BootLeg Jazz

24/05/2018

With so much thanks to a beautiful warm and Fun-ky audience! ... some serious dance moves taking place!!
Monday’s launch for Festival 2Funky at 2Funky Music Cafe was a night to remember! YolanDa Brown & her band rocked the jazz and reggae with astonishing skill and energy ~ and we had a wonderful soulful acoustic set from Nadia Rae & guitarist Tommy.
With Mellow Baku hosting and performing jazzful roots accompanied by fantastic musicianship from Diân Phillip Gasper, Wayne Matthews & Peter Adam Hill.
Great to be part of this festival in its 5th year of celebrating Black music and arts! Thank you all ❤️💛💚

17/05/2018

Looking forward to present Nadia Rae as first support for supertalented YolanDa Brown at Festival2Funky 2018!! Join us for the first night of the festival THIS MONDAY 21 May!!
Only £10 includes sets from DJs AfroVibes! and Mellow Baku! + FREE ENTRY to all other Festival events!

Music video by Nadia Rae performing No More. Nadia Rae http://vevo.ly/DdEPTC

30/04/2018

✨Happy International Jazz Day! 😊 ✨🎶

Happy people! 💜✨🎶🤩
Just a few of my favourite inspirers xx

27/04/2018

Awesome call &response improv on a jazz reggae tip: 'Dream Dream Repeat' – live from YolanDa Brown's latest album, Love Politics War 🤩https://youtu.be/laP0QVAR7pI
Coming to 2Funky Music Cafe 21 May for YolanDa Brown at Festival2Funky 2018!

Original from album: 'Love Politics War' (2017) ► http://apple.co/2ArTNVf Produced by Spacerocket Media for SoulandJazz.com and Sennheiser, November 2017 Ste...

08/03/2018

✨Happy international women’s Day! ✨ – here’s a special recording of a poem I made today on my phone in honour of the place we all come from. Yes, Va**na! ... we’re all from these parts 💗 x
Where We Come From by Mellow Baku.
She’s Got The Whole World (in background) Live at The Riverside Cafe with Rachael Johnson on keys & Sophie Fishwick on drums, Mellow Baku on vocals (NuLuna) x 💙

Happy International Women's Day! Poem: Where We Come From by Mellow Baku With 'She's Got The Whole World' Arr. by Mellow Baku Recorded live at The Riverside Cafe at DMU Rachael Johnson on Keys, Soph

29/03/2017

Last night we heard today's and tomorrow's Jazz Giants and Warriors under one roof! – Great big thank yous!! – to all who came out to The Jazz Ticket last night - a full house 😊 from the start helped those talented young local musicians and singers feel very appreciated. We also want to thank Leicester Jazz House for co-hosting and supporting the event in so many ways, and Chris Heighton at De Montfort University Music. Great to work with Tomorrow's Warriors - Janine, Fish & Gary to bring such fantastic sounds - the brand new commission from Peter Edwards Music – played by the Nu Civilisation Orchestra – to Leicester!

12/03/2017

Thanks and thanks to all who moonshined with us last Thursday xx
at Moonshine Word Jam | Int. Womens Day at The Exchange Leicester. Some amazing moments of musicality and brave improvisation. Great to hear new voices x
Thank you for word craft from Cynthia Rodríguez - Writer, performer, filmmaker, who stepped up the whole vibe with poetic passion and presence.

We were mesmerised by mythmic harmonies of Carise on hang drum, with Jenny 'Hib Word’ Hibberd: Mythm (featuring Mellow Baku)
Thank you to the wondrous Trio who made us sound so magical: Fran Bass, Deb Mawby & Sophie Fishwick.
Chloë and other sublime singers for giving voice to the spirit of the night … and thanks again to spectacular spoken worders for exploring new paths, and to those who came out to hear, cheer and be with us 🌙

Thanks for audio recording Barney, we hope to be able to hear some of it again and thanks you Zeropence Musick for filming some of it :) Wonderful photos by Cynthia Rodríguez, many thanks for capturing the invisible dancing rainbows! ;)
(if I don’t know your name / missed you here apologies and please tag yourself, and stay in touch x we hope to be moonshing soon-shining xx
Great to see Leicester Riot Grrrls in the house!
Thank you for support from Leicester Jazz House and the The Exchange

07/03/2017

https://youtu.be/PddL3Z9tJTw

A short trailer announcing the six Giants of Jazz we'll be covering on the Tomorrow's Warriors nationwide schools jazz programme: THE JAZZ TICKET in 2017. Fi...

09/10/2016

Moontastic moments were had at Moonshine Word Jam | The Exchange Bar Leicester! Dzifa Benson was a revelation with her Hot-to-trot Hottentot Venus poetry; provocative pieces about Koikoi woman Saartjie Baartman, buttocks & bodies... We were blessed with new work -- watch out for her book!!
Our open mic had everything from classic poetry to reading out emails from mobile phones. All accompanied by the House Trio: Sophie Fishwick, Fran Bass & Deb Mawby. Adept & sensitive as ever. Creating a truly safe & creative space for all to feel welcome to share. Thanks for some marvellous moonshine jamming from musicians Peter Houtman, Paula Robinson, Richard Everitt, Jim Bailey Greg on violin. Lovely to see familiar faces like Josie Parr ;) x and Henderson Mullin ;) And thanks to those who came to our earlier Speakeasy Jamshop | The Exchange Leicester, creating and sharing your words x
Good to be sharing the space with co host and fellow Moonshiner Lydia Towsey, let's do again soon ~ in not too many moons :))
Our thank yous to Everybody's Reading Festival, Leicester Jazz House, and The Exchange ~ Mellow Baku | BootLeg Jazz x

05/10/2016

She's at Moonshine Word Jam | The Exchange Bar Leicester tomorrow! :) We love this live performance of Dzifa Benson's "Bottom Power!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIzeHsA158k

Verbalized @ New Space Theatre, Capetown SA - March 2010

09/09/2016

06/08/2016

So much thanks! From Mellow Baku and Lydia Towsey (!) to an awesome audience for our first Moonshine Word Jam | The Exchange Bar Leicester !!
Thanks for inspired, heartfelt spoken words, poetry & song from our open mic-ers, musicaliousness from jammers. And absolutely thank you for magical musicianship – Bootiful BootLeg Jazz Players: Sophie Fishwick, Fran Bass, Deb Orah & Kath Grainger x.
We loved moonshining among the cushions and fairylights at The Exchange, so thanks to them and to Leicester Jazz House for supporting this event :))
Please watch this space for October's Moonshining (Everybody's Reading Fest Special) – more wondrous words & improvised imagery, splendid soundscapes plus projected poetry!