Category Archives: News

Things about BeJe and Chai for Two that are not events.

2020 plans and HEAR MUSIC from forthcoming album Modernised Sacrifice

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Our plans are:

1. Regular UK gigs starting with The Canteen Stokes Croft Bristol Jan 15th. Next up currently is April 2nd at St George’s Bristol. This is the BEJE line up with Anders Olinder or Anna Gomez on keys and Len Aruliah alto.
2. A long awaited album launch; Modernised Sacrifice is the album made last year by Yunmi Sang and the BEJE trio. July 9th is the key date, at St George’s Bristol. If you’re a PR pro make a pitch to help us gain max exposure for our lovely album!
3. A Yunmi Sang and BEJE trio July tour in UK and Europe July 9 to 18th. If you’re a promoter or a venue, offer us a date in this window!

4. Gigs and festivals world-wide in late 2020 and 2021!

Promoters and Venues: Book EuRIP project for 2018 to 2019

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Venues and promoters looking for new acts for the autumn of 2018 and beyond, note that BEJE is preparing a performance project called EuRIP. To be premiered at The Bristol  International  Jazz and Blues Festival on March 15th this is a spoken word and jazz story based on band-members’ formative memories, in Switzerland Italy Sri Lanka and The Netherlands. It’ll be a unique look at the interwoven fabric that is today’s Europe, as the fabric is torn by Brexit. More details in the months ahead. See http://www.facebook.com/Bristol.European.Jazz.Ensemble1

Review of 2017

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“The BEJE (Bristol European Jazz Ensemble) is the brainchild of Bristol jazz trumpeter David Mowat. Their distinctive sound is a combination of David’s lyrical trumpet,
Knud Stuwe’s masterful guitar and oud fused with the sympathetic rhythmic section of bassist, Federico Leonori and drummer, Jon Clark.

Their culturally diverse repertoire comprises elements of American jazz, contemporary folk and beautifully re-harmonised classical music; an uplifting journey across musical boundaries”

Andy Christie composer on hearing BEJE at Bristol Music Club Nov 28th 2017

BEJE has had a less busy year in 2017 than in the preceding three on account of David Mowat’s focus on his Arts Council England-funded project ‘Longing Belonging and Balfour’, a music with spoken word take on The Balfour Declaration of 1917 which has traveled around the UK. There’s some crossover with BEJE as Knud Stuwe is involved as arranger composer and oud player and the jazz has seeped into the Yiddish song and Arabic maqaams.

After The Bristol Music Club gig in January came a gig at a hot pub party with Senegalese kora Master Moussa Kouyate, then a Bristol Fringe gig at the same time as the Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival in March and a Colston Hall gig in May (where the video and recording were done). These last two were in stark contrast of personnel, with Julien  on tenor, Paolo drums Daan keyboards and Federico bass, whilst the May gig Jon Clark was on drums, Al Swainger on bass and Len was on alto and soprano.  There were more recent originals played in Colston Hall than the grooves we layed out with Moussa.

Jazz Stroud May 28 2017

In May at The Stroud Jazz Festival BEJE went down very well and in June a large audience at The Portishead Speakeasy loved us. Hostess-singer Kate O’Loughlin wrote after “What a joyous night last night.David Mowat and BEJE played extraordinary takes on regular Jazz standards along with some very moving, contemporary own compositions, beautifully executed”

Despite a long summer gap and one one on one rehearsal with bass dep Guilaume our gig at The Bocabar in Glastonbury in September was as free-flowing as ever with bassist-promoter Adrian Smith writing “It was a great gig on Friday 8th at the Bocabar with BEJE  – Beautiful compositions and some really top notch playing. The audience loved every minute of it. If you get a chance you should definitely go see the Bristol European Jazz Ensemble”

By request we were invited back to the slightly less pristine (having had us jazzers once already) classical Bristol Music Club, developing a taste for reflective jazz and story telling in

Portishead Speakeasy June 16 2017

November, which takes us to 2018.

 

Bocabar Glastonbury Sept 8 2017

BEJE at TAUNTON CICCIC

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KnudI’ve been preparing this morning for the TAUNTON CICCIC gig this Friday Jan 20th 7.30pm doors open £10 on door. £9 conc. http://www.creativeinnovationcentre.co.uk for address. Back by popular request as they say. Len Aruliah on sax, Knud Stuwe guitar and oud, Paolo Adamo drums, Federico Leonori bass. This’ll have a different feel to the gig with Anders on kb of last year as Knud is a very different player. His oud playing will bring real authenticity to the Syrian groove tune ‘Justin’ and the Somali desert blues ‘Mustapha’s Song’ and I always dig his guitar voicings.201602192206-_R2E1366-7

Federico Leonori at CICIC taunton 19 2 16. Pic: Rob Elford

201602192306-_R2E1446-17201602192308-_R2E1450-18The ‘Italian boys’ on bass and drums are in fantastic form with sparky duets expected, and Len on sax is always on fire and ever sinuous. I’ll have my warm steady cooler sounds in the mix (David Mowat on trumpet/flugel), and am looking forward to this gig! All pics from our fab gig at the same venue a year ago bar Knud’s.

BEJE performing at CICIC Taunton Feb 19th 2016

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CIC Taunton posterhttp://www.creativeinnovationcentre.co.uk/performances/the-bristol-european-jazz-ensemble-fri-19-feb-2016/

We’re looking forward to our first gig of the year at ‘the south west’s new leading jazz venue’. It’s what they say about themselves and having trawled around the region I believe it! There’s only St Ive’s Jazz Club, of long repute, to compare really. (Go on, tell me I’m wrong). There’ll be some new material, including a spiritual chant for the audience, but let that not put you off! The ever-elegant Anders Olinder on piano, the increasingly wonderful and powerful Paolo Adamo on drums, the passionate and risk taking Federico Leonori on bass and searing altoist Julien Alenda, who will bring his tenor sax as well and is studying Sony Rollins especially, will be the BEJE line up this time. We look forward to seeing our friends and fans and keep solos shorter than my sentences (maybe).

review of BEJE with Anne Chris Nov 28 2015 Bristol

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“The Bristol European Jazz Ensemble with special guest Dutch singer Anne Chris, gave an evening of jazz (Nov 28 2015) which served to warm the slightly cold surroundings of St. Stephen’s Church.  The majority of the tunes were originals penned both by Anne Chris and the group’s trumpeter,
David Mowat.  These tunes were both funky, yet featured melodic turns and harmonic twists that were redolent of both the late, great figures
of pianist John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler. To afficiandos, Anne Chris’s mellow voice and inventive phrasing may well have brought to mind vocal associations of Norma Winstone, too. All the songs were charmingly introduced by both Anne and David and the ensemble provided
subtle and complementary support.” Richard Leigh Harris, classical and jazz pianist , visiting tutor at Birmingham Conservatoire, member of contemporary jazz/freeform ensemble ‘Oxjam’.Anne Chris with BEJE at Saint Stephen's Bristol