Music event

RVJB Festival Present corto.alto

Saturday 4 May 2024

Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues are thrilled to welcome one of the newest, brightest, and most exciting acts currently taking the UK jazz scene by storm, to headline this year’s Saturday programme.

corto.alto is the brainchild of award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer & producer Liam Shortall. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, this genre-defying producer brings together influences from Hip-Hop, Broken Beat, Electronica, Dub and Punk with an informed Jazz sensibility.

Liam cut his teeth playing trombone in Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and making beats in his bedroom.

In their debut album, “Bad With Names”, corto.alto weave together a tapestry of musical genres, seamlessly blending intuitive improvisation with intricate electronic production. The result is a mesmerising fusion that challenges the very boundaries of contemporary jazz, appealing to cross-genre audiences including electronica, Nu-Jazz and beyond.

Championed by Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum, BBC 6 Music and Jazzwise the summer of 2023 saw corto.alto play Glastonbury, Love Supreme and Barcelona’s Jamboree Jazz Club, followed by a sold-out UK tour to promote the album, including packed London Jazz Cafe and Glasgow QMU.

corto.alto is standing tall, holding the torch for Glasgow and ready to rip up the rulebook in the process.

Liam has been making music in Glasgow for ten years. The corto.alto collective of musician friends that has developed includes some of the UK’s finest young players.

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Festival Freedom Passes

If you are considering buying tickets for this event you might want to consider purchasing a Festival Freedom Pass which gives you VIP access to all the Headline and ticketed events across the four festival days.

Pay what you can

We recognise that money can be a barrier to access quality live music. Thanks to the support of the Arts Council England there is a limited supply of advance tickets available on a “pay what you can” basis.

Please send an email to [email protected] for further information. Tickets will be made available on a first come first served basis.

Liam Shortall : various instruments x electronics
Graham Costello : Drums x SPD
Mateusz Sobieski : Alto sax
Fergus Mcreadie : Keys
Harry Weir : Tenor sax
James Mckay: Guitar
Luca Pisano : bass

Watch corto.alto – Slope (Official Visualiser)