So who's been going round saying that there's no decent gigs on in town during the summer? We've got two words for you, youth: 'Bull' and 'Shit'.

The Golden Fleece - that pub of gargantuan renown on Mansfield Road that also hosts the LeftLion Pub Quiz on Wednesday nights - has pulled off a coup the likes of which haven't been seen since Emperor Bokassa, Idi Amin and Papa Doc were knocking about.

The Souljazz Orchestra, the Quebecois champions of Afrofunk, are jetting in directly from a rare European tour for a one-off gig in Notts. And - here's the really amazing bit - it's as free as Nelson Mandela himself. And it happens this very Thursday...
 

A six-handed machine of fluid funk, The Souljazz orchestra are a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-gender band that draw deep from the well of Afrobeat - the exquisitely earthy take on old-school funk pioneered in the late 60s by Fela Kuti.

Formed in 2002, The Souljazz Orchestra have been ripping up North America and beyond with endless gigging and recording. Their last LP, 2006's Freedom No Go Die, was rapturously recieved by Jazzbos and decks maniacs alike for its "firing horns, funky keyboards and polyrhythmic beats to rock dance floors" (Straight No Chaser) and "a sound as tight as the power fists that adorn the cover" (Exclaim). No less a figure than 1FM's Gilles Peterson pegged opening track Mista President as one of his top ten tracks of the year.

Jetting in directly from Copenhagen the night before, the Fleece gig will be the first in a list of venues in the UK to be blessed by the infectious, highly politicised rhythms of the Souljazz Orchestra - but if you see 'em elsewhere, expect to pony up at least a tenner. This gig will cost you nowt, nuttin', and nuppence.

The Souljazz Orchestra, The Golden Fleece, Mansfield Road, Thursday 27 July, 8.30pm. Free entry.

The Souljazz Orchestra website
The Souljazz Orchestra MySpace
Golden Fleece MySpace

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