About this Event
Glasgow Jazz Club presents Atlantic Road Trip
The first gig in a brand new venture from concert organisers "Jazz At The Merchants House". We're branching out to bring you even more exciting and vibrant jazz gigs at venues around the city.
To kick us off, Atlantic Road Trip make a Glasgow stop off as part of their European Tour.
Join us at Blackfriars of Bell Street (Basement) to hear this international group in an intimate setting in the heart of Glasgow's Merchant City.
ATLANTIC ROAD TRIP
"A sophisticated contemporary jazz aesthetic blending disparate musical elements from Scotland, America, and Slovakia" Jim Gilchrist, The Scotsman
Chad McCullough (Trumpet - USA)
Paul Towndrow (Alto Saxophone, Flute, Whistles - Scotland)
Miro Herak (Vibraphone - Slovakia/Holland)
Alyn Cosker (Drums - Scotland)
Conor Murray (Bass - Ireland)
About Atlantic Road Trip
https://atlanticroadtrip.net/
Atlantic Road Trip is an international project combining prominent musical voices from Europe and America, exploring the evolution and fusion of traditional indigenous folk musics from Scotland, Ireland and Slovakia, and their historical coalescence through the medium of contemporary jazz and improvised music.
"Towndrow emphasises the sparkling clarity of traditional Scottish music through cool jazz, while Herak plunges into Slovak waters. he connecting Slovakia with Scotland, through the universal theme of inequality between the rich and poor"
Jan Hocek, Jazzport.cz
The project also draws upon intertwined musical paths of European folk traditions and their historical interplay with music from Africa, South America, and beyond. Co-led by Chad McCullough (USA), Miro Herak (NED), and Paul Towndrow (SCO), the band's international journey began with a virtual concert at the 2021 Glasgow Jazz Festival, and continued with subsequent European tours in 2022 and 2023 with performances in Edinburgh, Glasgow, The Hague, Rotterdam, Leiden and Antwerp.
"This is an international collaboration capable of transcending geographical and cultural boundaries in the process of creating some terrific musicThe standard of writing and playing is exceptional" The Jazz Mann
Their debut album ONE (released internationally on Calligram Records) explores folk traditions filtered through the lens of 21-Century improvising musicians. Recorded in Glasgow during a 2023 tour, the band toured in support of the release with a three week long tour through the United States.
"With this debut album, Atlantic Road Trip have given notice that they are one of the most interesting and inspirational groups on the world jazz stage" London Jazz News
During the US tour, the band also premiered their first large-scale work Over Mountain, Under Sky, featuring Miro, Paul, and Chad with a full jazz band and string orchestra.
Each musician has their own story to tell, both musically and culturally. Compositions, arrangements and improvisation distil into a story-telling musical narrative that reflects and combines music's evolutionary journey and its ability to shine an honest light on the history of humanity as well as the present day human experience As such, Atlantic Road Trip presents a unique, 'multi-angle' take upon historical world events including Colonialism, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, The Highland Clearances, World Wars, and the rise and fall of the Iron Curtain - all of this reflected in the melding of folk music traditions within, and outside of the jazz idiom.
"A very individual sound with the instrumentation featuring traditional whistles and flutes plus the Irish bodhran drum. Paul Towndrow's Celtic routes are face forward on the beautiful Pale Ale with the Scottish low whistle pairing effortlessly with vibes and trumpet" Russell Perry WTJU FM
"Trans-national teamwork, it should be noted, can often lead to an impressive outcome, which is certainly true of ONE, an exemplary debut album by the masterful quintet Atlantic Road Trip." All About Jazz
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Blackfriars of Bell Street, 36 Bell Street, Glasgow, United Kingdom
GBP 19.12