Lead by local musician Liam Shortall, the corto.alto project brought together an almighty collective experience at Glasgow’s Barrowlands for Celtic Connections on Sat 18th Jan, in the festival’s first weekend. A packed Barrowland ballroom saw a run of artists representing a variety of genres, leading to Scotland’s most significant contribution to the current wave of new UK jazz, which has grown rapidly in the last few years, and has seen early 2020’s landmarks such as Floating Points’ Promises album with veteran saxophonist Pharoah Saunders, and the rise of the brass-heavy Sons of Kemet.
But it’s as much a showcase of rising talent as it is of the main act: I confess I was unable to see early-start Becky Sikasa – a soul and indie-influenced singer-songwriter, whose online videos exhibit her mature, soulful, emotive work.
The redoubtable Glasgow jazz-DJ Rebecca Vasmant kept the beats coming with sets in between each act: a solution to the logistical inevitability of having a succession of acts, all needing time to assemble and dismantle their differing equipment.
Next was Jsphynx – trumpeter and dance music-producer Johnny Woodham, whose evident virtuosity on that instrument, and what looked to me like a flugelhorn (I detected hints of Kenny Wheeler) has lead him to perform with artists such as Loyle Carner, Tom Misch and Jordan Rakei.
Glasgow singer and guitarist Pippa Blundell leans more to the raw indie side, blended with an operatic singing style (she is Conservatoire-trained) in the style of Anna Calvi or Nadine Shah, with folk and urban influences combining on tracks such as the soothing That’s Fine which, whose on-stage version exuded a stronger intensity than the online recording.
Exuberant and cheerful, if self-admittedly potty-mouthed, Nigerian-born Ayrshire-based rapper Bemz was next to grace the stage, rapping with his signature electronic harmonising to a raw DJ backing, unsweetened by jazz hooks but underpinned by a booming legato synth-bass. He chats amiably to the audience and does much to heighten the evening’s excitement. Like an Ayrshire Stormzy, his religious beliefs inform much of his attitude to his career as it gains speed, passing milestones such as the long-listing of his EP Saint of Lost Causes for a SAY Award.
It’s big night for contemporary jazz, and for Glasgow multi-instrumentalist and producer Liam Shortall, originally from Dumfries, who early in corto.alto‘s set, acknowledges the short space of time from merely getting a few of his friends together in his flat, to achieving this high-point. Shortlisted for the 2024 Mercury Prize, his 7-piece blends jazz with hip-hop and electronica in a fast-moving cascade of cuts, chiefly from 2023’s Bad With Names album, and last year’s 30/108 collection, which saw a track released each day for a month.
From the former, Slope remains the most recognised of tracks, and it appears early in the set, serving as an illustration of the tight, pin-sharp playing that characterises the performance. But it’s far from an ear-assault, with many tracks enjoying a luxurious sense of space, exemplified by the playing of keyboardist Fergus McCreadie – well-known to Scottish jazzers, he is judiciously silent for extended periods, weighing-in when the arc of the piece requires, and fuelling fiery performances already well-alight.
