The Time And The Place – Musical Culture And Identity In Today’s Europe.

A fascinating and insightful multi-cultural event to take place in London, spread over three days.
Serious (www.serious.org.uk) is one of the UK's leading producers and commissioners of live jazz, international and new music. The company specialise in producing major concerts, festivals, national and international tours, learning and participation programmes, artist development initiatives and specially commissioned bespoke events.
One of these upcoming events is The Time And The Place, exploring the concept of culture and European identity and focusing on two connected ideas; how the past relates to the present and how creativity can lead to new forms of innovation.

The multi-artform event at Kings Place is an artistic response to the Humanities Education Research Association's (HERA) joint research programme's conference being held in London, on Thursday 30th May, where the results of three years of research from 19 pan-European projects looking at aspects of culture and identity, in modern Europe, will be unveiled.

Central London's cultural event of the year will host free exhibitions and events, for all the family, throughout the day on Saturday 1st June (Full details of all events at the open day will be released during April).

Thursday 30 May 8pm
Budapest Bar (Hall 1)
A world class gipsy band from the heart of Budapest, Budapest Bar have garnered critical acclaim for their brilliantly imaginative re-invention of chanson, jazz, Brazilian music, film themes and gipsy tradition, inspired by the evocative and eccentric Budapest cafe culture of the 1920s and 30s. Massively popular in Hungary, they return to London following a terrific performance as part of BT River of Music last July. Led by virtuoso violinist Robert Farkas, the band includes cimbalom player Mihaly Farkas, accordionist/pianist Karoly Okros and some very special international guests.

Friday 31 May 8pm
Soweto Kinch: Urban Landscape (Hall 1)
Saxophonist, composer, master of free style rapping, activist and collaborator with Goldie, Jonzi D and Ms Dynamite, Soweto Kinch brings his own take on urban culture to "The Time and the Place", following the release of a brand new CD "The Legend of Mike Smith", (a real tour de force" said the Guardian). Perhaps the only artist in either jazz or hiphop to hold an Oxford degree in modern history, Soweto will bring a distinctive insight to themes being explored during this season, combining his skills as MC and spoken word artist with headlong saxophone improvs, steeped in the jazz traditions.

Friday 31 May 8pm
Poul Høxbro + Fraser Fifield (Hall 2)
Danish early music specialist Poul Høxbro traces a journey from the far north of Europe to the Iberian peninsula, exploring a mediaeval landscape that travels from the myths and sagas of the Vikings to a music that veers from sacred to profane, and re-creating instruments such as the lyre, bone flutes and reed pipes to evoke a swaying bridge between heaven and earth, and the dance of the devil....

Fraser Fifield explores Scottish and Celtic traditions through pipes and whistles, in music that is hauntingly evocative of a living tradition. One of Scotland's most innovative and creative musicians, Fraser is a multi-instrumentalist and composer with a distinctly original sound. His distillation of influences from such diverse sources as the Highland bagpipe tradition, jazz saxophone, Bulgarian kaval and others, has led to a growing catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings.

Saturday 1 June 8pm
Mari Boine (Hall 1)
Mari Boine's extraordinary voice is a hypnotic and moving expression of the Sami people of the far north of Norway, from the heart of a northern landscape with complex and deep religious and shamanistic roots. An iconic figure in Sami culture, she has always looked outwards, working with Norwegian innovators Jan Garbarek, and Bugge Wesseltoft, and creating powerful music with African singers and instrumentalists. An intensely personal vision runs throughout everything she does. The pristine clarity of her voice contrasts with an organic, earthy quality that runs throughout her music – and she is a songwriter of real distinction. Still today, there is nothing as groundbreaking coming out of the Norwegian music scene

Saturday 1 June 8pm
Gianluigi Trovesi and Gianni Coscea (Hall 2)
Making a welcome return to King Place, the clarinet/accordion duo of Trovesi and Coscea exudes Mediterranean warmth. Playing music that grows from northern Italian folk traditions, and draws from European composers from Kurt Weill to Offenbach, and infused with hints of tango, mazurka, klezmer – this promises an evening that is by turns yearning, humorous, touchingly nostalgic, poetic, sentimental and joyful.

Tickets for the live performances from artists including Budapest Bar, Soweto Kinch, Poul Hoxbro, Fraser Fifield, Mari Boine, Gianluigi Trovesi and Gianni Coscea, on the evenings on 30th & 31st May and 1st June are now available from Kings Place.

Thursday 30th May – Saturday 1st June 2013
Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
Box Office: 020 7520 1490
www.kingsplace.co.uk