Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff
Thurs 6-Sun 9 June
As the Royal Welsh College celebrates its 70th year, this year’s AmserJazzTime Festival, an extension of the weekly free foyer concerts of the same name, celebrates current and alumni jazz musicians from the college. The festival kicks off on Thurs 6 with Snowpoet, a duo combining Lauren Kinsella’s hushed expressive singing with the multi-instrumental skills of RWCMD graduate Chris Hyson, as well as other contemporary jazz musicians.
Programmed for the following evening, Hannah Grace’s soul-inflected songwriting, on the other hand, is more chart-friendly, but hints of her education at the college peek through. Sat 8 sees two stalwarts of the college performing: firstly, the RWCMD Big Band, showcasing the music of classic arranger Bob Curnow, and secondly, Welsh jazz pianist and composer Huw Warren, who will join with Brazil’s Jovino Santos Neto for an evening of Brazilian-inspired jazz – while Sun 9 rounds off with graduate Rebecca Nash’s band Atlas, who blend together strands from 70s fusion to electronica, joined by accomplished vocalist Sara Colman.
With free foyer performances throughout the festival from current students and emerging artists, this will be an unmissable set of days with something to cater for most jazz tastes, especially those with a keen ear for future talent.
Tickets: £6-£12 per event. Info: 029 2039 1391 / www.rwcmd.ac.uk
words Isabel Thomas