Jazz Preview: From versatility of Kinch to Enrico the prodigy

the autumn jazz programme at the National Centre for Early Music in York begins tonight, with alto saxophonist Soweto Kinch the first to luxuriate in the widely admired acoustics of St Margaret’s Church.

Kinch’s boundless versatility is illustrated in his most recent album The New Emancipation which veers from 19th century work songs and early blues through jazz to hip hop with nods to Ellington, Madlib and Delius.

Duos figure prominently in NCEM’s list of autumn delights. Saxophonist Andrew McCormack and pianist Jason Yarde can be heard on October 23, the guitar-piano partnership of John Parricelli and Huw Warren on November 6 and the guitar-violin alliance of John Etheridge and Chris Garrick on November 20.

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Rob Lavers hosts a jazz workshop followed by a performance from his quartet on November 12. The series closes on December 16 with a solo set by Andy Sheppard which will include anecdotes from the saxophonist’s long career.

Enrico Tomasso at Boston Spa tomorrow night sends my memory hurtling back to the distant past. Can it be 43 years since, as a six-year-old prodigy, he was in the welcoming party when Louis Armstrong flew in for his historic engagement at Batley Variety Club?

Can it be 40 years since I walked by chance into Jimmy Ryan’s jazz club in New York to find nine-year-old Enrico, playing trumpet on the same stand as Roy Eldridge?

The answer to both questions is yes, which makes me feel very old – but the good news is that today Enrico, 50, is firmly established in the forefront of British mainstream jazz.

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