MIX-UP 06.12.12: BLUE ROSE CODE - TANK & TRUMPET - ADAM FAIRHALL & PAUL J ROGERS

BLUE ROSE CODE


Blue Rose Code is London-based/Edinburgh born singer and songwriter Ross Wilson whose highly acclaimed folk/roots 'Caledonian Soul' recently captured the attention of legendary double bass player Danny Thompson (John Martyn, Talk Talk, Kate Bush) who also guests on the forthcoming debut album North Ten, released via Reveal Records in February 2013. 

'Ross is a suberb singer, songwriter and guitarist, beautiful songs a genuine pleasure to be involved' - Danny Thompson

'Imagine John Martyn meeting a young Van Morrison and being shipwrecked with a bundle of Chet Baker records' - Time Out


TANK & TRUMPET

Using recycled, tuned gas tanks, a trumpet and a dash of electronics, Tank and Trumpet create evocative miniatures designed to transport and transcend. Their music is dreamlike, full of mystery and wonder and unlike anything you will have heard before. They perform as a duo and often work, write and perform with other instrumentalists and singers. Their recent collaboration "On Yonders Hill" with folk singer Sam Lee featured on his Mercury nominated album, Ground of it's Own.

Tank and Trumpet are:

Saul Eisenberg - Gas Tanks and percussion

Steve Chadwick - Trumpet and percussion


ADAM FAIRHALL & PAUL J ROGERS

Adam Fairhall plays piano, and Paul J Rogers plays diddley bow, laptop, turntable, frying pan, broken zither and other objects. Their music mixes samples from old blues records and electronic processing with Adam’s distinctive playing, which draws upon now-extinct forms of early jazz piano, free jazz, and many styles in-between. The duo plays original compositions that are highly atmospheric and sure to linger in the mind. Their debut album, Second-Handed Blues, was released on ASC Records in 2011.

Paul J Rogers’ exquisitely placed samples from crackly blues records are stunningly evocative - Jazzwise

Adam Fairhall is a total star – Independent on Sunday


ABOUT MIX-UP:

Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver.

Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

MIX-UP 02.11.12: MIX-UP AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA - HONEYFEET - PADDY STEER

A big party celebration for a year of MIX-UP! Check out the line up:

MIX-UP AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA

First we created a big band...this time it's a big afrobeat band! Those of you who saw the debut performance of the MIX-UP Big Band led by Paulo Dias Duarte back in March will know that we don't like to do things by halves. This time The Magic Hat Ensemble will be taking to the stage joined by many musical friends to recreate some of their favourite afrobeat tunes. Expect a large, groovy afrofunk session with ma

ny horns and the one and only inimitable MC Kwasi thrown in for good measure!

HONEYFEET

Quite simply one of the best, most entertaining live bands in Manchester. Honeyfeet first played at the second ever MIX-UP in a trio format and have been firm favourites ever since. The band comes in many different numbers depending on where and when you catch them but this time they're bringing the bigger line up for you lucky people.
A band formed from whiskey drenched writing sessions and smokey, late night jams.
Honeyfeet’s distinctive sound is held together by the inimitable singer and flautist Ríoghnach Connolly and guitarist Ellis Davies. From jazz clubs to underground cellar bars, nowhere is left unmoved when Honeyfeet unite their spiky jazz sensibilities and rhythm & blues energy. Audiences dance themselves into a frenzy to grooves which owe as much to hip-hop as they do to Ethiopian jazz.

PADDY STEER

Paddy is a Zelig-like character along the timeline of Manchester's musical activity. It's a testament to his musicality that he has played with such a wide range of music and artists over the years, be it as a bass player, drummer, Hawaiian guitarist etc. or all these roles at the same time. Paddy’s attic studio is like the magic workshop – not only does he make music in there, but he also makes instruments, mends junk, films animations and constructs robots. Never one to blow his own trumpet, Paddy quietly gets on with developing his craft. There is something of the fairy-tale cobbler working late into the night in order to make the finest shoes in the kingdom, or maybe the musical elves strike up while he's in bed. It’s a sometime cartoon-like music dense with events, new textures and the colours of children’s paintings, sounds like a Swiss cuckoo clock made of egg boxes and horsehair, glued together by an African Moog player in a Vietnamese iron monger's shop.

WHERE?

Held at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122)

CONTACT

http://www.mixupmcr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

https://twitter.com/mixupmcr

MIX-UP 04.10.12: ORCHESTRE DC DANSETTE - BO WEAVIL - NO GOOD BEATNIKS

ORCHESTRE DC DANSETTE

Inspired chiefly by the music of the African continent, from the drive of Congolese soukous and Kenyan benga to the mellower styles of Malian kora or Ethiopian music. Guitar driven but with a jazz-anchored horn section and lyrics taken from the likes of presidential speeches, newspaper reviews and philosophical treatises, this is joyously inauthentic and idiosyncratic dance music!

BO WEAVIL

We know that you know that behind every blockbusting boyband, glamorous gaggle of giggling girls, plaintive cry of unrequited love and strident scream of wild psychedelia lies appalachian old time music. From boyzone to the beatles, bo diddley and bo carter, the line is long....... we, the Bo Weavil, bring you old time country blues the way we want to play it..... we hope you like it.

NO GOOD BEATNIKS
No Good Beatniks are a collective of like minded musicians who operate as a jam band with the focus on dirty grooves and distorted jazz. They improvise broken beats with a dancefloor vibe on analogue equipment and classic instruments. Funky original music and warped covers.

The three core members operate as a trio but often collaborate with special guests. For October's MIX-UP the band will be joined by Steve Chadwick on trumpet.

Henry Botham (RSL) Rhodes, Clavinet, Organ, Melodica, Piano, Harmonium
Steve Chadwick (RSL) - Trumpet
Nick Blacka (Aim) - Bass
Rob Turner (Gogo Penguin) - Drums

ABOUT MIX-UP:

Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver.

Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

MIX-UP 06.09.12: ROLLER TRIO - KIRSTY MCGEE - TIMBEROS DE LA TIMBALA

ROLLER TRIO

Roller Trio are James Mainwaring tenor sax and electronics, Luke Wynter guitar and Luke Reddin-Williams on drums. Still in their early ‘20s they met whilst studying at Leeds College of Music. Luke W and Luke RW began jamming together before James (LRW’s ex-flat mate) joined in. They started playing and jamming together as a trio and it was immediately apparent that they had a special chemistry. Their music is a fresh, visceral stew of conventional and experimental sounds that features stonking

riffs, thrashy noise, evocative songs and electronic soundscapes. `their invigorating mix of rock riffs, angular drums, electronic loops and James powerful tone and use of circular breathing and multiphonics mark them out as a powerful new band in their own right – one with their own unique voice.

"Dark, menacing, bass heavy - the new sound of UK jazzzzzzz! - Gilles Peterson

"With musicianship, dynamics, bravado and focus well beyond their years, The Roller Trio's debut album has taken this listeners breath away. Catch their powerful live performance for further proof of a band destined for greatness" - Mike Chadwick Jazz FM

“Every now and then you see a band and think, wow this lot have really got it. For such a young band they are ridiculously accomplished - there's hundreds of hours of playing together behind their super-tight sound and quiet confidence. Roller Trio have a nasty bite but their catchy bark will get you in the end”. - Jez Nelson BBC Radio 3

KIRSTY MCGEE

Twice nominated for BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Kirsty McGee has been recording and touring to critical acclaim since her debut in 2002. Her style continues to defy categorisation and charm audiences around Europe, earning her the tag of 'cult' singer-songwriter in the UK.

Combining styles as diverse as folk, jazz, chanson and Americana, her work is held together by her distinctive lyrical style and astonishing voice, equally comfortable in dark, intimate ballads and up-tempo carny-shuffle numbers. Her shows explore a cross-section of these energies through an extensive range of subject matters and instruments. Reviews for her most recent album 'No.5' (recorded live in one take with her full band The Hobopop Collective) have been unanimous in their praise for her skilled handling of words and impeccable taste in arrangements.

Kirsty McGee is of course at the very core of The Hobopop Collective, whose full-bore sound is further complimented where necessary with contributions from a select chain-gang of revered and secretive illuminati. In this project McGee has worked with world class players from many corners of the music scene, including musicians whose CVs bristle with the likes of Guillemots, Karine Polwart, and The Brute Chorus

With a history of politics, homelessness and wanderlust, Kirsty McGee suffuses her work with a musical vagrancy that enriches her songs and styles, from "hipkat trilby swing" (acoustic magazine) to "exquisite and skeletal" (Q Magazine).

'Bewitching' **** - Q
'One of the greatest groups in the current music scene' **** - Maverick
'A fascinating talent' - Clash
'Rich, versatile and immaculately controlled' - Americana-UK
'Breathtaking' - Acoustic Magazine

TIMBEROS DE LA TIMBALA

Timberos de la Timbala play Cuban rumba. Forget about ballroom dancing, Zairian guitar music, and rhum babas; this is the untamed music of Cuba's most lively barrios, a dynamic improvised music for celebrations and dancing, featuring only percussion and vocals. Once described as the pinnacle of improvisation by the jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, rumba grew from the poorest areas of Cuba’s western cities more than 100 years ago and is still very much a vital force in contemporary Cuban music today.

Timberos de la Timbala has grown, over the last three years, from the La Timbala Rumba Study Group and now involves up to fifteen players, including some of the musicians involved in La Timbala’s other projects. The idea behind the group is to present traditional and contemporary styles of rumba, to create our own new compositions and identifying styles, and to develop links with musicians in Cuba.

The group is led and directed by Manchester-based percussionist Christian Weaver.

ABOUT MIX-UP:

Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver.

Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

MIX-UP 02.08.12: CAULBEARERS - ALABASTER DE PLUME - DENIS JONES & PICKPOCKET NETWORK

• CAULBEARERS Archaic funk fables and soul migrations. Bitter sweet songs of the self, soul and society played by an eight-piece, heavy-groove Manchester band. Originally formed by friends and members of Hulme-based music collective, Single Cell, to bring the songs and ideas of producer/singer Damien Mahoney to the live stage. Soon joined by Julie Gordon on vocals (RSL, Rae and Christian, Happy Mondays), the band developed a reputation for high-octane, incendiary live performances. The current line up includes members of acts such as Cherry Ghost, The Earlies and Beats and Pieces Big Band. Long overdue, and with a wealth of material to work on, Caulbearers are due to start recording their first album this month, with debut EP 'More Lie Deep released in 2011, and earlier contributions to the Single Cell compilation album 'Six Rivers'. "If Grace Jones and Massive Attack were one being, it would sound like Caulbearers. Stay tuned or be left behind. A great gig followed by a better EP.” Quenched Music “Great music, delivered with real power and style” George Monbiot, The Guardian “Caulbearers are arguably Manchester’s best kept secret and deserve far more recognition than they currently enjoy. Melding folk, soul, jazz and a host of world music influences into a hypnotic and captivating soundscape; careening between haunting melancholy and upliftingly funky from song to song, we could talk about them all day but the only word that truly applies is mind-blowing” JAM magazine 2011, issue 2. “A beguiling, bittersweet soul-funk maelstrom that sweeps through Sly And The Family Stone, The Specials and Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions; a band spinning musical plates with remarkable, dextrous ease: cross-stitching genres, assimilating myriad influences, improvising segments at will” David Sue, Manchester Evening News ALABASTER DE PLUME “You know when you’re ugly You don’t always know you’re stupid” Alabaster dePlume delights in his own confusion. He embraces it. It makes him look a bit pretentious, sometimes, but in the end, it is deeply sincere. He seems to feel he ought to share certain things, just in case everyone else was just too afraid to mention it first. He’s been described as “Harrowingly funny.” He works with Debt Records in his hometown Manchester, has toured Germany and France, and performs around the UK in festivals, bars and concert halls, such as Band on the Wall in Manchester. Alabaster will be accompanied by John Ellis, Ellis Davies and Paddy Steer. "I had to keep laughing or I think my heart would've exploded" - one audience member on Alabaster's full ensemble show. DENIS JONES AND THE PICKPOCKET NETWORK Denis Jones is a self-taught guitarist and songwriter from Lancashire, UK. Having begun his musical life as a singer-songwriter in the classic UK mould of the likes of John Martyn, he has over the last three years developed a show-stopping live performance based around the core of his exceptional and unique guitar-playing style and rich, soulful voice. Utilising a loop station and all manner of samplers and effects, Denis creates vast, complex orchestrations of beat-box rhythms, multi-layered vocals and other-wordly sounds which veer from subtle heart-wrenching folk and blues to heavy bass-driven electronica. Denis has collaborated with many high profile artists from all over Europe. He has worked with John Ellis and Luke Flowers (Cinematic Orchestra), Jon Thorne (Lamb), Matt Halsall (Gondwana Records) and Henry Da Massa (Micah P Hinson), all of whom appear on Denis’s recordings. He has played as far afield as Lithuania, Georgia and Croatia, as well as festival shows in the UK including Secret Garden Party, Glastonbury, End of The Road, Great Escape, Big Chill and Futuresonic. He has supported Amp Fiddler at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Efterklang at Bush Hall, Chris Corsano, Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid and many more. His performance at Futuresonic in May 2008 resulted in an invitation for Denis to be the inaugural member of the new Futuresonic artist development program, FuturesFamily, which culminated in a specially curated performance at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester for 2009’s Futuresonic festival alongside Murcof and Johann Johannsson. Denis’s debut album, Humdrum Virtue, was released in 2007 in a unique limited edition industrial packaging, designed by Denis himself, selling out rapidly and leading to the re-issue of the album in a slightly more conventional, but still striking packaging. Tracks from the album have been included on compilations in Europe and Canada. Denis's second album, "Red + Yellow=" is out now, along with a limited edition 10" vinyl EP including remixes by Graham Massey (808 State) and Paddy Steer (Homelife). Joining Denis for MIX-UP is The Pickpocket Network with who he has been regularly collaborating, writing new material and joining him for many of his more recent live performances. “Scuzzy Mancunian blues at it’s richest and, most intriguing.” The Guardian “Logical, eardrum-massaging, heart-stirring sonic harmony” Drowned In Sound “There’s something about his willingness to experiment, his bravery and risk-taking that makes him stand slightly aside from the now dissolving world of folktronica” Boomkat ABOUT MIX-UP: Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms. Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver. Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights. You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/ Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177 It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night.

MIX-UP 05.07.12: NOON - WOLFSCARERS - HEY CARRIANNE

NOON Eating out hearts since 1928 and back by popular demand, Noon are a super-cocktail of space-boogie blues-soul. They will pound their awesomeness into your conscious and unconscious minds. They have shared stages with the likes of David 'Honeyboy' Edwards and Dr. John Wether. With the jungle-disco drums of David Schelctreimen, the nu battle-jazz guitar of Ellis Davies or the cyber-soul harmonica and vocals of Rik Warren, there is something about this band that gets feet moving and minds exploding. HEY  CARRIANNE (Solo Set) Fresh from a tidy slot supporting James Vincent McMorrow at this year’s Liverpool Sound City festival, Hey Carrianne is definitely one to keep your eyes on this year. Carrianne Hayden, singer / songwriter of Hey Carrianne plays a solo set for us at Mix-Up. Weaving frank storytelling and beautiful melodic ramblings with memorable guitar motifs, she creates a brand of pop that's sugared with Folk, Indie and Blues. With too many influences to list, try to imagine the love child Tracy Chapman and James Mercer would have after a long hot summer with both members of the Black Keys and a tonguing from Beth Gibbons…then you're just round the corner. WOLFSCARERS Wolfscarers is the saxophone duet of Keith Jafrate (tenor,alto) & Simon Prince (tenor & flutes). Playing in & around the improvised & experimental music clubs of Manchester,Sheffield & Liverpool since 2010,WOLFSCARERS make spontaneous extended soundscapes with,sometimes,a little jazz,a little new music,some beautiful sound poems & some shouting.They recorded the CDR 'THROAT' for THE NOISE UPSTAIRS in 2011 ABOUT MIX-UP: Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms. Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver. Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights. You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/ Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177 It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

MIX-UP 07.06.12: STUART MCCALLUM - NAKED ISLAND - SHATNER'S BASSOON

Stuart McCallum

From jazz beginnings to DJ culture, Stuart McCallum’s music is a distillation of influences, creating a sound that is concentrated and distinctive. Stuart’s music embraces simple, memorable melodies, bass lines and drum beats, with electronica and improvisation enriched by elegant orchestral writing.

Stuart has a wealth of experience in many different musical environments but perhaps is best known for his work with The Cinematic Orchestra. Since joining the band in 2004, Stuart has contributed to the writing of the band’s critically acclaimed albums, ‘Ma Fleur’ and ‘Live At The Royal Albert Hall’. In addition he has contributed to the award winning Disney nature documentary soundtrack, ‘The Crimson Wing’, and the remix of Radiohead’s ‘Exit Music For A Film’ for Radiohead’s remix compilation album, ‘Exit Music: Songs For Radio Heads’. He has performed at the Royal Albert Hall with the Heritage Orchestra and The London Metropolitan Orchestra, headlined The Big Chill in the UK, and played at Montreal Jazz Festival and Coachella festival in Palm Springs amongst others.

‘Distilled’, Stuart’s third solo album is the culmination of Stuart’s guitar playing, production and composition. The sonic palette of instruments and electronics used is a development from his 2 previous solo albums ‘Echo Architect’ and ‘Stuart McCallum’. Stuart’s guitar playing is the main feature of the music - the vocalist in the instrumental lineup. His interest in exploring different sounds from both electric and acoustic guitars is apparent in the music, from the innovative use of delays and filters, to hitting the guitars with hands and drumsticks! The guitar plays alongside electronic and acoustic drums, double bass, keyboards, synths, percussion, harp, celeste, strings, woodwinds and horns.


Naked Island


Kirk McElhinney (Vocal/Guitar/Songwriting)
Pete Turner (Double Bass)
Sam Draper (Drums).

Naked Island are a recently formed Manchester based folk/blues trio who focus on authenticity and energy within their live performances.

They have already discovered their unique sound with Kirk's raw vocal delivery and intricate finger picking stlyle on guitar, backed up with a tight rhythm section of Pete and Sam who's jazz influence is subtly melded in to the Naked Island pot. With tunes ranging from fast bluegrass and folk ballads to more experimental 7/4 instrumentals, Naked Island are vastly becoming an exciting new live outfit. The guys have already performed at the Deaf Institute in Manchester and the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge and have a couple of festivals lined up for the summer. One of which being the ever growing 'Solfest' in Cumbria.

They are currently recording their debut album "Circle" with Manchester's legendary pianist/composer/arranger John Ellis at Limehouse studio.


Shatner’s Bassoon

Shatner’s Bassoon, a band of six Leeds based improvisers influenced by William Shatner’s monologues and the perils of jazz induced trances, describe their disjointed sound as Improvised Rock-Puke. They’re playing with musical clichés and conventions to produce music which negotiates a path from the sinister to the humorous and surreal.

Johnny Richards – Keyboards,
Michael Bardon – Bass/Electronics
Craig Scott – Guitar/Electronics
Ollie Dover – Tenor Sax
Joost Hendricks – Drums
Andy Lisle - Drums

ABOUT MIX-UP:

Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver.

Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

MIX-UP 05.04.12: DUM DÁ - VOODOO BOULEVARD - CHRIS ILLINGWORTH & GUESTS

DUM DÁ

Dum Dá were formed after they met at the second ever MIX-UP. The group consists of vocalist Riognach Connolly, guitarist Ellis Davies (Honeyfeet), bassist Nick Blacka (The Magic Hat Ensemble) and drummer Rob Turner (The Magic Hat Ensemble, Gogo Penguin). 

Drawing on various different styles and influences the band merge folk, blues, jazz, hip hop and funk with a heavy dose of improvisation thrown in for good measure.

VOODOO BOULEVARD

A newly formed trio fronted by Grenville Harrop (Cherry Ghost, Caulbearers). Expect a riff driven, modern, American influenced mix of blues and original material. Come and see for yourself.

 CHRIS ILLINGWORTH & GUESTS

Those of you who were lucky enough to be at last November's MIX-UP will have seen Chris performing with Gogo Penguin, a modern jazz trio taking inspiration from Aphex Twin, Esbjorn Svensson and Sigor Ros, amongst others. The trio have recently signed to ace independant Manchester jazz label Gondwana Records.

A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, Chris regularly performs solo classical piano recitals. For April's MIX-UP he will be performing both solo and with some very special guests.

'Component II - The City at Dusk' written by Ben Gaunt.
A solo piano composition written about life in the city. This piece has been inspired by William Baines, a Yorkshire composer born in 1899, who died aged 23. Baines wrote over 150 solo piano works.

'Piano Phase' by Steve Reich, written in 1967.
A piece for two pianos. Reich's phasing works generally have two identical lines of music, which begin by playing synchronously, but slowly become out of phase with one another when one of them slightly speeds up. Reich had previously applied this technique only to sounds recorded on magnetic tape, but experimenting in his studio, he found it was possible for humans to replicate the effect.

'Opposite Keyboards' by Avner Hanani, written in 2005.
Avner is a composer who studied at the RNCM in Manchester. His compositions are often heavily inspired by Steve Reich's music. This particular piece is for two pianos and synth. The two pianos play melodies which are 'opposite rhythmically' to each other (both play only crotchets and quavers always opposite to each other), whilst the synth adds harmony inbetween.

ABOUT MIX-UP:

Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver.

Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our websitehttp://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

MIX-UP 01.03.12: PAOLO DIAS DUARTE WITH THE MIX-UP BIG BAND - ZOE CHIOTIS BAND - DANIEL WEAVER

MARCH 1ST LINE-UP:



PAOLO DIAS DUARTE WITH THE MIX-UP BIG BAND



London based Portugese guitarist/composer Paulo Dias Duarte will be leading the newly formed MIX-UP Big Band especially for our night in March. Paulo is the leader of The Overground Collective, a traditional big band playing original compositions mixing all forms of jazz from its most traditional form to its most sophisticated aspects of free form and free improvisation. The group was formed as a result of a residency made at Trem Azul (home of Clean Feed Records) in Lisbon in August 2010. The project was premiered in London last October and since then has been running simultaneously in London and Lisbon. 



ZOE CHIOTIS BAND



A collection of Zoe’s original songs which merge folk/blues influences from her eastern European roots with hints of farther flung world music traditions... the band explores the haunting, shimmery side of harmony and tonality, knitted into spacious, hypnotic groove, whilst lyrically, the songs express emotions that result from living as a modern human still tied to the umbilical cord of nature.

DANIEL WEAVER



Armed with a guitar, a voice, a limitless imagination, and a yearning to explore, Daniel's solo show is a blend of cabaret, movement, noise and improv. Daniel composes for theatre, circus and dance, choreographs, leads weekly improv workshops and performs from time to time with 'Gommorrahh' a rhythm-noise duet and 'Sodom' an acoustic song project. His approach is modern, uncompromising and absorbing.

"My music is characterised by its investigative nature." Daniel Weaver

ABOUT MIX-UP:

Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms.

Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver.

Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights.

You can keep up to date with who’s playing and when on our website http://www.mixupmcr.com/

Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177

It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!

MIX-UP 02.02.12: DEAD RETRO BAND - RACHAEL & THE RED SOCKS - GYPSIES OF BOHEMIA

• Mix-Up is back for 2012! This month's bands are: Dead Retro Band No Nonsense sounds from the Dirty Dustbowl. Gritty Roots, Anarchic Americana, Soulful Sleaze, Pshycobilly Skank, Bittersweet Blues The Dead Retro Band bring together some of the finest session players in the UK around vocalist Vela Vox to deliver an extraordinary blend or Raucous Roots, Soulful Blues and Anarchic Americana. Collectively these musicians shared the stage and studio with Corrine Bailey Rae, Robert Plant, Lilly Allen, Nico, Chuck Berry, Cinematic Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Richard Hawley and Tom Jones to name just a few. Now they bring their amazing ability to the music they love around the captivating American vocalist Vela Vox. From No-Nonsense Rock N’ Roll through Barn Shaking Blues to the sweetest Ballads the repertoire captures the essence of the Retro Diaspora. Vela Vox - Vocals Martin Cox – Double Bass John Ellis – Keys Billy Buckley – Guitar Eryl Roberts – Drums Rachael Gladwin Rachael Gladwin is a singing, songwriting, contemporary harpist. Rachael's music draws on influences from around the world and tumbles out with edges of folk and jazz. Her songs are lyrical and original, described by Sir Paul McCartney as 'beautiful melodies, lovely folky vibe, great feel.' Her upbeat songs 'are not averse to a spot of strangeness, and her love songs have their own beauty', all accompanied by some nimble fingered harp playing. Rachael will be performing songs off her debut album, Melodies and Time, described by All About Jazz as 'a rewarding debut, high on imagery and emotional connection... an essential buy'. Gypsies of Bohemia Manchester based Gypsies of Bohemia are an acoustic jazz quartet specialising in the jazz manouche style pioneered by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli of the Hot Club de France in 1930-40's. The group was formed in 2005 by Manchester's leading exponent of the manouche guitar style Jamie Wallace and fellow guitarist Matthew Whitaker, singer and songwriter for much loved Manchester based group Whiskeycats. Now augmented to a four piece with the addition of Frank Grime on bass and Graham Clark on violin, the group have set themselves apart from the typical gypsy jazz combos through their unique approach to repertoire. Alongside classic choices from the gypsy jazz genre sit clever re-workings of modern day pop songs. Expect anything from Britney Spears to Radiohead! Their performances can conjure the mellow atmosphere of a parisian cafe or capture the hedonistic mood of a foot-stomping camp fire jam session, all delivered with virtuosity and a real sense of swing. About Mix-Up: Mix-Up is a monthly night hosted by The Magic Hat Ensemble, which as the name suggests features three musical acts across different styles and forms. Held on the first Thursday of the month at The Klondyke Club in Levenshulme (1 Burnage Range, third road on the left from Levenshulme Station off Albert Road, walking towards Burnage – call 0161 224 4122) the night promises to offer three quality bands, all for a measly fiver. Mix-Up is a cracking night of live music featuring the cream of Manchester’s music scene. We will soon be confirming further acts for future nights. You can keep up to date with who’s playing when on our Mix-Up Blog http://www.magichatmixup.blogspot.com/ which will be regularly updated as new information comes in. Please, please show your support for the night by joining our Mix-Up Facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Magic-Hat-Ensemble-presents-Mix-Up/177181375690177 It will be great to see some familiar faces and hopefully some unfamiliar ones on the night!