COMING SOON TO THE NETHERLANDS

Corto.alto refuses to be put in a box and that is exactly their charm. The Glasgow group is adventurous, eclectic and streetwise. Jazz is definitely in the mix, but they surprise you with plenty of other genres too.

At Into the Great Wide Open on Vlieland, the band delivered one of the best performances of the festival. Most of what they played came from their third album, Some Small Fortune (Ninja Tune). On it you'll hear funk basslines, jazz, chamber music and nervous breakbeats, and it ends on the dance floor.

The creative driving force of the group is Liam Shortall. He has a classical background and is a typical example of modern British jazz. You can hear that in the sweeping violins on "Prayed We Would". Still, for him jazz is just one of the ingredients, because Shortall is also right in the middle of British club culture.

That comes across well on the record. On "Thief", a touch of chamber music is woven through the breakbeats, and on "Go" the Nigerian rapper Vector provides spoken word. Anaiis and Jacob Alon drop by to contribute vocals.

In October, Corto.alto plays three venues in the Netherlands. Presented by BIRD x LantarenVenster on 14 October they will play at LantarenVenster. Come and hear how it sounds live.