Barbican Summer Jazz ready to start

Jazz lovers in London know that from back in the 1990's the Barbican has always been programming the finest jazz sourced worldwide, with a particularly trained eye for fresh talent. And this summer will not be an exception, because Blaze brings to London not only world music but also jazz legends and jazz stars of tomorrow.

Harold Lopez Nussa and his band started building a bridge of sound last Saturday - and these are not the kind of weekend workings which imply tube closures or pneumatic drills-induced Saturday morning wake-ups - linking the first part of our world music programme - the one mainly dedicated to Cuba, in the 50th anniversary of its revolution - to the Barbican Summer Jazz series opening this Thursday with saxophone legend David Sanborn, accompanied by Sam Moore and introduced by a performance by MOBO Award winner YolanDa Brown.

Barbican Summer Jazz:

Thursday 2 July 7.30
David Sanborn + special guest Sam Moore + YolanDa Brown
Tickets £10/15/20/25
Produced by the Barbican in association with Serious
Part of Blaze

One of the most instantly-recognisable saxophonists in the history of jazz, David Sanborn returns to the Barbican with the live version of his acclaimed recording from last year, Here and Gone. Conceived as a tribute to the soul–drenched feel that defined the music of Ray Charles in the 60s – and especially his two saxophonists Hank Crawford and David ‘Fathead’ Newman, both of whom died recently, this concert will both evoke the spirit of a clutch of Sanborn’s key inspirations. Joining Sanborn on stage will be a true soul legend, vocalist Sam Moore (of ‘Sam and Dave’).

David William Sanborn was born in1945 in Tampa, Florida. Having contracted polio when he was only three years old, he was introduced to the saxophone as part of his cure; later, growing up in St. Louis, he became inspired by the rich legacy of great Chicago blues artists who would play there on tour. In 1965 the Butterfield Blues Band invited him to Los Angeles to sit-in on recording sessions with the band. ‘I sat in and I did okay’, Sanborn has recalled, ‘and I was with Butterfield for almost five years.’ After leaving he became a key sideman to many touring artists, and eventually reached a world-wide audience through a famous alto sax solo on Bowie’s 1975 recording Young Americans. It was also in 1975 that Sanborn released his first solo album, Taking Off. 1981’s Voyeur won a Grammy, as did 1986’s Double Vision. Sanborn has continued to release hard-hitting albums of his own patented brew of jazz, funk and blues; his own sound is a beacon for soulful jazz at its most seductive, and this concert marks a long overdue return to the London concert stage, with a typically high-powered and downright funky band in tow. Mobo Jazz Award winner, saxophonist YolanDa Brown plays the opening set.

FreeStage pre-show 6.15pm: JD73 (JazzDocter73)

JD73 is the alterego of Leeds based musician/producer Dan Goldman. A regular face on the UK/International music scene for over 10 years, Dan has played live and in the studio, collobarated remixed and produced tracks for artists such as Morcheeba and some of the most progressive and talented profile and underground artists and acts across the globe.

Check out the rest of the Barbican Summer Jazz programme 2-24 July by clicking here.

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