Get The Blessing; John Martin; The Brackish.

An evening of the very finest South West progressive jazz players and groups featuring Bristol's highly acclaimed post-jazz quartet Get The Blessing touring new album 'Pallett', revered London jazz-scene originating saxophonist John Martin and Bristol experimental four piece The Brackish.

The groups will be playing across two stages, offering an evening of non-stop, exceptional musicianship and boundary-pushing jazz-based music.

Get The Blessing

Formed in 1999 by bassist Jim Barr and drummer Clive Deamer, best known as the rhythm section of seminal act Portishead, award-winning Bristolian jazz-rock disruptors ‘Get The Blessing’ are proud to present their seventh studio album. ‘Pallet’ is set to release on October 20th.

Like most artists around the world, the pandemic forced the ensemble to rethink their creative processes. Born from a series of improvisations between Barr, Pete Judge on trumpet and Jake McMurchie on saxophone, the trio built up a rough portfolio of recordings which they then sent to Deamer, who added his drum parts at home in Oxfordshire. The result is nine minimalist compositions driven by groove, texture, electronics and spontaneity.

Built around the hypnotic loops that have become synonymous with their sound, Pallet is an exploration of the nexus of improvisation and modern production. Grounded by thick, punchy bass lines and playful drum grooves, the record creates deep sonic spaces through the use of dizzying delays, squelching filtered loops and trails.

The album’s title owes much to the obtuse punning jazz musicians have enjoyed since the 50’s; the song titles conjure up an imaginary colour chart with which the listener can fill in the paint-by-numbers image of a wooden pallet on the cover art.

For over two decades Get The Blessing have been growing their truly international fanbase, touring across the world in the UK, USA, Canada, Dubai, Ireland, Italy Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkey and Ukraine.

“mixes scorching rock with Ornette Coleman-like sax and much more besides to thrilling effect” - John Fordham, The Guardian

“excellent…unmissable” - Jazz Journal

John Martin

John Martin is a Saxophonist, Composer and Teacher.

After studying composition with Nikki Iles and Eddie Parker at Middlesex University, John went on to play as a sideman in many bands on both the jazz and world music scenes. He has preformed and guested with: Gareth Lockrane, Roberto Pla, Dele Sosimi, the legendry ska band The Beat and the award-winning singer Liane Carroll. He is a member of the critically acclaimed contemporary jazz folk septet Metamorphic and the Dr Das Dubnoiz Coalition, the side project of Dr Das, the bass player and founding member of the Asian Dub Foundation.

John's début album “Dawning” was reviewed as ‘one of the most fascinating and beautiful releases’ of 2011, receiving positive testimonials from both Kenny Wheeler and Iain Ballamy. He has been a guest on both BBC radio 3’s jazz line up and jazz Fm’s Sunday jam and has been featured in the Jazzwise column “taking off”.

John Martin has also dedicated 5 years to developing a tonal approach to the sonically fascinating sound-world of saxophone multi-phonics and overtones patterns. The project is called ‘The Hidden Notes'and has culminated in the release of Martin’s second album “The Hidden Notes – Spirit of Adventure” which features a quintet made up of some of London’s finest jazz musicians.

“the lyrical sway of Andy Sheppard, the atmospherics of Jan Garbarek, the pensiveness of Kenny Wheeler and the country-chime of early Keith Jarrett” - John Fordham, The Guardian

“An engaging young saxophonist with a soulfulness which seems to have been surgically removed from many young Jazz Studies alumni” - Chris May, all about jazz

“Martin’s is an affecting, attractively fragile approach… which imparts considerable warmth and emotion” - Chris Parker, London jazz

The Brackish

The Brackish are a 4-piece experimental band from Bristol, UK. First formed in 2012, the band have released five albums and are finalising their sixth.

Constantly evolving, the band draws inspiration from a wide range of musical influences, art, films, places and people.

The Brackish sound is characterised by its use of dynamics, long-form composition and improvisation. Face melting heavyness gives way to gentle, spacious soundscapes within a single composition. Kraut-like grooves, polyrhythms, violent melodic statements and psychedelic, freeform improvisation are present in equal measure. Always expressed with a strong emphasis on melody and narrative, aiming to take the listener on journeys of much needed escapism.

"Evolving, roiling, thundering continuums of sound that occasionally emit flashes of dark humour likle lightening bolts in a cloud. Polyrhythmic riffs that sound like dystopian Afrobeat dot and dash their frantic morse over throbbing ostinato bass." - Guitarist Magazine +