It’s tricky managing several bands and updating information on fb and elsewhere and I confess I have lapsed with this site. I was advised to get a more catchy address and while I now own bejejazz.com I haven’t gone further yet. If you’re not bothered with words, go for the link at the bottom of this blog.
Since the summer BEJE has been promoted again after a lull. For starters we made a show reel of our euRIP jazz suite performed at the March Bristol International jazz festival.
Following that we had a series of fabulous autumn gigs. First up was The Bocabar October 10th with Len Aruliah, quite a regular now, newly Ana Gomez Spanish pianist, Guillaume Ottaviani who did the same gig last year and Paolo Adamo on drums. We had a super time, slightly challenged by my inexperience in wearing varifocals.
Next An absolute gem of a venue, Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham Nov 10 gave us a great welcome and we also went down a storm. On this occasion Al Swainger was on bass and Mattia Collu on drums.Len (pictured-not yet with his BEJE biog) has helped a lot by re presenting my o so last century hand written charts.
Seeing our availability for an edgy political statement/poem on Europe, Any Hague kindly booked us for Bristol’s Bebop Club (some band had let him down and we’re o so wiling) and we performed on Nov 23. This time that relaxed and buzzing Tony Orrell took the drum seat. That was a pretty good night too, not quite the fervour of Nottingham but then a prophet is not without except at home.
And last and not least, in an attemt to mark my 60th year and bring various BEJE family members together I held a BEJE party on Dec 9th at the Salt Cafe Bristol. Very warmly hosted by Alan with a great eye for economics. He’d sold out of food when the band came to have theirs. No hard feelings Alan, we’ll be back- and eat first next time. My friend and mentor pianist jazzicologist Ben Williams recorded the complete set, mixed it, and hey presto, I have a new live album for sale. On the occasion Julien Alenda played a blinder on tenor, Anders Olinder on keyboards was always elegant and Knud Stuwe played a couple of oud numbers. Len, Ana, Guillaume were there. I loved it all. Find three tracks below.
https://soundcloud.com/david-mowat-1
The Bristol European Jazz Ensemble 