Festival of improvised music with a keen focus on traditional instruments, cross-cultural dialogue and creative collaboration.
Upaj (oo-paj: in hindi it means to improvise) is a festival run by Sarathy Korwar and IKLECTIK that aims to showcase experimental music and create an inclusive space for artists from different backgrounds to come together and feel comfortable playing music spontaneously.
The festival hopes to connect like-minded artists and serve as a platform to further collaborations and music-making.
23 SEPT 8pm to 10.30pm
UPAJ COLLECTIVE PERFORMS ‘IN C’ BY TERRY RILEY – BUY TICKETS
An assortment of musicians playing instruments from around the world get together to pay tribute to the legendary Terry Riley and his remarkable piece of music.
Followed by short improv sets by the collective in varous combinations.
24 SEPT
INDIAN RHYTHMS WORKSHOP W BERNHARD SCHIMPELSIBERGER – 4pm to 6pm – BUY TICKETS
British – Austrian musician Bernhard Schimpelsberger
plays the percussion, composes genre defying music and travels the world collecting new sounds for his Rhythm Diaries.
Bernhard grew up in Austria deeply rooted in Jazz and Western classical music, but it was his dedicated years of studies in India that shaped his unique approach to rhythm and music.
Under tutelage of Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, one of the legendary Tabla masters of our time Bernhard emerged himself in the Indian rhythmic system and incorporated its poetry and intricacy into his western music making.
He has all toured around the globe performing with his group Circle of Sound, Anoushka Shankar, Nitin Sawhney, Akram Khan, Talvin Singh, Susheel Raman and others.
Bernhard also offers a fresh approach to composition. Many of his compositions are based on his unique collection of percussion instruments.
His musical outlook combines dazzling virtuosic technique with musical risk taking and exquisite eclectic taste.
In the workshop, Bernhard will be exploring ways to transpose Indian rhtyhmic concepts and vocabulary on to non-indian instruments and how to employ such techniques in a contemporary music context.
BINKER & MOSES – 8pm to 10.30pm BUY TICKETS
2015 MOBO Award: Best Jazz Act
2016 Jazz FM Award: UK Jazz Act of the Year
2016 Jazz FM Award: Breakthrough Act of the Year
2016 Parliamentary Jazz Award: Jazz Newcomer of the Year
Binker and Moses are tenor saxophonist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd – two of the most exciting young jazz musicians on the thriving London jazz scene. Originally meeting through double bassist/educator Gary Crosby’s Tomorrow’s Warriors jazz development programme, they have played together in various large and small format groups including recording and touring extensively as members of Zara McFarlane’s band.
HAT JAM
The way the jam works is anyone who wants to play puts their name down on a piece of paper that in turn goes into a hat (if someone remembers to bring one). Anywhere between 2-4 names are randomly picked from the hat and those people get to play together for between 5-10 mins. Once everyone has played the jam opens up completely to anyone that wants to share the stage.
