On 23 February, Mostly Jazz were set to launch their 2011 Festival at The Rainbow, with a performance from a trio of contemporary Jazz performers; local, world class drummer, Tony Levin (above), saxophonist Paul Dunmall and young bass player Nick Jurd.
Sadly, Tony Levin passed away earlier this month, and so the gig is now set to go ahead in tribute to him, featuring the musicians originally booked to play alongside the legendary drummer.
The first set at 9pm will feature the Nick Jurd Quartet with Rachel Cohen on saxophone, Sam Wooster on trumpet, Nick on bass and Jim Bashford on drums. The second set will feature Paul Dunmall on saxophone, Mark Sanders and Tony’s son, Miles Levin on drums and Nick Jurd who Tony had personally chosen for the original gig.
Tickets for this event are £5, for more information, visit Birmingham Jazz, where they’ve also posted a tribute piece.
All proceeds will be donated to Blue Chairs: Shropshire Blood Trust Fund http://www.justgiving.com/bluechairs2
My colleagues in the Interactive Cultures research team at Birmingham City University have also written a tribute to Tony as they worked on a project with him:
http://interactivecultures.org/uncategorized/tony-levin-1940-2011