Went to see corto.alto in Manchester last night (Yes, pink room). These lads from Glasgow (currently playing with pianist Fergus McCreadie) have taken the British jazz scene by storm somewhat, getting themselves a Mercury Prize nominee in 2024 despite relative obscurity. They brought brilliant energy and fantastic skill to the stage, playing a wide range of instruments and the drummer (percussionist really) had one of the best set ups i can recall seeing. Their style, actually corto.alto is the pseudonym for the band leader, is a a bit of a twist of jazz, free jazz, dub, hip hop, break beat, afro beat and other bits. A real melange and very good to get your feet moving.
All in all, they played with smiles and laughs and looked like they were really into it, which was great to see. well done those lads 4/5.