corto.alto & friends @ Barrowlands, Glasgow, 18 Jan
Celtic Connections' Made In Glasgow night at the Barrowlands proves that the city's music scene remains as exciting as ever
It’s Saturday night and a neat queue has formed outside the Barrowlands long before doors open. It's a great turnout for an impressively eclectic lineup of live music hosted as part of Celtic Connections under the banner 'Made In Glasgow'. The festival-style bill is headlined by forward-thinking jazz outfit and Mercury Prize nominees corto.alto.
As advertised, the night focuses on acts from in and around the Glasgow area(ish), pulling from across genres and punctuated with DJ sets from popular local DJ and Sub Club regular Rebecca Vasant. It can sometimes be challenging for acts to win over the crowd at mixed bills, with a chunk of the audience simply waiting for their favourite to take to the stage. But there are no such problems tonight, with the keen crowd genuinely plugged in from start to finish and in good spirits throughout.
By the time the first act – SAY Award nominee Becky Sikasa – arrives onstage, the room is practically at capacity, swaying to her soft soulful vocals. JSPHYNX are up next, a group built around trumpeter Johnny Woodham whose sound almost leans more towards R'n'B than jazz. Singer-songwriter Pippa Blundell impresses with clean, entrancing vocals and raw songs which fill the room. Blundell is thrilled to be performing on the iconic Barrowlands stage so early in her career with just one EP under her belt.
As is Bemz, whose showmanship sees him win over new fans in the Celtic Connections audience. The Ayrshire rapper takes the opportunity to debut two new songs, including Do Not Disturb, a relatable song built on an easy groove. The crowd are quick to catch onto the new material, singing along to the choruses after just a couple of loops.
It’s a testament to the broadness of corto.alto’s sound that each of the acts earlier in the evening seem to chime with elements of their style. The group, an ambitious project put together by multi-instrumentalist Liam Shortall, get by far the biggest reaction of the night for their nimble and exciting set. Shortall is backed on stage by a fine bunch of instrumentalists and is happy to make the most of their talent. The set does not let up, from danceable syncopated numbers that pull from the energy and power of the group’s brass section, to improvisational solo trills, via electronic samples.
This is an exciting and modern way to do jazz, and a fitting headliner for an uplifting and inspiring night of live music that leaves you with a sense that the Glasgow music scene is in good health. Perhaps just as importantly – it has great audiences in place to support it.
Celtic Connections continues across various venues in Glasgow until 2 Feb