Film Night: ‘Nosferatu’ w/ José Dias Quartet
Guitarist and music for film expert José Dias provides a spine-tingling prelude to NQ Jazz’s series of ‘seminal sci-fi’ film nights at The Yard — performing an improvised soundtrack to the silent-era horror classic Nosferatu alongside his quartet: featuring the celebrated improvising musician Adam Fairhall, bassist Paul Baxter, and drummer Johnny Hunter.
Subtitled A Symphony of Horror, the 1922 expressionist horror was directed by F. W. Murnau, and starred Max Schreck as Count Orlok, the frightful vampire protagonist. The film ranked 21st in Empire magazine's ‘The 100 Best Films of World Cinema’ when compiled in 2010. One of the earliest films to be considered a ‘cult classic’, Dias and company were initially slated to perform an improvised soundtrack for the film as part of NQ Jazz’s programme for the 2020 Manchester Jazz Festival.
José Dias is Senior Lecturer in Music at Manchester Metropolitan University, a musician, compositor, and expert in music for film. His albums have been widely acclaimed and his solo album, After Silence, Vol.1 (Clean Feed 2019), was described as ‘an introspective masterpiece’ by All About Jazz, as well as being listed as one of the essential Portuguese jazz albums of the new century by Improvisando. As a composer, he has scored music for theatre, contemporary dance and animation film. His music is strongly inspired by the visual arts and literature.
José Dias // guitar
Adam Fairhall // piano, accordion
Paul Baxter // double bass
Johnny Hunter // drums
Venue information:
The Yard, 11 Bent Street, Manchester, M8 8NF.
