At Chordblossom HQ we love a bit of variety and perhaps it is something we neglect on the site. But to make up for it there are four stellar gigs are taking place as part of the City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival to mark the Derry-Londonderry UK City of Culture celebrations for 2013.
The opening night of the festival, Thursday night, May 2, will see Soul Rebels will unleash their infectious New Orleans sound which embraces the rich jazz traditions of their homeland but add life affirming vocals and hip shaking grooves aplenty at the Nerve Centre. Couple those elements of funk, ska and hip hop, with harmony vocals and more catchy horn lines and solos than you can imagine possible, and you have a party band like no other with an infectious energy that’s impossible to resist.
Soul Rebels – Thursday 2nd at The Nerve Centre Time: 9pm Tickets: £12.50 fee from the Millennium Forum Box Office (028) 7126 4455. www.millenniumforum.co.
On Saturday night, May 4, it’s time to glam up at the Grand Vintage Ball featuring the Puppini Sisters. Don your best vintage threads, put your dancing shoes on and throw some impressive shapes at as the Venue in Ebrington gets a lavish makeover in homage to the city’s cultural and social past, revisiting the music, styles, trends and fashions of the 1920s-1960s. Glamour, great music, dancing and fun are guaranteed as you jive, waltz and quickstep the night away. Headline act at the Ball is the globally renowned swing-pop trio, the Puppini Sisters, who celebrate the sounds and fashions of the 1930s-40s in true vintage style with their close vocal harmonies and synchronised moves.
The Grand Vintage Ball featuring the Puppini Sisters – Saturday 4th May at The Venue, Ebrington Time: 8pm, Tickets: £19.50 including booking fee from the Millennium Forum Box Office (028) 7126 4455. www.millenniumforum.co.
If Vintage isn’t for you then you have the rare opportunity to enjoy the sounds of the fantastic City of Culture Musician in Residence, Neil Cowley who will take to the stage at the Nerve Centre with his band The Neil Cowley Trio. Most famously known for his work on Adele’s 21 Album, Neil’s music fizzes with the energy of rock and surges with the dynamics of the dance floor. Embracing experiences in other genres – the highs of the dance music, the grooves of funk, and the elegiac nature of orchestral music, bringing to life characters through melody, harmony, vast dynamic ranges and drama.
Neil Cowley Trio – Saturday 4th May at the Nerve Centre. Time: 9pm, Tickets: £11.50 including booking fee from the Millennium Forum Box Office (028) 7126 4455. www.millenniumforum.co.
And there’s a fantastic opportunity to make the most of the Bank Holiday weekend on Sunday Night when Pink Martini arrive at the Millennium Forum fresh from a sellout gig Royal Albert Hall. Pink Martini describe their diverse musical style as an urban musical travelogue, a rollicking around-the-world musical adventure “…if the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we’d be that band,” they maintain. Certainly the energy they put into their shows is impressive. One minute you feel like you’re in the middle of a samba parade in Rio de Janeiro, and in the next moment, you’re in a French music hall of the 1930’s, or a palazzo in Napoli. Join them for what is the latest stop on a global adventure that’s seen them perform on some of the best stages in the world.
Pink Martini – Sunday 5th May,at The Millennium Forum, Time: 8pm, Tickets: £12.50 – £15 – £17.50 available from the Millennium Forum Box Office (028) 7126 4455. www.millenniumforum.co.
