David Gordon Trio & Friends
“Alexander Scriabin’s Ragtime Band”
The Hen & Chicken, 210 North St, Bristol, BS3 1JF
Sunday 23 July 2017
Doors 7.30, for 8.15pm start
£12/£10 (OAP’s/students) Jazz
Dave Gordon (Piano), Yaron Stavi (Bass), Paul Cavaciuti (Drums)
Dave Gordon is no stranger to Bristol; indeed, if the jazz scene in our city hadn’t been so healthy in his days studying Mathematics at Bristol Uni’ in the early 80’s; it’s quite possible he would never have taken music as a career and become a maths teacher. He became a regular at The Albert along with Andy Hague & Ben Waghorn et al, who formed the basis of the next generation of Jazz musicians in Bristol, which was to prove both important and vital....
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David Gordon Trio & Friends
“Alexander Scriabin’s Ragtime Band”
The Hen & Chicken, 210 North St, Bristol, BS3 1JF
Sunday 23 July 2017
Doors 7.30, for 8.15pm start
£12/£10 (OAP’s/students) Jazz
Dave Gordon (Piano), Yaron Stavi (Bass), Paul Cavaciuti (Drums)
Dave Gordon is no stranger to Bristol; indeed, if the jazz scene in our city hadn’t been so healthy in his days studying Mathematics at Bristol Uni’ in the early 80’s; it’s quite possible he would never have taken music as a career and become a maths teacher. He became a regular at The Albert along with Andy Hague & Ben Waghorn et al, who formed the basis of the next generation of Jazz musicians in Bristol, which was to prove both important and vital.
“David Gordon has the wonderful ability to make piano notes glisten like jewelled drops of water” John Etheridge in Musician Magazine
The David Gordon Trio has a unique and individual sound world, a strong pedigree and a worldwide following. Their music is characterised by searingly beautiful melodies, free-flowing improvisation and quick-fire humour.
All their recordings have received rave reviews in media in the US, Japan and Europe, where they have sold more than 10,000 CDs.
The trio has played festivals, radio and clubs in Europe and the UK, also collaborated with a wide variety of artists, from singer Jacqui Dankworth and saxophonists Andy Sheppard and Jerry Underwood, guitarist John Etheridge to tap-dancer/vocalist Lucy Dixon.
Alexander Scriabin's Ragtime Band
It’s 1915: The world in turmoil & at war. People everywhere have gone dancing mad. The transatlantic trade in musical styles continues unabated.
In New Orleans, Jelly Roll Morton's tinkering with ragtime and blues signals the dawn of a new creation: jazz!
In New York, Russian émigré Irving Berlin is churning out hit after hit.
In Paris, Debussy experiments with syncopation and jazz harmony, as the ‘cakewalk’ and tango fever sweep the French capital;
In Moscow, the death of the great Russian piano-poet, mystic, synaesthete (look it up…I had to!) and monomaniac Alexander Scriabin.
Scriabin was an eccentric Russian composer, virtuoso pianist and mystic. Best known for his piano works he was a fellow student of Rachmaninoff. He composed numerous symphonies and 10 sonatas as well as many short works.
Though he died just as jazz was being birthed and therefore didn’t hear Jazz as a music form, surprisingly his ideas appeared in jazz many years later. Inflections can be heard in Errol Garner’s style and in Tango music (‘Prelude for Left Hand Op. 9 no. 1); this was picked upon by Chic Corea in the 80’s (A minor Prelude Op. 11 no. 2 by the jazz giant Chick Corea www.allmusic.com/album/trio-music-live-in-europe-mw0000188008) and more recently Corea has posted Youtube videos of his workshops based around his working of another of Scriabin’s works. This is where Dave Gordon got hooked on these ideas and took them a step forward in his 2015 project; bringing these musical strands together to create an amazing tapestry of music from boogie-woogie, tango and ‘choro’ rubbing shoulders with jazz interpretations of Scriabin's miniatures - his billets-doux to eternity - seen through the prism of popular music of the time.
“I just wish I could play like David Gordon! Such chiselled elegance with all that freedom and improvisation. Something to aspire to” Stephen Blier; Grammy winner & professor of music at The Julliard School, New York
Tonight’s offering will showcase the Scriabin styled tunes written by David for the trio as ‘The Ragtime Band’ in the first set; and in the second half they’ll play standards along with some guests sitting-in (Ben Waghorn, Kevin Figes, Tony Orrell confirmed & hopefully Martin Genge); from Dave’s Bristol days, for some fun.
The whole evening promises to be very interesting and for those of you who haven’t had the privilege of hearing Dave play piano, you’re in for a real treat
http://www.davidmusicgordon.com/
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