Music / Jazz
Forward-looking collaboration brings cutting edge jazz to St George’s
Cutting edge nu-jazz is taking centrestage at a respected Bristol venue, courtesy of one of the city’s most forward-looking promoters.
Nathan Worm is one of the trio behind Glastonbury’s notorious Wormhole venue and the renowned Worm Disco Club parties that brought big names like Shabaka Hutchings, the Comet is Coming and Malcolm Catto’s Heliocentrics to Bristol’s intimate indie venues.
His label, Worm Discs, put out records by Glasgow’s corto.alto, London’s TC and the Groove Family and Bristol names including Snazzback, Waldo’s Gift, Dundundun and Run Logan Run.
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Now he’s teamed up with St George’s on a vibrant new jazz-centric contemporary music programme that will bring a range of international acts to the venue’s café bar.
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The series kicks off with an evening of ‘cosmic grooves and freedom energy exchange’ on July 11. Àbáse (AKA Szabolcs Bognár) and Ziggy Zeitgeist will present their individual acts as well as their new electronic duo project Acid Zone.
A ‘surprise guest DJ’ will also appear on the night which promises to deliver ‘tomorrow’s artists today’.
”Àbáse and Zietgeist are two amazing Berlin based artists who tick lots of boxes for me, from their skills to their variation of styles that combine funk, jazz, global influences and broken or programmed beats, live rhythmic drums, keys and samples,” said Nathan.
“They play St George’s the day after a headline Jazz Cafe show. It should be a real good vibe for a Friday summer eve.”
Nathan, Jackson and Jake set up Worm Disco Club and ran immersive festival-style parties in indie venues across Bristol for a decade – photo: Worm Disco Club
Worm Disco Club celebrated its tenth anniversary last year with a party at Lost Horizon and exclusive Shabaka Hutchings appearance at St Mary Redcliffe.
The parties brought the Comet is Coming to the Jam Jar two weeks before their Mercury Prize nomination and decked out Fiddlers for immersive themed events that included their own branded cocktails and festival style décor as well as quality international acts.
Nathan is also a DJ/selector, hosting an early summer ‘jazz to jungle’ residency at Wiper and True, and a regular radio show, along with Jake and Jackson Worm, on SWU.fm.
He has previously brought acts including Colin Stetson, WITCH, Emma-Jean Thackray, Derya-Yildrim & Grup Simsek, Fred Wesley & the New J.Bs, Fergus McCreadie, Meridian Brothers and Joe-Armon Jones to perform in Bristol.
For the Wormhole at Glastonbury, the Worm Disco team brought huge acts like Ezra Collective and Sons of Kemet together for 2-hour improvised collab sets: “We thought, let’s create something spontaneous, unique and memorable; let them do their thing as jazz musicians” said Nathan – photo: Worm Disco
The venue has said it is excited about the collaboration: “We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Nathan Worm on this project,” said programme lead Ben Spencer; “It’s an exciting evolution for St George’s: to explore the broader territories of new contemporary jazz in a more informal, ‘standing’ context.
“We’ve always loved those artists who are treading their own path, inventing new soundworlds; with Nathan’s curatorial skillset we look forward to bringing more of them to St George’s.”
‘’I recognise St George’s as venue driven by a real passion and love for music and a place where world class musicians love to perform.
St George’s says its contemporary design cafe space is the perfect place to host a forward-looking music programme – photo: Evan Dawson
“I am always on the lookout for great acts I can present, and this new relationship and chance to collaborate with St George’s is an exciting prospect,” added Nathan.
All details of the first gig in the series on July 11 are at headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/st-georges-hall/fri-11-jul–b-se-x-ziggy-zeitgeist-acid-zone
Main image: Worm Disco Club
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