Matthew Herbert’s Brexit Big Band Publicity picture

The Anglo-Saxons will be heading for Saxony in the Autumn. Peter Bacon reports on a German jazz festival honouring British jazz:

Leipziger Jazztage presents its 42nd “edition” from 11 to 20 October this year, and an awareness both of the media noise surrounding the new British jazz thing, as well as the impending sad farewells as the Brexit tug drags SS UK away from the Euro-quay for destinations unknown, have led to two interesting themes running through the festival.

First up is Fish And Chips – a set of performances by British bands and musicians. The first fish supper is served up by Empirical on the opening day of the festival, 11 October, and is followed by Kit Downes playing church organ on Saturday 13, Matthew Herbert’s Brexit Big Band in a double bill with Yazz Ahmed on Wednesday 17, and the Elliot Galvin Trio on Friday 19. Other British-led bands include Dave Holland’s Aziza and the Norma Winstone Trio, both on Saturday 20 October. Soweto Kinch is on Friday 12.

Then there is the innovative Across The English Channel strand which features UK-European collaborations. So, German pianist Michael Wollny is joining forces with UK electronics manipulator Leafcutter John on Saturday 13 for some further variations on Bach’s Goldbergs, guitarist Helmut Joe Sachse and vocalist Maggie Nicols team up on Thursday 18 as do saxophonist Anna-Lena Schnabel and pianist Florian Weber with bassist James Banner and drummer James Maddren. Swiss, Berlin-based singer Lucia Cadotsch teams up with UK’s Tricko (Lucy Railton, cellist, and Kit Downes on Hammond) on Sunday 14, and Max Andrzejewski’s Hütte and guests play the music of Robert Wyatt on Friday 19.

Leipziger Jazztage’s big names from further afield include Joshua Redman with James Farm, and the quartet of trumpeter Avishai Cohen.

LINK: Leipziger Jazztage website