Jazz Words: Larkin's Jazz and Christine Tobin's Sailing to Byzantium

A two part show hosted by Alyn Shipton exploring the long established relationship between jazz and poetry, and how this is expressed through interpretations of works by two great poets.

Larkin’s Jazz: Devised by trumpeter and Larkin expert Ian Smith, the performance is built around jazz settings of Philip Larkin’s words originally commissioned for BBC Radio 3′s ‘The Verb’. Ian has also selected texts and music covered in Larkin’s resolutely traditionalist and eloquent writings about jazz during his long career as a critic for the Daily Telegraph in the 1960s and 70s, including his passions for Sidney Bechet and Eddie Condon, as well as what he called the “lean, unhesitant, surprising tenor sax” of Lester Young. An excellent band includes Ian Smith on trumpet and Alyn Shipton on bass, Colin Good on piano, plus Dave Gelly on tenor saxophone and clarinet.

Christine Tobin – ‘Sailing To Byzantium’: An evocative collection of twelve poems by W.B. Yeats is set to music by the Irish singer-songwriter and BBC award winning jazz vocalist Christine Tobin. The poems set are chosen from Yeats’ early work through to his final collection, from love poems such as When You Are Old, to works that chart his desire to find a deeper spiritual truth, as in the epic Sailing To Byzantium. Christine’s inspired settingsbring great warmth and luminosity to his work. Christine has recently won the BASCA Contemporary Jazz Composition award for this piece. The stellar line-up is Phil Robson, guitar; Kate Short, cello; Liam Noble, piano; and Dave Whitford double bass.

These two sets will be followed by a short panel discussion about the relationship between jazz and poetry, chaired by Alyn Shipton and including Ian Smith and Christine Tobin, plus special guest the multi-award winning Newcastle based poet, writer and critic Sean O’Brien.

“Christine Tobin really transcends glib genre-fication. Her expressive range acknowledges finely acquired folk, jazz and 20th-century classical influences, which already sets her apart. And everything is shot through with an unmistakable refinement, free-spirited earthiness and giddy romanticism, this singer-songwriter is in a field of one.” MOJO *****

“In this beautiful collection of songs based on the poetry of WB Yeats, vocalist Christine Tobin has created an unqualified masterpiece.” Jazzwise

www.christine-tobin.com

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