The Secret Life of Wood Green – part 2

Collage Arts are delighted to bring the EFG London Jazz Festival to the cultural neighbourhood of Wood Green N22, commonly known for its shopping mall, and just a stone’s throw from Alexandra Palace. The Creative Quarter is jammed packed full of artists, musicians and producers, with over 35 music and podcast studios in our artspaces! The venue on the ground floor of Collage Artspace 1+2 makes for a lovely intimate setting for weekly live music gigs, and the opportunity to connect with audiences and showcase new material. This weekend is also the annual N22 Open Studios, where the artists open their studios to the public

For this year’s EFG LJF, we have purposely programmed a diverse line-up of artists, musicians, composers and singer-songwriters, to reflect the diversity of the music, culture and the arts in the borough.

Emerging artists feature strongly with a four-year plus collaboration with ground-breaking talent development agency, Tomorrow’s Warriors,who are opening the EFG LJF week with JOTI Quintet:

Joti aka Joseph Oti, passionate and vibrant trumpeter, performing with his Quintet.  He played an astonishingly fresh set at ‘We Out There’ festival just this last summer, and we are thrilled to have secured this gig as part of the Tomorrow’s Warriors presents series for the Karamel sessions at Collage Arts. >>TW presents JOTI Quintet on Friday 11 November

Vimala Rowe + John Etheridge. The extravagantly talented and ethereal vocals of Rowe meet legendary guitar veteran, Etheridge, for a captivating collaboration.  https://youtu.be/Zaxy6KlawGA?t=19

“A rare mix of visceral emotion and jazzy intelligence” SUNDAY TIMES

“Vimala Rowe is Sensational” THE ARTS DESK

“John Etheridge demonstrates awesome authority every time he touches the guitar” THE GUARDIAN

“Immensely soulful, powerful performance” LONDON JAZZ NEWS

>>Vimala Rowe + John Etheridge on Wednesday 16 November  

Art Themen, exciting and innovative saxophonist

“One of the tiny handful of undeniably perfect jazz musicians”  The Observer

Clip – https://youtu.be/nrL7kZq20EI

>>Art Themen on Thursday 17 November

Charlie Wood, blues singer-songwriter-keyboardist extraordinaire showcases a live listening tour through the rich musical history of his hometown, performing songs by WC Handy, BB King, Otis Redding and many more, bringing the spirit of Memphis to Wood Green’s McQueens Theatre.

“Charlie Wood embodies hepcat worldliness and barroom empathy; he’s got style but also the wisdom that gives it heftiness.” Jazz Review 

“Every jazz fan likes to have a best-kept secret but if there’s any musical justice, we should see a lot more of Charlie Wood.”

>>Charlie Wood on Saturday 19 November

Perfect Stranger, innovative ten piece band

Perfect Stranger revives a project from 1974: prog/jazz/fusion with rhythmically challenging extended compositions by Chris Sansom, who comes mainly from the ‘classical’ world. They make Beethoven spin in his grave, and they play a little bit of Zappa for good measure.

The 10-piece band Perfect Stranger is Chris Sansom (conductor and bass) with Adam Bishop and Mick Foster (saxes), Shanti Jayasinha (trumpet), Tom Green (trombone), Alcyona Mick (keys), Rob Millett (percussion), Eddy White (guitar), Paul Michael (bass) and Mike Horne (drums).

>>Perfect Stranger on Monday 14 November

Guiliano Modarelli, guitarist-composer-producer, refreshing and special.

One of the most interesting musicians to emerge from the world music scene over the last few years. Leader and co-founder of the award-winning music collective Kefaya.  His unique voice & exceptionally innovative approach to Indian Classical music & Jazz reinvents the sound of Indo Jazz music.

Line-up: Giuliano Modarelli (guitar), Chris Williams (sax), Wonky Logic (multi-instruments), Joost Hendrickx (drums).

Sample the music – https://youtu.be/XrM37mZkXjk

>>Giuliano Modarelli on Sunday 13 November

AKDC Band, indo jazz rhythm, movement.

Café Kathak was launched last year at Café Oto, with the AKDC band bringing improvisational Kathak rhythms to blend with Jazz instruments to create a new never heard before sound to Indo Jazz. Intricate footwork performed by the critically acclaimed kathak artist Amina Khayyam to the complex mathematical patterns of Debashish Mukherjee’s tabla, and layered by vocals by Sohini Alam, cello by Iain McHugh, sitar by Jonathan Mayer and vocalised parhants by Jane Chan.

>>AKDC band on Sunday 20 November

Bookings and Info : www.musicglue.com/karamel