Lighting The Fuse: Music from Leeds with Home Of The Brave and Chris Sharkey Solo

If the phrase ‘fuse box’ prompts thoughts of domestic scrabbling-about-in-the-dark as you search swearing for a circuit-breaker, this week’s Jazz on 3 shines the light on a different and much more exciting definition: roll up and enter the world of Leeds’ monthly Fusebox night for explosive jazz and improvised detonations courtesy of the city’s most adventurous musicians!

Headlining this night of music from the Fox & Newt pub is Home Of The Brave, an acoustic quartet led by 2012 Yorkshire Musician of the Year, Richard Ormrod. Here the fuse is a fizzing one, connected to a stick of dynamite, as the reeds player’s fascination with the American Westerns absorbed in his youth comes out in a set of cowboy themes and originals. The rhythm section of Paul Hession (drums), Rus Pearson (bass) and Jonny Flockton (guitar) do a great job in propelling the music through yee-ha-ing ensemble interplay and Big Country tunes but it’s arguably in the quieter scenes, the empty landscapes after the shoot-outs, when the band really excel. The Old West via the Yorkshire Dales; it’s fun and playful and rather beautiful too.

The sound of Chris Sharkey’s guitar is key to the punk-jazz of Trio VD, undoubtedly one of the biggest bands to emerge from the Leeds scene in the last ten years. Featured this time in a solo setting, Chris’ long-form improvisations on Black Sabbath and The Beatles’ Helter Skelter find a dreamy quality from within the rock originals, and though blasts of distorted aggression are never too far away, this performance presented a surprising and an intriguing listen for me.

If a sense of freedom and a sense of fun are never too far away from the music of the contemporary Leeds scene, Paul Hession – a musician who’s been at the heart of things for the last three decades – is well-placed to give the long-view. He joined fellow improviser Gail Brand to explore where all this has come from, following a wire from today’s Fusebox to the legendary pyrotechnics of the Termite Club in the ‘80s, and you can hear that conversation on this week’s show.

Join me for all this on Monday 17June from 11pm, or listen online for seven days after broadcast.

Jez

If you have comments about the show, or requests for music you’d like to hear, do get in touch at jazzon3@bbc.co.uk or on twitter at @BBCJazzon3.