Another busy week here at the cavern, Art Themen came down on our packed out monthly Jazz Night, Folk Legend Julie Felix made her return to the Cavern on Friday and we have some exiting news for you. Lets talk Music.

The week of the 23rd in July we have our very first summer school starting. It’s a week long intensive music course with a live performance at the end, you can learn from the very best in the industry. Band Workshops exists to create contemporary music courses that are informative, inspirational and fun. These educational experiences are for guitarists, drummers, bass players, and singers who are passionate about music making and live performance. To find out more about this exciting school go to www.bandworkshops.com

Monthly Jazz Night With Art Themen

The sell-out audience at our monthly jazz night this week welcomed three of Britain’s most in-demand jazz musicians to the Cavern, as saxophonist Art Themen, without doubt one of the the most respected jazz musicians in Britain, was joined by the astonishly brilliant pianist Malcolm Edmonstone and virtuosic percussionist Paul Clarvis. It was an evening of great enjoyment, both on stage and off, and the rapport between the musicians was tangible and infectious. The interplay between them was inventive, playful and beautifully melodic, as we set out on a journey that started at a run with Monk’s Hackensack, and took us via Art’s gorgeous rendition of the Charles Lloyd tune Forest Flower, Jobim’s Once I Loved featuring the extraordinary Paul on tambourine, through the driving latin groove of Victor Feldman’s Azule Serape, and a beautiful solo from Malcolm at the end of the Bill Evan’s tune Waltz for Debby, to a encore that culminated in a brilliant rendition of the Sonny Rollins tune Doxy. All three of these great musicians were on fine form, and judging by the comments of the sell-out audience at the end this was an evening that won’t be quickly forgotten! The next evening is on June 13th with award winning guitarist Jim Mullen. Advance booking is highly recommended – tickets are available here: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/164971 (written by resident bassist Marianne Windham)

Julie Felix 

On Friday we had the return of folk legend Julie Felix. As well as playing some of her classic hits that we all remember her for, she also spoke a lot about her life experiences, the people she’s worked with and places she’s been. It was truly a memorable evening, the thing I find amazing is that at the age of 74 she’s still out there touring and as sharp as ever. We look forward to her return next year.

Album Of The Week

This weeks winner is Janek Gwizdala’s ‘It Only Happens Once’. After his mind blowing performance at the Cavern in January, I went away and listened to this album with very high expectations, I wasn’t disappointed. With stunning drum performances and chord progressions that leave you hanging on the edge or your seat its an album that everyone must listen to. The dynamics of each track takes you on a roller-coaster ride going from quiet sections to full blown crescendo parts, it takes me back to the good old days when prog music was at its hype.

Janek has released this album on a ‘Name Your Price’ format, so you can have the album for free or you can pay a what you want to show your support. Their’s no excuse for you to not listen to it now so click HERE to get your free download.

Well I guess that’s it for this week, look forward to seeing you at one of our shows and remember, keep music live

The Cavern Team xx