Jazz, Folk & World Music at Symphony Hall
Futurist folk group The Imagined Village, Judeo-Spanish songstress Yasmin Levy, leading UK jazz star Courtney Pine OBE and legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela performing with the CBSO are amongst the highlights at Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham in winter and spring 2010 – underlining the halls’ firm commitment to present a wide ranging and accessible programme, showcasing the very best in jazz, folk and world music.
This eclectic and varied season gets underway on 21 January at Town Hall with futurist folk group The Imagined Village and their collective multi-cultural take on English identity and music, followed by perennial US folk legend Tom Paxton on 25 January at Town Hall, still performing both starkly beautiful and light-hearted music well into a sixth decade.
Transatlantic Sessions, the stage centrepiece of the Celtic Connections festival and acclaimed BBC4 TV series, offer an incredible line-up of eighteen singers and musicians, including Eddi Reader, Cara Dillon, Tim O’Brien and Danny Thompson, for a memorable evening of Irish, Scottish and Americana inspired music at Symphony Hall on Friday 5 February.
The Mother India weekend, a journey through the musical heritage of India in the company of a range of musical masters, will take place at both Town Hall and Symphony Hall from 9 to 11 April. The weekend will feature a rare UK recital from santoor maestro and living legend Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, a collaboration between sarod players Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash and cellist Matthew Barley as well as a re-visioning of cinematic classic Mother India by British-Asian artist DJ Tigerstyle and a handful of freestage events including the launch of Asian chill series Mid-day Mantra, a new free monthly Saturday lunchtime series.
At Symphony Hall on 19 April, singer-songwriter Melody Gardot will perform her inimitable smoky voiced jazz and blues, following the critically acclaimed 2009 release of My One and Only Thrill, the follow-up to 2008 debut album Worrisome Heart, which was completed after recovery from a near fatal accident and led to comparisons with contemporaries such as Norah Jones and Madeleine Peyroux.
Legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela will appear at Symphony Hall on 7 May for a unique collaboration with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Town Hall Gospel Choir and City of Birmingham Young Voices for whom he has written a new work, as well as performing Jason Yarde’s Trumpet Concerto.
Further jazz, folk and world music highlights at Town Hall and Symphony Hall in 2010 include the third annual English Originals – a weekend celebrating the diversity of English music from traditional folk to contemporary singer-songwriters - at both venues from 14-16 May. There’s soulful and gospel-infused folk-blues from Eric Bibb at Town Hall on 27 May followed by Ukulelescope on Saturday 5 June, a collaborative project between the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and the British Film Institute and part of the Town Hall ‘Vintage Silents’ weekend celebrating music and movies from the silver screen era.
