Lives

Astral travellers: SEED Ensemble and Shabaka Hutchings pay tribute to Pharoah Sanders

the London-born trumpeter and fugelhorn player exploring her Bahraini heritage, powering the melodies of Arabic folk and wedding music through a gauze of electronic efects as her band – a bassist, drummer and vibraphone player – switch between moments of psychedelic abandon and dreamy repose.

The following night, Tomorrow’s Warriors founder Gary Crosby leads Groundation – an all-star band featuring past Warriors Nathaniel Facey, Shirley Tetteh, Hamish Moore and Moses Boyd – on a voyage through Charlie Parker standards, in celebration of the American saxophonist’s centenary. Pound for pound it’s one of the fnest shows of the festival: Facey skilfully channels Bird’s dexterous, melodic soloing, and he’s surrounded by a band of fellow virtuosos pushing their technique to the limit.

Robert Rath’s Erased Tapes label has become something of an institution, presenting contemporary classical music in a way that’s accessible to an audience raised on flm scores or post-rock. Their EFG showcase features three solo musicians with a remarkable command of their respective instruments: Daniel Thorne plays saxophone, although his technique feels more infuenced by classical minimalism than jazz, his sax futtering like a feather, or set into swirling circulatory patterns; Berlin-based cellist Anne Müller uses a bank of efects and loop pedals to turn her meticulous and precise strokes into something emotionally stirring; and the Japanese artist Hatis Noit also uses loop technology, but her instrument is her voice. For 30 minutes she holds a small, socially distanced room spellbound through a set of avantgarde opera and chant delivered in the slow, purposeful movements of Butoh dance.

But the highlight of this year’s EFG is an intriguing collaboration, pairing Shabaka Hutchings with the Britten Symphonia for a take on Aaron Copland’s 1944 ballet Appalachian Spring. Hutchings has become one of the most visible faces of UK jazz, although he is wary of the term – he studied classical clarinet at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama – and in a preperformance interview he refects on what Copland’s piece means to him. “It’s a refection on jazz… It’s not a jazz piece but it’s someone taking the form of jazz and using it as a springboard to their own cultural interpretation.” Copland was one of the frst American composers to draw infuence from jazz, although there’s a lot of infuences in Appalachian Spring: a celebration of the American pioneers, it touches on the music of the early 20th century, of square dances and country hoedowns. Sporting a stunning ceremonial shirt, Hutchings joins half-an-hour in for the suite’s clarinet solo, an interpretation of music from Shaker religious communities that bursts out in gorgeous, wild furries.

For the climax of the show, he returns for a spirited take on Copland’s “Clarinet Concerto”. Under normal circumstances, it’dbethecueforastanding ovation.Hopefully2021willfnd awaytoredressthebalance.

Hatis Noit

Shabaka Hutchings with the Britten Symphonia