Dear BEJE fans
I’m just entering a really busy period and am excited to tell you about it.
1. FRIDAY MAY 1st FARIS ISHAQ Nay Supremo, the musician who evokes Palestinian roots earth wind and fire is on at St Paul’s Church Clifton Bristol. Headfirst Editor’s Pick!
2. MAY 11-15 BEJE and FARIS ISHAQ pre-recording ALBUM SALE After 8 years of collaboration we finally get to live together on a Welsh hillside for a residential recording experience at Red Kite Studios. There’ll be well known tunes and unpredictable magical improvisations. Faris, myself, Knud Stuwe and Tim Funnell are bringing compositions and sketches. Andy Hamill with whom I played in Timshel Quintet 35 years ago is joining on bass. (Federico Leonori kneeling in pic, our regular is being a happy new daddy in Sussex these days) Andy is well versed with Middle Eastern-Jazz cross overs being Natasha Atlas’s bassist. Help us finance this project by pre=ordering the album! https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/beje-with-faris-ishaq-pre-recording-album-sale
3. BEJE with FARIS ISHAQ in concert May 16 Christ Church Bath Hot after the album comes the gig! We are guests of Bath Friends Of Palestine. We’ll be on fire. https://bathboxoffice.org.uk/whats-on/faris-ishaq-beje-5qvg
4. ZAID HILAL UK TOUR June 19 to 30 Zaid is such an inspiring singer, both gentle and powerful who tells the story of Palestinian summud (steadfastness) in oral-history collected songs, original rock and pop ballads across the history of three Empires. In my hearing at last year’s London gig the Palestine to UK Ambassador Husam Zomlot called him “The musical Ambassador for Palestine”. I’m honoured to be Zaid’s tour promoter. Details out soon. Check his instagram @zaidhilalofficial
5. BEJE MILES DAVIS TRIBUTE with BEJE and Enrico Merlin at the Jam Jar Bristol July 22. We can’t miss paying tribute to Miles, my musical hero and that of Enrico Merlin the Italian maestro of electric Milesian guitar. Put the date in your diary. It’ll be on headfirst soon.
6. Tour and second Album-making in South Korea with Yunmi Sang and Sangyeon Park August 2026 following our successful February UK tour-Sangyeon is putting the finishing touches to our video diary- Paolo Adamo and myself, inshallah, the war on Iran permitting, are guests in this wonderful country for the second time. Hear and buy our first album here https://davidmowat.bandcamp.com/album/modernised-sacrifice which was reviewed here https://ukjazznews.com/yunmi-sang-and-the-beje-trio-modernized-sacrifice/
I hope to send more news in about 1 month.
One love
David Mowat
The Bristol European Jazz Ensemble 