ART ALL AROUND

Norman Warwick points out

ART ALL AROUND              

Today, we deliver reminders of a couple of of events we have not been able accommodate as yet, from The Adsubian Gallery in Spain, The Ribble Valley Jazz And Blues events in the rural North West of England and the classical sounds from the Chertham´s School Of Music in a once-industrial, now gentrified, quarter of Manchester, not far from where Rochdale Music Society are staging another event in their 2022 7 3 season of classical music concerts

However, before we do all that we should take a moment to mourn the sad passing of the great jazz musicians, Wayne Shorter, who died on the 2^nd march 2023 at the age of 89.

My most recently received daily newsletter, called Jazziz, and produced by Michael Fagien, told me that Visionary jazz artist Wayne Shorter (left) has passed away at the age of 89. Throughout the course of a stellar career, spanning over six decades, he made indelible contributions to the development of jazz music. Shorter first gained prominence in 1959, when he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers as a 26-year-old tenorist, transforming the group into a modern jazz powerhouse with his innovative improvisations and contributing several compositions to the ensemble’s repertoire. He eventually signed a recording deal as a solo artist with Blue Note, the label with which he released a remarkable series of classic albums between 1964-1970, including Juju, Speak No Evil and Adam’s Apple, among others.

Shorter also subsequently worked with Miles Davis and was a member of the trumpeter’s innovative quintet with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. In 1970, he co-founded one of the most beloved jazz fusion supergroups of all time, Weather Report, with keyboardist Joe Zawinul. From 2001, he led his acclaimed quartet with Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade. Over the course of his incredible career, Shorter created over 200 compositions and many of his works have become modern standards. He was recognized with numerous awards, including being named an NEA Jazz Master and receiving 13 GRAMMYs, as well as a Kennedy Center Honor in 2018. Most recently, his solo on “Endangered Species” from Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival earned him a GRAMMY Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo.

JAZZIZ Managing Editor Robert Weinberg has put together a playlist of some of Wayne Shorter’s most acclaimed compositions. and so recommends a list with a top three of Witch Hunt, Speak No Evil and Infant Eyes. The full list is available at jazziz magazine playlist of Wayne Shorter.

For music lovers living in the UK there is even more to look forward to. Next Saturday. March 11th, will give you the opportunity to experience the delight of two of Western Europe’s most elegant and beautiful musical creations in one concert evening, when The Pleyel Ensemble (below, right) gives a concert for the Rochdale Music Society in Heywood Civic Centre.

Graham Marshall of Rochdale Music Society has reminded us all on a facebook post that Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet is a compelling distillation of the highlights of his creative achievement, overflowing with inspired melody and harmony in classical perfection. The same can be said of Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet, which also hits the heights with it rich harmonic textures and wonderfully shaped melodies.

As a bonus, Graham tells his readers, ther audience will be entranced by Martinu’s spectacular and exciting Madrigals for Violin and Viola.

Do go along and join them. You will not be disappointed.

February was a very exciting month at Chetham´s School Of Music in Manchester celebrating the extraordinary talents of their students with piano recitals, choral concerts and performances by Chetham’s Sinfonia, Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras. Chetham´s thank  everyone who joined them in The Stoller Hall for these concerts.

But it doesn´t stop there… an exciting evening lies ahead with Chetham’s Big Band on Friday 31 March, and their wider ensembles will be performing throughout the spring months.

The popular free Brass & Percussion Academy Day is happening on Sunday 5 March, with the very last spaces available for selected instruments.

Meanwhile, places are still available for Chetham’s Summer Music Course this July where like-minded young musicians can learn from the very best and make unforgettable memories. Our free Lunchtime Concerts also continue to feature some of the UK’s brightest talents at Chetham’s.

However, if it is music you listen out for, then be aware that on International Women’s Day 2023, the Grand and Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues are showcasing great leadership from women teachers and composers based in the North – redefining, reinventing and reigniting musical creativity and promotion with groove, beat, tunes that take you to another world and more.

At The Grand, York Street, Clitheroe
Next Wednesday 8th March 2023
Doors 7.30pm, Stage 8pm
Adv Seated £12.50, RVJB Member £10,

Under 25s £5, Under 18s FREE

Emma Johnson (left) is a Leeds based saxophonist, composer and the bandleader of Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat.

Gravy Boat perform Emma’s melodic, cinematic jazz compositions and have been described as ‘one of the most refreshingly imaginative and perfectly configured acts in contemporary jazz

Originally from South Wales, Sarah Heneghan (right) is a Sheffield-based drummer and composer involved in numerous collaborations across the North. Her solo project, ‘Power Out’, tells a story of entrancing electronic music contrasted with improvised live drumming, blowing apart expectations of what solo drumming can be. It has received funding from Arts Council England, and performed at Shambala Festival, London Jazz Festival & Manchester Jazz Festival, to name a few. 

Elbow Room (left) is a music project based in Clitheroe nurtured by the Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues Club.

It provides regular rehearsal and development sessions especially designed to help women increase their musical skills in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere.   

The sessions provide a respite from the extra energy required to take musical risks in mixed settings.  We aim to empower women with the confidence and pride to hold the stage and communicate with an audience so everyone can enjoy music making. 

Elbow Room have delighted in working with three musical giants committed to equity in creativity, Emma Johnson, Sarah Heneghan and Trish Ferrarin and the show for International Womens Day will celebrate music and the journey. 

If you are unable to get to live gigs for whatever reason, don´t forget you can always tune in to Hot Biscuits, presented by our occasional correspondent, and all round jazz jiver, Steve Bewick.

His mix cloud Jazz show this week features Fiona Ross with music from `Red Flags & High heel.` We have previously featured Fiona on these pages, along wioth other excellent female artists introduced to us by .Mr. Bewick over Hot Biscuits. We are due to conduct an interview with her this year, so will certainly tune in to Steve´s feature to see what questions it might provoke.

Also featured on the programme, albeit posthumously, is Irish Jazz guitarist Louis Stewart. You will also hear The Marc Martin Trio with Wabi. Also playing will be Kurt Ellington with the Orchestra Jazz Scilliana, performing from Porgy and Bess. The last Hot Biscuit on the plate will be Interphase Quartet.

If this looks interesting, then share and follow me 24/07 at

mixcloud.com/stevebewick

If, on the other hand, you prefer your brush strokes to create a painting rather than to keep time for a jazz ensemble, we can point you down other sidetracks & detours

Estamos encantados de presentaros la

EXPOSICIÓN Y VENTA

RENACER´ de Ángeles Portaña

del SÁBADO 11 DE MARZO

to

SÁBADO 15 DE ABRIL 2023

Ángeles estará aquí para recibirte el sábado 11 de marzo a partir de las 18.00 horas.

Ángeles Portana (left) was born to be an artist. Like a tree, she grew up with roots within a family of great masters, whose works are in great museums such as the Prada Museum.

Ángeles has participated in multiple exhibitions in Spain. She has achieved recognition of professional prestige, Gold Medal, Europe Forum 2001 in Madrid, and her works have sold in many countries U.S.A., France, Germany …….

Works of oil with essence and soul, inspired and created in the Mediterranean.

Perhaps you would actually like to learn the art of portrait painting, with our long-standing friend of the Adsubian Gallery, the artist TONI ORTOLA.

Toni will be running a course at The Adsubian Gallery, on the 25^th and 26^th March and the cost is 50 euroes per day.

Toni has an immense talent for detail and capturing the very essence of his subject. All levels of experience are welcome. It is sure to be a fun and rewarding course.

We look forward to welcoming you

To learn more about Toni, please see a short biography below, and book your place by phoning  643 312 826 for further details:

Toni Ortola is an artist who spent his whoile childhood suyrrounded by colourts, typopgraphy, posters and a great deal of creativity. From a very early age he had a place in his parents´ printing house, drawing by hand the posters and logos that his father asked him for. He started attending drawing classes at the age of ten from Saturnino Ortuna. In high school he also learned technical drawing and geometry skills.

At the age of eighteen he also started handling the printing presses and all the pre-prinitng and printying work passerd through hius hands. It was at this time that he began to acquire his wide knowledge of colour ands then, after a while he resumed his painting and draweing classes, this time with the help of Rosa Gavila  and Joan Vidal. Since tyhose days all his artistic training has been self-taught.

He has exhibited for many different places, at first collectively as a student. He gave his first sole selection at the age of 32 for the cloisters of the city of Ondara. after undertaking projects in variopus other towns and cities he gradually leaned towards  more drawing work, always influenced, of course, by hos post as a graphic designer. His first experience of work as a ´teacher´ of art came with a group of children of the families of Xalo. He has since facilitated classes to graffiti and tattoo artists of the same region and classes of nude life-drawings in the art workshops Elena Haros of Denia.

Related work has seen Toni Ortola serve as the organiser of the Ondara and Rafol painintg day, toighether with those respective town councils for two years.

We have also had an e mail request from a Sidetracks And Detours reader, in an e mail that read:

Hi
When is the Lanzarote Poetry Festival 2023?

I write and publish poetry on nature, and other topics including war, peace, etc.

We are visiting Lanzarote from 13 to the 27 April 2023 and would like to hear any information you have on Lanzarote poetry.
Best wishes to you all.
Anto

Well, Anton, sadly we cannot yet supply information about the 2023 Lanzarote Poetry Festival, Our understanding is that it has yet to be decided whether last year´s highly successful, independently produced event will become a funded a bi-annual or perhaps annual revenue funded event but we will announce that as soon as we know a decision has been reached. Meanwhile watch this space because we will find out what else is going on for poets on Lanzarote during the period of your holiday here.

We look forward to meeting you.