Northern Connections Tour: Manchester folk-jazz singer-songwriter & storyteller Marco Woolf comes to Sheffield in September

Following the acclaimed single ‘Modus Operandi’ which earned Marco Woolf a debut BBC 6 Music play and also featured on the Gilles Peterson run Worldwide FM. And he is bringing his excellent body of work to Sheffield on Wednesday, 14 September, 2022, where he will be performing at Jazz at The Lescar as part of the Northern Connections Tour in conjunction with Jazz North.

He is being joined on this tour by the composer and guitarist Carmel Smickersgill, pianist Tom Harris and drummer Miriam Willott, Andy Patterson on bass, and Raye Harvey – violin/vocals.

Influenced by the likes of Nick Drake and John Martyn, the music that Marco Woolf makes can prove similarly hard to categorise — it would be disingenuous to even consider doing so as well. Woolf wraps his delicate melodies in shimmering folk guitar and rippling kalimba, while pushing the music into unknown territory through often urgent jazz improvisation and post-rock.

Woolf’s lyrics are introspective and insightful, giving voice to characters such as Francine, a Malawian woman migrating to the West for the sake of her children. Introducing the imaginary yet emotively striking subject of Woolf’s acclaimed 2021 EP Francine, i, the character of Francine emerged from the improvised storytelling elements which are a persistent hallmark of his live shows.

His music is so inherently steeped in African culture while also being cleverly infused with Western musical influences. His latest album gives a truly unique insight into the migration experience. But, this is not a story of difficulties and emotionally heart-wrenching travails… there’s so much more to this journey that Woolf is taking the listener on, and that alone is cause for celebration.

It’s imperative that we cling to this theme of celebration and that is something that we discussed to great extent in this week’s episode of the Chris Talks Music podcast. It really is a beautiful listening experience and one that sticks with you long after you have listened to all five of the songs that light up the journey as Woolf tells this utterly compelling story.

Opening with the stunning and aurally colourful number, Let’s Build This House, buckle in for a wonderful talk with this talented and thoroughly engaging young man.

Listen to our conversation in full right here or you can subscribe to the Chris Talks Music Podcast here: https://anchor.fm/chris-talks-music

As a child, Woolf was thoroughly ensconced in the deep and impactful folk tales of his Malawian aunts and uncles. He likens the oral tradition to the playing of jazz standards, where the story changes with each new telling, becoming a living, breathing thing.

“During the times when my family shared stories,” Woolf says, “we also sang together, so those two things go hand in hand for me.”

Marco Woolf will be performing at Jazz at The Lescar as part of the Northern Connections Tour on Wednesday, 14 September, 2022.

Woolf’s latest EP, ‘Francine, i’ is out now. It was released in 2021 by Phlexx Records. You can buy the album here: https://phlexxrecords.co.uk/marco-woolf-francine-i/

You can follow Marco Woolf on the following social media platforms:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/marcowoolfmusic

Instagram: www.instagram.com/marcowoolf