Kit Downes and Lesley Barnes

A jazz quintet headed up by acclaimed pianist Kit Downes accompany the images and animation of Lesley Barnes.

Kit Downes is a young pianist and composer who was up for a Mercury Prize a couple of years ago, and Lesley Barnes is a Glasgow-based illustrator who has made a move into filmmaking of late, including a Belle and Sebastian promo. Last year they came together along with geneticist Adam Rutherford to create Animation/Migration, a DNA-inspired multi-media piece for the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Tonight they’ll be reprising the performance and unveiling a number of new pieces which mix live improvisations and compositions with short films and still images.

Full lineup: Kit Downes, piano, Calum Gourlay, bass, James Maddren, drums, James Allsopp, bass clarinet, Lucy Railton, cello.

Presented in association with Birmingham Jazz.

www.kitdownes.com

www.lesleybarnes.co.uk