7.30pm Sat 14 October
Weston Studio, WMC, Cardiff
Cwmwl Tystion II / Riot! returns for a one-off performance at Llais. The Riot! Suite composition by Tomos Williams was nominated for an Ivor Novello Composer's Award in the jazz category in 2022.
Welsh trumpeter Tomos Williams has assembled a brilliant band which includes internationally renowned musicians Soweto Kinch and Orphy Robinson alongside young Welsh vocalist Eadyth Crawford and the top-class rhythm section of Aidan Thorne and Mark O'Connor. Live visuals from Simon Proffitt accompanies this immersive performance which includes elements of jazz, hip-hop, Welsh folk music and the avant-garde.
The name Cwmwl Tystion is derived from a poem by the great Welsh poet Waldo Williams, while the themes for each movement of the Riot Suite are drawn from various events in Welsh history. Deeply inspired by the work of Wadada Leo Smith, Matana Roberts and Don Cherry, issues of race and Welsh identity are also explored in the music.
The band originally toured Wales in late 2021 to great success, recording a live album in the process, which will be released to coincide with this performance in October 2023.