By Emma Pope, Deputy Music Editor
A new monthly event which aims to use the power of music to bring people together, the Cotham Club promises a huge variety of genres and musicians from across the world.
Cotham Club is a new monthly series of global music events, with exciting concerts from all over the world. With performers from Morocco, South Korea, Senegal, and the Caribbean to name but a few, there will be an incredibly wide range of genres; reggae, gospel, blues, and many others.
The group aims to bring together the diverse cultural community in Bristol, creating a monthly event that fosters a sense of closeness and unity across the city. The series is said to provide a friendly and eclectic space filled with food, music, and storytelling. Each event will have a different 'title' or theme, intended to inspire conversations and thoughts to share with others. The theme of the first event is about the strengthening of the bond between humanity and nature.
Kicking off the first performance in just a few weeks on April 29th will be 'Heralding the Wind': a fusion of jazz, Indian classical and Arabic music. Performing at the gig will be world-renowned composer and jazz flutist Faris Ishaq, joined by the ethereal and spiritual tones of Bristol European Jazz Ensemble (BEJE).
Palestinian Faris Ishaq is from Beit Sahour in the Occupied West Bank. He is a qualified music therapist and graduate from the World Jazz course at Berklee College USA. Having performed at Jazz Festivals worldwide, the talented artist is famous for his ancient "nay" flute, which he plays simultaneously alongside leg-percussion and frame drums. According to the leader of BEJE, David Mowat: "nothing comes closer to the breath of fresh air that the world needs right now than the wind-in-the-reeds sound of the nay". The collaboration between BEJE and Faris Ishaq will give an interesting fusion of sounds which promises to be thought provoking and inspirational.
The occasion itself is and will be fantastic for students to integrate themselves into Bristol and truly become part of the community through discovering new and interesting ideas and music. Easy to get to, accessible, and affordable, the event is ideally designed to bring all manner of Bristol people together. Also, students get in for only a fiver, so it definitely seems like a bargain not to miss!
Find them at Cotham Parish Church on 29th April at 7.30pm.
Featured image: Farish Ishaq / Cotham Club
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