This Italian special is in association with the Exeter Italian Cultural Association & The Phoenix: great jazz plus an eclectic duo with vintage film from the Exeter Phoenix Archive Project Big Bromo Promotions presents: BEJE/British European Jazz Ensemble: Siblings Not Fools Autumn 2024 tour ENRICO MERLIN x BEJE/BRITISH EUROPEAN JAZZ ENSEMBLE Progressive and thrilling 'soundscape jazz: music without boundaries. Enrico Merlin (Italy): guitar Fabio Ferri (Italy): guitar David Mowat (Switzerland/UK): trumpet, flugelhorn Federico Leonori (Italy): bass Mattia Collu (Italy): drums World-class guitar-jazz at its most dynamic, playful, impressionist, and innovative; evocative and electrifying sonic worlds fizzing with surprises, and turning from delicate cinematic dreamscapes to fierce maelstroms of music. Journey into the great musical unknown; this is exploratory music of rare and intense beauty, infused with wonder. Every performance is unique and unrepeatable. ENRICO MERLIN From Milan, Italy, guitarist-composer Enrico Merlin is a powerhouse improviser of boundless invention, and an acclaimed Miles Davis authority. He plays rich, complex and restlessly curious contemporary jazz, here underpinned by the superb musicianship of global-jazz collective BEJE, the British European Jazz Ensemble. A leading voice in Italy's jazz and improv scene, Enrico's signature guitar sound, astonishing technique, distinctive composing vision, and freely spontaneous playing, are justly acclaimed. A tour-de-force. Mono & Stereo Magazine enricomerlin.org BEJE/BRITISH EUROPEAN JAZZ ENSEMBLE [An] exhilarating evening of playing sensitively lyrical and full of zest. Bristol Music Club BEJE/British European Jazz Ensemble's singular and energetic contemporary jazz performances are always about collaboration, whether with other players or other cultures. A unique world music-tinged jazz ensemble, its line-up of different sensibilities and skills from all over the continent, its widespread influences, and its union of eclectic styles manifests in powerful creations of improvisation and composition alike. It acknowledges no boundaries, is relentless in its exploration of innovative ingredients for sonic fusion, and embraces humanity by mirroring diversity in its music. Musically gifted creative and technically excellent musicians. Black Mountain Jazz (Wales) bejejazz.com Part of the BEJE Siblings Not Fools Autumn 2024 tour, a celebration of the creative energy and unity possible when cultures meet through the medium of music, and a testament to Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1964 declaration: live together as brothers or perish together as fools. This series of collective collaborations with international artists from Korea, Palestine, Italy, and Wales, is presented (and recorded live for an anthology album to be released in the new year) primarily at grassroots and non-traditional venues. A vibrant contemporary jazz argument for international cultural exchange. Venue Magazine For further concerts in the 2024 Siblings Not Fools tour, visit: https://hdfst.uk/big-bromo-promo PER LA VITA trio A Musical Journey: Soundtracking the Phoenix Archive Project Neil Rich, accordion and guitar Valentina Alba, voice and story telling Rodrigo Jiminez, guitar The trio plays sounds from the Mediterranean, inspired by footage of mid-C20 Europe from the Phoenix Archive, which you'll see projected behind them on the big screen as they play. In association with the Italian Cultural Association Exeter and Exeter Phoenix About the Phoenix Archive Project The Phoenix Archive is a newly restored archive of 16mm film footage dating from the 1930s to the 1950s, tracking one family's travels and activities through this turbulent period. From daily life and family outings to major historical events and world travel, the archive represents an exciting historical record. The Phoenix Archive Project has been made possible thanks to support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Radcliffe Trust. See Access, Tickets & Finding Us for more about why there are three ticket prices, plus other useful info about coming to events at Ashburton Arts Centre. Level access from street