EFG London Jazz Festival and Bridge The Gap are proud to present an evening of modern jazz at Fox and Firkin in Lewisham.

Bridge The Gap Management, London-based Artist Management and Label Services, has been championing jazz-rooted independent artists for over 7 years, working with the likes of Rosie Frater-Taylor, Raquel Martins, Myele Manzanza, Richard Spaven, Jackson Mathod and many more.

Tonight, they present a trio of young exciting acts ranging from progressive jazz to broken beat, through to desert blues DIY jazz!

MABGATE

A part of Leeds’ vibrant jazz scene, MABGATE  is a celebration of creative freedom with a cinematic approach to songwriting, contrasting euphoric melodies against tense harmony, angular riffs and expertly crafted, crunching grooves. The trio consists of drummer Richard Moulton, organist/pianist Nico Widdowson and guitarist/producer Ed Allen. With nods to BADBADNOTGOOD‘s progressive jazz, Khruangbin and Vieux Farka Toure‘s desert blues, and Surprise Chef‘s DIY jazz-funk, the trio have supported Binker & Moses, Vels Trio and Steam Down.

Following the success of lead single ‘I Asked’, which found support from BBC Radio 6, BBC Introducing, Jazz FM and more, ‘Tell It How I See It‘ further expanded the group’s dynamic sound, being co-signed by Jamz Supernova & Jamie Cullum in the process. Breakout Yorkshire soul star August Charles joined the trio for an emotive vocal performance that played off the mixture of angular riffs and latin-inspired harmony, exploring complex emotions around what he branded a “situationship“.

CREATURE.

Creature. (AKA Jim Cornelissen) is a drummer, composer and producer perhaps best known for his work as a session player for emerging artists Yaya Bey and Cosmo Pyke. Citing UK jazz artists Yussef Dayes and Kamaal Williams as influences, as well as footwork producer Machine Drum and Flying Lotus, his music places him within the scene of club-ready jazz fusion pioneered by the broken beat movement.

His latest EP ‘Where This Body Goes, My Mind Flows’, brings together the rich culture of Dutch electronic music with the London jazz sound and traces of East Coast boom-bap, resulting in an expansive project made for the jazz dancefloor.

RAFFY BUSHMAN

Celebrated multi-instrumentalist, composer & arranger Raffy Bushman has been is a thriving force in the London new jazz scene.

Having honed his craft alongside like-minded musicians over the years as musical director of Unit 31, and founder of The NuShape Orchestra, Raffy’s music tells the honest and personal story of his lifelong musical journey through Hip Hop, Jazz, Classical, and Gospel, all major voices contributing to his own individual sound. His music has been supported by Gilles Peterson, Jamz Supernova & Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC R6, Jamie Cullum on BBC Radio 2, several DJs on Worldwide FM and Jazz FM, as well as having strong editorial support across DSPs

His latest project, ‘Silver Lines’ sees Raffy return to his jazz roots, putting together an all star cast of collaborators to provide a refreshing twist on the post-bop sound. Moving beyond the scope of the piano trio explored on previous projects, Raffy adds a horn section of Jonny Woodham (Alfa Mist, JSPHYNX) & Theo Erskine (The Banger Factory), who provide an expressive blend of their own signature voices whilst paying stylistic homage to the music. Cuts like ‘Silver Lines’ & ‘Unit 31’ incorporate hip-hop back beats and two-step grooves inspired by the sounds the London jazz scene, whilst ‘I Know, You Know’ harkens back to ballad arrangements of the late 1950s by the likes of Benny Golson.