Atmospheres 2017 – Joe Shrimpling’s Jigsaw
Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Wednesday 10th May 2017
It was to my dismay that I sadly missed most of the Atmospheres festival at our Royal Welsh College this year. This day event is a great marker for local musicians keen to display new and intriguing work, that hungry ears crave at the college.
Since last encountering Joe Shrimpling at the Sleeper Society [http://thesprout.co.uk/blog/2017/01/26/review-the-sleeper-society-chapter/], his music has taken on an extra boundary breaking element that is hard to ignore. The commotion of both jazz and classical musicians may appear as a cautious decision, such is the broad spectrum of interpretation dividing in both fields. Having said this, music making is the always goal and should be respected as such.
Having occupied Joe for over a year, little cells (or pieces) have been dripped into the projects. The musicians from the college display their outstanding skills and it had a wonderful gig like quality. The jazz players bring a whole lot of funk, peppered with the super spirit of cross breeding that more compositions should have. Brief moments of distilled and hushed electronics, made me also crave more daring passages between the jazz, classical and contemporary fields.
The addition of the woodwind instruments have fleeting moments, only ever complementing the jazz heavy blocks, at times mere refrains in others, trying to mimic the good vibes. This wind quartet would have been welcome in more of the score and perhaps then the blending of genres would not be so vague, as is often perceived culturally today.
More, ambitious work like this is key.
Striking, genre breaking music.
Rating: 4 stars
Joe Shrimpling collaborates with Weeping Tudor Productions in their next project: Jamais vu [Brexit means Brexit]. Come join us at the Wales Millennium Centre on Wednesday 31st May as we musically trigger Article 50. Expect flashes of Gertrude Stein, John Cage, Steve Reich, Luigi Nono, poetry, performance art and the joy that is Theresa May! Don’t be left behind. Check on social media for booking details.
Listen to Joe Shrimpling on Sound Cloud.
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