TOM RAINEY TRIO
Tom Rainey (Drums) / Mary Halvorson (Guitar) / Ingrid Laubrock (Saxophone)

While Rainey's evocative, time-morphing and occasionally implosive drumming plays a central role in the musical materiality here, his trio is very much an integrated ensemble. The commanding component parts are critical to the vibe and behavioural manner and conversational whole. Laubrock is a saxophonist of unusual textural sensitivity and intellectual savvy, who can summon up proper deposits of abandon, knowing restraint and sly references to jazz' past in the midst of her purely improvisational explorations. Halvorson, one of the important "avant-jazz" guitarists of her generation, takes the abstracting and deconstructionist influence of musicians like Derek Bailey into account, but has come up with her own way of melding that free-styling painterliness with shards of line and sonics including tasteful deployment of effects units, a well-placed vibrato effect, ring modulation or distortion blast adding to the range and contemporary relevance of what she does... together they make a refreshing and new kind of beautiful music.

Tom Rainey Trio (Photography by PETRA CVELBAR / www.petracvelbar.com)

JOE MCPHEE TRIO
Joe McPhee (Reeds and Brass) / John Pope (Bass) / Paul Hession (Drums)

Multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee is one of free jazz’s legends, a key participant in the musical revolution that swept out from New York in the 1970s. Now aged 80, he continues to tour worldwide, playing with undiminished fire and imagination, and displaying an insatiable appetite for throwing himself into new situations.

A great example of that came at the 2018 Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music, when he played a memorable concert alongside bassist John Pope and drummer Paul Hession. It was a brand new trio, with no opportunity for rehearsal, but there was instantaneous chemistry, with Joe switching between tenor sax and trumpet, and John and Paul in perfect synch with his every move. The results were so good that all three agreed they’d like to do it again.

So when we heard that Joe had been booked for a gig in Edinburgh, Jazz North East immediately suggested reconvening the trio for a Newcastle appearance, and he jumped at the idea. And now it’s happening - three generations of free improvisers, led by a jazz giant, in the up close and personal space of the Bridge Hotel. It doesn’t get better than this.

GARETH HUGHES SEXTET
Alan Barnes (Alto and Baritone Sax) / Bruce Adams (Trumpet) / Dean Masser (Tenor Sax) / Andrzej Baranek (Piano) / Ed Harrison (Bass) / Gareth Hughes (Drums)

Gareth Hughes first came to wider public attention as the original drummer in the Matthew Halsall Band and featuring heavily on the early recordings of the Gondwana label. His drumming influences include the school of melodic drummers such as Max Roach, Alan Dawson and Jeff Hamilton, more specifically inspired by drummers that are able to spell out form and melody when they improvise. Most recently, Gareth Hughes recorded his first album as band leader and features the music of the great Art Blakey where he is joined by players that are considered to be some of the most influential musicians in UK scene today.

It's a great pleasure to welcome Gareth Hughes Sextet to Newcastle as part of their UK tour stretching over 23 dates.