LAURA JURD & DINOSAUR
Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff
Fri 8 Mar
Admission and respect for women musicians in classical and jazz have been hard fought and a long time coming. In the past, orchestras were often entirely male; women were usually cast as jazz singers. Dynamic trumpeter Laura Jurd is the curator for what promises to be a very forward-looking jam entitled Stepping Back, Jumping In, with a whole lotta improvising going down featuring her Mercury-nominated group Dinosaur. The ladies are stepping up because The Mavron Quartet will be in the spotlight, along with Norwegian jazz musicians Heida Mobeck, keyboardist Anja Lauvdal and other world-renowned artists.
Child prodigy Jurd was improvising on the piano even before beginning lessons at age five. Studying jazz alongside classical music, it was just by chance that she was given the trumpet at primary school. The composer burst onto the professional scene in 2010, and it’s been nothing but straight to the top, garnering an armful of awards along the way. She’s received great acclaim for her two solo albums, Landing Ground (with the Ligeti Quartet) and Human Spirit, her releases with Dinosaur – Together, As One} and now Wonder Trail – and others. The 28-year-old cool cat isn’t just a bebopper, blending electronica, pop, folk, world and classical, including ballads and waltzes – so expect a whole shebang of influences on the night.
words Rhonda Lee Reali
Tickets: £7.50-£15. Info: 029 2039 1391 / www.rwcmd.ac.uk