JazzKLUB / Django Bates - NOSPR

At the turn of the 80s, Django Bates was a wunderkind of British jazz. At 62, the pianist does not cease to beam with the charm of a carefree teenager. With a cheeky smile, he ignores the boundaries of styles, while his music radiates pure joy of playing. Let us not, however, be misled by the above – such a freedom is built upon a foundation of immense knowledge and fantastic jazz craft, predominantly honed in the domain of bebop. Bates is a walking and talking encyclopaedia, while his mad imagination allows him to easily enhance his pieces with elements of African music or danceable rhythms hailing from South America. His ballads, not devoid of reflection, complete the repertoire of one of the most significant pianists of the recent decades.

[Tomasz Gregorczyk, translated by Mikołaj Witkowski]