Competition: Win Tickets To Mr Scruff's 17th Birthday @ Old Granada Studios

Back in 1999, Mr Scruff couldn't have known the reach and longevity of his sophomore studio effort, Keep It Unreal, in particular its foot-tapping wonders like 'Get A Move On'. 17 years on, the Stockport native is a household name for anyone with a mind open to jazz, soul and funk DJing. His crate digging has introduced many a hip shaker to long-forgotten records, providing the soundtrack to countless revellers' nights out.

 

For his 17th birthday jive at Old Granada Studios, he's joined behind the turntables by house and disco tune-peddler Francois K, and between them the former Corrie corridors will be alive with shoulder-jutting grooves. Refreshingly, it's billed as a non-mobile disco, so put that phone away and enjoy.

 

The show isn't a solitary one for the Old Granada Studios venue, with DJ Yoda and the Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club with Candi Staton lined up for later in June.

We've teamed up with Old Granada Studios to offer a pair of tickets for Mr Scruff's 17th Birthday gig on Friday 3 June to a lucky winner. To be win with a chance of winning, simply email ian at nowthenmagazine dot com with your favourite Scruff song, as well as your full name. The competition closes at 3pm on Thursday 2 June and the winner will be notified later that day.



Words: Ian Pennington

9pm-3am on Friday 3 June, 2016 Old Granada Studios.
Tickets are available from oldgranadamcr.nutickets.com

Competition: Manchester Jazz Festival

The 20th annual edition of Manchester Jazz Festival launches this week with its ever-impressive array of time signatures and styles, continuing from Friday 31 July through to Sunday 9 August.

While limelight stealers include the Robert Glasper Trio and the Mercury Prize nominees Gogo Penguin (whose Festival Pavilion show is now reportedly sold out), there’s also a keen eye on ensuring plenty of events remain accessible and free to attend. Jazz North’s northern line showcase extends across Monday 3 August at a few of the partner venues – Matt & Phred’s, Central Library and St Ann’s Church among them – and other newcomers remain free under the ‘introduces’ banner.

Elsewhere, there’s a strong local presence, both old and new, with the likes of Charlie Cooper & The CCs, Hans Prya (who formed after meeting as participants of Snarky Puppy’s Brighter Sound residency at Band on the Wall in 2013), Cinematic Orchestra guitarist Stuart McCallum and Lamb double bassist Jon Thorne.

Look out for reviews of some of the festival’s events in our September issue, which will appear here.

We’ve teamed up with Manchester Jazz Festival to give away a pair of tickets to the Riot Jazz Brass Band / Baked A La Ska double bill at the Festival Pavilion on Saturday 8 August. All you need to do to enter is like and share the image at the other end of this link (making sure it’s set to ‘public’ so we can see that you’ve entered).

We’ll announce the winner on Thursday 6 August.

Good luck!

Interview: King Capisce

There are many musical hybrids in this global village era of broadband and rapid file sharing; tunes on technological tap. Musicians merge distinct stylistic ideas and genres evolve unrecognisably from their original incarnations. Sheffield’s King Capisce represent one of these breakaway niches. Not quite jazz, but embodying the same spirit of aural adventure; not quite rock, but similarly unafraid to crank up the volume; not quite prog, but often hyperopic in melodic and structural vision. Guitarist Tim Feben explains it better in his own words, talking to Now Then Manchester’s Ian Pennington.

Now Then: You’re fronted by a dual sax action pairing that takes on most of the lead parts. Who or what inspired this? Did it just fall into place or was it intentional?
King Capisce: Well, we actually started off as a four piece with only one sax. Without any vocals in the band the saxophone carried a lot of the melodies in the tunes and it worked out as we were more of a jam band back then. But when we started to write and experiment with the tunes for our debut album we found adding a second sax line beefed up the sound and gave the melodies significantly more depth and character. Rich, our sax man, basically went through all our tunes and reworked them for two saxophones. After that we couldn't write or gig with solo sax again! We got Alex in and the harmony between two tenor horns became the ‘vocals’ for Capisce's tunes.

NT: You appeared at the Manchester Jazz Festival recently - how did that go?
KC: It was a pleasure to be part of and a bit of a personal goal of ours, especially with all the great bands featured at the festival year after year. We were on at Matt and Phreds and it was packed out, which was wicked. Typically speaking though we love a standing crowd right up with us, dancing and thrashing around – it keeps the energy up, makes us play better... But that's just nitpicking, it was an awesome weekend, we'd love to play again next year...

NT: What's the biggest (and best, if different) gig you've performed at?
KC: Supporting some of our favourite bands such as Polar Bear and Led Bib has been fantastic but I think playing to a couple of thousand people at Sheffield's own Peace in the Park festival this year has got to top it. There is such a communal vibe and the atmosphere all day was fantastic - by the time we came on at around 7pm it was already through the roof. We just needed to turn up to be honest! Seeing our tune 'Cheer up Cyclops' start up a mosh pit in our home town was something behold... having a gig like that on our doorstep is magic.

NT: Are lyrics superfluous?
KC: In general? No. In our music, I think so. For one, it frees the music up and gets us away from verse-chorus-verse clichés. More importantly to us, we've tried to create tunes that are multi-textural and the lack of lyrics helps other elements of our music shine through. Our 'dual sax action' as you put it, has its own lyricism - if that doesn't sound too cheesy. But also with Capisce, we all try and put originality and personality into our playing... lead lines come from all of us and we hope that the connection with the music and instrumental performance is enough to replace the need for a traditional front-person. Who knows what the future will bring? There are amazing lyricists out there who define the importance of vocals but, for us at least, the connection you get watching musicians who are really connected with their playing is as good as music gets, words or no words.

NT: How do you feel jazz / progressive music forms are portrayed (in the media and otherwise) & how would you alter it?
KC: That almost certainly requires a better answer than we can think of right now, but they both don't have it anywhere near as good as they should! 'Progressive' rock is arguably a large part of our sound, but being associated with the classic image of 'prog-rock', as in 1970s hair rock with over-the-top guitar solos, is not an idea we're too keen on... We happen to have a long-haired type in the band, unfortunately enough, who also plays guitar, so it’s dangerous territory for us! But it does seem like if you call yourself ‘jazz’, you're suddenly being inaccessible or exclusive... And being called post-jazz, or post-this or that, just sounds pretentious! Maybe we should all spend less time on genre tags and just listen to more music?

NT: With your mix of prog rock and jazz, do you see yourself as part of a 'scene' or as a space between different musical styles?
KC: With the previous half-rant in mind, I think the answer to that is probably a bit of both. We play music that comes naturally to each of us individually, without trying to force things or follow suit, so inevitably that gives things their own flavour. We've also actively tried to fuse some of our favourite elements from, say, the post-rock or contemporary jazz scenes, so in this regard we can definitely identify with the 'space between' concept – especially when it comes to being paired with other artists for gigs. Having said that, there are loads of amazing live bands who are 'cross-genre', experimental, jazz/rock influenced and/or mostly instrumental who we love and maybe feel some kind of 'musical affinity' to... we've already mentioned Polar Bear and Led Bib – off the top of my head, bands like Jaga Jazzist, Get The Blessing, Portico Quartet. It’s not necessarily a 'scene' we feel connected to I guess, it’s more of an approach and ethos towards making new and original music of mixed origins.

NT: I once interviewed Peter Hammill from prog rockers Van Der Graaf Generator who suggested that by 1977 music had become "overblown" and for some new bands it didn't make sense to say "you can only be a band if you've got 6 keyboards" so the lo-fi punk model was a more feasible alternative for many young musicians... What's your view on prog vs punk, both in terms of an impression of then and how you see it now?
KC: I don't think across the band we're particularly into either in their purest form. However aspects of each are great and have undoubtedly informed each of us and our sound. Punk tells you to strip down what you’re playing to its most essential elements and play it with balls. That's a good lesson, especially if you want the tune to be high octane and catchy. Prog might tell you not to rush an idea and let it evolve and layer up as required. That's also a good idea. What's not necessarily a good idea is taking each to their extreme and ending up with a tune that is either wishy-washy and over technical or so simple and harsh that it misses out on some of its potential depth. So that's it essentially; each has a lot to teach the other.

NT: Finally, which records are you playing the grooves off at the moment and which of your peers would you recommend?
KC: Well I think we've already mentioned a few of our favourites, so we'd better just promo bands we are playing with who we consider 'peers'! It's altruistic self-promo, we promise...!

We are going to be gigging with the mighty Red Snapper at Sheffield nightclub Plug on 18th November. They have been doing awesome stuff for years now, mixing jazz with various modern beats and grooves and paving the way for bands like us. We also played with an awesome young jazz trio from Manchester called GoGo Penguin [who will support King Capisce at Dulcimer Bar on Thursday 22nd September] who we were so impressed with that we're bringing them to a night we are organising in Sheffield – they are definitely worth seeing live.

Images #1 & #3: Simon Bray.
Image #4: Courtesy of King Capisce.
Now Then This City Is Ours poster design: Craig Brown - Beards Illustration.

King Capisce headline the next Now Then Manchester show on Thursday 22nd September at Dulcimer Bar on Wilbraham Road in Chorlton. Get a free copy of their latest single 'If Not Now, Then When?' GoGo Penguin and Kerfuffle support, with the This City Is Ours DJs LSN and Blood Boy providing the audio intervals. Suggested entry fee is £3, but it is a pay-what-you-like premise that encourages as much or as little as you can contribute to support the musicians involved.

HearHere presents: Polar Bear with Jyager @ Sound Control, Wednesday 16th March 2011

I’ll get it out of the way at the start, Seb Rochford has a lot of hair, a veritable mane of hair. There, I said it, no need to mention it again, because from here on in, it’s all about the music.

Support comes from Sheffield’s King Capisce, comprising of a guitar, bass, drums rhythm section and fronted by dual saxophones, but they go far beyond what you’d assume from a jazz quintet line up. Their melting pot of influences makes for a delightful mix, moulding Battles-inspired math-rock riffs and psychedelic Mars Volta-esque noodlings alongside duelling saxes reminiscent of early Polar Bear. They are clearly talented musicians and the intelligent use of dynamics and groove display their abilities, new single ‘If Not Now, Then When?’ is a highlight - and well worth checking out - but as with many musical equations, this band doesn’t quite equal the sum of its parts. The talent is certainly there, but the performance is missing that extra something, a little excitement or dynamism from the group as a whole. There is great potential here and they are definitely worth keeping an eye on to see what they can produce through developing as a band.

The mature crowd slowly eases its way forward and welcomes Seb Roachford’s Polar Bear to the stage with warm applause, but who’s this baseball cap toting chap striding on stage? It’s Polar Bear’s latest addition, London-based rapper Jyager. It’s clear from the start that he’s going to be running the show, stealing some whoops and waves from the crowd between songs; he’s intent on having a good time and it’s easy to see why. The band onstage with him is a rapper’s delight, crafting tight grooves and melodies upon which his slick and rhythmic lyrical flow thrives. Playing all the hits from latest collaborative album Peepers, Polar Bear and Jyager are a delight to watch; each musician complementing the other as the tastiest of drum grooves, smooth guitar licks, delightfully melodic sax squawks and syncopated basslines, topped off by Jyager’s energetic presence, combine to form a glorious whole.

But you get the feeling that this isn’t the Polar Bear that some members of the audience have come to see. One heckle of "play one we know!" is met with a wry smile from Jyager, because if you were expecting the well-loved, sax-led jazz quartet, you may end up going home disappointed. The evolution from the early days of Polar Bear’s snarling sax duelling that earned them a Mercury Music Prize nomination is clearly evident as they embark upon this dynamic collaboration. On the strength of their combined musicianship alone, the prospects for what this band can create are insatiable and, united with such an exciting talent as Jyager, the jazz/rap union appears to have been carried off with vibrant aplomb.

For the unexpectant neutral, this is a delight to behold and as I gaze at the musicianship on show my good English self can’t help but let out a wiggle of the hips and a tap of the foot in response to the rhythmic energy flowing from the speakers. As the inevitable encore ensues, there is noticeable sophistication about Polar Bear’s manner, no need for any tricks or flamboyance, just let the inventiveness and excitement of the music speaks for itself.

Words & Images: Simon Bray

Tim Berne's Buffalo Collision/TrioVD @ Band on the Wall, Sunday 28th February, 2010

This evening's double-bill exposed an eager Band on the Wall audience to a yin and yang of the jazz avant-garde. The headline act was the American Buffalo Collision, featuring Ethan Iverson (piano) and David King (drums) from the courageous Bad Plus trio, Hank Roberts on cello, led by free-improv legend Tim Berne on the alto sax. Their softness, sensitivity and free-form exploration was the polar opposite to the savage virtuosity of TrioVD, who have emerged from their roots in LIMA (Leeds Improvised Music Association), terrorising jazz fans up and down the country with their remarkable début album, Fill It Up With Ghosts.

TrioVD comprises Chris Sharkey (Acoustic Ladyland) on guitar, Christophe de Bézenac on sax, vocals and effects and Chris Bussey on drums. They're lethal improvisers, yet they've managed to craft a sound which blends tightly-packed composed sections which morph seamlessly into temporary open spaces for schizoid improvised freak-outs. Their sound changes unrelentingly from deranged free-bop into precision prog à la early 70s King Crimson, from industrial grinds to hysterical rantings. Fleeting safe-havens of spacious ambience provide temporary repose before the inevitable free-fall into another demented skirmish. The textures and rhythms never stand still, and the blistering passages of saxophone melody flash by faster than you can think, like listening to Eric Dolphy on fast-forward. 'Only dead fish go with the flow' they chant towards the end of their final blast, neatly summing up TrioVD's irrepressible creativity and spontaneity as a group. See them if you have the chance.

After the break, Tim Berne's laconic introductions establish a more sardonic tone in preparation for Buffalo Collision's musical voyage into the unknown. In contrast to the demonic frenzy of TrioVD, Buffalo Collision's approach felt refreshingly playful, laid-back and sensitive. There were definite musical markers scattered through the set, but the Americans were for the most part playing completely freely. At times the interaction was exquisite, but there were moments when the solos seemed unnecessarily self-indulgent and the ensemble somewhat formless, alienating the audience from the stage. Nevertheless, it was a good antidote to the crazed exuberance of TrioVD, and all in all an intriguing window into the challenging yet rewarding world of experimental jazz.

Words: Owen Hewson

Nils Petter Molvaer @ Band on the Wall, Thursday 25th February, 2010

The tables scattered afore the stage set the scene; one of the ‘sit back and marvel’ variety. The experimental jazz vibe of Nils Petter Molvaer’s shows, coupled with the fact that he’s scored music for several films, means that the visuals on the screen behind the performing trio are as relevant as tonight’s music in setting the mood. For the opening soundscape is built in similarity to the initially blue aurora; the increasing intensity of NPM’s silhouetted image mirrors the grungy guitar and drums that gradually join the Norwegian's trademark trumpeting. Flashing psychedelics overhead alter to vibrant colours, as the sound simmers back down to soothing, clear-minded ambience.

These were the early steps of a 90-minute voyage through a vast range of musical styles. From minimal melody to industrial grinds; bellowing trumpet to effects-ridden echoes; synthetic house beats to the subtlety of a finger-tapped solo on a loose cymbal. The nerve and patience of the musicianship is mesmerising, but even these maestros are allowed the occasional slip – interruption of the aforementioned cymbal solo by a whooshing effects malfunction is met with good humour, punctuating the concentration during the intricacies of each series of progressions and fades. There is a freely flowing feel to the performance, yet control is maintained through every distortion, electronic manipulation and visual synchronicity.

An encore seems a tad superfluous to add to a set that has enchanted continuously for nearly 90 minutes, so the second ending is fairly underwhelming, given what has preceded. However, what did precede is testament to the expansive sounds that three people can create.

Words: Ian Pennington
Picture: Nils Petter Molvaer @ Moers Festival, Germany, 2006 (Oliver Heisch)