Jazz from the Playing Card Factory
In 2016 Graham Henderson commissioned a new Jazz suite from Sorin Zlat, an award-winning Romanian Jazz composer and performer. Entitled Jazz from the Playing Card Factory, the suite took as its inspiration the giant Victorian playing card factory which in 1873 was situated next door to the digs of the French poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine in Camden, London. Although grounds in a particular history and literature, the commission allowed Sorin Zlat and his Jazz quartet to explore a variety of contemporary themes in his music including sense of place, technological innovation and European migration. It resulted in an exciting original Jazz suite performed live in Hall 1 at Kings Place to critical acclaim, a work that has earned a permanent place in the artist’s repertoire.
The Jazz suite is a fine example of how original music commissions can connect with audiences and with broader issues affecting society, addressing them in an oblique and interesting way. Music (and new music) has formed an important element in Graham Henderson’s arts programming over the last 20 years. Amongst other things this has included innovative cross-arts events featuring leading musicians or ensembles, live concerts designed to provide platforms for up-and-coming musicians (notably the Rock for Rimbaud initiative), chamber music films, and original scores and soundtracks for promotional videos. Graham is also alive to the opportunities for digital capture and/or live streaming of music, and how this can contribute to new income streams for the artists and the development of rights in new musical content.
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