ENJOY contemporary jazz from Bristol's finest at Bridport Arts Centre Jazz Café on Friday, June 7.

The Bristol European Jazz Ensemble, a visceral and grooving contemporary jazz quintet, offer some of the best talent from Europe's recent Green Capital, Bristol.

They include flamboyant alto sax player Len Aruliah, much-in-demand French bassist Guillaume Ottaviani, Tony Williams-esque Italian drummer Paolo Adamo, and Spanish impressionistic pianist Ana Gomez. They band is led by Swiss/English trumpeter and composer David Mowat who draws from Miles Davis, the Far and the Middle East and many stops in between for what Musician magazine described as his 'exceptional tunes'.

Since their formation in 2013 BEJE have played across the UK, including Birmingham Symphony Hall Jazzlines and a collaboration with Dutch jazz singer Anne Chris who met David at Europe's premier jazz event, JazzAhead in Bremen, Germany in 2015.

'The energy of the collective, the fluency of the players are all immediately evident'says influential jazz blogger Mike Collins.

BEJE are currently developing an approach including some political spoken word, and their appearance at January’s Bath Jazz Weekend prompted reviewer Peter Slavid’s response: ‘...and why not? Jazz has always had a political edge’.

David Mowat composer, band leader, trumpeter, part Swiss and part English, played in street bands in the 1980s when esteemd trombonist and band leader Gail Thompson gave him some early gigs. In Bristol from 1989 he played in Keith Tippett’s Seedbed Orchestra, local bands (including Kevin Figes) and then set up The Timshel Quintet with singer Sammy Hurden, saxophonist Harrison Smith and drummer Brian Abrahams before going to Nepal for international development work. Returning in 1999 he co-founded the East Bristol Jazz Club, gigged in Europe with the Bollywood Brass Band, wrote and produced a community musical ‘King Cotton’ (featuring harpist Johnny Mars and trombonist Dennis Rollins), collaborating with Alphonse Touna (of world music band Helele). A founder member of The Klezmernauts in the 1990s he’s also developed klezmer music in his ‘Chai For All’ ensemble.

Paolo Adamo was born in Gubbio (Umbria, Italy) in 1992. He received his first drum kit aged five and quickly learned the grooves of drummer Phil Collins. He has been playing professionally since he was fourteen all around the country, and playing in festivals in Europe, taking part in the Mouscron ‘Jazz Puzzle’ in Belgium for six consecutive years. He reckons his style is more influenced now by Frank Zappa’s drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and Mark Guiliana (drummer on David Bowie’s final album). His BEJE band mates hear Tony Williams in his playing. In Bristol since 2012 he’s been busy in several other bands including Mankala, Arketta, and the Jazz Mates.

*Bristol European Jazz Ensemble, Bridport Arts Centre, Bridport, Friday, June 7, 8pm. Cal the box office for tickets.