Big Bromo Promotions,
in association with PalMusic UK
and the Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre Bristol,
presents:

FARIS ISHAQ x BEJE: IN THE SPIRIT OF 'TRANE
A masterful melding of 'spiritual jazz' and Palestinian folk.

A Diaspora! Festival 2024 event.
A solidarity concert for Palestine.

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Faris Ishaq (Palestine): nay, flute
David Mowat (Switzerland/UK): trumpet, flugel horn
Knud Stuwe (Germany): oud
Tim Funnell (UK): piano
Federico Leonori (Italy): double bass
Paolo Adamo (Italy): drums

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Unbeatable 'cosmic jazz' in the spirit of saxophone visionary John Coltrane, here deeply infused with traditional Palestinian melodies and rhythms.

Boldly waving high the freak flag of 'cosmic/spiritual jazz', nay/jazz flute master Faris Ishaq is given punchy, characterful support by global jazz ensemble BEJE on spine-tingling music ranging from meditative atmospherics to primal improvisation: by turns profoundly beautiful, frantically urgent, joyfully strange, and yieldingly delicate.

'Something unconventional.'
Jazzwise Magazine

A global jazz flautist as well as a Middle-Eastern nay reed-flute master, Faris Ishaq has carried the torch for 'cosmic jazz' in his own way since first encountering the music of jazz legend John Coltrane whilst studying at Berklee College Of Music in Boston.

'Cosmic/spiritual jazz' begins, essentially, with John Coltrane. Deeply soulful and mystical music that speaks to something beyond our earthly understanding; that reaches towards the transcendent through fusing the intensity of free jazz with motifs from African and Indian music. In 1965, Coltrane channelled this 'music of the spheres' into the emotionally eloquent album 'A Love Supreme', considered a landmark in the genre.

BEJE's music is always about collaboration, whether with other players or other cultures. A unique world music-tinged jazz ensemble crafted by Bristol trumpeter-producer David Mowat, its line-up of different sensibilities and skills, its widespread influences, and its union of eclectic styles, manifest in powerful creations of improvisation and jazz composition alike.

BEJE:
'A vibrant contemporary jazz argument for international cultural exchange.'
Venue Magazine

This evening's surprising, transcendental set is a joyful celebration in the style of Coltrane, replete with superb group spontaneity and euphoric spiritual force.

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Diaspora! is a new arts festival for Bristol and the South West, presented by the Diverse Artists Network (DAN). Taking place from 3-6 May 2024, this four-day, multi-venue event platforms and celebrates the wide variety of talent reflected in the region's underrepresented cultural communities. [diverseartistsnetwork.com/diaspora]

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Big Bromo Promotions [hdfst.uk/big-bromo-promo] in association with PalMusic UK [palmusic.org.uk], the Palestinian Museum & Cultural Centre Bristol [palmuseumbristol.org] and Cotham Club Bristol [hdfst.uk/cotham-club].

Big Bromo Promotions is a cultural organisation that brings people together through music, producing industry-leading live music events, creative engagement projects, and talent development schemes. PalMusic is the UK ambassador organisation for the Edward Said National Conservatory Of Music in Palestine. It provides musical education of the highest quality to young Palestinians, raises the profile of Palestinian musicians in the international community, and showcases Palestinian music and talent in the UK. The Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre Bristol is the only Palestine museum in Europe (founded 2013). Its permanent exhibition of Palestinian heritage, culture and daily life seeks to educate, inform and communicate the story of Palestine and its people and to give a voice to Palestinians living inside and outside Palestine. Cotham Club Bristol is a brilliant, eclectic, monthly live global music club with a passion for community at its core.

Entry requirements: no age restrictions — Read more — Read less