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Rush Hour Blues 2010
More InfoFree Jazz Symphony Hall Foyer Bars
After a long week at work come along and unwind in the intimate, relaxing atmosphere of Symphony Hall’s Level 3 Bar and let the sensational sounds of Rush Hour Blues help you find that Friday feeling. It’s all free and you deserve it! _It’s free and it really is the place to be_ Birmingham Post
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Modified Toy Orchestra pr... with special guest Micronormous
More Info Book TicketsWed 8 Sep 8:00pm Town Hall
After international performances to critical and audience acclaim, MTO return to their hometown for this UK premiere of their new album _Plastic Planet_, performed using *only* modified toys. With its subtle ecological concerns, cinematic soundscapes and joyous electronic pop music, this will be a truly a unique and uplifting experience. Modified Toy Orchestra rescue electronic toys from car boot sales and convert them into new, strange and wonderfully sophisticated musical instruments. Taking them apart, they find new connections within each toy and explore the latent potential and surplus value inherent in these liberated circuits. Guided by this hidden world, they seek to make a form of music devoid of personal narrative or autobiography, instead asking bigger questions about our relationship with the next new gadget or our desire for the constant upgrade. Five years in the making, _Plastic Planet_ continues MTO's philosophy of performing live electronic music without the use of laptops, sythesisers or samplers. No conventional instruments of any kind are used at all - a philosophy which began with their debut album, _Toygopop_. On _Plastic Planet_ they develop further concerns: themes of utopian bliss on _Funfair for the Common Man_; the rise of the information age on _Qwerty_, the collapse of empire on _Great Kings Fall_ and the consequences of ecological vandalism on _Earth One_. Regular conductors Brian Duffy ('_a national treasure_’ - mute), Dreams of Tall Buildings Darren Joyce, Pram’s Laurence Hunt and AV artist Chris Plant are joined by new members Graeme Rose and Sean Tighe in this epic UK premiere performance.
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Rush Hour Blues - ArtsFes... Percy Pursglove and Andrew Bain Organ Quartet
More InfoSymphony Hall
Percy Pursglove and Andrew Bain Organ Quartet play a special ArtsFest Rush Hour Blues in Symphony Hall.
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ArtsFest
More InfoWeekend of free events Town Hall & Symphony Hall
A weekend of free events as part of ArtsFest 2010. Please visit "ArtsFest":http://artsfest.org.uk for more information.
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A Taste of Town Hall
More InfoSat 11 Sep 12:00pm Town Hall
Free showcase performances from the Town Hall Associate Artists: *12 noon Ex Cathedra* Town Hall’s associate choir showcases its beautiful and faultless singing. The choir’s international reputation goes from strength to strength, come and hear why. *1.30pm Black Voices* From gospel to spirituals, Caribbean to African, jazz and blues, Birmingham’s Black Voices is firmly rooted in music that energises and uplifts, challenges and educates. *3pm Town Hall Gospel Choir* The hall’s acclaimed gospel choir performs music to thrill and inspire. *4.30pm Organ Demonstration* A demonstration of Town Hall’s awe-inspiring organ by organist Andrew Fletcher. *6.15pm Aston Performing Arts Academy*
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Folk for Free Season
More InfoSat 11 Sep 4:30pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars
Come and join us after work and enjoy some of the best in contemporary folk music from the Midlands. With the exception of this month's launch at ArtsFest, Folk for Free will run monthly on a Thursday from 5.30pm - 7pm.
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Folk For Free - Elfynn
More InfoSat 11 Sep Symphony Hall
The launch of a new free monthly series. Elfynn play a vibrant mix of traditional and contemporary tunes on fiddle and accordion with a back line of driving danceable rhythms, grooving bass and fiery electric guitar.
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A Taste of Town Hall
More InfoTown Hall
Sunday’s taster sessions begin at 1pm with a half hour demonstration of Town Hall’s awe-inspiring organ by Andrew Fletcher. Following this the Hall hosts a variety of local groups who will be performing as part of ArtsFest throughout Sunday afternoon: *1 -1.30pm Organ Demonstration with Andrew Fletcher* *2 - 2.30pm Bourneville Young Singers* *3 - 3.30pm Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann* *4 - 4.30pm Birmingham Community Gospel Choir* *5 - 5.30pm Playing Django (gypsy jazz group)* *6 - 6.30pm Made of Music (dhol drumming group)*
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A Taste of Symphony Hall
More InfoSun 12 Sep 1:00pm Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall will also be hosting a variety of local artists who will be performing as part of ArtsFest throughout Sunday afternoon: *1 - 1.30pm Esther Dee* *2 - 2.30 The Rogue States* *3 - 3.30 Delano Mills* *4 - 4.30 West Midlands Barbershop Harmony Club* *5 - 5.30 The Company from Dudley Performing Arts* *6 - 6.30 Hina & Co (Bollywood dance)*
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Rush Hour Blues - Laura C...
More InfoFri 17 Sep 5:30pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars
Laura Collins and band replace Ivo Neame Quartet who are unfortunately unable to appear. Singer Laura has recently released her debut album _Baltimore Oriole_ to critical acclaim. Having studied with some of the biggest names in the British jazz vocal scene including Lee Gibson, Anita Wardell, Tina May and Norma Winstone, Laura is certainly heading in the right direction. The line-up of the band is strong with Dick Pearce on trumpet, Barry Green on piano, Sam Dunn on guitar, Jeremy Brown on bass and Matt Skelton on drums.
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Joanna Newsom plus Roy Harper (support)
More Info Book TicketsFri 17 Sep 7:30pm Symphony Hall
Joanna Newsom; harpist, pianist, and singer-songwriter, makes her Symphony Hall debut. Newsom’s recent album _Have One on Me_ has received enthusiastic critical plaudits. She is a spellbinding live performer: *‘... symphonies swirl, motifs that others would build a career out of drop in and out and no one can be left in any doubt that they are witnessing a master at work.’* The Independent
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Rush Hour Blues - Andrea ...
More InfoFri 24 Sep 5:30pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars
Originally from Birmingham and descended from a family of jazz musicians, Andrea Vicari showcases her recent work with a group of Croatian players.
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Jim Moray Band no support
More Info Book TicketsTue 28 Sep 8:00pm Town Hall
Jim Moray is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer who has created startlingly contemporary recordings of England’s traditional songs on the album _Sweet England_, described as the most significant development in folk music in the last 30 years. *‘The reinvention of folk music, Jim Moray’s debut CD, a word-of-mouth sensation, is the biggest leap forward in folk for 30 years.’* The Telegraph *‘Moray’s inventive rearrangement of such familiar ballads as _Early One Morning_ and _Raggle Taggle Gypsies_ may just be the most significant new development in English folk music since Fairport Convention’s _Liege and Leif_.’* Uncut Jim has gone from performing in local folk clubs to playing the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival, Sidmouth Folk Festival, WOMAD and beyond. In 2004 he received both the Horizon Award as best newcomer and the prestigious Album Of The Year Award for _Sweet England_ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Two further albums _Jim Moray_ and _Low Culture_ won the fRoots Critics’ Poll Album of the Year Award, Mojo’s Folk Album of the Year and three nominations in the BBC Folk Awards 2009. He most recently broke with convention, giving his fourth album _In Modern History_ away on the cover of _Songlines_ magazine before releasing a deluxe two-disc version in June 2010. He has branched out as producer of his sister Jackie Oates’s award-winning _Hyperboreans_ album and been awarded Honorary Life Membership of Birmingham Conservatoire for outstanding achievement in music. Visit "Jim Moray's website.":http://www.jimmoray.co.uk/index.php
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Flawless - Chase The Drea...
More Info Book TicketsSat 2 Oct 7:30pm Town Hall
The stars of _Streetdance 3D_ and _Britain's Got Talent_ present their first solo show. This inspirational dance act have become an international phenomenon with stunning street dance and jaw-dropping moves. They've worked with some of the biggest names in music including _Madonna_, _Beyonce_, _Leona Lewis_ and _Jamelia_ and won countless awards including World Dance Champions and Best Street Dance Act. You've seen them on television, now it's time to see them live in this breathtaking, dizzying debut show from one of the UK's hottest dance acts. Don't miss! '_One of the best things I have ever seen in my life_' Simon Cowell '_You make me proud to be British, this was utter perfection_' Amanda Holden '_That was utterly electrifying_' Piers Morgan
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Rush Hour Blues - The Ste... (Part of the Sounds of Space weekend)
More InfoFri 8 Oct 5:30pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars
“M u s i c k o s m o s is my song to the stars.” Steve Tromans Steve Tromans presents a new piece, _M u s i c k o s m o s_, for this special "Sounds of Space":http://www.thsh.co.uk/soundsofspace Rush Hour Blues. Jointly commissioned by Birmingham Jazz and THSH, and performed by The Steve Tromans Debop Band, _M u s i c k o s m o s_ consists of 4 pieces with a ‘cosmic’ theme. _From Nothing_ explores the beginning of the universe and the question of what comes before the beginning. A creation story for eternal optimists. _BetweenTwo Worlds (for Sun Ra)_ is a tribute to the legendary jazz composer and bandleader Sun Ra, whose ‘cosmic philosophy’ has influenced generations of musicians. _Star Clusters_ are groups of stars that are gravitationally bound to each other - a representation of the muisco-gravitational forces at work in the Steve Tromans Debop Band. _Musickosmos (for Carl Sagan)_ is inspired by the records of images and sounds of nature attached to the Voyager space probes, created by Dr Carl Sagan and inscribed by the words “To the makers of music - all words, all times.” "Click here to visit Steve Tromans’s website":http://www.steve-tromans.co.uk Commissioned by Town Hall Symphony Hall and "Birmingham Jazz":http://www.birminghamjazz.co.uk/ as part of the "Sounds of Space":http://thsh.co.uk/soundsofspace weekend at Town hall and Symphony Hall.
*Steve Tromans* _piano and direction_ *Miles Levin* _drums_ *Chris Mapp* _double bass_ *Aaron Diaz* _trumpet_
I. From Nothing II. Between Two Worlds (for Sun Ra) III. Star Clusters IV. Musickosmos (for Carl Sagan)
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Brian Eno's Apollo: For A... Music by Brian Eno, Roger Eno and Daniel Lanois, Performed by Icebreaker and BJ Cole (Part of the Sounds of Space weekend)
More Info Book TicketsSat 9 Oct 7:30pm Town Hall
As part of the THSH "Sounds of Space":http://thsh.co.uk/soundsofspace weekend we present a live arrangement of Brian Eno’s seminal album _Apollo_, performed with NASA footage. Eno, pioneer of ambient music, conceived it for Al Reinert’s 1989 documentary on the Apollo space missions, _For All Mankind_. He jokingly referred to it as an attempt to write ‘zero gravity country and western,’ since that was the astronauts’ preferred on-board listening and the long reverberations of the pedal steel guitar evoke the vast emptiness of space. Music from the album was also used in the movies _28 Days Later_, _Traffic_, and _Trainspotting_. The innovative Icebreaker ensemble and renowned pedal steel guitarist BJ Cole return the music to its original conception, matching the mesmerizing beauty and tranquil mystery of images of the moon and Earth and capturing the humour of the astronauts as they skitter about on the moon’s surface. '...with the blown-up, grainy NASA footage and Icebreaker’s diligent musicianship, this “weightlessness” becomes moving and sublime. Apollo’s moonstruck ambience has aged gracefully, and Lee’s spare, fiercely intelligent orchestration gave it the bloom of youth.' The Guardian ***** "Click here to watch a video of Icebreaker and B.J. Cole performing _Weightlessness_, part of Brian Eno's _Apollo_":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsXTxmoR8eo&feature=related *6.15pm Pre-concert talk: The Gift of Apollo* Between 1968 and 1972 twenty-four Americans flew to the Moon. What was arguably Mankind’s greatest achievement had taken over 400,000 engineers working round the clock for a decade to accomplish. Over forty years later the full significance of the endeavour is still being debated. As a prelude to the concert, space flight historian, writer and film-maker Dr Christopher Riley reflects on what the Moon landings meant and reminds us of the great legacy of Apollo.
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Serenade for A Satellite
More InfoSat 9 Oct 9:00pm Town Hall
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group provide late-night entertainment inspired by space and time, blasting off with Wiegold’s brilliant interpretation of Bruno Maderna’s Serenade per un Satellite. Mysterium - a piece combining live improvisation and recordings from the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite, Sputnik - and Constellations, a collection of three space-inspired movements by Param Vir, complete the programme.
*Birmingham Contemporary Music Group* *Peter Wiegold* _conductor_
*Bruno Maderna* _Serenade for a Satellite_ *Param Vir* _Constellations_ *Peter Wiegold* _Mysterium_ This performance lasts approximately 40 minutes.
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Level 42 - The 30th Anniv... Plus special guests
More Info Book TicketsSun 10 Oct 7:30pm Symphony Hall
Level 42 took the ‘80s by storm with their brand of jazz funk driven by Mark King’s trademark bass lines, and with their roots firmly set in the underground soul scene of the time they helped change the face of the music scene in Britain. Top 40 singles for the band include _Lessons in Love_, _Something About You_, _Leaving Me Now_, _Running in the Family_, and _Hot Water_. The line-up of Level 42 for this 30th Anniversary tour is: Mark King bass/vocals, Mike Lindup keys/vocals, Nathan King guitar/vocals and Sean Freeman sax/vocals.
*Mark King* _bass/vocals_ *Mike Lindup* _keys/vocals_ *Nathan King* _guitar/vocals_ *Sean Freeman* _sax/vocals_
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Naturally 7 With no support
More Info Book TicketsMon 11 Oct 7:30pm Town Hall
Growing out of the a cappella tradition, Naturally 7 take the classic close-harmony style to stratospheric new highs. Mixing beat boxing, basslines and uncanny instrumental imitation with rap and hook-laden soul, pop and jazz, this New York group is in a league of its own. They come to Town Hall having supported Michael Bublé on his Crazy Love world tour. _'Naturally 7 have taken acappella singing to places it’s never been before. The rhythmic and harmonic richness they produce - using only their voices - is jaw-droppingly impressive, and their musicality is phenomenal. This is one of the must-see performances of all time.'_ Brian Eno _'Impressive_' The Sun _'Dazzling_' The Guardian For more details visit "Naturally 7"://naturallyseven.com
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Ian Hunter & The Rant... plus support
More Info Book TicketsTue 12 Oct 7:30pm Town Hall
Ian Hunter has produced a matchless repertoire of music combining homage, honesty and killer hooks. He was one of the toughest and most inventive writers of the early 70s, paving the way for punk rock with his thought provoking and gritty songs. As a solo performer he has also succeeded with an eclectic catalogue including classics such as _Once Bitten, Twice Shy_, _Cleveland Rocks_ and many more. For both his solo output and work with Mott The Hoople, he has been cited as a huge inspiration by numerous artists including The Clash, REM, Oasis, Blur and Primal Scream. 2009 saw the release of his thirteenth solo album, _Man Overboard_ and the long-awaited reunion Mott the Hoople, fronted by Hunter. *‘Hunter, dressed in skinny black jeans and a little black jacket, was in awesome shape. Lithe and cocky, he glided around the stage behind his huge shades, still the complete rock’n’roll star’* **** The Times
