Beats & Pieces Finland’ – a big band made up of some of the cream of Helsinki’s young jazz talent. There’s a tour diary with pictures of our fun in the snow over at the Efpi site, and I’ve uploaded some photos from the Cafe Mascot (with Sagolik) gig below and to the Gallery.
Thanks to everyone who came to the gig and especially to those who gave up their time and effort to play in the band – it was great to meet and play with you all! Hopefully it won’t be the last gig for the ensemble…
Posted by on 23/12/2009 at 21:01 in beats & pieces, gigs and tagged beatsandpieces, beatsnpieces, cafe mascot, efpi, finland, gallery, gig, helsinki, photos, sagolik. Leave comments here.
The new EP received 4/5 stars in a review by Mike Butler in yesterday’s (11th December) Manchester Evening News – great news, cheers Mike! Full review is posted below…
Posted by on 12/12/2009 at 14:29 in beats & pieces, news and tagged beats, beats & pieces, beatsandpieces, beatsnpieces, efpi, ep, haq, manchestereveningnews, mikebutler, review. Leave comments here.
Anton and I are excited to be off on an Efpi Records ‘business trip’ to Finland on Sunday to visit Sam an do a few gigs, including an Efpi Showcase on Thursday 17th featuring the Hunter/Andreae Quartet and Beats & Pieces Finland – an ensemble featuring some of Helsinki’s finest jazz musicians performing the Beats & Pieces repertoire, including all tracks from the recent EP…
Just checked the weather though, here’s the BBC forecast for next Monday…
Good job I’ve been shopping today!
Posted by on 09/12/2009 at 23:32 in beats & pieces, gigs, news and tagged beats, beats & pieces, beatsandpieces, beatsnpieces, efpi, finland, gig, helsinki. Leave comments here.
I’m delighted to announce that the debut EP from the Beats & Pieces Big Band is now available to purchase and/or download via the Efpi Records website! You can buy a physical CD as one of a limited edition run of 100 unique handmade packages, or download the EP as high quality MP3s under the ‘honesty box’ model where you choose how much to pay (free if you feel like…). It contains 5 tracks weighing in at just over half an hour’s worth of music, and we’re really proud of it. Tracklisting is as follows:
1. bake
2. yafw (part iii)
3. toan
4. djimi
5. broken
The band features the cream of Manchester’s young improvising talent, many of whom have now moved away to pastures new and are making a mark on jazz scenes in major cities across the continent. The band is as follows:
Ben Cottrell : musical director
Sam Andreae, Kenji Fenton, Sam Healey, Jo McCallum : reeds
Tim Cox, Simon Lodge, Owain Roberts, Paul Strachan : trombones
Owen Bryce, Chris Snead, Graham South, Nick Walters : trumpets
Anton Hunter : guitar
Patrick Hurley : piano, Rhodes
Nick Blacka : bass
Finlay Panter : drums
Hope you enjoy listening to the EP as much as we enjoyed making it!
Posted by on 04/12/2009 at 12:55 in beats & pieces, news and tagged beats, beats & pieces, beatsandpieces, beatsnpieces, efpi, ep, pieces. Leave comments here.
Thanks a lot to everybody who managed to make it down to our EP launch held at Odder last night, we really enjoyed the gig and it was great to see so many friendly faces! It was also good to speak to lots of people about the band, some of whom had just stumbled across the gig and really enjoyed the music which was brilliant to hear. If you bought an EP then do get in touch and let me know what you think of it!
Photos from the night will be uploaded to the gallery soon…
Posted by on 03/12/2009 at 19:31 in beats & pieces, gigs and tagged beats, beats & pieces, beatsandpieces, beatsnpieces, ep, ep launch, odder, party, pieces. Leave comments here.
Beats & Pieces EP
Available now from Efpi Records
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