#colstonhall

Jazz South is delighted to announce the showcase times for the bands selected for its inaugural scheme - Platform South.

Taking over the free foyer in Colston Hall, the annual popular event at Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival, Platform South will celebrate the highest quality jazz talent from across the south of England. Six bands represent the region from as far apart as Devon, Bristol, Brighton and Hastings and profile the range of musicians and styles that the south has to offer.

Acclaimed saxophonist Iain Ballamy will present his new south west band IBQT Iain Ballamy Quartet, while Bristol’s emerging We Are Leif perform their own blend of jazz, groove and Neo-Soul. Kate Westbrook’s The Granite Band is a vehicle for her haunting lyrics on the Dartmoor landscape, partnered by Mike Westbrook’s genre-busting score integrating jazz and prog rock. Free-stage foyer audiences will hear spontaneously created instrumental and vocal improvisations by Fourth Page, as well as the upbeat tunes of Hexagonal performing original music and celebrating piano greats McCoy Tyner and Bheki Mseleku. Sara Colman Band will complete the showcase with Sara’s classic song-writing and instinctive improvisational energy.

Jazz promoters and programmers are invited by Jazz South to an industry networking reception at 18:30-19:30 to meet the bands and find out how the Platform South scheme will run, supporting artists and promoters to bring this music to audiences across the region.

Showcase times:

12:30 The Granite Band 13:30 Hexagonal 14:30 Fourth Page 15:30 We Are Leif 16:30 Iain Ballamy Quartet 17:30 Sara Colman Band

Kevin Appleby (Strategic Lead, Jazz South and Concert Hall Manager, Turner Sims Southampton) says: ‘We’ve been delighted with the response to our call out for bands, revealing the high quality of talent that we can celebrate from the south east and south west of England. This is a great start for Jazz South as we roll out our other programmes over the next couple of years’.

Tamsin Mendelsohn (Manager, Jazz South) says: ‘Audiences are going to have a rich and varied afternoon getting a taste of the range of jazz talent from the south. It’s wonderful working in partnership with Colston Hall and the Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival as they support our inaugural programme for Jazz South. We look forward to welcoming promoters and venue programmers to the showcase and to the private networking reception in Colston Hall afterwards. Promoters wishing to attend the networking reception can register via www.jazzsouth.org.uk

Platform South showcase is a collaboration between Jazz South, Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival and Colston Hall. The event is supported by Arts Council England, Ambition For Excellence fund. Jazz South is hosted and led by Turner Sims Southampton, and supported by Arts Council England and University of Southampton. Details of the performance can be found at: https://www.colstonhall.org/shows/platform-south-showcase-bristol-jazz-blues-festival-2019/ Press and promoters can contact :

Tamsin Mendelsohn at [email protected]