The Blow-Up @ Oystercatchers Teignmouth & The Barrelhouse Totnes

The Blow-Up is coming to Oystercatchers Cafe in Northumberland Place, Teignmouth on Wednesday 9th June and The Barrel House, High St., Totnes on Thursday 10th June; doors open at 8pm. Come join the eve of World Cup parties, and celebrate the band’s long awaited CD, Invisible World, featuring the work of Totnes pianist Tom Unwin. These gigs are part of a series in the South West, culminating in an appearance at the Teignmouth Jazz Festival in November. You can check out the album by listening to tasty snippets at www.theblow-up.co.uk

The Blow-Up is a collage, an evocation of the 1960s musical and political explosions, when jazz musicians ranged into wider grooves to propel the music forward. Infused with the styles of heroes such as Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell, The Blow-Up also draws on cinema, soundtracks and photography to create its big picture.

Tom’s long-time collaborator, saxophonist Stig Olson (Death in Vegas, Radio Science Orchestra and ONL with Steve Lodder), joins the band from London, as does beautiful vocalist Noelle Rollings, who many people will remember singing with the Totnes Jazz Collective Big Band and funk band, Solar. Noelle features on Tom’s reworking of Stella By Starlight and his setting of Roger McGough’s Summer With Monika.

Says Tom: “I’m delighted that Noelle and Stig are able to be with us for these gigs. They are fantastically talented musicians and they know my way of working inside out, they know where I want the music to go.”

Anchoring the band on drums is Ben Waring and on double bass Marcus Vergette, another close accomplice of Tom’s. Marcus is also a sculptor and a film-maker whose restless creativity keeps the rhythm section grooving and his bass dancing. Marcus has played at The Barrel House many times in his role with the Neil Maya Quartet, as has Tom.

£4 at Oystercatchers and £3 + concessions at The Barrel House

For more information visit http://www.theblow-up.co.uk/