SOUTHWOLD JAZZ CLUB ~ John Etheridge's Blue Spirits with Vimala Rowe

Guitarist John Etheridge enjoys a huge reputation in the jazz world. A dizzyingly virtuosic master of his instrument, he is one of a handful of players who can claim to have helped shape the character of modern jazz guitar, and has been described by legendary fellow fretsman Pat Metheny as ‘one of the best guitarists in the world’. His career has seen collaborations with classical guitarist John Williams, the groundbreaking jazz-fusion collective Soft Machine and he was the longstanding guitarist of choice for jazz icon Stephane Grappelli.

The Blue Spirits Trio demonstrates Etheridge’s love of the combination of electric guitar and organ. As befits the groups name, the bluesier side of John’s playing is to the fore, but also elements of swing, some fiery funk and soulful ballads.

Vimala Rowe is a jazz vocalist but also an award-winning original composer, a sometime rap artist, and a world musician trained in Hindustani classical techniques. Her 2016 collaboration with John Etheridge Out of The Sky won plaudits for its “sweeping musical horizons” (The Guardian) with refined jazz and blues mingling with tantalising touches of flamenco, Indian classical and African tones. The latest in a long line of Etheridge’s distinguished collaborators, this is a deft and expressive line-up that’s steeped in the jazz tradition but unafraid to look outside its boundaries.

John Etheridge's Blue Spirits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eH0Xamipks

John & Vimala https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzFLEC7RSTw