Follow The Sound Festival 2008

The pianist Matthew Shipp opens the first Follow the Sound Festival, the updated version of the Free Music Festival. The Roy Campbell Quartet then takes over the baton, playing the intense music of Albert Ayler. Campbell is a power-trumpeter, Joe McPhee is an encyclopaedia of sax techniques, with lightning breath control and tremendous harmonic insight. The bassist William Parker and percussionist Warren Smith keep everything properly on the boil with some steaming 'flag wavers'. The whole thing starts off with a telling documentary on Albert Ayler by Kaspar Collin. Afterwards there are shuttles to the Roma for the concerts celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Jazzclub Series at 8.30 pm. 4 pm film: My name is Albert Ayler (2005) 5.15 pm Matthew Shipp piano 6.30 pm Roy Campbell Quartet plays Albert Ayler For its thirty-fifth event, the Free Music Festival has chosen a new name: the motto will from now on be 'Follow the Sound', mindful of Ornette Coleman's words at Jazz Middelheim: 'Follow the sound and we'll all be in the same room'. The festival opens at deSingel on 6 September and then ripples out to several venues in Antwerp: 'Follow the Sound'!