The Anoushka Nanguy Quartet and the Georgia Cécile Quartet at the St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh, opening Gallus, the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival Jazz Weekend.

In my last blog I was spoiled for jazz, and this time I was spoiled for more. The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival has a new little brother (or should it be sister?) in Gallus, the Scottish Jazz Weekend, which kicked off at the St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh last night, the opening acts being newcomer Anoushka Nanguy followed by a now familiar face and voice on the Scottish jazz scene and further afield, Georgia Cécile, each accompanied by a trio. And what a great night it was.

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It wasn’t the Festival. It wasn’t the Fringe. It wasn’t the Jazz Festival, but you could be mistaken for thinking it was given the number of top-line jazz gigs that have been happening in Edinburgh over the last few days. We’ve had the Verneert/Simon Quartet – a French, Belgian, Spanish mix – at Polwarth Church and at Whighams, and Simon Spillett with JazzMain at the Voodoo Rooms. There’s been the Yati Durant/David Patrick Miles, Miles, Miles project at the Jazz Bar, and visiting US bassist Adam Booker with Richard Bailey and Keith Haldane at Palmerston Place. And, to round it off, trumpet maestro Jon Green launching his new album with a stellar line-up of Scotland’s finest at the Outhouse.  And then there was all the usual programmed activity too.

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