BMJC 2011-12 Season! Opening Gig!!

Friday 23 September 2011: THE TOWNSHIP COMETS

Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts
21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1UG

GIG STARTS AT 8PM
Tickets £12 (discounts available):
- in person via the Box Office in advance or on the night (subject to availability)
- by phone 0844 406 8444
- via Lighthouse website by following the link below

Buy tickets for The Township Comets by clicking on this link

Pinise Saul - vocals
Jason Yarde - alto sax
Chris Batchelor - trumpet
Adam Glasser - piano
Dudley Phillips - bass
Frank Tontoh – drums

We're back! And what a fantastic all-star sextet to start the new season!

In the summer of 2009, ex-Dudu Pukwana band members pianist/harmonica player Adam Glasser and trumpeter Chris Batchelor formed a new group to celebrate the music of Pukwana, the legendary South African alto sax player who, alongside Chris MacGregor and others, had an immense impact on the British jazz scene in the 1970s. The Comets went down a storm at the 2010 London Jazz Festival and garnered a very rare 5 star review by John Fordham in The Guardian. They were quickly offered a residency at London's Vortex Jazz Club.

Featuring original vocalist Pinise Saul and a front line of great horn players, the Comets cook up a searing and distinctive sound in the spirit of township and European jazz, harder edged and jazzier than Mbawula (who visited BMJC in March). Pianist/harmonica player Adam Glasser (SA Music Awards 'Album of the Year' winner '2010) and trumpeter Chris Batchelor (Loose Tubes/Big Air/Jazz Passengers), are complemented by the amazing, award-winning, SERIOUS sax star Jason Yarde (JLife/ Acoutastic Bombastic), making his Lighthouse debut. The Comets also feature ‘Queen’ of African jazz, vocalist Pinise Saul (Zila/Lucky Ranku), drummer Frank Tontoh, last seen in Poole in May as part of the fantastic Alex Wilson Trio, plus Dudley Phillips, one of the UK's finest jazz bassists.

Expect a sizzling inter-continental mix that will display the brilliant musicianship of all the players.