BRECON JAZZ 2003
Aug 8-10 (01874 611622)
YOU DON’T have to be a Francophile to believe that the French do jazz festivals better than anyone else. Still, British events continue to keep the flag flying. If Cheltenham has become the front-runner lately, Brecon’s annual gala still boasts a unique bucolic atmosphere: the pub and sideshow gigs are often more fun than the main bandstand events.
The opening evening sees a performance of the trumpeter Guy Barker’s ambitious Suite inspired by Rob Ryan’s thriller Underdogs, as well as orchestral pieces with a film noir tinge. Later on, tha Cuban band Sierra Maestra will be looking after the salsa devotees, while the guitarist John Etheridge pays tribute to Frank Zappa in a set by the Zappatistas. Traditionalists will be looking out for the singer Stacey Kent and the pianist Junior Mance on the following day. Jamie Cullum, who would have been tucked away in a fringe venue this time a year ago, gets the Market Hall all to himself in the afternoon.
The weirdest item is a revival of Stan Tracey’s jazz setting of Under Milk Wood. Michael Brecker is the big name instrumentalist on the final evening. And if you want more of a funk treat, James Brown’s former sidekick Maceo Parker holds court, too. Pick of the instrumentalists could be the visit from the French accordionist and the Astor Piazzolla admirer, Richard Galliano.
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Clive Davis