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Home , Liam Noble (musician), Soweto Kinch, Stan Sulzmann

Air Artist Agency,

in GERMANY & AUSTRIA MARCH 2011 Air Artist Agency, THE CONCEPT

I was welcomed and In March 2011, six of Britain’s most exciting and forward-thinking bands will invited to England in be descending on Germany and Austria to perform 72 gigs over the period of two weeks. 12 clubs in 12 different cities will be running a ‘Brit-- the friendliest of ways. Week’ and hosting performances from a different one of the bands is without each night. doubt Europe´s capital Between them, the bands have been recognised by the MOBO and for culture. There are MOJO Awards, Mercury Music Prize and just about every a dozen great concerts Award available! They have all toured internationally but this is the to go to every day, all first time any of them will be presented in Germany and Austria in museums are free and such a big way. the local music scene is With influences as diverse as Indian music, Hip-Hop, Rap, Trip-Hop and vibrant, energetic and Rock, the bands involved are ex-Portishead Jazz-Rockers Get The Blessing, imaginative with a great saxophonist Jason Yarde, Indo-Jazz Clarinettist Arun Ghosh, pianist Kit Downes, mixture of artists from The Julian Siegel Quartet and rapper-saxophonist Soweto Kinch. all sorts of backgrounds; We are organising full German/Austrian press coverage for the event and one of a true melting pot of the main aims of the project is to launch each of the bands in this territory and build the foundations for regular touring in Germany and Austria. Each of the styles, rhythms, musical bands involved has an album out (or will do) so this should also boost their sales languages and heritage. in one of the most important European territories for record sales. In Soho there is one threatre next to the other This tour will be launched with 3 nights of performances in and clubs string together London’s Pizza Express Jazz Club (Dean Street) on the 11th, 12th like pearls on a bracelet. and 13th March 2011, with 2 bands playing each night. For ticket I immediately felt the enquiries please contact the venue directly. necessity to bring out The Brit-Jazz-Week in Germany and Austria has been organised by Burkhard and tour some of those Hopper. From 1996 to 2004 Burkhard Hopper´s Munich-based company B.H. exceptional talents and Hopper Management presented the “Rising Stars” concert series throughout show them to audiences clubs in Europe, which brought the then hippest young artists to audiences in Germany and across Europe. Among others, Diana Krall, Brad Mehldau, Nicholas Payton, Jane Austria. Monheit, Kevin Mahogany, Eric Reed and Benny Green started their careers through the “Rising Stars” concert series. Burkhard Hopper Throughout the Noughties Burkhard Hopper had been managing Esbjörn Svensson and e.s.t., which came to a sudden and unexpected end when Esbjörn Svensson died in June 2008.

Towards the end of the same year Burkhard Hopper moved to London and became a constant figure on the local music scene across the channel. He teamed up with Jamie Cullum´s manager Marc Connor and PR-whizz Sheela Bates and formed Air Artist Agency Ltd. an agency dedicated to excellence and the discovery and facilitation of young talent.

For more information please visit www.britjazzweek.com or www.airartistagency.com Air Artist Agency, ARUN GHOSH

Clarinet player Arun Ghosh was conceived in Calcutta, bred in Bolton, matured in and is now living in London. His musical vision and vocabulary reflects his rich geographical heritage.

Arun’s Indo-Jazz Group plays original music of South Asian origin with a contemporary jazz attitude, rocking urban beats and the passion of punk. Sweet and timeless melodies give birth to soaring improvisations and raag explorations, driven by a heady mix of dub-reggae bass, tabla trickery and ferocious drum explosions.

Arun Ghosh released his debut album “Northern Namaste” on camoci records in 2008 to critical acclaim and the opening track on “Northern Namaste” entitled “Aurora” also appears A charismatic on Gilles Peterson’s compilation album “Brownswood Bubblers Three”. figure with a The band rocked the at future. their debut gig at the London Jazz Festival The Guardian in November 2007 and has since lit up the British jazz scene with intense and cathartic performances at clubs, festivals and melas in London and around the country.

Alongside his performance activity, Arun maintains a healthy composition and education workload, particularly in the world of theatre, in addition to collaborating with other musicians, writers, poets, filmmakers and dancers.

For more information please visit - www.britjazzweek.com or www.airartistagency.com Air Artist Agency, GET THE BLESSING

Rarely has a band taken the jazz scene by the scruff of the neck and given it such a good shaking as Get the Blessing. Winners of the BBC Jazz Award 2008 for their debut album “All Is Yes” (Cake/Candid), Get The Blessing are currently one of the UK’s most exciting live bands.

Featuring bassist Jim Barr and drummer Clive Deamer from trip-hop legends PORTISHEAD, plus the twin horns & electronics of saxophonist Jake McMurchie and trumpeter Pete Judge, GTB have forged a unique signature sound that defies easy classification, yet never loses sight of thumping tunes, monstrously infectious beats, or joyous collective spontaneity.

Their punk attitude towards jazz and their quirky live performances have impressed audiences from Glastonbury the to Jazz Vitoria-Gasteiz and from The Big Chill to The heavyweights Cheltenham Jazz Festival. In fact, one of their tracks was selected for a compilation CD to celebrate the best acts of the that have appeared since The Big Chill’s inception. contemporary Their second album, “Bugs In Amber”, perhaps best described as the post-jazz soundtrack to jazz scene. an imaginary low-budget James The Independent Bond movie remade by Tarkovsky and starring Buster Keaton, also received widespread critical and popular acclaim.

With influences ranging from Ornette Coleman and Tortoise, to Blondie and Samuel Beckett, GTB consistently confound expectation. Prepare to be teased, beguiled, soothed, spooked, jolted, and ultimately uplifted.

For more information please visit - www.britjazzweek.com or www.airartistagency.com Air Artist Agency, JASON YARDE’S “TRIO WAH!” + “MY DUO” (JASON YARDE/ ANDREW MCCORMACK)

A chance to see two very special groups in one night; the Jason Yarde Trio with Mike Pickering (drums) and Larry Bartley (bass) and ‘My Duo’ where Jason is joined by pianist Andrew McCormack.

Composer, arranger, producer, musical director and saxophonist Jason Yarde writes music that has been described as powerful, spiritual, evocative, rhapsodic, hair-raising and formidable. He composes across variety of styles (progressive jazz, classical, hip-hop fusion, free improvisation, broken beats, R&B, reggae, soul, song writing) and for a variety of media (orchestras, chamber ensembles, Powerful, big band, dance, film, electro-acoustic and midi). His potential and originality is such that he was nominated for the Bird Award at spiritual, the 2004 North Sea Jazz Festival and for the Jazz on 3 Innovation Award for the evocative, 2005 and 2006 BBC Jazz Awards. rhapsodic, In contrast to playing in the big bands of Andrew Hill, McCoy Tyner, Sam Rivers, Hermeto Pascoal, Roy Ayers, Manu Dibango and his own Acoutastic Bombastic... hair-raising and Trio WAH! is a chance to hear Yarde’s playing and compositions in an intimate and stripped down setting. From tight and constantly shifting rhythmic patterns formidable. to free flowing rhapsodic episodes. Trio WAH! can cover the calm and the storm within a few bars never losing the important elements of rhythm, melody and even harmony in this exposed format. The trio features Larry Bartley on Double Bass and Mike Pickering on Drums.

‘My Duo’ with Andrew McCormack showcases a vastly different set of music with lush piano harmony complementing Jason’s saxophone playing. Andrew was the winner the BBC Jazz Award for ‘Rising Star’ in 2006 and his first album with Jason has been incredibly well-received by British jazz critics.

For more information please visit - www.britjazzweek.com or www.airartistagency.com Air Artist Agency, KIT DOWNES TRIO

Having met in their first year at the , The Kit Downes Trio have been playing together since 2005. They released their first album “Golden” on Basho Records in 2009 which was chosen as a Barclaycard Mercury Album of the Year in 2010. Their music walks the fine line between improvisation and composition through an eclectic mix of influences. The band, featuring Calum Gourlay (Tommy Smith, Martin Speake, Tom Cawley) on a breathtaking bass and James Maddren (, , ) on drums, has always been interested in making its music improviser, accessible, whilst not sacrificing any of its intellect - and doing so through new and original music. and weaver of magical piano soundscapes, Kit Downes is world class. Helen Mayhew, Jazz FM

Together, they have performed at festivals including London Jazz Festival 2008 and 2009, ’s British Jazz Festival, a BBC Radio 3 Live Broadcast, Glasgow Jazz Festival and Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Inspired by a wide range of influences, ranging from Bela Bartok to Keith Jarrett to Rufus Wainwright, the trio endeavours to both celebrate the classic piano trio tradition as well as develop it. They released their first album on Basho Records in 2009.

After studying at both the Purcell School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, Kit now plays regularly with his own trio, Stan Sulzman, Troyka, The Golden Age of Steam, Sam Crockatt and Clark Tracey. He has also played with Joe Locke, Gilad Atzmon, Empirical, Gerard Presencer, Acoustic Ladyland, Ian Ballamy, Peter Ind, Gwyneth Herbert, Fraud and Dennis Rollins’ Badbone and Co.

Kit’s piano playing has taken him to The North Sea Jazz Festival, The JVC Festivals in New York, Montreal and Newport, and Vancouver Jazz Festival. With British band Empirical he won ‘Best Album of the Year 2007’ in Jazzwise and the EBU Award at the North Sea Festival. He also won the BBC ‘Rising Star’ Award in 2008 and was nominated for a British Jazz Award in both 2008 and 2009, as well as winning one of the ‘Yamaha Jazz Scolarship’ Awards in 2009. Kit is also a member of the F-IRE Collective, an initiative set up by Barak Schmool, which is a musician-led collective to encourage shared learning and sharing of resources.

For more information please visit - www.britjazzweek.com or www.airartistagency.com Air Artist Agency, JULIAN SIEGEL QUARTET

The Julian Siegel Quartet has had a major impact on the UK jazz scene since the release of its debut album, ‘Close-up,’ in the autumn of 2002. Led by saxophonist Julian Siegel, the group also features three of the most distinctive voices of his generation in the form of (piano), Gene Calderazzo (drums) and Oli Hayhurst (bass). Working a fluent bebop intensity into a fresh modern sound, Julian has established himself as a powerful player and individual writer on the flourishing European jazz scene and was awarded the BBC Jazz Award 2007 for Best Instrumentalist.

Julian has toured with bands led by Hermeto Pascoal and Andrew Hill and continues to be involved with the most influential British jazz groups of the day, including those of and . He has been a member of the well known Jazz-Rock quartet ‘Partisans’ featuring guitarist Phil Robson and since 2007 has toured and recorded with the Julian Siegel Trio featuring U.S. jazz stars Joey Baron and Greg Cohen.

Julian’s much-awaited latest album is available on Basho Records and showcases much of the music performed on his live gigs.

Liam Noble is one of the forefront modern pianists in London. His career has Entirely included recordings with musicians such as distinctive and Phil Robson, , Drew Gress, , Tom Rainey, Stan Sulzmann, very original. Chris Biscoe and Randy Brecker. Bassist Oli The Observer Hayhurst moved to London in 1995 to study at The Royal Academy of Music. He has since worked in a wide range of musical fields and played with, amongst others, Gilad Atzmon’s Orient house Ensemble, The Zoe Rahman Trio and . New Yorker Gene Calderazzo has been a long-term resident in the UK and has played drums with the likes of Sting, James Moody, , Benny Golson, Ulf Wakenius, Gary Husband, Evan Parker and brother Joey Calderazzo. Gene is also a visiting tutor at The Conservatoire, The Royal Academy of Music, Trinity and The Guildhall.

For more information please visit - www.britjazzweek.com or www.airartistagency.com Air Artist Agency, SOWETO KINCH

Born in London, England on 10th January 1978 to a Barbadian father and British-Jamaican mother, Soweto Kinch is one of the most exciting and versatile young musicians to hit the British Jazz and Hip Hop scenes in recent years. He first became interested in music at the tender age of eight, playing clarinet at primary school. He quickly developed a fondness for the alto saxophone and was given his first instrument when he was nine. After meeting Wynton Marsalis four years later he discovered and became passionate about Jazz, first concentrating on piano and later, in his teens, focusing on saxophone.

Moving to Birmingham aged 9 was key to Soweto’s development, and the city has continued to play a crucial role in his unique identity. He cultivated his interest in the Jazz tradition alongside a passion for Hip Hop culture, joining the group Pentalk in 1994. Soweto is one of only a few artists whose appeal traverses underground and mainstream audiences, and who is equally respected in Jazz and Hip Hop circles.

In 2002 Soweto won the inaugural White Foundation International Saxophone Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival, fending off competition from top young players from all over the world, including graduates of Berklee and Manhattan School of Music. His win assured him of shows for his own band in the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival, the IAJE Annual Festival in Toronto, and at the MOBO AWARD famed Ronnie Scott’s Club, London. Hot on the heels of this major award, Soweto Best Jazz Act (2003, 2007) picked up the prestigious BBC Radio Jazz Award for Rising Star 2002 and, as a member of All Stars, the BBC Radio award for Best Band 2002.

URBAN MUSIC Soweto’s debut album ‘Conversations With The Unseen’ (2003) brought together AWARDS his love of Jazz and Hip-Hop, combining influences of Charlie Parker and Q-Tip, Best Jazz Act (2006) straight-ahead jazz with cutting edge hip-hop. It subsequently won the 2003 Mercury’s Best Album Award and MOBO’s Best Jazz Act. Since then, Soweto hasn’t looked back and has been busy touring internationally with his band. His following albums, A Life In The Day Of B19 - Tales Of The Tower Block (2006) and The New Emancipation (2010), gathered similarly exceptional reviews.

For more information please visit - www.britjazzweek.com or www.airartistagency.com Air Artist Agency,

THE SHOWS Week One: 14th – 19th March

Berlin – A-Trane Munich – Unterfahrt Pestalozzistr. 105, Charlottenburg, 10625 Berlin Einsteinstraße 42, 81675 München www.a-trane.de www.unterfahrt.de 14.03. Get the Blessing 14.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet 15.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet 15.03. Kit Downes Trio 16.03. Kit Downes Trio 16.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah 17.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah 17.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 18.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 18.03. Soweto Kinch 19.03. Soweto Kinch 19.03. Get the Blessing

Hamburg – Birdland Karlsruhe – Tollhaus Gärtnerstr. 122, 20253 Hamburg Schlachthausstr. 1, 76131 Karlsruhe www.jazzclub-birdland.de www.tollhaus.de 14.03. Soweto Kinch 16.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 15.03. Get the Blessing 17.03. Soweto Kinch 16.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet 17.03. Kit Downes Trio Karlsruhe - Kulturzentrum Tempel 18.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah Hardtstraße 37 a, 76185 Karlsruhe 19.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 15.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah 18.03. Get the Blessing Dortmund – Domicile Hansastr. 7-11, 44137 Dortmund www.domicil-dortmund.de 14.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 15.03. Soweto Kinch 16.03. Get the Blessing 17.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet 18.03. Kit Downes Trio 20.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah

Cologne – Stadtgarten Venloerstr. 40, 50672 Köln www.stadtgarten.de 14.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah 15.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 16.03. Soweto Kinch 17.03. Get the Blessing 18.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet 19.03. Kit Downes Trio

For more information please visit - www.britjazzweek.com or www.airartistagency.com Air Artist Agency,

THE SHOWS Week Two: 21st – 26th March

Lüdinghausen – Burg Vischering Passau – Cafe Museum Berenbrock 1, 59348 Lüdinghausen Bräugasse 17, 94032 Passau www.burgvischering.de www.cafe-museum.de 20.03. Get the Blessing 21.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet 24.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah 22.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 23.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah Frankfurt – Brotfabrik 24.03. Get the Blessing Waldschmidtstr. 4, 60316 Frankfurt 26.03. Kit Downes Trio www.brotfabrik.info 27.03. Soweto Kinch 21.03. Get the Blessing 22.03. Soweto Kinch Innsbruck – Treibhaus 23.03. Kit Downes Trio Angerzellgasse 8, 6020 Innsbruck 24.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet www.treibhaus.at 25.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 21.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 26.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah 22.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah 23.03. Get the Blessing Mannheim – Alte Hauptfeuerwache 24.03. Soweto Kinch Brückenstr. 2, 68167 Mannheim 25.03. Kit Downes Trio www.altefeuerwache.com 26.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet 21.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah 22.03. Get the Blessing Linz – Oxymoron 23.03. Soweto Kinch Römerstr. 4, 4020 Linz 24.03. Kit Downes Trio www.oxymoronlinz.org 25.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet 21.03. Soweto Kinch 26.03. Julian Siegel Quartet 22.03. Kit Downes Trio 23.03. Arun Ghosh Quintet Vienna – Porgy & Bess 24.03. Julian Siegel Quartet Riemergasse 11, 1010 Wien 25.03. Jason Yarde & Andrew McCormack Duo / Trio Wah www.porgy.at 26.03. Get the Blessing 25.03. Get the Blessing 26.03. Soweto Kinch

For more information please visit - www.britjazzweek.com or www.airartistagency.com