NCEM reaps autumn harvest of world, jazz and folk music...and an icy silent film

Through the doors of St Margaret's Church already are saxophonist Jean Toussaint last Friday, Devonian folk singer-songwriter John Smith on Wednesday and avant-garde British jazz ensemble Acoustic Triangle last night (30/9/2021).

The new season presents three world-class guitarists, demonstrating their contrasting styles: Brit Martin Taylor, Spaniard Juan Martin and Italian Antonio Forcione.

First up, on October 15, Grammy-nominated Harlow jazz guitarist Martin Taylor shows why he is widely regarded as the world's foremost exponent of solo jazz and finger-style playing.

Next, in his solo concert Melodic Beauty And Rhythmic Passion on October 29, Andalusian flamenco master Juan Martin performs pieces from his latest album Guitar Maestro.

Intense, artistic, passionate, unpredictable and formidably inventive jazz guitarist Antonio Forcione, from Molise, Italy, returns to the NCEM on November 26, blessed with "the hands of a tarantula and the heart of a lion", as one reviewer put it.

"The wonderful acoustics of the NCEM's beautiful home of St Margaret's Church provide the perfect setting for the acoustic guitar, adding a special touch of magic to the experience," says director and programmer Delma Tomlin.

World music is represented by not only Juan Martin but also Olcay Bayir, from Gaziantep, Turkey, and the welcome return of Making Tracks.

Making her NCEM debut on October 10 and appearing on the NCEM's September to December brochure to boot Olcay Bayir focuses on ancient poems and original songs in Turkish, Kurdish, and Armenian in Dream For Anatolia: an evening of music and words that reflect her Anatolian heritage. Note the earlier starting time of 6.30pm.

Set up in 2010 and relaunched with an ambitious new model in 2019, followed by a digital edition in 2020, Making Tracks brings together young artists to "showcase unique musical traditions, initiate collaborations and contribute towards a global community of environmentally engaged musicians".

Full details of November 1's NCEM concert are yet to be confirmed but the eight diverse musicians from Britain and Europe have been chosen.

After Jean Toussaint and Acoustic Triangle, a third jazz highlight will be Byron Wallen's Four Corners showcasing London trumpet player Wallen's new album, Portrait, on November 10, with guitarist Rob Luft, bass player Paul Michael and drummer Rod Youngs.

Taking inspiration from "the timeless sound of the human soul from all corners of the Earth", Wallen explores and reinvents landmarks of blues, mode and groove, while also drawing on early Renaissance music, Central and East African rhythms and polyphony and the works of Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Thelonious Monk.

"I'm hoping that York Music Forum's Ian Chalk will be able to organise for young York jazz players to play with Byron and take part in the concert," says Delma.

Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist and composer John McCusker has cancelled his John McCusker Band 30th Anniversary Tour date on Sunday (3/10/2021), although The Wishing Tree Tour gig by John Doyle, John McCusker & Michael McGoldrick is still in the diary for The Cresent, York, on November 3.

The enduring folk partnership of wife and husband Kathryn Roberts & Seth Lakeman mark 25-plus years of making music with On Reflection at a rearranged NCEM concert on October 20.

Co-promoted by the Black Swan Folk Club, this celebratory night takes a whistle-stop tour through their artistic journey from the early days of folk supergroup Equation to latest album Personae.

After his Unfinished Violin Project, former Bellowhead fiddle player Sam Sweeney returns the NCEM on November 19 to promote his latest album, Unearth Repeat, wherein he embraces the groove and swagger of traditional English folk and the huge sound, flair, energy and festival spirit of Celtic and Scandinavian bands.

The Yorkshire Silent Film Festival plays host to Nanook Of The North (certificate U, 79 minutes) on October 14, when the pioneering 1922 documentary film will be accompanied by a live score by Frame Ensemble, a quartet of improvising musicians that specialises in creating spontaneous soundtracks for silent film.

"Pianist Jonny Best, who runs the film festival [as well as being a musician, researcher, producer, educator and writer], will be doing the accompaniment with his ensemble," says Delma. "I find it so enthralling that they create such musical magic out of nowhere."

Filmed by director Robert J Flaherty in the vast Canadian Arctic, where Nanook and his family live under an endless sky and in conditions of unimaginable cold, Nanook Of The North is a mix of recorded reality and staged drama, depicting the everyday struggle of the Innuit (Eskimo) people to stay alive.

From the bitter chill of the northern reaches of Arctic Quebec to Christmas at the NCEM in the form of the York Early Music Christmas Festival 2021, running from December 3 to 11.

Guests include The Gesualdo Six, Joglaresa, Pocket Sinfonia, Prisma, tenor James Gilchrist and lutenist Matthew Wadsworth, plus the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists presenting JS Bach's B Minor Mass.

Christmas revelry continues with modern-day folk balladeers Green Matthews on December 16. That night, Chris Green and Sophie Matthews perform Midwinter Revels: A Celebration Of Christmas Past, a seasonal selection of stories, carols, winter folk songs and tunes played on a plethora of weird and wonderful instruments.

A reduced capacity will be in operation throughout. "The NCEM realises that audiences are returning to live events with caution, and for added safety and comfort, we are reducing our capacity so that social distancing is possible," explains Delma. "We are continuing to operate with many safety precautions in place and recommends mask wearing and hand sanitising."

Tickets for the autumn season are on sale on 01904 658338 and at ncem.co.uk, joined by the York Early Music Christmas Festival from October 4. Concerts start at 7.30pm unless stated otherwise.