GoGo Penguin

GB

Chris Illingworth, piano

Nick Blacka, bass

Jon Scott, drums

The Manchester trio's trademark combination of minimalist piano themes, deep double bass lines, and electronic music-inspired percussion. Pianist Chris Illingworth founded the band GoGoPenguin in a city famous for alternative music rather than jazz. The group eventually became a flagship of the new British jazz wave, and has been an important part of the global progressive jazz scene for several years.

GoGoPenguin debuted in 2012 with the album "Fanfares," followed by a second record, "v.2.0." In 2014, the band was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize. Successful, audience and critically loved concerts around the world followed. The trio composed and recorded new music for the cult film Koyaanisqatsi, and collaborated with world-renowned choreographer Lynn Page for Gilles Peterson's party at the Barbican.

But the biggest sensation was the signing of a contract with Blue Note Records, the most famous jazz label on the planet - with the first album published on this cult label "Man Made Object", the British trio performed an unforgettable concert at the Bratislava Jazz Days Slovenská sporiteľňa in 2016. Blue Note subsequently released four more albums, on which the band's sound confidently followed its own path: recreating the sound of electronic nujazz and contemporary classical music on jazz acoustic instruments.

Critics have described GoGo Penguin's music with references to names such as the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Massive Attack, Brian Eno, Shostakovich, Debussy, Aphex Twin, and Philip Glass.

On the new album "Everything Is Going to Be OK" (Sony Music), the band oozes with the optimism of new beginnings, with a new drummer, a new record label, and a subtly updated and evolved sound, ushering in a sonically freer era.  The revived GoGo Penguin will headline Saturday night's show at Jazzaks. As has been a good habit with us in recent years, we're once again bringing a top British new wave jazz band.