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| Cambridge Music Festival includes Jazz in its programme in 2009. For the first time in its 20 year history, Cambridge's major music festival includes jazz within its diverse line up for this November's Festival. This year's featured jazz concert displays the talents of British jazz favourite, John Taylor, and one of the country's outstanding young pianists, Gwilym Simcock. The coincidence of young and old reflects the festival's overall theme of Evolution. The Simcock and Taylor duo made one of their first appearances in Glasgow in November 2008. The Scotsman wrote "The combination of the seasoned John Taylor and the fast-rising Gwilym Simcock promised a memorable feast of creative jazz piano, and so it turned out. Whether performing individually or in tandem, the pair maintained an absorbing level of creative thinking and interaction that ensured a long concert never felt like a note too many. Hearing each play a solo set was a treat in itself, but it was the duets that really scored. Two pianos with no rhythm section is not unprecedented in jazz, but it is unusual, and the occasion was given extra spice by the generational contrast. Their wide-ranging musical resources, structured manipulation of space and ability to respond to ideas in spontaneous fashion were exhilarating." Other highlights for the Festival include: - the evolution of jazz performed by old and new jazz giants, John Taylor and Gwilym Simcock - the London Community Gospel Choir raising the roof in Newmarket - free concerts and workshops at the Grafton with the world-famous Elastic Band, samba in the Market Square, and busking at Park and Ride stops - an exploration of how words and music evolve, with collaborations between composer Christopher Brown's setting of A Five-Gated Well, a collection of specially written poetry by Archbishop Rowan Williams; between poet Wendy Cope, composer Roxanna Panufnik and the Endellion String Quartet, and between the traditions of folk song, poetry and dance in the Cambridgeshire fens - new works from Cambridge composers Giles Swayne, Jeremy Thurlow, Robin Holloway - mirroring the discoveries of HMS Beagle, an exploration of South American music and dance, from Joanna MacGregor, ZUM and a special dance event Come Tango! As with previous festivals, the variety of musical styles is one of the main highlights that attract so many, and this year is no different. From classical favourites such as Haydn and Mozart, to South American music and jazz, Cambridge Music Festival 2009 promises to be the best festival yet. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |