Improv Catalogue: April 2024
Improv gigs and jams in Glasgow during the month of April.
Daylight savings is nearly on, warmth is (occasionally) permeating the sandstone walls of the city, and we’ve got some bangers this month.
Eyes of the Amaryllis’ twisted soundscapes headline a packed bill of local and long-traveled artists at The Old Hairdresser’s on the 6th. Same venue, other end of the month, Lonnie Holley and Richard Youngs! Wow!
In lieu of a full 2024 festival, Counterflows is presenting Still House Plants (“the best rock band in the world right now” - Joshua Minsoo Kim) on the 19th to launch their new record. The singles are more tuneful and compositionally winding than the songs from 2020’s thrilling Fast Edit, and I cannot wait to hear the full album.
Later that week brings two nights of a LayLow-sponsored experimental jazz puppet show, featuring music from Tom Gibbs and the fascinating Norman Willmore. Weird, wild, wonderful; more of this, please.
Glasgow University Jazz Society kicks off the month on April 2nd with their final public jam session of the year. For those who haven’t been, it’s a great time. A bit messy and chaotic, as all great things are, with no barrier to entry and more than enough time for everyone to get up and jam.
Also on April 2nd is another LayLow gig — originally planned as a tribute to the music of bassist Omer Avital — followed by a jam session. Organizer Mateusz Sobieski has chosen to re-program after becoming aware of Avital’s peddling of Zionist propaganda and justification of the genocide Israel is committing against the Palestinian people (see comments below this Instagram post). Should you decide to forego LayLow’s £13 fee and instead freely enter the GU Jam, I’ve listed some organizations doing vital relief work in Gaza that would be happy to receive those funds.
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
Ceasefire now. Free Palestine.
Gigs
1/4: The Flying Wing of Jazz Destiny @ Nice N Sleazy, 19:30
2/4: Sobieski Quintet @ The Rum Shack, 20:00
4/4: Berrie Big Band @ Saint Luke’s, 19:00
6/4: Help Me I’m Melting @ The Old Hairdresser’s, 14:00
6/4: Eyes of the Amaryllis / Glorias Navales / Shoto Dobie / Guests @ The Old Hairdresser’s, 19:30
7/4: Ali Watson Quartet @ The Merchants House, 19:30
9/4: Laura MacDonald Quartet @ The Glad Cafe, 19:30
9/4: Juliette Lemoine @ The Rum Shack, 20:00
10/4: Bado Réti Group @ The Glad Cafe, 19:30
11/4: Glitch41 @ The Rum Shack, 19:30
13/4: Semispecific Ensemble / Bell Lungs / Bear @ The Glad Cafe, 19:30
16/4: LayLow @ The Rum Shack, 20:00
16/4: NONUNONU @ Bloc+, 21:00
18/4: Baked Beans on the Doorstep @ The Old Hairdresser’s, 19:30
19/4: Still House Plants / Ailie Ormston / Tom Mudd @ Fairfield Working Men’s Club, 19:00
20/4: Help Me I’m Melting @ The Old Hairdresser’s, 14:00
21/4: Teresa Winter / NEY / Slowfoam @ The Old Hairdresser’s, 20:00
22/4: TINY House Puppetry @ The Rum Shack, 20:00
23/4: TINY House Puppetry @ The Rum Shack, 20:00
26/4: Tara Cunningham & Caius Williams / Lene de Montaigu / Rotter Otter @ The Old Hairdresser’s, 19:30
28/4: Lonnie Holley with Richard Youngs @ The Old Hairdresser’s, 19:30
30/4: LayLow @ The Rum Shack, 20:00
30/4: Strata @ Bloc+, 21:00
Jams
2/4: GU Jazz Society Jam @ QMU, 19:00
2/4: LayLow Jam Session @ The Rum Shack, 20:00
3/4: Jazz @ The Butterfly and the Pig, 21:00-23:30
7/4: Non-Stop Bop @ Bloc+, 20:00-23:00
10/4: Jazz @ The Butterfly and the Pig, 21:00-23:30
12/4: The Grass is Greener Jam @ Finsbay Flatiron, 20:30
14/4: Non-Stop Bop @ Bloc+, 20:00-23:00
17/4: Jazz @ The Butterfly and the Pig, 21:00-23:30
21/4: Non-Stop Bop @ Bloc+, 20:00-23:00
24/4: GIOdynamics @ The Glad Cafe, 19:30
24/4: Jazz @ The Butterfly and the Pig, 21:00-23:30
28/4: Non-Stop Bop @ Bloc+, 20:00-23:00