Live music on our Jazz tours: Fergus McCreadie, Declan Forde & Alan Benzie
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Glasgow Jazz Festival we’re running jazz tours (24, 25, 26 June) and we’ll be kicking off at 2pm with some live music and a refreshment at the brilliant Scottish Music Centre. Guests will have the opportunity to peruse some archive jazz material and listen to a short set by one of the musicians featured in 30 under 30 before we set off on a jaunt around Merchant City.
We have lovely Oaked Highland Gin courtesy of Strathearn for inside and ponchos should they be required outside!
On Friday 24 one of Scotland’s most exciting young artists, Fergus McCreadie will perform before we head out for a gentle stroll and some great stories.
On Saturday 25 it’s the prodigiously talented Declan Forde.
On Sunday 26 playing for us is the gifted, award-winning Alan Benzie.
We’re excited and honoured to announce that Alan Benzie will be playing live at the start of our tour on Sunday 26.
“Gifted young post-bop and contemporary pianist Benzie is one of the most promising newcomers to have recently emerged from the fertile Scottish jazz scene.” The Guardian
“Benzie has an orchestrator’s ear for detail in his compositions… His spontaneous creativity impressed even more as improvisations were developed with a clear sense of direction and sustained with inspired phrases” Rob Adams, The Herald
“Most impressive was piano prodigy Alan Benzie… Possessing impeccable technique, and musical imagination, Benzie confirmed his position as a prominent figure in Scotland’s contemporary scene.” The Scotsman
Winner of the BBC Scotland Young Jazz Musician at only 17, pianist/composer Alan Benzie is one of the UK’s most exciting young talents. Now 26, he has won a string of high profile awards in the last few years, including the prestigious Billboard Award at Berklee College of Music. Previous winners include Japanese pianist Uehara Hiromi, and saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Walter Smith III – Alan is the first musician from the UK to win the award. His mixture of flowing lyricism, spontaneous creativity and explosive energy has earned him consistent critical praise, with performances over the last few years in the UK, US, across Europe and Japan.
Last year saw the release of Alan’s debut album Traveller’s Tales, recorded with his working trio of friends and long-time collaborators Andrew Robb on bass, and Marton Juhasz on drums.
Inspired by his recent travels, the landscape of his native Scotland and his love of Japanese animation, the music has its roots in European and American jazz, with influences from impressionist piano music, Scottish and Japanese folk musics, and film music.