Anders/ Busato/ Miethe/ Nonnenmacher & Fergus Quill Plays Xero Slingsby

In the organizer's words:

Set 1: Anders/ Busato/ Miethe/ Nonnenmacher

Manuel Miethe - saxophone

Isabel Anders - piano

Horst Nonnenmacher - double bass

Marcello Busato - drums

Set 2: Fergus Quill Plays Xero Slingsby

Fergus Quill - bass

Bess Shooter- alto saxophone, electronics, toys

Harvey Parkin-Christie - saxophones/ toys

Hamish Dixon - noise/ toys

Theo Goss - drums

Fergus Quill is one of the hottest acts in the English jazz scene at the moment, notably recently playing at Ronnie Scotts with his Imaginary Big Band whilst also playing an important part in the free jazz experimental punk scene of Leeds. From spaghetti western mayhem to being likened to the magic of the Sun Ra Arkestra. The project Fergus Quill wants to perform more is a musical homage to the Leeds alt-jazz pioneer of the 1980s, alto saxophonist Xero Slingsby (Matthew Coe), and his band The Works (bass player Louis Colan, drummer Gene Velocette). 

Xero was active in the local Leeds alternative and jazz music scenes from the late 1970s and formed The Works in 1983. They immediately built up a strong loyal following in Leeds and the North of England with their unique brand of "no categories" improvised music which brought together their mutual love for jazz, punk, funk, and TV soundtracks, all tied up with a huge dose of northern working class humour. Xero was also a prolific busker/street musician who was prosecuted many times in the UK as street performances were still considered a nuisance by many local councils. He challenged every arrest and court appearance and became a one-man buskers' rights champion. He continued playing even when undergoing treatment for the disease but sadly in 1988, he passed away. He was only 30 years old.

Fergus felt a kinship with Xero and wanted to make an album of his compositions as a homage to him but also to join the dots between the original Leeds alt-jazz pioneer and the vibrant DIY jazz/improvised music scene in the city today. With the blessing of Xero's widow Sally Coe, Who kindly provided some of Xero’s original homemade instruments for the session, this project finally came to life in spring/summer 2023

First band: https://soundcloud.com/manuel-miethe/andersmiethenonnenmacherbusato-1

Second band: https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/xero-slingsby-music-british-jazz/

Price information:

on donation basis