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5th MarchPriority booking opens for Friends of Buxton International Festival.
2nd April
Public Booking opens
Adrian Cox Jazz Quintet presents ‘Clarinet Fantasy’
With Strings and BBC Strictly’s Tommy Blaize.
We have an all-star cast for you to close the first Jazz Weekend lead by one of the world’s leading New Orleans clarinettists. Adrian Cox with his jazz quintet playing alongside a string quartet lead by Gabriella Swallow and our guest singer from BBC Strictly Come Dancing is Tommy Blaize.
‘Utterly beautiful, what a musician Adrian Cox is’ Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2)
Adrian’s sound is steeped in the music of New Orleans, warm, rich and bluesy, with the passion that embodies the essence of the city. We’ll weave from New Orleans Rags to Blues, with the feel of Jelly Roll Morton and the elegance of Ellington, an evening of live music that draws you in and takes you on a journey full of personality.
‘Clarinet Fantasy’ is the brand-new project & album from internationally acclaimed jazz clarinettist Adrian Cox featuring his Quintet with the addition of a String Quartet. “Clarinet Fantasy” was inspired by hearing the music of famed Ellington & Armstrong clarinettist Barney Bigard and the Fantasy for Clarinet album that he recorded in the 40s with Roger Kay Strings. As with many of the jazz clarinet giants, an album with strings was a must. ‘Clarinet Fantasy’ is Adrian’s offering and biggest to date.
In Adrian’s words, ‘To make this album was a dream come true and having the chance to put this concert together to perform live brings me so much joy’
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The show features original music composed by Cox all beautifully arranged by the celebrated Philippe Maniez. Pieces from those Bigard recordings find their way into the concert as well as some unheard arrangements for the legend Pee Wee Ellis by Denny Ilett that he sadly never got to record. The Ellis arrangements were intended to feature vocals and for this Buxton Festival performance, Adrian is joined by the incredible Tommy Blaize (BBC Strictly Come Dancing). Tommy & Adrian have worked on concerts together at the Royal Albert Hall in both 2018 and 2020 with the Guy Barker Orchestra and had always spoken of collaborating for a show in the future. We are extremely excited that Buxton Festival and the Opera House is the setting for such a meeting of two loved figures of the UK music scene. The quality of musicianship on this show is certainly at the highest level with Strings provided by the hugely respected Gabriella Swallow (cello), Ciaran McCabe (violin) Eoin Shmidt-Martin (viola) & Michael Jones (violin), three of them featured on the album.
As a performer, Adrian is a leading exponent of the New Orleans clarinet and has an unrivalled feel for the music he plays and his connection with an audience leaves a lasting impression. Performances continue to see him touring worldwide with some of the biggest names in jazz. In 2018, he was the clarinet choice alongside Giacomo Smith with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for the Benny Goodman celebrations both in London & New York. Over the past 18 months, Adrian has performed in over 28 countries.
Adrian Cox - Clarinet/Vocal
Denny Ilett - Guitar
Will Barry - Piano
Will Sach - Double Bass
Shaney Forbes- Drums
Strings
Michael Jones - Violin
Ciaran McCabe - Violin
Eoin Schmidt-Martin - Viola
Gabriella Swallow - Cello
Tommy Blaize - Vocals
‘Adrian touches the other world that all other musicians aspire to’ Cerys Matthews (BBC 6 Music)
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Buxton Opera House, 3 Water Street, Buxton, SK17 6XN, United Kingdom,Buxton
Tickets
