Guitar Workshop with Ian Cooper, afternoon event at The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon.BMJ Collective with guest Gareth Williams at Black Mountain Jazz, Melville Centre for the Arts, Abergavenny.Bruno Heinen’s The W / Ruth Goller / Zoot Moir at The Live Room, 93 Feet East, Brick Lane, London.Bruno Heinen’s The W feat. Maria Chiara Argirò ‘Mikrokosmos’ album launch at The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston, London.Callum Au Big Band “Sing Seven Seas” album launch at Hall One,Kings Place, London.Louise Balkwill Quintet, “Chatterbox” album launch at Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club, Kennington, London.Bugge Wesseltoft / Mark Wastell Duo at The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston, London.Kjetil Mulelid Trio at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.Nishla Smith, album launch event at Upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s, Soho, London.Tessa Souter & Friends, “The Erik Satie Project” at Joe’s Pub, New York City, USA.Unpredictable Series -Mandhira de Saram & Blanca Regina, Cheslav Singh & Martí Guillem, Varm & Correia w/ Pierre Bouvier Patron - at Cafe Oto, Dlaston, London.The Blockheads + Special Guest Gabi Garbutt at 229, London.The Hot Jazz Vagabonds “All Aboard the Jazz Express!” at Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club, Kennington, London.Renall Shaw’s “Remember Us Tomorrow” at Kings Place, London.Renell Shaw’s “The Windrush Suite & Echo in the Bones” at Hall One, Kings Place, London.Gareth Williams & Dave Green Duo, “Tribute to Bill Evans & Scott la Faro”, Simon Radford Memorial Concert at Cheltenham Jazz Club, The Victory Club Ballroom Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham.Eddie Gripper Trio at Cheltenham Jazz Club, The Victory Club Ballroom Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham.Martin Pyne Trio: Small Blue, afternoon event at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Ludlow, Shropshire. (Part of Ludlow Piano Festival).Alex Hitchcock Quartet at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.V6 Organ Trio at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.Jorge Drexler at The Roundhouse, Camden, London.John Scofield Long Days Quartet at Union Chapel, Islington, London.Jon Lloyd Quartet at PPianissimo Club, Bristol Music Club, Bristol.NTBM (Not-To-Be-Missed) + more TBA at Jazz In The Round, The Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone, London.Philip Clouts World Jazz Quartet at Corn Exchange Jazz Club, The Corn Exchange, Ross-0n-Wye, Herefordshire.Travelling Riverside Blues Show with Remi Harris & Roger Keenan at The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.Josephine Davies Satori Quartet at Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.Aaron Liddard Trio, ‘Back From the Tarmac Tour’ at The Continental, Preston, Lancashire.Tomorrow’s New Quartet at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.Mark Lockheart’s Shapeshifter Trio At Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.Tomorrow’s New Quartet at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.Elles Bailey at The Subscription Rooms, Stroud, Glos.Thamesmead Festival at Southmere Lake, Binsey Walk, London SE2.Bill Frisell & Eyvind Kang Duo at Cadogan Hall, London.Jasmine Myra at EartH Theatre, Hackney, London.Gareth Williams Power Trio at Swansea Jazz Club, The Observatory, Swansea.Alan Barnes ‘Salute to the Clarinet Greats’ at Swansea Jazz Club, The Swigg, Swansea Marina, Swansea.Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio at Derby Jazz, Chapel Street Arts, Derby.Oobleck at Derby Jazz, TheCUBE at Chapel Street Arts Centre, Derby.Tony Kofi/ Denys Baptiste Quintet at Guildford Jazz, The Guildford Pavilion, Guildford, Surrey.Marianne Windham Trio, afternoon at Guildford Jazz, The Guildford Institute, Guildford, Surrey.Derek Nash Quartet at Guildford Jazz, Guildford Pavilion, Guildford, Surrey.Jack J Hutchinson at Mid Wales Rhythm & Blues Club, The Muse, Brecon.Mid Wales Rhythm & Blues Club, 12th Anniversary Gathering feat. Jon Amor Trio a.o. at The Muse, Brecon.Neil Cowley Trio ‘Built on Bach’ at Firth Hall, University of Sheffield, Sheffield.EFG London Jazz Festival 2026, various venues, London.Bhajan Bhoy at Weirdshire, De Koffie Pot, Hereford.Robin Nolan Trio & guest Xenia Porteous, A Jazz Tribute to George Harrison at Brecon Jazz Club, The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon.Dylan Henner + Ibuken Sunday at Sy ; Gigs, Unitarian Church, Shrewsbury.Battersea Jazz Festival, various venues, Battersea, London.Stevie Wonder’s 76th Birthday Party feat. The Wonder Band at Koko, London.Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival 2026, various venues, Edinburgh. Ben Crosland’s Threeway plus Rob Luft, Jazz Coventry, The Albany Club, Coventry.Ballydehob Jazz Festival, various venues, Ballydehob, West Cork, Republic of Ireland.Mornington Lockett Quartet at Swansea Jazz Club, The Grand Theatre, Swansea.54th Annual Stanford Jazz Festival, various venues, Stanford University Campus, Stanford, California, USA.Africa Oyé Festival 2026, Sefton Park, Liverpool.Haiku Salut + Osgled + Matt Sewell at Sy : Gigs, The Darwin Room, Shrewsbury Library, Shrewsbury.Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2026 at Glynde Place, East Sussex.Olivia Murphy Jazz Orchestra at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.42nd Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival, various venues, Birmingham and West Midlands.Stacey Kent at Cadogan Hall, London.Katie Melua + Jed Holland at Union Chapel, Islington, London.Gaz Hughes Trio at Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.Alex Hitchcock Quartet at Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.Pete Roth Trio at Guildford Jazz, The University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey.Nils Kavanagh Trio at Black Mountain Jazz, Melville Centre for the Arts, Abergavenny.Shirly Smart Trio at Divinity School Lecture Theatre, St.John’s College, Theatre, Cambridge.Pete Oxley’s Time is of the Essence, lunchtime event at Harborough Jazz Club, The Three Swans Hotel, Market Harborough, Leicestershire.Dean Stockdale Quartet, lunchtime event at Harborough Jazz Club, The Three Swans Hotel, Market Harborough, Leicestershire.Norman Connors & The Starship Orchestra with Meli’sa Morgan & Bobby Lyle at Cadogan Hall, London.Tommy Scott Trio at Cheltenham Jazz Club, The Irving Studio, The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, Glos.The Jon Lloyd Quartet at Cheltenham Jazz Club, The Irving Studio, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham.King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys - 40th Anniversary Special at The Regal, Tenbury Wells, Worcs.China Moses at The Jazz Cafe, Camden, London.midori jaeger at St. Pancras Old Church, London.Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2026, various venues, Cheltenham, Glos.Poppy Daniels at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.manchester jazz festival (mjf2026), various venues, Greater Manchester.Deborah Rose at Breda Viva La Vie, Roeselare, Belgium.Deborah Rose at Credenhill Church, Credenhill, Herefordshire (part of the Traherne Festival).Aleph Aguiar “Sugar on my Blackbeans” Album Launch at PizzaExpress Live, The Pheasantry, Chelsea, London.Julian Lage ft. John Medeski, Jorge Roeder and Kenny Wollesen at Royal Festival Hall, London.Ludlow Piano Festival 2026, various venues, Ludlow, Shropshire.Al Di Meola at Barbican Hall, Barbican Centre, London.2026 Swansea International Jazz Festival, various venues, Swansea.‘Dave Jones’ Stratospheric’ and ‘Chube’ at The Drill Hall, Chepstow.Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Ludlow, Shropshire.Branco Stoysin, ‘Recital for Nikola Tesla’ at Sarah Thorne Theatre, Fordoun Road, Broadstairs, Kent.Pat Metheny Side Eye III at The Barbican Centre, London.Joe Masterson Trio at The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Matt Skelton presents The Blackhawk Quintet: Celebrating Shelly Manne at Jazz at Progress, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire.Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita Suba Trio at Union Chapel, Islington, London.Makaya McCraven at Union Chapel, Islington, London.The Herbaliser Band, official album launch at 229, London.Branco Stoysin: Recital for Nikola Tesla at The Stables, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, Bucks.Buxton International Jazz Festival, various venues, Buxton, Derbyshire.2026 Gilmore International Piano Festival, various venues, Southwest Michigan, USA.Abel Selaocoe’s Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory Weekend at Barbican Centre / Milton Court Concert Hall, London.Yetii at Kidderminster Jazz Club, St. Ambrose Parish Centre, Kidderminster, Worcs. | Gigs & Events

Guitar Workshop with Ian Cooper, afternoon event at The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon.

Date: Sunday, April 26, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

With funding from Brecon Jazz CIO:-
GUITAR WORKSHOP THIS SUNDAY
Sun 26 April 2-4pm MUSE
Tutor IAN COOPER - only £10
Play Jazz Together: Easy Tunes
https://www.ticketsource.com/brecon-jazz-school/t-gllkdoo

Guitar Workshop
Muse Arts Centre, Brecon, LD3 7PF
Sunday 26th April 2026 2:00PM

GUITAR WORKSHOP - Sunday 26 April 2-4pm Muse Brecon
With musician/tutor - Ian Cooper. An opportunity to learn and play together in ensemble, to begin or develop improvisation skills (for those who want to do so) and enjoy playing some great jazz tunes.
All sessions £10; events will be kept to a small group size.
The project builds on the workshops organised & funded by Brecon Jazz Club in 2024-25 and is now made possible with support of the Brecon Jazz CIO/Charity.
Additional dates are: 17 May, 28 June, 19 July - 4 sessions in all, £10 per event on Sundays 2-4pm in Brecon, at the Muse.

Event Details
From 2:00PM to 4:00PM

Location
Muse Arts Centre, Glamorgan Street, Brecon, LD3 7PF.

BMJ Collective with guest Gareth Williams at Black Mountain Jazz, Melville Centre for the Arts, Abergavenny.

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026

More details

From;
https://www.facebook.com/events/1292059612420087

http://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk
TICKETS ON SALE SOON
The BMJazz Collective is delighted to welcome special guest Gareth Williams to Black Mountain Jazz Club for an evening of dynamic, contemporary jazz.
Winner of the British Jazz Awards, Williams is one of the UK’s most compelling pianists, renowned for his expressive intensity and creative flair. His career has seen him collaborate with leading international artists including Joe Lovano, Jerry Bergonzi and Claire Martin.
Drawing on influences from jazz, classical music and Welsh folk traditions, Williams brings a deeply emotional and genre-fluid approach to his playing. Together with the BMJazz Collective’s vibrant, collaborative sound, this promises an evening of inspired improvisation and outstanding musicianship.
Don’t miss this chance to hear world-class jazz in the intimate surroundings of Black Mountain Jazz Club.

Melville Centre, Pen-y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UD.

Bruno Heinen’s The W / Ruth Goller / Zoot Moir at The Live Room, 93 Feet East, Brick Lane, London.

Date: Friday, June 12, 2026

Featuring: Bruno Heinen

More details

From;
https://www.93feeteast.co.uk/?post_type=one50&p=8922

Fri 12 Jun 7:30 PM - 1:30 AM
Bruno Heinen’s The W / Ruth Goller / ZOOT MOiR
Live Room

Described by the Guardian as eclectic, eccentric and unobtrusively erudite, Bruno Heinen’s contemporary chamber jazz collective The W launch their new record Mikrokosmos featuring Heidi Vogel (Cinematic Orchestra), Andrea Di Biase (Kenny Wheeler) and Gene Calderazzo (Radiohead, Pharaoh Sanders).
Top class…Super project – Gilles Peterson

Tonight’s gig opens with a solo set from Ruth Goller (Alabaster De Plume, Acoustic Ladyland) – electric bass and vocals with effects and soundscapes, mixed with tunes from her recent records Skylla and Skyllumina embedded in thundering bass improvisations.
Goller unravels an intimacy so deep it feels almost blasphemous to be privy to its wonders. – ECM Reviews

DJ ZOOT MOiR – Rare grooves

18+ Accessible Access

Buy Tickets
https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/London/93-Feet-East/The-W-feat-Maria-Chiara-Argir—Ruth-Goller—ZOOT-MOiR/42260077/

https://www.brunoheinen.com/

https://www.instagram.com/brunoheinenpiano

93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane
London, E1 6QL

Bruno Heinen’s The W feat. Maria Chiara Argirò ‘Mikrokosmos’ album launch at The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston, London.

Date: Friday, May 08, 2026

Featuring: Bruno Heinen

Venue

The Vortex Jazz Club

11 Gillett Square,
London N16 8AZ

More details

From;
https://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/event/bruno-heinens-the-w-ft-maria-chiara-argiro-mikrokosmos-album-launch/

Album Launch
Bruno Heinen’s The W ft. Maria Chiara Argirò – Mikrokosmos Album Launch
Fri 08 May 2026, 7.45PM
Standard £17.50 / Vortex Members £15 / Students & UC beneficiaries £12.50
Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM – 2 sets of music

Line-up:
Bruno Heinen – Piano
Heidi Vogel – Voice
Andrea Di Biase – Double bass
Gene Calderazzo – Drum kit
Maria Chiara Argirò – Piano

About:

Drawing on twentieth century classical compositions, as well as the jazz tradition, Dr. Bruno Heinen is a German-born, London-based pianist and professor of jazz piano and composition at Trinity Laban conservatoire. Coming from three generations of classical musicians, Bruno started playing piano at the age of four. His compositional voice has been informed by his love of composers from Duke Ellington to Béla Bártok and from Wayne Shorter to György Ligeti.

His work has been described by the Guardian as eclectic, eccentric and unobtrusively erudite, following on from his studies with John Taylor, Fred Hersch, György Kurtág, Sir Simon Rattle, and his doctoral investigation of improvised counterpoint.

His quartet, The W is a newly established contemporary jazz group. As vocalist for the Cinematic Orchestra for over 15 years and the go-to vocalist for acts such as Thundercat and Soweto Kinch, Heidi Vogel has long been a critics choice for her extraordinary voice and velvet tone. On drums is London-based New Yorker Gene Calderazzo, a leading figure on the international jazz scene whose vast portfolio includes work with Pharoah Sanders, Radiohead and Freddie Hubbard to name a few. On double bass is Italian Andrea Di Biase who has performed with many leading figures such as Norma Winstone and Kenny Wheeler. Like the four equal lines that make up the letter ‘W’, the four members of the group come together as one to create a perfectly balanced and compelling new sound. They are a band in the true sense of the word. They meet regularly, learning the music by heart and shaping Bruno’s distinctive compositions together.

Tonight they will be launching the new album inspired by Hungarian composer and pianist Béla Bartók’s Mikrokosmos, which Bruno studied as a child. Bartok composed these books of short pieces as an educational tool to teach his own son at the piano. In this album, Bruno uses cells and ideas taken from book 6 of Bartók’s work, as well as lyrics in the form of quotes from Bartók himself, to create a new suite.

The album has been produced by acclaimed jazz/electronica artist Maria Chiara Argirò, with whom Bruno has also been working for many years in their two-piano project and who will feature as special guest for this concert.

Callum Au Big Band “Sing Seven Seas” album launch at Hall One,Kings Place, London.

Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026

More details

From;
https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/jazz/callum-au-big-band/

Callum Au Big Band
Sing Seven Seas – album launch

Callum Au and his all-star big band mark the launch of his new album ‘Sing Seven Seas’; a blazing two-volume celebration of orchestral jazz and all the musicians who work at the beating heart of the UK’s incredible music industry.
Callum’s dual career as composer/arranger and trombonist has seen him make music both at the helm of and alongside many of the country’s finest musicians.

Sing Seven Seas is the culmination of these long-standing musical relationships, pushing world-class musicians to their technical and expressive limits with 14 brand new pieces for jazz orchestra that crackle with Callum’s signature directness and flair for melody.

With a host of incredible soloists (and a few surprising instruments!), this promises to be an unmissable evening!

This event will last approximately 2 hours, including an interval.

Date: Sat 30 May
Start time: 7.30pm (Doors: 7pm)
Venue: Hall One
Price: £25-£40
https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/book-tickets/4663/

Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG

Louise Balkwill Quintet, “Chatterbox” album launch at Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club, Kennington, London.

Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Album Launch Performance
Chatterbox Live
This Saturday 25th April
7PM & 9:30PM

Award-winning vocalist Louise Balkwill brings her acclaimed new album to life in a special quintet performance.

Step into an evening of elegance, storytelling and irresistible swing as Louise Balkwill presents Chatterbox — a vibrant new release already making waves across the UK jazz scene.

Blending classic swing, original compositions and masterfully crafted vocalese, the album has been praised as “Unashamedly melodic, swinging and good-humoured” and hailed as “A top contender for Vocal Album of the Year.”

From cinematic ballads to effervescent up-tempo moments, expect rich storytelling, lush melodies and a band deeply connected to the tradition.

Event Details
Show: Louise Balkwill Quintet – Chatterbox
Date: Saturday 25th April
Times: 7:00PM & 9:30PM
Featuring: Jonathan Bauer (trumpet), Rob Barron (piano), Theo Malka-Wishart (bass), Joshua Walker-Martin (drums)
Venue: Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club, London SE11

Tickets;
https://toulouselautrec.co.uk/etn/louise-balkwill-quintet-presents-chatterbox

An evening of style, swing and storytelling — not to be missed.
The Toulouse Lautrec Team

Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club
140 Newington Butts, London SE11 4RN

Bugge Wesseltoft / Mark Wastell Duo at The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston, London.

Date: Thursday, May 07, 2026

Venue

The Vortex Jazz Club

11 Gillett Square,
London N16 8AZ

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

BUGGE WESSELTOFT / MARK WASTELL Vortex Jazz Club, Gillett Square, London, 7 May 2026, Doors 7.45pm, £20/£17.50/£15

World renowned, Norwegian piano maestro, Bugge Wesseltoft, makes his Vortex debut in the company of celebrated British improvising percussionist, Mark Wastell.

BUGGE WESSELTOFT
Since the early 1990´s Bugge Wesseltoft has made an impressive, truly post-modern transition from his ECM nordic jazz roots. Playing and recording together with the likes of Jan Garbarek, Sidsel Endresen, Terje Rypdal, Nils Petter Molvaer, Jon Eberson, to forming his own innovative New Conception Of Jazz group. Equally at home with solo or group playing, his most recent formation is a trio with bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Gard Nilssen.

MARK WASTELL
Mark Wastell’s varied resume reflects his diverse interests, working with luminary’s like Derek Bailey, John Zorn, Tony Conrad, David Sylvian, Maggie Nicols and Mats Gustaffson. Over the years, Mark has also developed a close connection to the Norwegian scene, which includes projects with Lasse Marhaug, Arild Andersen, Jan Bang, Erik Honoré, Michael Francis Duch and Ståle Liavik Solberg.

30th ANNIVERSARY for JAZZLAND RECORDS and CONFRONT RECORDINGS
This year marks the 30th anniversary of record labels run by each of tonights performers. Bugge’s Jazzland Records and Mark’s Confront Recordings both launched in 1996 and for three decades have released literally hundreds of boundary pushing and genre defying albums.
And what better way to celebrate, than to present this world premiere performance from these tireless curators, working together for the very first time.
https://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/event/bugge-wesseltoft-mark-wastell

http://www.jazzlandrec.com

http://www.confrontrecordings.bandcamp.com

http://www.confrontrecordings.com

Kjetil Mulelid Trio at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Featuring: Kjetil Mulelid Trio

Venue

Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London

Pizza Express Jazz Club,
Dean Street,
Soho,
London,
W1D 3RW.

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

KJETIL MULELID TRIO play London. 29th April, 8pm, Pizza Express, Dean Street, LONDON

The Kjetil Mulelid Trio has established itself as one of Europe’s most exciting modern piano trios. The trio is recognized for its distinctive Nordic sound and exceptional musicianship. Their music blends lyrical melodies with rhythmic complexity, rich harmonies, and an unhurried yet deeply engaging atmosphere. Featuring pianist Kjetil Mulelid alongside bassist Rune Nergaard and drummer Andreas Winther, the trio delivers concerts marked by strong interplay, dynamic improvisation, and emotional depth. This is a rare opportunity to experience a critically acclaimed jazz trio that continues to captivate audiences across Europe.

https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/kjetil-mulelid-trio

https://mulelid.bandcamp.com

Nishla Smith, album launch event at Upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s, Soho, London.

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026

Featuring: Nishla Smith

Venue

Ronnie Scott’s, London

47 Frith Street
Soho, London
W1D 4HT

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Date: Thursday April 23rd, 2026
Venue: Upstairs at Ronnies Scotts
Address: 47 Frith Street, Soho, London, W1D 4HT
Doors open: 17:00
Show starts: 18:20
Finishes: 19:40
https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/nishla-smith-2

Nishla Smith will be launching her new album in concert “it’s getting late, you’d better go home” and will be joined on stage with Tom Harris on piano, Josh Vadiveloo on bass, Kai Chareunsy on drums and Aaron Wood on trumpet.

Tessa Souter & Friends, “The Erik Satie Project” at Joe’s Pub, New York City, USA.

Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Vocalist Tessa Souter Performs at Joe’s Pub in NYC on Sunday, May 17 in Support of her Latest Release, “Shadows & Silence: The Erik Satie Project”

Vocalist Tessa Souter Celebrates Erik Satie’s 160th Birthday with a Special Performance of Her Critically-Acclaimed Album, Shadows and Silence: The Erik Satie Project

Featuring Luis Perdomo (piano), Boris Kozlov (bass), Billy Drummond (drums), Steve Wilson (soprano sax) and Pascal Borderies (spoken word)

Joe’s Pub, NYC
Sunday, May 17
6:00PM
Tickets Available Here
https://publictheater.org/performances-jp/2026/t/tessa-souter-and-friends/

“Moving, engaging, and highly emotional ... this is something I actually want to listen to.” — Will Friedwald, New York Sun

“Outstanding…marks her out once again as a risk-taker who bends material to make it entirely her own.” — Jazzwise Magazine (★★★★ 4 stars)

“Souter’s voice works naturally within this milieu, her butterscotch timbres gliding smoothly from track to track.” — Downbeat (★★★★ 4 stars)

Joe’s Pub hosts a rare New York celebration of the 160th birthday of eccentric French composer Erik Satie, led by New York Times critics’ pick Anglo-Trinidadian jazz vocalist Tessa Souter. The evening features music from her internationally acclaimed album Shadows and Silence: The Erik Satie Project (2025, Noanara), which brings Satie’s haunting Gnossiennes and Gymnopédies vividly into the present through Souter’s original lyrics and bold new jazz arrangements by GRAMMY-winning pianist Luis Perdomo.

Praised for her “butterscotch timbres” (★★★★ DownBeat), evocative lyricism, and fearless genre-crossing vision, Souter has created an album hailed as “a work of true brilliance” (UK Jazz News), “a masterpiece” (★★★★★ Audio Stereoplay), and “outstanding” (★★★★ Jazzwise). A renowned live performer, “rarely does a vocalist dare to embody a lyric with as much depth and rawness as Souter.” (UK Jazz News) Reviewing the album’s Joe’s Pub release show last July, seven-time GRAMMY-nominated critic and author Will Friedwald wrote: “Like the late Abbey Lincoln, Souter’s wordsmithery concerns big, even existential topics, such as the nature of beauty and the essence of existence… Moving, engaging, and highly emotional… this is something I actually want to listen to.”

Tessa Souter is a recipient of a 2025 grant from Chamber Music America’s Artistic Projects program, funded through the generosity of the Howard Gilman Foundation.

Tessa Souter · Shadows & Silence: The Erik Satie Project
NOANARA MUSIC · Release Date: June 27, 2025

For more information on Tessa Souter, please visit:
http://www.tessasouter.com

Unpredictable Series -Mandhira de Saram & Blanca Regina, Cheslav Singh & Martí Guillem, Varm & Correia w/ Pierre Bouvier Patron - at Cafe Oto, Dlaston, London.

Date: Monday, April 27, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Unpredictable Series presents at CAFE OTO

Monday 27 April 2026
Doors 7.30PM CAFE OTO

Mandhira de Saram & Blanca Regina
Cheslav Singh & Martí Guillem
Varm & Correia w/ Pierre Bouvier Patron

Step into the Unpredictable Series for a night where boundaries blur between electronics, electroacoustic music and visuals. Experience the UK debut of Hiiumaa, the latest creation from Estonian duo Varm & Correia, and witness the innovative partnership of Martí Guillem and Cheslav Singh, trailblazers in experimental sound from Spain and beyond. The evening also spotlights Mandhira de Saram and Blanca Regina, as De Saram pushes the limits of electronics and violin, brought to life by Regina’s captivating visuals. Their set will flow seamlessly into a spontaneous audiovisual improvisation, during which Blanca will introduce vocals, objects and sound synthesis. To top it off, Pierre Bouvier Patron joins forces with Varm & Correia, weaving their artistic visions together for a fresh take on audiovisual performance.

Set times
8 pm - Marti Guillem & Cheslav Singh – electronics and prepared piano
9 pm - Mandhira de Saram & Blanca Regina (AV) - electronics, violin & vocals, visuals
10 pm - Varm & Correia + Pierre Bouvier Patron on visuals (AV) - electronics & visuals

Ticket Price
£14 £12 Advance £10 MEMBERS
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/unpredictable-series-april-26/

Cafe OTO
18–22 Ashwin street
Dalston
London
E8 3DL

The Blockheads + Special Guest Gabi Garbutt at 229, London.

Date: Friday, May 15, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

THE BLOCKHEADS - Exclusive London concert.

Formed in 1977 to promote Ian Durys’ album New Boots and Panties on the first Stiff Records tour of the U.K. - Chaz Jankel, Norman Watt-Roy, Charlie Charles, John Turnbull and Micky Gallagher - became known as The Blockheads.

As Ian Dury & The Blockheads they went back out on tour, and in 1978 released What a Waste a single that reached #5 in the U.K. charts. They were then joined by saxophonist Davey Payne and toured the U.S.A supporting Lou Reed.

In 1979 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick (#1 in the UK charts) and Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3 (#3 in the UK charts) were released along with the classic Do It Yourself LP.

Ian Dury & The Blockheads disbanded in 1982 only to reform in the early 1990’s to perform at the ‘Madstock’ Festival in Finsbury Park headlined by Madness.

Tickets;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-blockheads/229/3433486

229, London.
229 Great Portland Street
London W1W 5PN

The Hot Jazz Vagabonds “All Aboard the Jazz Express!” at Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club, Kennington, London.

Date: Saturday, May 09, 2026

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

London preview before Edinburgh: All Aboard the Jazz Express! (jazz, comedy & mystery)

All Aboard the Jazz Express!
A High-Spirited Jazz Adventure from Paris to Istanbul
The Hot Jazz Vagabonds premiere a glamorous, mystery-infused cabaret aboard Europe’s most stylish train

London’s acclaimed ensemble The Hot Jazz Vagabonds return with a brand-new cabaret, All Aboard the Jazz Express!, debuting on Saturday 9 May at Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club before heading to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026 and touring to theatre venues in the autumn.

Step aboard the dining car of the world’s most glamorous train, where The Hot Jazz Vagabonds transform the stage into a whirlwind of hot 1930s swing, smoky chanson and post-war jazz — underscored by a playful, Hercule Poirot–style hint of mystery.

As the train pauses at glittering stations along its legendary route, a cast of intriguing characters emerges, each bringing their own musical flavour — and a few surprises — to the journey. Blending cabaret, storytelling and live music, the show delivers a richly atmospheric, fast-moving ride through a Europe alive with rhythm, intrigue and mischief.

Starring singer and actress Airlie Scott, the production features The Hot Jazz Vagabonds: Dave Ahmed and Andy Ruiz Palma (guitars), Alan Gibson (double bass) and Pete Watson (accordion). Together, they bring virtuosic musicianship and theatrical flair to a seamless blend of 1930s jazz, European song and swinging post-war sounds.

The production follows the success of the five-star Edinburgh Fringe hit Paris in a Jazz Age – The Memoirs of Eloise DeFleur, widely praised for its evocative storytelling and musical charm. In a ★★★★★ review, Get Your Coats On described it as:
“a triumphal blend of music, theatre, comedy, and romance”
and noted:
“Scott’s audience interactions are lively and elegant, her voice strong yet supple… The band are simply magnifique. Not a note out of place, not a beat missed, every swing a sensation.”

With All Aboard the Jazz Express!, the company expands its signature style into a bold new setting—swapping a Parisian café for an Orient Express–style dining car, and weaving together continental influences with a light-touch sense of humour, mystery and fun.

Set within the intimate, immersive cabaret-style surroundings of Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club, the show offers London audiences a rare opportunity to experience this new production up close before it travels north.

Rich in atmosphere, storytelling and irresistible rhythm, All Aboard the Jazz Express! is a high-spirited musical adventure—perfect for jazz lovers, theatre-goers and curious travellers alike.

Following its London preview on 9 May, the production will travel to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, alongside the return of Paris in a Jazz Age – The Memoirs of Eloise DeFleur.

LISTINGS INFORMATION
Title: All Aboard the Jazz Express!
Company: The Hot Jazz Vagabonds
Date: Saturday 9 May 2026
Times: 7:00pm & 9:30pm (1 hour)
Venue: Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club
Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Summer 2026

The Hot Jazz Vagabonds are a London-based ensemble specialising in vintage jazz, chanson, swing and theatrical performance.
Led by Airlie Scott, the company blends live music with storytelling and immersive cabaret.
Their previous show, Paris in a Jazz Age – The Memoirs of Eloise DeFleur, received five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe and continues to tour.

http://www.instagram.com/hotjazzvagabonds

http://www.facebook.com/TheHotJazzVagabonds

http://www.x.com/hotjazzvagabond

http://www.prontojazz.com

Renall Shaw’s “Remember Us Tomorrow” at Kings Place, London.

Date: Friday, October 09, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Fri 9 Oct | Hall One 7.30pm
REMEMBER US TOMORROW
The world premiere of this newly commissioned third and final chapter of his acclaimed work The Windrush Suite. With Remember Us Tomorrow, Renell Shaw turns towards the future. This powerful new work asks what it means to be of Afro-Caribbean heritage after three generations in Britain, raising a fourth generation
in a world that is both hyper-connected and deeply divided.
Ticket Prices: £20 – £25
Booking Link: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/jazz/renell-shaw-remember-us-tomorrow/
Further information to be announced.

About Renell Shaw
Renell Shaw is a composer, songwriter, producer, and performer building a distinctive creative world through music, story, and live experience. His work brings together theatre, contemporary composition, songcraft, and performance in ways that feel cinematic, immersive, and emotionally direct. Rather than treating these disciplines as separate lanes, he uses them as part of one larger artistic language, creating work that moves people, deepens perspective, and leaves a lasting impression.
An Ivor Novello Award winning composer and platinum selling songwriter, Renell works across stage, studio, and collaboration with a voice that is culturally grounded and forward facing. His credits include The Windrush Suite, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons of the Caribbean, Othello and The Crucible at Shakespeare’s Globe, and Is God Is at the Royal Court. He has also written and collaborated with artists including Rudimental, Anne-Marie, Nile Rodgers, Emeli Sandé, and Nitin Sawhney. Alongside this, he is one half of 2fox, a project rooted in soulful house, live musicianship, and contemporary Black British sound, which has built an audience of over 30 million streams and more than 250,000 monthly listeners.

About Kings Place
Kings Place is an adventurous music and arts venue with an ambition to inspire local community and promote the power of the arts in our society. Its venues enable learning, discovery, debate and experiences that are powerfully intimate, enabling human connection between artists and audiences.
The dedicated and supportive team programmes a series of festivals and events, developing cross-arts collaborations and artistic relationships that deliver unforgettable live experiences.
The award-winning concert series, Unwrapped, is its flagship programme, exploring big ideas and overarching themes across the year. Kings Place is also the UK’s home of live podcasting as creators and hosts of the London Podcast Festival.
As a registered charity Kings Place does not receive regular public funding. Income is generated through ticket sales, donations, grants, and the staging of world-class conferences and events.

Kings Place, 90 York Way, King’s Cross, London N1 9AG

http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/

Renell Shaw’s “The Windrush Suite & Echo in the Bones” at Hall One, Kings Place, London.

Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;;

LIVE PREMIERE
RENELL SHAW
THE WINDRUSH SUITE AND ECHO IN THE BONES

THE UK’S FINEST MUSICIANS ACROSS JAZZ, CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC ASSEMBLE FOR A LANDMARK CONCERT OF CONNECTION, REFLECTION AND
CELEBRATION, HONOURING THE WINDRUSH GENERATION

KINGS PLACE, JUNE 25, 7.30PM

Live premiere of The Windrush Suite & Echo in the Bones. A multi-sensory performance of music, storytelling, visuals and recordings of the pioneering voices of the Windrush Generation.

Inspired by Ivor Novello recipient, Platinum-selling composer and songwriter Renell Shaw’s Caribbean roots.

Featuring a roll-call of 12 of the finest musicians in the UK blending Jazz, Classical and Contemporary music, led by Shaw. The ensemble includes Orphy Robinson
MBE, Cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson and legendary saxophonist Jean Toussaint.

The third and final chapter of this musical trilogy, Remember Us Tomorrow, a new Kings Place commission, premieres October 9 2026. Full line-up to be announced.

Kings Place today announces a roll call of some of the UK’s finest musicians, spanning jazz, classical, and contemporary music who will perform in Ivor Novello recipient, Platinum-selling songwriter and producer Renell Shaw’s award-winning composition The Windrush Suite and its electrifying sequel, Echo in the Bones. The extraordinary concert on June 25 marks the first ever performance with a full live ensemble of this award-winning masterpiece. Distinguished musicians directed by Shaw include multi-
instrumentalist Orphy Robinson MBE; renowned classical crossover cellist Ayanna Witter- Johnson; Rudimental trumpeter Mark Crown, Trombonist Nathaniel Cross; Charlie Laffer who plays for Maverick Sabre, on guitar; Jorga Smith bassist Mutale Chashi; Olivier-award winning composer Romarna Campbell (Sleepova) on drums, award-winning Jazz ensemble Tomorrow’s Warriors alumni Kezia Abouma on piano and not least, Grammy-award-winning and legendary tenor saxophonist Jean Toussaint.

Vocalists include the powerhouse voice of Afronaut Zu (lead singer of Afro-punk band Steam Down), OFFIE Award-winner Rochelle Rose (Best Performance in musical Black Power Desk) and the modern soulfulness of artist Nandi (on ITV’s The Voice 2018).

Shaw’s work bridges theatre, contemporary composition and artist led music. Known for combining emotional depth with a strong connection to audiences, he has collaborated with artists including Rudimental, Anne-Marie, Nile Rodgers, Emeli Sandé and Nitin Sawhney, while building a distinct compositional practice with credits including The Crucible and Othello for Shakespeare’s Globe, Is God Is for the Royal Court Theatre, and Yasuke, an original opera developed with Music Theatre Wales.
This, his year-long Artist Residency at Kings Place forms a central part of the venue’s Memory Unwrapped season which invites artists to explore the extraordinary power of music to stir innermost recollections, to preserve history and to honour the unforgettable.

The Windrush Suite pays homage not only to Shaw’s grandparents’ journey from the Caribbean to Britain telling their stories of love, pain, struggle, and triumph through a fusion of jazz, spoken word and Caribbean traditions but it is also a heartfelt tribute to all of the trailblazers who arrived in Britain in 1948 building lives, community and culture against the odds. Echo in the Bones explores what it means to be Black British through the eyes of the Windrush generation’s children - weaving music, history, and storytelling into a moving portrait of resistance, legacy, and belonging. Listen to the albums HERE;
https://open.spotify.com/album/718lGoKV7Bb9IpGXkjqVzC
https://open.spotify.com/album/6r1IaAyFAlYmM4Ts5Tbmx7

A brand-new commission titled Remember Us Tomorrow will be the closing statement to this three-part concert series. This powerful new work will premiere during Black History Month, on October 9 and importantly asks what it means to be of Afro-Caribbean heritage after three generations in Britain, raising a fourth generation in a world that is both hyper-connected and deeply divided. What stories must we protect? And how do we ensure we are remembered as tomorrow takes shape. Shaw’s most personal work to date, is both a love letter to community and a bold act of cultural preservation.

Shaw, who is of Jamaican and Dominican heritage, says:
“Staging The Windrush Suite and Echo in the Bones at Kings Place right now feels deeply significant to me because these works are about memory, inheritance and the stories that continue to shape who we are. They honour lives, histories and emotional truths that deserve to be heard in full. I hope audiences leave feeling moved, expanded and more connected to the human depth within these works. Through this journey I have learnt that my role is not just to compose, but to hold space for memory, truth and transformation through music.”

Sam McShane, Artistic Director of Kings Place adds:
“The Windrush Suite & Echo in the Bones brings together everything that makes Renell Shaw such an important artistic voice. These works honour the Windrush generation while giving powerful expression to the experiences of those who followed, weaving music, memory and storytelling into something deeply moving and contemporary. This performance sits at the heart of Renell’s residency at Kings Place, an ambitious statement of heritage, identity and creative evolution.”

Previous praise for Renell Shaw’s work and for The Windrush Suite

“A breath of fresh air. Very atmospheric.”
Jazzie B OBE

“Renell is a multi-talented producer and songwriter who has been instrumental in the making of our songs.”
Rudimental

“Deeply rooted in the tradition of his ancestry, Renell Shaw is a remarkable musician and composer, an important voice of our time.”
Ayanna Witter-Johnson

Full Line-Up;

Renell Shaw Composer, musical director, conductor and vocalist
Orphy Robinson Marimba
Ayanna Witter Johnson Cello
Romarna Campbell Drums
Charlie Laffer Guitar
Mutale Chashi Bass
Kezia Abouma Piano
Mark Crown Trumpet
Nathaniel Cross Trombone
Jean Toussaint Sax tenor
Nandi Vocalist
Afronaut Zu Vocalist
Rochelle Rose Vocalist

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Where: Kings Place, 90 York Way, King’s Cross, London, N1 9AG
Socials: Instagram and FB @kingsplacelondon @renellshaw
Thu 25 Jun | Hall One 7.30pm
THE WINDRUSH SUITE & Echo In The Bones
An evening that celebrates history, identity, and the power of music. Featuring a world-class live ensemble, intimate family recordings, and striking visuals, Renell Shaw turns memory into music, bringing the Windrush story to life with depth and soul. The second half presents Echo in the Bones, Shaw’s electrifying follow-up to The Windrush Suite.
Ticket Prices: £20 – £25
Booking Link: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/jazz/renell-shaw-the-windrush-suite-echo-in-the-bones/
Running Time: 140 mins with interval

Kings Place, 90 York Way, King’s Cross, London N1 9AG

http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/

Gareth Williams & Dave Green Duo, “Tribute to Bill Evans & Scott la Faro”, Simon Radford Memorial Concert at Cheltenham Jazz Club, The Victory Club Ballroom Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham.

Date: Monday, June 29, 2026

More details

From;
https://www.cheltenhamjazz.co.uk/

THE GARETH WILLIAMS & DAVE GREEN DUOPLAY MUSIC INSPIRED BY BILL EVANS & SCOTT LA FARO
WHEN: 8.00 pm, Monday 29 June 2026
WHERE: The Victory Club Ballroom Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham.
Tickets: CJ Members £19.00, non members £22.00

Gareth Williams and Dave Green have agreed to recreate their “Tribute to Bill Evans and Scott la Faro” of some years ago as a testimonial to Simon Radford.

Whilst you will hear very direct influence and in-depth reworking of the original stylistic devices, you will also hear the individual skills and styles of Dave and Gareth. Gareth has immersed himself in the harmony of Bill Evans for many years and Dave is a Scott La Faro disciple, so expect a thorough investigation into the sound world of Bill Evans and Scott La Faro.

Tickets available on the door or online at http://www.ticketsource.com

Eddie Gripper Trio at Cheltenham Jazz Club, The Victory Club Ballroom Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham.

Date: Monday, June 15, 2026

Featuring: Eddie Gripper

More details

From;
https://www.cheltenhamjazz.co.uk/

THE EDDIE GRIPPER TRIO
WHEN: 8.00 pm, Monday 15 June 2026
WHERE: The Victory Club Ballroom Burlington House, Lypiatt Road, Cheltenham.
Tickets: CJ Members £19.00, non members £22.00

Eddie Gripper – Piano, Clem Saynor – Bass, Patrick Barrett-Donlon – Drums.

Performing music from his second album Americana (released April 2025), Eddie Gripper tells the story of an 8,000 km hitch hiking journey from Alaska to California, completed in under two months during the summer of 2022. The music captures the vast landscapes and unforgettable moments along the way - from sleeping in the Alaskan wilderness to cycling down Santa Monica Pier - offering a vivid, hopeful, yet unflinching reflection on American life.

Tickets available on the door or online at http://www.ticketsource.com

Martin Pyne Trio: Small Blue, afternoon event at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Ludlow, Shropshire. (Part of Ludlow Piano Festival).

Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026

Featuring: Small Blue

More details

From;
https://ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk/show/lpf26-martin-pyne-trio-small-blue/

LPF26 – Martin Pyne Trio: Small Blue
After accompanying our silent films for the last two years, this time, pianist Martin returns with his jazz trio playing their own smooth and mellow compositions from their last album.
Perfect for a Sunday afternoon between the classics.

Sunday 24 May 2026 - 16:00 @ Auditorium—- LPF26 – Martin Pyne Trio: Small Blue

Alex Hitchcock Quartet at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026

Featuring: Alex Hitchcock Quartet

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/alex-hitchcock-quartet/

Alex Hitchcock Quartet
June 25 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm
£15

“Tumbling with ideas, impulsive improvisations and swinging, left-field energy” – MOJO Magazine

We are delighted to welcome Alex Hitchcock back to the Marr’s Bar for the third time on our program. He first appeared with Resolution 88 in November 2022 and, as a mentor for Dan Lockheart on the Jazz Central Mentoring Scheme, he performed with Dan’s quintet in September the following year. This time, following sold-out album launches in New York and London, he’s back with his own cutting edge quartet performing music from his new album, Letters From Afar, a sonic correspondence across emotional, geographic, and artistic distances.

Described as “leading the charge of new jazz music being created in the UK” (BBC Jazz World), “an astonishingly quick thinking virtuoso” (Jazzwise magazine) and “tumbling with ideas, impulsive improvisations and swinging, left-field energy” (MOJO Magazine), saxophonist and Ivor Novello-nominated composer Hitchcock is a leading voice on the international jazz stage. Emerging from London’s fertile jazz scene and shaped by inventive collaborations across Europe, the US, and further afield, he has built an international reputation for music that balances real-world urgency with formal and stylistic exploration.

The group’s sound draws as much from film and visual art as from music itself: shimmering bitonal harmonies that bloom and fracture; layered textures of colour, density, and rhythmic asymmetry; loops and motifs that build, collide, and dissolve. Hitchcock has carved out a distinctive space in contemporary jazz – at times intense and chaotic, at others disarmingly sparse and direct. Beneath the surface of the quartet’s notated forms lies a deep commitment to free improvisation, creating music both tightly sculpted and thrillingly fluid.

This is music for curious, open-minded listeners drawn to art at the edge of beauty and disruption. Fans of Caroline Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, or Peter Evans will find familiar terrain, though this is a group never content to stay in one place for long.

The quartet features Will Barry on piano, Freddie Jensen on bass Ananda Brandão on drums.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach
https://musicspokenhere.club/a-new-approach/

Venue
The Marr’s Bar
12 Pierpoint Street
Worcester, Worcestershire WR1 1TA

Phone
(01905) 613336

https://marrsbar.co.uk/

V6 Organ Trio at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, June 11, 2026

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/v6-organ-trio/

V6 Organ Trio
June 11 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm
£15

Hot, fiery, swingin’ and groovin’ organ trio from The Midlands.

Following his debut appearance at The Marr’s Bar with Detroitwich Funk Machine in January, Arran Shanghavi returns on Hammond Organ with the hot, fiery, swingin’ and groovin’ V6 Organ Trio – a new collaboration with guitarist Jamie McLeish and Jono Hilliam on drums.

Shanghavi brings the bluesy, funky style we all know and love! McLeish, with ‘the finest ear in The Midlands’, adds harmonic and melodic richness while Hilliam, with his big band background, adds a huge sound and exciting energy into the small ensemble setup.

Expect to hear tunes you know, tunes you don’t and some you never thought you’d hear in this setting!

Venue
The Marr’s Bar
12 Pierpoint Street
Worcester,
Worcestershire
WR1 1TA.

(01905) 613336

https://marrsbar.co.uk/

Jorge Drexler at The Roundhouse, Camden, London.

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026

More details

We have received the following press release;

Jorge Drexler Announces London Show At The Roundhouse As Part Of “TARACÁ” World Tour

*Academy Award–winning Uruguayan songwriter brings new album TARACÁ to London with full band on Tuesday October 27, 2026*

**Tickets go on pre-sale this Thursday April 9th at 3pm, and on general sale Friday April 10th at 3pm [HERE]**
https://comono.co.uk/artists/jorge-drexler/

The Academy Award–winning Uruguayan singer and composer Jorge Drexler has announced he will return to London to perform at The Roundhouse on Tuesday October 27, 2026 as part of his international “TARACÁ” tour.

The show follows the arrival of Drexler’s new album TARACÁ, released in March 2026, which marks a new creative chapter in his career. On the album, Drexler returns to musical roots that have shaped his artistic identity while continuing to expand his sonic palette, with the Afro-Uruguayan rhythm of candombe running throughout the record.

Elena Beltrami, Director of Como No:
“We’re very happy to be bringing Jorge back to London. Over the years we’ve promoted several memorable shows with him in the UK, including his sold-out night at the Roundhouse in 2020. His concerts are always special, and it’s exciting to present this new chapter with the music of TARACÁ.”

The TARACÁ Tour sees Drexler performing with a seven-piece band, bringing the new album to life on stage while revisiting key moments from across his acclaimed catalogue.

The London show marks Drexler’s return to the Roundhouse following his sold-out performance at the venue in 2020, and continues a longstanding relationship with UK audiences following appearances at the Barbican, Cadogan Hall and Union Chapel.

About Jorge Drexler
Uruguayan singer, songwriter and composer Jorge Drexler is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Ibero-American music. Across a career spanning more than three decades, he has released fifteen studio albums and performed worldwide, building an artistic identity defined by curiosity, experimentation and poetic lyricism.
His work moves fluidly between music, literature and science, and has received numerous international honours, including an Academy Award for Best Original Song, sixteen Latin Grammy Awards, and a Goya Award.
His previous album Tinta y Tiempo won seven Latin Grammys and led to a global tour of more than 90 concerts. In March 2026 he released TARACÁ, rooted in the Afro-Uruguayan rhythm of candombe and presented live on his international TARACÁ tour.

Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road London NW1 8EH
http://www.roundhouse.org.uk

John Scofield Long Days Quartet at Union Chapel, Islington, London.

Date: Thursday, August 20, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

AGMP Concerts presents
JOHN SCOFIELD
LONG DAYS QUARTET

John Scofield (Guitar)
John Medeski (Keyboards)
Ted Poor (Drums)
Vicente Archer (Bass)

Calling it the Long Days Quartet in honour of the lengthy daylight hours of summer, this group is freshly forming to debut Scofield’s recent groove compositions and revisit some classic Scofield material with modern perspectives.
27 years after their initial association (John Scofield’s A GoGo album) keyboardist John Medeski and John Scofield continue their imaginative collaboration together.
Over the decades they’ve followed with three more albums and much touring with Medeski Scofield Martin and Wood, Duo work and together in the cooperative project Hudson.

Tickets;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/john-scofield-long-days-quartet/union-chapel/3596710

Union Chapel
19b Compton Terrace
London
N1 2UN

Jon Lloyd Quartet at PPianissimo Club, Bristol Music Club, Bristol.

Date: Friday, June 05, 2026

Featuring: Jon Lloyd’s European Quartet

More details

From;
https://jonlloydmusic.com/concerts

Jon Lloyd Quartet
Fri, Jun 5 @ 7:00PM PPianissimo club, Bristol Music Centre
Concert at Bristol Music Centre as part of PPianissimo club, the intimate music club in the centre of Bristol.

PPianissimo Series: Jon Lloyd Quartet
A gig held at Bristol Music Club on Friday 5th June. Doors are at 19:00 with the event starting at 19:30. The event finishes at 22:00. The event has been tagged in the classical, contemporary jazz, folk, jazz and world categories.

Saxophonist/composer Jon Lloyd has been running his quartet - with pianist John Law, bassist Nick Pini and drummer Alex Goodyear - for three years now, during which time the group made the wonderfully acclaimed album Earth Songs (currently at nearly 2 and a 1/2 million streams and rising!) and they have an even more stunning recording shortly to be released. Jon’s original music is deceptively simple, using subtle melodies and chords to create a hauntingly original sound, reminiscent of some of the Nordic music on the ECM label. Mesmerising and hypnotic, Jon Lloyd’s works remind us that music doesn’t have to be highly complex. This is music that reminds us of the elemental power of sound, and organisation of sound, and what it means to sit and listen. And wonder.
“Sounds like the only music you ever want to hear.” [London Jazz News]

The PPianissimo Series is supported by Arts Council England and All Instruments, Westbury

Entry requirements: no age restrictions

Tickets;
https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/bristol-music-club/fri-5-jun-ppianissimo-series-jon-lloyd-quartet-148143#e148143

BRISTOL MUSIC CLUB
76 St Paul’s Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LP

NTBM (Not-To-Be-Missed) + more TBA at Jazz In The Round, The Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone, London.

Date: Monday, May 25, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

The Cockpit
Gateforth Street
London
NW8 8EH

0207 2582925

https://www.thecockpit.org.uk

NTBM (Not-To-Be-Missed) + more TBA
Produced and presented by The Cockpit

NTBM (Not-To-Be-Missed) is a London-based fusion jazz collective led by guitarist Tjoe Man Cheung. They blend Western jazz with Eastern influences, renowned for sold-out shows and their upcoming album NEON.

Date:
Monday 25 May - 8:00pm

Tickets
All GA tickets on sliding-scale prices £7.50 - £25 (incl. booking fee)

Website: https://www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/ntbm_not-to-be-missed_more_tba

Philip Clouts World Jazz Quartet at Corn Exchange Jazz Club, The Corn Exchange, Ross-0n-Wye, Herefordshire.

Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026

Featuring: Philip Clouts Quartet

More details

From;
https://www.rosscornexchange.co.uk/events-one/jazz-club-philip-clouts-world-jazz-quartet

Jazz Club Philip Clouts World Jazz Quartet
Thursday, May 14, 2026
7:30 PM 9:30 PM

Philip Clouts World Jazz Quartet

South African born pianist Philip Clouts’ career has included playing at Ronnie Scotts, Birmingham Symphony Hall and Glastonbury and Womad festivals, with regular radio play on Jazz FM and BBC Radio including the Jamie Cullum Show. He plays a set of melodic music including some of his own compositions, influenced by Latin and African jazz.

“It has a very infectious feel-good quality about it” Jazz FM

“Precise ebullience and relaxed funkiness” The Guardian

“Clouts’ compositions are strong and likeable. The quartet’s playing is similarly engaging, a feeling of optimism pervading the tunes with a life force of its own” All About Jazz

Philip Clouts piano
Kevin Figes saxophone
Al Swainger double bass
Andy Tween drums

Tickets;
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vidlerhospitalityltd/2147184

Corn Exchange
8 High St, Ross-on-Wye HR9 5HL

Travelling Riverside Blues Show with Remi Harris & Roger Keenan at The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.

Date: Friday, July 17, 2026

Featuring: Remi Harris

More details

From;
https://events.hiveonline.org.uk/

Travelling Riverside Blues Show
Tickets from £17

Friday 17th July
Doors at 7pm
Show starts at 7.45pm
Seated gig

Join two fine blues musicians and enjoy an evening listening to the sounds and tales of the Mississippi. The simple sound of acoustic guitar and vocal brings the Delta to life, celebrating the power and energy of the bluesmen who created the musical legend.

This early raw style – just traditional guitar and vocal - formed the foundation of modern blues music. This show weaves a story of hopes and dreams, hardship and poverty through soulful and passionate music, along with tales bringing those times and people to life.

Sit back and enjoy The Travelling Riverside Blues Show on a journey through the Delta.

https://events.hiveonline.org.uk/whats-on/travelling-riverside-blues-show/

Josephine Davies Satori Quartet at Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026

Featuring: Josephine Davies

Venue

The Hive, Shrewsbury

5 Belmont,
Shrewsbury,
Shropshire.
UK

More details

From;
https://events.hiveonline.org.uk/

Jul
11
Sat
19:00

Josephine Davies Satori Quartet
Tickets from £12
Saturday July 11 £25/£12 U22
Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start.

Award winning saxophonist & composer Josephine Davies brings her dynamic ensemble Satori to SJN at the Hive to perform the music from ‘Weatherwards’. The album is inspired by Josephine’s Nordic roots in the Shetland Islands, and beautifully weaves together the band’s contemporary jazz background with a hauntingly evocative folk influence. The intricate compositions, coupled with the thrilling interplay between Pianist Alcyona Mick, Bassist Dave Whitford & drummer Jay Davis, evokes the interconnection of Shetland sea, land, sky, and ever-present wind.

Fluent, Imaginative ……The Jazz Mann

Aaron Liddard Trio, ‘Back From the Tarmac Tour’ at The Continental, Preston, Lancashire.

Date: Saturday, May 02, 2026

More details

From;
https://newcontinental.net/events-list/aaron-liddard-back-from-the-tarmac

Aaron Liddard: Back from the Tarmac Tour

AARON LIDDARD - Back from the Tarmac
Trio featuring John Ellis (hammond) and Myke Wilson (drums)

AARON LIDDARD is a British saxophonist, composer and bandleader whose playing sits at the crossroads of jazz, funk and soul.
A long-time collaborator with artists including Amy Winehouse, Prince, Maceo Parker, Beverley Knight and Bob Geldof, he is equally at home on major stages and in intimate jazz settings. Liddard presents original music driven by groove, warmth and lyrical improvisation. His critically acclaimed releases and international performances have established him as one of the UK’s most distinctive and in-demand saxophonists.

Saturday, May 2, 2026
8:00 PM 11:00 PM
Unreserved seating - advance
£11.00

The Continental
South Meadow Lane, Preston, Lancashire PR1 8JP
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
(01772) 499425

Tomorrow’s New Quartet at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026

Featuring: Tomorrow’s New Quartet

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/tomorrows-new-quartet/

Tomorrow’s New Quartet
May 28 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
£15

Tomorrow’s New Quartet is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most exciting jazz bands emerging from the British scene. Taking inspiration from Chick Corea’s ‘Return To Forever’ and Keith Jarrett’s ‘European Quartet’, Tomorrow’s New Quartet has been thrilling audiences all over the country with its engaging brand of modern jazz.

Led by drummer / composer Rod Oughton, the band released its debut album ‘All Together, Now!’ on the Ubuntu Music label in 2022. Following a successful launch tour, which culminated in a sold-out show at Pizza Express Dean Street, the album was named ‘Editor’s Choice’ by Jazzwise Magazine, and dubbed ‘very fresh’ by Jumoké Fashola on BBC Radio 3.

The band features several young heavyweights from the next generation of British jazz, namely Tom Smith on Sax, Sam Watts on piano and for this performance, Pete Komor on electric bass.

“A terrific performance from a hugely talented quartet” The Jazz Mann

“A quartet for today as well as tomorrow” Jazzwise

Venue
The Marr’s Bar
12 Pierpoint Street
Worcester,
Worcestershire WR1 1TA

Phone
(01905) 613336

https://marrsbar.co.uk/

Mark Lockheart’s Shapeshifter Trio At Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026

Featuring: Mark Lockheart Shapeshifter Trio

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/shapeshifter-trio/

Shapeshifter Trio
May 14 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
£15

A new trio featuring three very special creative voices of the UK scene.
Saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Mark Lockheart (Loose Tubes, Polar Bear) brings his new project Shapeshifter to Worcester, featuring Huw V Williams (Di-Cysgodion, George Crowley, Laura Jurd) on bass and Jay Davis (Alex Hitchcock, Laura Jurd, Rob Luft) on drums.

This new trio creates a unique sonic experience, shifting moment to moment, gracefully and spontaneously stitching together sound landscapes and grooves. The three members share the writing credits alongside a few carefully chosen works by Bill Frisell, Joe Henderson and Paul Motion.

Taking the exploratory spirit of groups like Polar Bear and Malija, the band move together through a common language of jazz, rock, classical and free improvisation exploring dark textures and dramatic musical shifts as they revel in the unexpected.

Venue
The Marr’s Bar
12 Pierpoint Street
Worcester,
Worcestershire WR1 1TA

Phone
(01905) 613336

https://marrsbar.co.uk/

Details
Date:
May 14
Time:
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Cost:
£15

Tomorrow’s New Quartet at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.

Date: Monday, May 11, 2026

Featuring: Tomorrow’s New Quartet

Venue

Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London

Pizza Express Jazz Club,
Dean Street,
Soho,
London,
W1D 3RW.

More details

From;
https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/tomorrows-new-quartet

Tomorrow’s New Quartet

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)
Critically acclaimed bandleader Rod Oughton brings his all star quartet to PizzaExpress Live Soho. Dubbed ‘very fresh’ by Jumoké Fashola on BBC Radio 3, the band’s debut album was named Editor’s Choice by Jazzwise Magazine and racked up over 1.1 million streams across all platforms. After a busy last year of touring and collaborating with Dutch saxophonist Ben van Gelder, the band are delighted to be playing back in London. They will be previewing material from their eagerly awaited second album.
£20.00

11 May 2026 Doors 6:30pm Music 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)
Available
£20.00

Full Biography
Tomorrow’s New Quartet is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most exciting jazz bands emerging from the British scene. Taking inspiration from Chick Corea’s ‘Return To Forever’ and Keith Jarrett’s ‘European Quartet’, Tomorrow’s New Quartet has been thrilling audiences all over the country with its engaging brand of modern jazz. Led by drummer / composer Rod Oughton, the band released its debut album ‘All Together, Now!’ on the Ubuntu Music label in 2022. Following a successful launch tour, which culminated in a sold-out show at Pizza Express Dean Street, the album was named ‘Editor’s Choice’ by Jazzwise Magazine, and dubbed ‘very fresh’ by Jumoké Fashola on BBC Radio 3. The band features several young heavyweights from the next generation of British jazz, namely Tom Smith on Sax, Sam Watts on piano and Flo Moore on electric bass.

Band Lineup
Rod Oughton (drums)
Tom Smith (saxophones, flutes)
Sam Watts (keyboards)
Flo Moore (bass)

Elles Bailey at The Subscription Rooms, Stroud, Glos.

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Elles Bailey

Champions & Patrons on sale Wed 8 April
Members on sale Thu 9 April
General on sale Fri 10 April

Elles Bailey
7.30pm | Thursday 15th October 2026

Rising from the UK blues scene to international acclaim.
Backed by her road-honed band, singer-songwriter Elles Bailey’s raw, smoky vocals now sit at the centre of a sound that’s equal parts Southern soul, British grit, and pure authenticity.
There’s a steeliness that courses through Elles Bailey’s latest album, Can’t Take My Story Away. Fiercely independent, the British singer-songwriter has been steadily honing her craft for the better part of a decade.
https://thesubrooms.co.uk/whats-on/elles-bailey

The Subscription Rooms
George St
Stroud
GL5 1AE

Elles Bailey is a Bristol-born, award-winning independent singer-songwriter whose smoky voice and roots-influenced songwriting have made her a leading figure on the UK blues and Americana scene. A multiple UK Blues Award winner and inductee of the UK Blues Hall of Fame, she reached a new milestone with her 2024 album Beneath The Neon Glow, which charted at No. 12 on the UK Official Albums Chart and topped the Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart.

In 2025 , she toured the UK supporting Brit Award winner Rag’n'Bone Man before releasing her fifth studio album, Can’t Take My Story Away, on 16 January 2026. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart and the Record Store Chart, No. 2 on the Official Independent Chart, and No. 14 on the Official Albums Chart. Produced by Luke Potashnick and recorded with a stellar lineup of musicians, including renowned producer Ethan Jones, the eleven tracks of Can’t Take My Story Away tie together to form the album Elles was destined to make. Created over a three-year period, using songs whose origins date back almost ten years, it offers an honest and vulnerable glimpse into Bailey’s story.

The album has already received widespread acclaim, including 4 ★ revies from MOJO and The Sun, with MOJO praising Bailey: ‘‘Blessed with a voice that’s equal parts Etta James’s emotional gravity an Janis Joplin’s gritty power, Elles Bailey is a musical marvel.’‘

The release included a sold-out tour of record stores around the country, while the single ‘Growing Roots’ hit BBC Radio 2’s A-List and was the most-played track on the station for the first three weeks of 2026.

Following a hugely successful UK and European headlines tour with her long-standing band- playing to full rooms every night. Bailey will take the album further afield with US fesival appearances alongside Jason Isbell and Tedeschi Trucks Band, as well as additional US dates later this year with the legendary Judy Collins.

She is also set to play many festivals across the UK this summer, including State Fayre in Chelmsford alongside Alanis Morissette and Kings of Leon, and headlining Beardy Folk Fest, The British Country Music Festival and then continuing her headlines touring in Autumn 2026.

In addition to her recording and touring work, Elles Bailey is a regular presenter on Planet Rock radio, sharing her passion for blues, rock, and roots music with a national audience. Through her weekly show, she highlights both classic tracks and emerging artists, giving listeners insight into the songs and stories that have shaped her own musical journey.

Date:
Thu 15 Oct 2026
Start Time:
19:30
Doors:
18:30
Venue:
The Sub Rooms
Price:
£30 - £35
Event Is:
Standing + Seated Balcony
Event Type:
Music

Thamesmead Festival at Southmere Lake, Binsey Walk, London SE2.

Date: Saturday, August 08, 2026

More details

From;
https://serious.org.uk/events/thamesmead-festival-2026

Sat 08 August 2026
Stage time / 12:00pm
Location
LONDON Thamesmead Festival,
Southmere Lake,
Binsey Walk,
SE2 9TU

Tickets
FREE

Thamesmead Festival is back on Saturday 8 August 2026!

Thamesmead’s free, family-friendly festival promises another unforgettable celebration of music, culture and community spirit.

Expect a day full of music, dance, comedy, art, food, local crafts, a dog show and much more. Local clubs, community groups and charities all play their part.

https://serious.org.uk/events/thamesmead-festival-2026

Bill Frisell & Eyvind Kang Duo at Cadogan Hall, London.

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Thursday 23 April, Cadogan Hall
Bill Frisell & Eyvind Kang
Pioneering American guitarist Bill Frisell, known for his genre-blurring blend of jazz, folk, Americana, and avant-garde rock is joined by long-time collaborator Eyvind Kang.

Tickets;
https://serious.org.uk/events/bill-frisell-eyvind-kang

While Bill Frisell’s artistic method involves deciding on the specific repertoire for each performance based on the his daily experience while on tour, he and Eyvind Kang will be performing a variety of original Frisell compositions and carefully chosen pieces by other composers with extended improvisations based on the thematic material they find inspiring in their musical exploration, tailored especially for the audience of each concert.

“For decades now Eyvind Kang has been my mentor, teacher, collaborator, spirit lifter, and a dear friend. He inspires me. Always. Eyvind is a fearless explorer. We’ve traveled many roads together. I’m so much looking forward to our further adventures together.“
Bill Frisell

Eyvind Kang has Asian-Icelandic roots and was born in Oregon in 1971. He began playing the violin at the age of six, but quickly became interested in other instruments such as the guitar, bass, drums, etc. At Cornish College, Kang not only met his mentor, violinist Michael White (John Handy Quintet), but also established a musical connection with Wayne Horwitz, who introduced him to the young John Zorn. Soon after, John Zorn invited Kang to play with his group Cobra. He began recording his music for Zorn’s label, Tzadik, also playing in other Zorn projects. In 1995, he met Bill Frisell for the first time, who approached him to collaborate on a soundtrack. That same year he began playing in Frisell’s new quartet. In a Downbeat interview (April 1995) with Fred Bouchard, Frisell expressed his enthusiasm for Kang: “I’m so excited about this guy (...) He’s classically trained in the Suzuki method and can play bebop, Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale or hip-hop.”

Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade”. Grammy nominated, his latest recording is entitled Orchestras released April 2024 on Blue Note. In the trio format he’s favored throughout his career, the guitarist and composer has always projected an orchestral scope - through his remarkably complete sense of harmony, a unique gift for melodies that remain with you long after a performance, and a keen feel for how dynamic range can be used to convey emotion.

Line Up
Bill Frisell, electric guitar
Eyvind Kang, viola

This performance has been rescheduled from 21 November 2025 and is now taking place as a duo performance with Eyvind Kang.

Thu 23 April 2026
Stage time / 7.30 pm

Location
Cadogan Hall,
5 Sloane Terrace
SW1X 9DQ

Visit Website

Tickets
£36.50 to £46.50 (incl. booking fees)

Jasmine Myra at EartH Theatre, Hackney, London.

Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Wednesday 28 October, EartH Theatre
Jasmine Myra
We’re thrilled to welcome back Jasmine Myra for a one-night-only performance celebrating her new album Where Light Settles. Following a standout appearance at last year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, she returns as one of the UK’s most exciting rising voices in jazz.

Tickets;
https://serious.org.uk/events/jasmine-myra

With her third album Where Light Settles, released in May on Gondwana Records, composer, saxophonist, and bandleader Jasmine Myra steps boldly into a new chapter of her evolving artistic journey. Building on the critical acclaim of Horizons (2022) and Rising (2024), this latest release marks a confident and cohesive statement from one of the UK’s most distinctive contemporary voices.

Where Light Settles is Myra’s first self-produced album, with Matthew Halsall contributing as producer. Cinematic in scope, her music draws on a love of film scores and emotive storytelling, alongside inspirations ranging from contemporary jazz and folk to the textures of the natural world. Landscapes such as North Wales, the Lake District, and the South Downs inform the album’s tonal palette—echoing its central theme of beauty and intensity coexisting in balance.

From the delicate piano-led opening to the sweeping, hopeful title track, Where Light Settles unfolds with a quiet, autumnal glow - its melodies shimmering with clarity and purpose. As Myra continues to gain recognition both in the UK and internationally, this new work signals an artist fully coming into her own, inviting audiences into a deeply felt and vividly imagined sonic landscape.

“A great new artist!”
Jamie Cullum

“A new generation of spiritual jazz”
Jazzwise

“This is beautiful and profound music.”
London Jazz News

Wed 28 October 2026
Stage time / 7:30pm
Doors / 7:00pm

Location
EartH (Theatre),
11-17 Stoke Newington Road
N16 8BH

Visit Website
https://earthackney.co.uk/

Tickets
£27.50 (incl. booking fees)

Gareth Williams Power Trio at Swansea Jazz Club, The Observatory, Swansea.

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Featuring: Gareth Williams

More details

Wednesday April 29th (The Observatory)
GARETH WILLIAMS POWER TRIO
with Ian Thomas & Laurence Cottle

https://www.swanseajazzland.co.uk/

Alan Barnes ‘Salute to the Clarinet Greats’ at Swansea Jazz Club, The Swigg, Swansea Marina, Swansea.

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Featuring: Alan Barnes

More details

Wednesday April 22nd (Swigg Swansea)
ALAN BARNES @THE SWIGG
Salute to the Clarinet greats!

https://www.swanseajazzland.co.uk/

Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio at Derby Jazz, Chapel Street Arts, Derby.

Date: Friday, May 29, 2026

Featuring: Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

FRIDAY MAY 29TH
CHAPEL STREET ARTS
An award-winning leader in his own right, previous winner of the BBC Jazz ‘Best Band’ Award, the Parliamentary Jazz ‘Education’ Award; Ronnie Scott’s ‘Best Trombone’ Award, Rollins’ ensemble is the Velocity Trio, a brilliant marriage of refined contemporary jazz arrangements with smokin’ grooves.

Dennis Rollins MBE- Trombone
Joel Barford- Drums
Ross Stanley- Hammond Organ

“ This group produces genuine fireworks.” BBC Music Magazine (UK)

“…a trombone player who combines seamlessly fluid improvising with a sumptuous sound.” The Guardian (UK)

For 25 years trombonist Dennis Rollins has played at the forefront of the UK jazz, funk and pop as an ‘impossibly virtuosic’ sideman to such stars such as Maceo Parker, Courtney Pine, The Brand New Heavies, Blur, Monty Alexander. an award-winning leader in his own right.
Expect fireworks!

TICKETS £21 (£16 students) (£12 under 18s)
https://www.derbylive.co.uk/whats-on/derby-jazz-dennis-rollins-velocity-trio/

Oobleck at Derby Jazz, TheCUBE at Chapel Street Arts Centre, Derby.

Date: Friday, May 01, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Popular Derby Jazz/Funk/Fusion band Oobleck, formed by guitarist/composer & producer Jason Marshall a decade ago, bring their highly infectious grooves and distinctive melodies to TheCUBE at Chapel Street Arts Centre.
The band is completed by a talented group of musicians, including;

Richard Belfitt- guitars.
Ben Glover- drums/percussion.
Steve Canner - electric bass.
Dominic Scohy - keyboards.
Pete Beardsworth - keyboards/saxophones.
Chad Bean - saxophones.
Rat Gregory - trumpet.

Buy your tickets early, as they are likely to sell out quickly!!
TICKETS £16 & £11 (students & under 18s)
https://www.derbylive.co.uk/whats-on/buy-tickets?event=453425

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHrsYYHAtnY&t=9s

Tony Kofi/ Denys Baptiste Quintet at Guildford Jazz, The Guildford Pavilion, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026

More details

Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz writes;

Kofi/Baptiste Quintet at Guildford Jazz, The Guildford Pavilion, Guildford, Surrey
Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
More details
Kofi/Baptiste Quintet
Thursday 21May from 20.00 to 22.15 (doors open 19.00) at the Guildford Pavilion, Woodbridge Rd, Guildford GU1 4RP
Two of the UK’s most acclaimed saxophonists, Denys Baptiste and Tony Kofi celebrate one of the most iconic front-line partnerships in jazz history: Julian “Cannonball” Adderley and John Coltrane. Steeped in the Coltrane tradition, tenor saxophonist Baptiste’s playing combines technical authority with emotional depth while Tony Kofi, one of the UK’s finest alto saxophonists, is renowned for his powerful sound, fearless improvisation, and deep-rooted connection to the jazz tradition.
With Bruno Heinen (pno), Mikele Montoli (bs) and Winston Clifford (dr).
For more details and to book tickets visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

Marianne Windham Trio, afternoon at Guildford Jazz, The Guildford Institute, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Monday, May 11, 2026

More details

Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz writes;

Marianne Windham Trio at GuildfordJazz, The Guildford Institute, Guildford,Surrey
Date: Monday, May 11, 2026
More details
Marianne Windham Trio
Monday 11 May from 14.00 to 15.00 (doors open for lunch at 12.00) at the Guildford Institute, Ward St, Guildford GU1 4LH
Guildford Jazz anchor Marianne Windham, recipient of the ‘Services to Jazz’ Award in the 2026 Parliamentary Jazz Awards, brings her chosen instrument to the fore to
explore the role of the bass in the history of jazz and considers the bass players who have influenced her playing and musical journey. With the brilliant and versatile Steve Lodder (whose career includes touring with the pop group Simply Red and musical collaborations with Paul McCartney) on piano and Martin Pyne on drums.
For more details and to book tickets visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

Derek Nash Quartet at Guildford Jazz, Guildford Pavilion, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Wednesday, May 06, 2026

Featuring: Derek Nash

More details

Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz writes;

Derek Nash Quartet
Wednesday 6 May from 20.00 to 22.15 (doors open 19.00) at the Guildford Pavilion, Woodbridge Rd, Guildford GU1 4RP
Irrepressible saxophone star of the Jools Holland Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, Derek Nash is one of the hottest, funkiest players on the UK scene. He exudes an
irresistible exuberance as both bandleader of his distinguished group Sax Appeal and as a distinguished jazz soloist and composer in his own right. With David Newton, (16 times winner of the British Jazz Awards for Best UK Jazz Piano Player) on piano, Sebastian de Krom on drums, and Marianne Windham on bass.
For more details and to book tickets visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

Jack J Hutchinson at Mid Wales Rhythm & Blues Club, The Muse, Brecon.

Date: Saturday, June 06, 2026

More details

From;
http://midwalesrandb.club/events/category/events/

The Mid Wales R&B Club Presents the return of Jack J Hutchinson to The Muse in Brecon…
June 6 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
£14.00

London based blues rock guitarist Jack J Hutchinson has announced THREE intimate acoustic performances for the summer of 2026 the middle one being for the Club & The Muse in Brecon the only WELSH date.

Showcasing the blues and roots side of his playing, the shows will feature new material written especially for the run, plus select covers of blues artists who have influenced his song-writing.

The dates come on the back of a successful year for Hutchinson which saw his latest album ‘Battle Scars’ crash-land in the Official Blues Chart Top5. Classic Rock raved about the release describing it as “genuinely spiritual”.

In recent years Hutchinson has completed headline tours of Europe, plus shows in America and Brazil. He has also supported acts like FM, King King and Ocean Colour Scene’s Steve Cradock, and played festivals alongside BlackBerry Smoke, the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson and Jeff Beck.

He is currently recording his fifth studio album at Momentum Studios, Plymouth, with producer Josiah J Manning, and will be hitting the road in support t of the release throughout 2026.

Jack J Hutchinson
Acoustic Dates:
29 May-Eric Morecambe Centre, Harpenden
6 June- The Muse, Brecon for the MWR&BC
7June-The Half Moon, Putney
Special Guest Act for June 6th TBC

To know more about the Mid Wales R&B Club date please PM me all the very best Angus
Tickets will be £14 and can be booked on-line via the links below.
https://jackjhutchinsonmusic.com/
http://www.midwalesrand.com

The Muse at Brecon
The Muse, Glamorgan Street
Brecon, Powys LD37DW.

Mid Wales Rhythm & Blues Club, 12th Anniversary Gathering feat. Jon Amor Trio a.o. at The Muse, Brecon.

Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

From;
http://midwalesrandb.club/events/category/events/

MWR&BC 12TH ANNIVERSARY GATHERING THE MUSE BRECON…
May 16 @ 3:00 pm - 11:00 pm
£25
Celebrating the 12th anniversary of the MWR&BC the confirmed line-up is listed below with approximate timings (both subject to change) doors should be open at 3pm with background music played until and in between all acts —

JON AMOR TRIO…
2026 UK BLUES AWARDS NOMINEES – Band of The Year
Delivering high-energy Blues Funk.
Jon Amor fronts the trio, known throughout Europe & North America for his time with The Hoax, but now well-established as a performer in his own right. He has taken the stage alongside the likes of Van Morrison, Buddy Guy and Billy Bragg, and recorded with Robert Plant.
Bass virtuoso Jerry Soffe has recorded and played live with Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake), Larry Garner, John Etheridge, and Louisiana Red.
Dynamic drummer Tom Gilkes has toured and recorded with Marc Ford (Black Crowes) Ian Siegal, Elles Bailey, Muddy Manninen (Wishbone Ash), Willie & The Bandits, and John Cornfield (Muse, Oasis).
https://jonamor.tumblr.com/

THE TERRAPLANES BLUES BAND (DUO)…
Authentic Delta Blues & R’n’B. Formed in 2013 as a duo, with a shared appreciation of Mississippi country blues.
Nick Scrase always in fine voice, gritty and soulful – alongside his powerful lead guitar soloing is inventive, blistering… in short, just right.
Eduardo Allen (surely the sharpest-dressed harmonica player in the West) is an incredible showman, with a remarkable physical presence on stage.
https://www.theterraplanesbluesband.com/

CARLEY’S WRECK & RUIN (DUO)…
A British blues duo with a dark, unmistakable edge. Primitive and raw – Blues from the underworld!
A British duo with a dark, unmistakable edge. Blending gritty blues and roots music, it’s raw, rhythmic, and possessed by something older than rock ‘n’ roll itself! The music is the beat-up brainchild of Jo Carley (vocals, mandolin, washboard, percussion) and Tim Carley (battered archtop guitar, rattlin’ shoe, kick drum, distorted vintage amps, backing vocals), from JO CARLEY & THE OLD DRY SKULLS.
http://www.wreckandruin.uk

ELSIE FRANKLIN (SOLO)…
Elsie Franklin brings an enchanting blend of acoustic country blues, ragtime and jazz played on her trusty National resonator, all delivered with a beautifully authentic touch. Drawing from early masters like Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Elsie’s fingerstyle and slide guitar playing is steeped in history yet utterly fresh. In the words of blues legend Dave Kelly: “Elsie Franklin is the most natural blues singer I’ve heard in years… she’s the whole package.”
https://www.elsiefranklin.com/

PAUL KEDDLE & FRIENDS
Local Bluesman Paul Keddle has been playing across the Brecon area and beyond for well over 4 decades with several line-ups under this belt he will open our 12th anniversary gathering alongside a variety of fellow musicians from across the area and will also compare the entire day.

Running order subject to change.
8.30PM JON AMOR TRIO
7.15PM THE TERRAPLANES BLUES BAND (DUO)
6PM CARLEY’S WRECK & RUIN (DUO)
5PM ELSIE FRANKLIN (SOLO)
4PM PAUL KEDDLE & FRIENDS
SO (ISH -?)
4PM (45 min set)
5PM (45 min set)
6PM (45 min set)
7.15PM (45 min set)
8.30PM (1 hour 30 min set)
TICKETS £25
That can be reserved via Angus Kings
Angus Kings 0786 6000 596
http://www.midwalesrandb.club
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

https://www.facebook.com/midwalesrhythmandblues

https://www.instagram.com/themidwalesrandb/

We will have a fully licensed bar more details to follow.

The Muse at Brecon
The Muse, Glamorgan Street
Brecon, Powys LD37DW

Neil Cowley Trio ‘Built on Bach’ at Firth Hall, University of Sheffield, Sheffield.

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Featuring: Neil Cowley Trio

More details

From;
https://performancevenues.group.shef.ac.uk/event/neil-cowley-trio-built-on-bach/

Neil Cowley Trio: Built on Bach

Built on Bach is a new live show from the Neil Cowley Trio, exploring the subtle but powerful influence of Johann Sebastian Bach on Cowley’s original music. Rather than reworking or reinterpreting Bach’s compositions or Inventions, the trio use them as a creative jumping-off point—improvising, extemporising, and freely exploring wherever the music leads-revealing Bach’s presence within their own distinctive, unmistakable sound.

Renowned for his dry humour and engaging presence, Cowley peppers the show with stories and anecdotes on his relationship with Bach revealing the composer’s impact on both his music and his life. Built on Bach sees the Neil Cowley Trio replace their trademark bombast and thrilling crescendos for a lighter touch and more reverential tone. Still, the performance remains dynamic and heartfelt brimming with energy and emotional depth, true to their signature style.

The Neil Cowley Trio bring their trademark approach to a fresh body of work shaped by pianist-composer Cowley’s relationship with the Baroque master. Joining him for the show are his long-time collaborators, Evan Jenkins (drums) and Rex Horan (bass).

Doors 7pm

Date: Wednesday, 22nd April 2026
Venue: Firth Hall
Times 7:30 pm
Cost: £20 - £16 + booking fee
https://performancevenues.gigantic.com/neil-cowley-tickets/sheffield-firth-hall/2026-04-22-19-00

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
General Enquiries 0114 222 8888
The Octagon Centre, Clarkson Street Sheffield S10 2TQ

EFG London Jazz Festival 2026, various venues, London.

Dates: Friday, November 13, 2026 - Sunday, November 22, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

For full line-up and other details please visit Festival website;
https://efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk/

Bhajan Bhoy at Weirdshire, De Koffie Pot, Hereford.

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Bhajan Bhoy - 22nd April, De Koffie Pot

Bhajan Bhoy is the solo alias of Ajay Saggar - who has packed more musical adventures into the last 30 years than it seems reasonable for any single individual to manage. Recording Peel sessions and opening for My Bloody Valentine in the late 80s with the band Dandelion Adventure, hanging around with Dinosaur Jr, and starring as the person getting his hair buzzed off at the beginning of the Freak Scene video, doing live sound for all sorts: Sleater-Kinney, Guided By Voices, My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr, Mogwai, Animal Collective…

All of the above gives you little preparation for the work of Bhajan Bhoy - the project’s name reflects the dual aspects of Saggar’s upbringing. In Hindi, a “bhajan” is a devotional song, sung in the mandir, or temple, while “bhoy” is a Scottish and Irish derivation for a young man. Whether through “an expansive drone, a spaghetti Western dub, or an electronics-augmented raga that threatens to dip into noise. from lazy interstellar ragas to lysergic electronic music, mellow psychedelic experimentation and all sorts of kosmische mutations”, his live shows are highly immersive and affecting. Gideon Coe is playing Bhajan Bhoy’s stuff on his BBC 6Music show.

Basically we are very fortunate indeed to have the honour of Bhajan Bhoy coming to play for us.

Here’s a lovely bit of film Ajay made to accompany his track Pinecone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR-iQtn5TT4

Tickets;
https://wegottickets.com/event/694465

De Koffie Pot
Left Bank
Bridge Street
Hereford
HR4 9DG

http://www.theleftbankvillage.co.uk/de-koffie-pot

01432 353552

https://weirdshire.com/

Robin Nolan Trio & guest Xenia Porteous, A Jazz Tribute to George Harrison at Brecon Jazz Club, The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon.

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Featuring: Robin Nolan Trio

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We have received the following information regarding this event;

ROBIN NOLAN TRIO & GUEST - A JAZZ TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC OF GEORGE HARRISON
Tues 12th May 8pm

From one of the UK’s best known Jazz guitarists, and someone who got to know the late Beatle, Robin has made a set of special arrangements of Harrison’s music, bringing together an acclaimed set of jazz instrumentalists
Robin Nolan guitar / Chris Quinn guitar / Tom Moore double bass / guest Xenia Porteous violin
Tickets: £15 Early / £17 Standard / £19 on door
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/breconjazz-jazzlivecymru/t-vxxjlrj

For this event we are very appreciative of the support of the Sarah Caple family for the jazz club programme - thank you.

BRECON JAZZ CLUB
MUSE ARTS CENTRE
Glamorgan St.
Brecon,
LD3 7DW.

Dylan Henner + Ibuken Sunday at Sy ; Gigs, Unitarian Church, Shrewsbury.

Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026

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May 16 at The Unitarian - Dylan Henner + Ibuken Sunday

A mysterious radio station broadcasting your own memories…
This is the mythology behind Star Dream FM, the acclaimed ambient work by Dylan Henner, who quietly emerged in 2020 through releases on Phantom Limb, Dauw, and AD93.
Rarely promoting himself, Henner instead communicates through poetic titles and carefully crafted sonic worlds.

Joining the evening is Ibukun Sunday, also on Phantom Limb, a Lagos-based composer and violist blending ambient music, West African traditions, field recordings, and improvisation.

Another evening of deep listening, for the curious, within one of Shrewsbury’s most historic and resonant spaces.

Tickets;
https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Shrewsbury/Shrewsbury-Unitarian-Church/Dylan-Henner—Ibukun-Sunday/42256614/

Battersea Jazz Festival, various venues, Battersea, London.

Dates: Wednesday, June 03, 2026 - Saturday, June 13, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

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We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Press release

Anniversary edition of Battersea Jazz Festival taking place this June

Battersea, London, March 23 - This year’s edition of the annual Battersea Jazz Festival will take place from June 3-13. The fifth edition of the jazz festival that celebrates national and international jazz talent will once again offer a multitude of styles and sounds across venues in and around Battersea.

The festival will open with a bang: nothing less than a jazz ballet. The Hugo Jennings Big Band and Battersea’s E33 Dance Company come together for a night of music and dance featuring a brand new jazz arrangement and choreography of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet at the iconic Clapham Grand. The legendary American jazz tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton will also feature. Together with Nat Steele he will bring a programme of swing and straight-ahead jazz to St. Mary’s Church in Battersea. Other festival gigs include QOW Trio, Genevieve Namazzi Quartet, Deschanel Gordon Trio, Jim Davison Quartet, and Emily Masser-Alex Clarke Quintet. The full programme can be found at http://www.batterseajazzfestival.co.uk.

The festival’s anniversary edition comes with several changes that reflect its five-year development and growth: A fresh look and feel with a renewed logo; a Festival Pass on offer that gives jazz enthusiasts heavily discounted access to all performances in the programme; and to top it off, the festival will host performances in two new venues: Battersea Barge and Arches Lane Theatre.

Founder Hugo Jennings said:
“This fifth edition of the festival is a special one for me. What started as one weekend in 2022 has grown into a celebrated annual event in the London jazz calendar which brings some of my favourite musicians in the world to the local area. This year we have performances across even more venues than before, offering a wider audience the opportunity to experience the joy of jazz.”

Full programme:

June 3: Romeo and Juliet and Swing - The Clapham Grand

June 4: QOW Trio - The Landor Space

June 5: Genevieve Namazzi Quartet - St. Mary’s Battersea

June 6: Deschanel Gordon Trio - St Mary’s Battersea

June 6: The Dukes - St. Mary’s Battersea

June 7: Scott Hamilton & Nat Steele - St Mary’s Battersea

June 11: Jim Davison Quartet - The Landor Space

June 12: Emily Masser - Alex Clarke Quintet - Arches Lane Theatre

June 13: Closing Party at Battersea Barge

Tickets for performances can be purchased via the website. Super Early Birds £14 until April 1st; Early Birds £17 until May 1st; Full Price after May 1st and on the door £20. Opening night jazz ballet excluded. A Festival Pass for unlimited access to gigs can be purchased for £72.

For the full programme and more information, please visit http://www.batterseajazzfestival.co.uk or follow @batterseajazzfestival on Instagram or Facebook.

Battersea Jazz Festival is a Community Interest Company (CIC), registered in England and Wales, company number 14633499.

The Battersea Jazz Festival was founded in 2022 by pianist, singer, and conductor, Hugo Jennings. He came up with the idea for the festival when he was composing a “Jazz Mass” for the choir of St. Mary’s Battersea, and wanted to create a platform for jazz musicians in London, and to celebrate the community of Battersea. This year will see the fifth edition, with both local and international musicians performing at various locations in the Battersea area. http://www.batterseajazzfestival.co.uk/

Stevie Wonder’s 76th Birthday Party feat. The Wonder Band at Koko, London.

Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026

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Stevie Wonder’s 76th Birthday Party

In 2026, Stevie Wonder will be turning 76 years of age. In memory of one of the most iconic musicians of all time, AGMP are presenting a special celebration of Stevland Hardaway Morris with rare archive films, DJ’s and a live performance from The Wonder Band featuring special guests to be announced shortly.

The Wonder Band will be performing live playing hits and fan favourites such as Isn’t She Lovely, Higher Ground, Masterblaster (Jammin’), Superstition, For Once In My Life, Sir Duke, Do I Do, Lately, Uptight (Everything’s Alright), I Was Made To Love Her, Happy Birthday and many more.

Tickets;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/stevie-wonder-s-birthday-party/koko/3497967

KOKO, London NW1 7JE.

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival 2026, various venues, Edinburgh.

Dates: Friday, July 17, 2026 - Sunday, July 26, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

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For full details please visit http://www.ejbf.co.uk

Ben Crosland’s Threeway plus Rob Luft, Jazz Coventry, The Albany Club, Coventry.

Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026

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17th September.
Ben Crosland’s Threeway plus Rob Luft, Jazz Coventry, The Albany Club, 10 Earlsdon Street, CV5 6EG.

Ballydehob Jazz Festival, various venues, Ballydehob, West Cork, Republic of Ireland.

Dates: Thursday, April 30, 2026 - Monday, May 04, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

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We have received the following press release;

Ballydehob Jazz Festival to Celebrate 20th Edition

Ballydehob Jazz Festival to Celebrate 20th Edition
A Celebration of Music, Circus, Dance, Art & Community
Ballydehob, West Cork | May Bank Holiday
30 April – 4 May 2026
https://ballydehobjazzfestival.org/

This May Bank Holiday weekend, the village of Ballydehob will once again burst into life as the Ballydehob Jazz Festival returns for its 20th edition, welcoming an estimated 8,000 visitors to the tiny seaside village of only 345 residents!

From 30 April to 4 May, Ballydehob will fill with music, street performances, dance, circus, puppetry and creativity, welcoming visitors from across Ireland and beyond to experience what has become one of the most colourful and joyful festivals on the Irish cultural calendar.

Run largely by a passionate team of volunteers and rooted firmly in the local community, the festival has grown over two decades into what many affectionately call “the biggest small jazz and arts festival in the world.”

Festival director Joseph O’Leary says the anniversary edition is both a celebration and a homecoming. “It’s all about the friendships formed in this artistic and creative community. Over 20 festivals we’ve seen musicians, artists and audiences come together in Ballydehob to create something very special. This year is a gathering of the best of what has come before - a celebration of the music, the creativity and the people who made it all happen.”

The Festival Hall will host 5 special concerts across the weekend, including:

The Paul Dunlea Quintet who will present the long-awaited Loch Trasna Suite, an original commission which will receive its full live airing. The evening will open with Catalan singer-songwriter Lau Noah.

Olivier Award-winning composer Benji Bower will premiere a newly commissioned work created especially for the 20th festival, titled Trasnaíocht. The piece explores migration, crossing, and the meaning of home through a genre-crossing performance blending jazz, chamber music, spoken word, aerial movement, and dance.

The much-loved Stephanie Nilles returns with Tom Deakin (USA) bringing their signature wit, virtuosity and irresistible stage chemistry.

Late-night club sessions will swing into the small hours with festival favourites Canibal Dandies (France) and The Blue Mockingbirds (Belgium), Donal Dineen (Ire), and guest DJs, where audiences can dance the night away in the festival club.

FREE MUSIC TRAIL
A cornerstone of the festival, the village-wide music trail will feature over 40 free live performances across pubs, cafés and outdoor spaces throughout Ballydehob. From jazz and blues to folk, experimental sounds and spontaneous collaborations, the trail brings music into every corner of the village.

STREET ARTS, CIRCUS, DANCE & FAMILY FUN
Beyond the concert stage, the festival spills out into the streets with a vibrant programme of circus, street theatre, dance and visual spectacle.
‘NOW AND THEN’ a Circus Aerial Show AND a children’s circus school (Free)
The Jazz West Cork Craft & Food Sunday Market
Giant puppets created by the Ballydehob Puppet Company roam the streets.
The beloved Jazz Funeral Parade brings the village together in a joyous procession of music, dance, colour and community creativity.
The Festival Jazz International Dance Instructors will host all level daytime lindy hop dance classes in the Hall, as well as kicking off the evening Moonshine Shindigs in the hall.
With street performances, outdoor shows, and daytime events throughout the weekend, the festival is welcoming, relaxed and family friendly, making it the perfect May Bank Holiday outing for visitors of all ages.

20 FESTIVALS, 1 COMMUNITY
The Ballydehob Jazz Festival has always done things its own way. Rather than chasing big-budget headline acts, the festival has built its reputation by championing independent and emerging artists from around the world, creating a space where musicians and audiences connect in an intimate village setting. “We never had the budgets to buy in marquee names,” says O’Leary “instead we worked with that indie underworld of jazz that exists between the corporate cracks - supporting artists, supporting the community and watching everyone rise together.”

Ballydehob Jazz Festival 2026
30 April – 4 May 2026
Ballydehob, West Cork
Full programme and ticket information:
http://www.ballydehobjazz.org

Follow updates on Instagram:
@ballydehobjazzfestival

Mornington Lockett Quartet at Swansea Jazz Club, The Grand Theatre, Swansea.

Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Featuring: Mornington Lockett

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Wednesday May 20th, 8pm
Arts Wing @GRAND THEATRE
MORNINGTON LOCKETT QUARTET

Mornington Lockett (Sax)
Ross Stanley (Piano)
Laurence Cottle (Bass)
Sophie Alloway (Drums)

https://www.swanseajazzland.co.uk/

54th Annual Stanford Jazz Festival, various venues, Stanford University Campus, Stanford, California, USA.

Dates: Sunday, June 21, 2026 - Friday, July 31, 2026

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We have received the following press release;

54TH ANNUAL STANFORD JAZZ FESTIVAL PRESENTS SIX WEEKS OF VIBRANT LIVE MUSIC ON STANFORD UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, JUN 21-JUL 31

Centennial Celebrations: Miles @ 100 featuring Jeremy Pelt +
Jimmy Heath @ 100 with Jeb Patton and David Wong

Veteran Masters Billy Childs and Branford Marsalis Lead Their Respective Quartets

Acclaimed Latin Jazz Artists including Luciana Souza, Marcel Camargo, Camila Meza, Yilian Cañizares + Aldo López-Gavilán

Today’s Top Vibraphonists: Stefon Harris + Sasha Berliner

Tickets go on sale April 3 at http://www.stanfordjazz.org.

The Stanford Jazz Workshop today announced details of the 54th annual Stanford Jazz Festival taking place Sunday, June 21 to Friday, July 31, 2026, across multiple venues on the sprawling Stanford University campus. Having grown in both size and reputation since it first began in 1972, the Festival–which draws thousands of fans to the Bay Area–has become a destination for all arts lovers in one of the most bucolic settings in the nation. This year’s Festival celebrates jazz’s rich roots and its global connections, featuring an exceptional line-up spanning generations and styles. From acclaimed world-class headliners such as Billy Childs, George Cables, Branford Marsalis, and Anat Cohen to local Northwest natives such as The Westerlies, Nick Rossi, Nicolas Bearde, and Sasha Berliner, to innovative jazz fusings with Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Indian music, the 25+ events include Festival debuts, world premieres, family-friendly concerts, and more. As always, the Festival presents annual fan favorites including SJW alum Taylor Eigsti, Guitar Night, Ruth Davies’ Blues Night, and the All-Star Jam session closing out the Festival in what has become the biggest jazz celebration of the summer. For program details, updated line-ups, and tickets, please visit http://www.stanfordjazz.org.

Quote from Cory Combs, Executive Director, Stanford Jazz Workshop:
“This year’s Festival brings together some of the most powerful voices in jazz today, led by the visionary Branford Marsalis Quartet on June 26. Branford’s singular quartet has defined modern jazz for decades, and we’re honored to welcome them back to Stanford. From that opening weekend forward, the Festival reflects jazz as a living, global force, honoring its deep American roots while embracing the international sounds shaping its future. From Indian Jazz Journey to bold contemporary voices presented throughout the six-week Festival, audiences will experience the full heartbeat of this music, reflecting its diversity, dynamism, and unifying power.”

2026 Stanford Jazz Festival Performers
Aldo López-Gavilán · Anat Cohen · Anisha Rush · Ben Flocks · Billy Childs · Branford Marsalis · Camila Meza · Christina Galisatus · Dan Wilson · Dr. David Hart · David Wong · George Brooks · George Cables · Gretchen Parlato · Jeb Patton · Jeremy Pelt · Luciana Souza · Mahesh Kale · Marcel Camargo · Marcus Shelby · Michael Mayo · Nick Rossi · Nicolas Bearde · Ruth Davies · Sasha Berliner · Sean “Mack” McDonald · Stefon Harris · Taylor Eigsti · Victor Lin · The Westerlies · Yilian Cañizares · Zack Grooves
Plus surprise special guests and more!

About Stanford Jazz Workshop
Founded in 1972 by saxophonist, arranger, and educator Jim Nadel, Stanford Jazz Workshop is an intensive summer education program staffed with acclaimed musicians who are also many of the Stanford Jazz Festival’s featured performers. The synergy between the Workshop and the Festival manifests at every concert, as all the students enrolled in a session receive complimentary tickets, bringing an infusion of youth to the venues.

About Stanford Jazz Festival
Over the past 54 years, the Stanford Jazz Festival has consistently presented the finest performers on the scene. Audiences have heard legendary performances by Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, and Stan Getz, along with virtuosic modern masters like Joshua Redman, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Taylor Eigsti. The Festival is unique and adventurous, presenting over 30 celebrated artists and bands over several weeks. From family-friendly matinees to groundbreaking premieres, the Stanford Jazz Festival proudly keeps the torch of live jazz burning bright.

2026 STANFORD JAZZ FESTIVAL
When: Sunday, June 21 – Friday, July 31, 2026
Where: Dinkelspiel Auditorium (471 Lagunita Drive) and Campbell Recital Hall (541 Lasuen Mall) on the Stanford University campus, Stanford, CA 94305
Tickets: Tix go on sale to the general public at 10:00 a.m. PST on Friday, April 3, 2026. To reserve, visit http://www.stanfordjazz.org.

SUN 6.21 at 4:00 p.m. | INDIAN JAZZ JOURNEY FEATURING MAHESH KALE AND GEORGE BROOKS
No American-born jazz musician has forged deeper or more extensive ties throughout the expansive world of Indian classical music than Berkeley tenor saxophonist George Brooks. Over the past two decades those relationships have manifested in a kaleidoscopic array of combinations at his Stanford-exclusive Indian Jazz Journey, and in recent years the concert has focused on his ever-evolving communion with Mahesh Kale. Born and raised in Pune, the cultural capital of the western Indian state of Maharashtra, Kale was a disciple of Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, a hugely influential figure who revived the Marathi musical theater tradition in the 1950s. In 2015, Kale won the best playback singer award at India’s equivalent of the Oscars for a classical piece in the film Katyar Kaljat Ghusli, a breakout role that catapulted him into stardom. As in past concerts, Brooks has assembled a sensational cast of players ideally equipped to join him and Kale in exploring musical landscapes defined by the world’s two most sophisticated improvisational traditions.

FRI 6.26 at 7:30 p.m. | BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET
Branford Marsalis, tenor and soprano saxophones | Eric Revis, bass | Joey Calderazzo, piano | Justin Faulkner, drums
There’s no ensemble in jazz quite like the Branford Marsalis Quartet, a celebrated ensemble that has honed telepathic interplay over thousands of high-energy gigs. The eldest sibling in the illustrious New Orleans jazz clan, tenor and soprano saxophonist Branford Marsalis spent his early career seizing a series of extraordinary opportunities. From his first international exposure with the Art Blakey Big Band and Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, he went on to formative stints with Herbie Hancock, Sting, and his brother Wynton Marsalis’s epochal first quintet. Branford launched his own era-defining band 40 years ago with the late pianist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, and he’s been one of the music’s most dependably eloquent improvisers ever since. The near-legendary stability of his quartet allows for breathtaking interplay, starting with the band’s most recent arrival, Justin Faulkner, who’s held down the drum chair since he turned 18 in 2009. Pianist Joey Calderazzo joined in 1998, the year after bassist Eric Revis signed on, and the group has earned renown as one of the most muscularly cohesive on the scene. With last year’s reimagining of Belonging, the 1974 ECM album that introduced Keith Jarrett’s European quartet, Marsalis and his comrades have worked the thrilling material deeply into the quartet’s book.

SAT 6.27 at 7:30 p.m. | BILLY CHILDS QUARTET
Long before Los Angeles-based pianist Billy Childs gained recognition as one of the country’s preeminent composers he was dazzling Bay Area audiences as a sideman. After a brief stint with trombone great J.J. Johnson, the Los Angeles native started regular treks north when trumpet legend Freddie Hubbard assembled a prodigious young band in 1978 that also featured bassist Larry Klein (who earned greater renown producing albums by Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Luciana Souza, and Childs’ own 2014 jazz-chart topping project Map of The Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro). After years of playing funk and fusion, Hubbard had returned to straight ahead jazz sounding fierier than ever. For Childs, who was in his early 20s, heading upstate to perform at Keystone Korner, Kuumbwa and Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society with Hubbard’s band was trial by blowtorch on every gig. He’s been making trips north ever since, both as an accompanist for masters such as Bobby Hutcherson and Dianne Reeves and leading his own bands, giving audiences regular updates on his extraordinary evolution as a six-time GRAMMY Award-winning composer, arranger and improviser. Indeed, he’s carved out an anomalous career path with his pen, and makes a living via commissions. Writing for orchestras and chamber ensembles has become Childs’ bread and butter over the past two decades, which means every opportunity to stretch out with his band is an opportunity he seizes with both hands.

SUN 6.28 at 11:00 a.m. EARLY BIRD WITH DAVID HART
This annual jazz jam is a perfect morning for kids of all ages! Dr. David Hart and the Zookeepers get families swinging, singing, and clapping. This interactive family-friendly concert lets kids discover the joy of jazz and the inspiration that comes from playing instruments.

SUN 6.28 at 7:30 p.m. LUCIANA SOUZA’S NEW MOON
One of jazz’s most celebrated vocalists, Luciana Souza introduces New Moon, a lustrous new project with fellow São Paulo native Marcel Camargo on guitar and his arrangements incorporating string quartet. Whether she’s interpreting Brazilian Songbook standards, deploying her voice like a horn with an orchestra or singing her original compositions transforming beloved poems into songs, Souza is a musician of the highest order. Long based in Los Angeles, she’s probably best known for a series of intimate, Grammy and Latin GRAMMY-winning recordings pairing her with a superlative cadre of Brazilian jazz guitarists, including Romero Lubambo, Toninho Horta, and Marco Peirera. Her latest project New Moon finds her taking the duo foundation into lustrous new territory with guitarist/composer Marcel Camargo. He’s toured internationally with Michael Bublé, led, produced and arranged vocalist Gretchen Parlato’s Flor project, and shared the stage or studio with the likes of Sérgio Mendes, Herb Alpert, and Macy Gray. New Moon pairs the duo with a string quartet, fulfilling a longtime dream of Souza’s. Together, she and Camargo, who like Souza hails from an eminent musical family, reimagine Brazilian classics and debut new co-written songs. His delicately calibrated arrangements create lyrical soundscapes rich in texture and emotion for one of jazz’s most alluring singers.

FRI 7.10 at 7:30 p.m. | THE MUSIC OF DUKE ELLINGTON WITH NICK ROSSI’S JAZZOPATERS
An eminent scholar of pre-World War II jazz, ace guitarist Nick Rossi leads the West Coast’s only combo devoted to classic small group recordings by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and star soloists. Based in San Francisco, Rossi is one of the world’s foremost experts on pre-World War II jazz, both as a practitioner and a scholar. A few years ago, he realized that the Bay Area was clearly in need of a band devoted to the small group music recorded by Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and the orchestra’s featured soloists such as baritone saxophonist Harry Carney, altoist Johnny Hodges, and trumpeter Cootie Williams. Thus, was born the nine-piece Jazzopaters, which has been delighting audiences and dancers at the Bay Area’s finest clubs and venues for the past two years. Stacked with some of the region’s finest improvisers, the group proudly keeps seldom-performed tunes by the nonpareil Ellington in circulation.

SAT 7.11 at 7:30 p.m. NICOLAS BEARDE QUINTET
Inhabiting a sparsely populated zone between masculine R&B fervor and cool jazz styling, the effortlessly soulful Nicolas Bearde is a Bay Area treasure who knows that vulnerability and passion go hand in hand. He earned an avid following as an R&B solo act, but he’s evolved over the past decade into a captivating jazz singer who brings easy-going authority to ballads and swaggering mid-tempo standards. He made his Stanford debut in 2024 focusing on a program from his album I Remember You: The Music of Nat King Cole, and will be casting a wider net for this performance. Bearde first gained widespread notice in the late 1980s as a founding member of Bobby McFerrin’s innovative, improvisation-steeped a cappella ensemble Voicestra. He spent much of the 1980s and ‘90s pursuing a dual-track career as a musician and an actor, working on stage and television. Thankfully, music has been his primary pursuit in recent years. Whether he’s navigating Billy Strayhorn’s rueful “Lush Life,” Eden Ahbez’s beatific cantorial chant “Nature Boy,” or Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane’s impetuously grooving “Come Back to Me,” Bearde finds the emotional core of every lyric.

SUN 7.12 at 7:30 p.m. | MARCUS SHELBY SEXTET: THE LANGUAGE OF CHARLES MINGUS
Marcus Shelby walks in the footsteps of iconic bassist/composer Charles Mingus, creating epic works that tell overlooked stories from Black history with blues and swing. Shelby has never shied away from extending his creative reach. From his early years as a young lion recording for some of jazz’s most vaunted labels, the San Francisco bassist, composer, bandleader and educator has earned renown for his leadership on a wide array of fronts. He’s best known for his ambitious, historically informed works like 2006’s Port Chicago (Noir Records), a suite for his jazz orchestra inspired by the World War II miscarriage of justice, and 2018’s Black Ball: The Negro Leagues and the Blues, a suite commissioned by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. He served as a musical foil for playwright and actor Anna Deavere Smith throughout the interview-driven creation of her one-woman show about the school-to-prison pipeline, Notes From the Field. And since taking over as artistic director of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival in the Fall of 2020, he has greatly expanded the already internationally recognized organization. While his temperament is a mirror image of the tempestuous Mingus’s, Shelby is steeped in his music and is ideally placed to offer insight into his composing, bandleading, and gift for coaxing superlative performances from his collaborators.

MON 7.13 at 7:30 p.m. | CHRISTINA GALISATUS QUINTET PLAYS JONI MITCHELL
Now living in Los Angeles, Christina Galisatus has gained recognition in recent years as one of the brightest young artists on the vibrant Southland scene. A quadruple creative force as a pianist/multi-instrumentalist, composer, vocalist, and songwriter, she’s released several critically hailed albums, including 2023’s Without Night and 2025’s Hold Still, which introduced her lustrous vocals. Raised on the Peninsula, she graduated from Stanford with honors and practically grew up at the Workshop, and has surprised exactly none of her Bay Area fans by thriving in LA. She returns to campus with her new Joni Mitchell project, which delves into the extraordinary songbook of one of her primary influences. Though she approaches Mitchell’s music with reverence, Galisatus infuses the songs with her particularly harmonic and melodic sensibility, turning them into highly personal vehicles for emotional expression. She’s joined by a cadre of longtime collaborators including reed expert Michael Blasky.

TUE 7.14 at 7:30 p.m. | JIMMY HEATH CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION WITH JEB PATTON AND DAVID WONG
Inveterately swinging pianist Jeb Patton and veteran bassist David Wong celebrate the legacy of their mentor and former employer Jimmy Heath (1926-2020), the brilliant saxophonist, composer and arranger. Jimmy Heath would likely give a wry smile over the fact that his 100th birthday is destined to be overshadowed by the centennial milestone celebrations for Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Hailing from one of jazz’s most distinguished families, Heath was both universally esteemed by his peers but underappreciated, particularly when it came to his prowess on the tenor saxophone (he was also formidable on flute and soprano sax). His success as an arranger and composer–Heath wrote at least a half dozen standards, including “Gingerbread Boy,” “Gemini,” “C.T.A.” and “For Minors Only”–meant that he never quite got his due as an improviser. Pianist Jeb Patton and veteran bassist David Wong experienced the creative intensity of Heath’s horn first -and as members of the Heath Brothers band (with drummer Tootie Heath). They’ve led distinguished careers accompanying other masters who got their start in the 1940s, including drum legend Roy Haynes, saxophone great George Coleman and alto sax powerhouse Charles McPherson. They co-lead this celebration of Jimmy Heath’s music, tunes that defined the hard-bop era.

WED 7.15 at 7:30 p.m. | VICTOR LIN: GERSHWIN REIMAGINED
Pianist/violinist Victor Lin brings fresh perspective to the music of George Gershwin in an evening of lively, imaginative interpretations. Lin always brings a thoughtful and imaginative game plan to the Festival. A mainstay at the Stanford Jazz Workshop since the late 1990s, he has emerged in recent years as a savvy producer with a gift for conceptual concerts that highlight both repertoire and relationships among Workshop faculty. This year, Lin turns his attention to the music of George Gershwin, re-examining one of America’s most enduring composers through a contemporary jazz lens.
With this new program, Lin brings the same spirit of curiosity and collaboration to Gershwin’s songs and orchestral works, revealing their rhythmic vitality, harmonic sophistication, and deep jazz roots. His gift lies not only in the material he chooses, but in the musicians he gathers–a rotating cast of friends and colleagues who bring fresh perspective, shared history, and joyful spontaneity to the music.

THU 7.16 at 7:30 p.m. | MICHAEL MAYO QUARTET
Every generation seems to produce an exceptionally talented male jazz vocalist or two, and the ‘20s will be remembered for the emergence of Michael Mayo, a lithe, soul-steeped improviser devoted to direct emotional expression. Growing up in Los Angeles, Mayo seemed destined to a life in music. His father is a vocalist and saxophonist who performed with Earth, Wind & Fire and Sérgio Mendes, while his mother’s distinguished career as a background vocalist includes work with Beyoncé, Diana Ross, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston. A credit to nature and nurture, he’s emerged over the past decade as a supremely talented vocalist, composer, songwriter, and arranger. A graduate of New England Conservatory and the Thelonious Monk Institute (now the Hancock Institute of Jazz), Mayo has honed an enthralling sound steeped in jazz, neo-soul, and R&B. He’s toured with Herbie Hancock, recorded with drummer Nate Smith, and collaborated widely with Taylor Eigsti, singing on the title track of the pianist’s GRAMMY-winning 2021 album Tree Falls. Since then, Mayo has released two acclaimed albums of his own, firmly establishing himself as one of the most exciting young vocalists in jazz.

SAT 7.18 at 7:30 p.m. | ANAT COHEN
Fresh off a series of major events marking her 50th birthday, from Jazz at Lincoln Center to SFJAZZ, tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Anat Cohen returns to Stanford, where her jazz festival performances are an annual highlight. Since arriving in New York City in 1999 she has played trad jazz in ensembles devoted to the early music of Louis Armstrong and post-bop with her generation’s cutting-edge improvisers and composers. She soared in orchestral settings, celebrated Benny Goodman with Benny Green at the Village Vanguard, and danced tightrope in duet with Fred Hersch at Healdsburg (all captured on albums). She’s embraced her brothers (trumpeter Avishai and soprano saxophonist Yuval) in 3 Cohens and navigated Oded Lev-Ari’s intricate compositions for the Anat Cohen Tentet. Her love of Brazilian music has often been the focus of her annual Festival appearances, where she’s collaborated with some of the world’s greatest Brazilian musicians. Whether she’s exploring the music of overlooked genius Moacir Santos or MPB superstar Milton Nascimento, playing choro, bossa nova or Brazilian jazz with her Quartetinho, Cohen is a nonpareil clarinetist and suavely swinging tenor saxophonist at the peak of her craft.

SUN 7.19 at 7:30 p.m. | THE WESTERLIES
A singular chamber jazz ensemble, The Westerlies have honed a gorgeous, intricately calibrated approach that brings uncommon intimacy to the unique two trumpet, two trombone lineup. Featuring trumpeters Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands and trombonists Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon, The Westerlies sound like no other group in jazz. Introducing a new instrumental concept after more than a century of jazz-powered innovation is no small task, but The Westerlies combine the dynamic precision of a string quartet, the sonic punch of a rock band, and the derring-do of a circus act. Across 10 acclaimed studio albums the ensemble has arranged and performed music by a dazzling array of composers and collaborators, including Caroline Shaw, Nico Muhly, Conrad Tao, Wayne Horvitz, Robin Holcomb, and Theo Bleckmann. Last year the group released two major projects, Paradise, a breathtaking reimagination of the Shape Note choral tradition, and Songbook, Vol. 3, a live EP and concert film celebrating friends and recent collaborators, including Samora Pinderhughes, Anaïs Mitchell, Aoife O’Donovan, and Joanna Newsom. This year The Westerlies are presenting a major retrospective of new music by key mentor Bill Frisell and an adaptation of Maria Schneider’s GRAMMY-winning song cycle Winter Morning Walks featuring South African vocalist Vuyo Sotashe.

MON 7.20 at 7:30 p.m. | ANISHA RUSH QUARTET & BEN FLOCKS MOONSHADES
A potent double bill pairs two stellar saxophonists, with bands led by rising star Anisha Rush and mid-career master Ben Flocks, who’s celebrating the release of a powerhouse trio album Moonshades. An integral part of the Workshop family since he was a teenager, Flocks has earned widespread esteem while performing and recording with a glittering constellation of jazz stars, from Dave Brubeck, Patrice Rushen and Joshua Redman to Antonio Sanchez, Javier Santiago and Caili O’Doherty. He’s focused on writing and performing with a stripped-down trio, honing an approach that’s intensely lyrical and palpably physical. Sharing the evening is Colorado Springs-reared, New York City-based saxophonist, composer and educator Anisha Rush, an intrepid improviser who draws from the kindred currents of jazz, soul, R&B, and gospel. A rising bandleader in her own right, she’s made a powerful impression as a sidewoman with veteran masters such as Makaya McCraven, Ron Miles, Matt Wilson, and Art Lande.

TUE 7.21 at 7:30 p.m. | MILES CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION FEATURING JEREMY PELT
A prodigious trumpeter, producer and composer who’s been at the center of the New York jazz scene for a quarter century, Jeremy Pelt has released some two dozen albums as a leader exploring a wide array of instrumental settings. The Los Angeles native has traversed similarly expansive terrain as a sideman on some five-dozen albums with both veteran masters (such as Gerald Wilson, Cedar Walton, Louis Hayes, and Wayne Shorter) and contemporaries (including Camille Thurman, Somi, and Jaleel Shaw). Embracing his role as an established veteran, he’s taken to mentoring younger players while sharing wisdom from well-traveled cats in a series of books featuring his interviews with jazz masters, Griots: Examining the Lives of Jazz’s Great Storytellers. Many of the veterans he’s conversed with are Miles Davis alumni and Pelt is ideally prepared to celebrate Miles’ centennial, as both a player and raconteur.

WED 7.22 at 7:30 p.m. | RUTH DAVIES’ BLUES NIGHT
Returning for its 23rd edition, Ruth Davies’ Blues Night is a bona fide Stanford Jazz tradition that ensures that the music’s essential roots are explicitly recognized and honored. When John Lee Hooker needed to put some boom in his “Boom Boom,” he gave Ruth Davies a call. When R&B great Charles Brown sought a supple pulse for his cool West Coast blues, Davies supplied the beat. And when Elvin Bishop required extra propulsion for a new band, Davies provided the fuel. Over the past four decades she’s been the bassist of choice for dozens of masters in blues, jazz, R&B and beyond, from Taj Mahal and Barbara Dane to Clark Terry and Maria Muldaur. At Stanford, she’s taken it upon herself to ensure that the blues is always on the program, bringing in a special guest each season. This year’s featured artist is 23-year-old Sean “Mack” McDonald, an Augusta, Georgia-raised guitarist who is part of a wave of brilliant young Black musicians revitalizing the art form. Steeped in Chicago and West Coast post-war blues, he’s absorbed the sounds of Bobby “Blue” Bland, Louis Jordan, T-Bone Walker, and early BB King.

THU 7.23 at 7:30 p.m. | STEFON HARRIS & BLACKOUT
The contemporary jazz scene is amid an unprecedented wave of vibraphone innovation, and no artist deserves more credit for this development than Stefon Harris. Since emerging in the late-1990s with a series of highly acclaimed albums for Blue Note Records, the New York native has mentored many of the brightest young players to come up in his wake (like Sasha Berliner). But for the past two decades, he’s been a scarce presence in venues and recording studios. His latest album, 2018’s Sonic Creed (Motéma), features his band Blackout, and is a brilliant and lushly produced program of Harris originals and hard-bop standards by Horace Silver, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons and Bobby Hutcherson. And like much of his work since he made a highly productive trip to Cuba in 2008 the album digs into the kindred roots of jazz and rumba (via percussion great Pedrito Martinez). An ambitious composer, startlingly eloquent improviser and savvy bandleader, he’s always looking to expand and deepen the Blackout musical family. He brings the band’s latest iteration west for a rare Stanford sojourn.

SAT 7.25 at 7:30 p.m. | YILIAN CAÑIZARES
After her jaw-dropping appearance last summer as a special guest with percussion maestro John Santos, it was obvious that Cuban violinist/vocalist Yilian Cañizares needed to return and present her own band. Cañizares is on the cusp of becoming a major figure on the North American jazz scene. Introduced to Bay Area audiences just before the advent of the pandemic via her collaboration with piano great Omar Sosa, with whom she recorded the gorgeous, spiritually charged 2018 album Aguas, the Swiss-based Cañizares has been looking for opportunities to return ever since. Born in Havana, she was 14 when she moved to Venezuela in 1997 to study at El Sistema founder José Antonio Abreu’s Academia Latinoamericana de Violin in Caracas. Three years later she relocated to Switzerland to complete her studies at the Fribourg/Freiburg conservatory and ended up settling in Lausanne. Increasingly interested in fusing her Cuban roots with jazz, she launched her first band, Ochumare, which means rainbow in Yoruba. The trio became a proving ground for her rapidly evolving music, which has been fueled by collaborations with Cuban piano stars such as Chucho Valdés, Omar Sosa, and Roberto Fonseca. But she’s reached far beyond her homeland in her quest for musical adventures, performing with Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, Romani flamenco legend Diego El Cigala, South Korean vocalist Youn Sun Nah, Tunisian oud master and vocalist Dhafer Youssef, and Cameroonian bass maestro Richard Bona.

SUN 7.26 at 8:00 p.m. | SASHA BERLINER
San Francisco-reared vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, who last performed at the Festival two years ago co-leading a tribute to vibes legend Bobby Hutcherson and drummer Eddie Marshall, returns for his Festival debut as a headliner with her state-of-the-art band. On a jazz scene bristling with brilliant young vibraphonists, she has distinguished herself with a lithe electro-acoustic group sound that’s rooted in post-bop improvisation and deeply informed by contemporary musical currents. Now based in Los Angeles, the San Francisco native spent formative years at the Workshop. The first of the three times she attended in high school she was still focusing on drums, but on her return trips she had switched to vibes and recalls soaking up invaluable experience in a combo led by Victor Lin. Sessions with Ambrose Akinmusire and Billy Hart set her up well for New York City and studies at the New School. She’s been soaring ever since as a bandleader, sidewoman and composer. Last year she released her third studio album, Fantôme (Outside In Music), a supple, lyrically charged project laced with electronic textures and production. Last fall the storied German jazz outfit the Frankfurt Radio Big Band performed a concert of arrangements of her compositions, and Berklee concluded a seminar focusing on her compositions with a program by the Sasha Berliner Berklee Ensemble. With jazz stars like Christian McBride, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Tyshawn Sorey calling her for gigs, she is flourishing as a full-spectrum creative force.

MON 7.27 at 8:00 p.m. | GUITAR NIGHT FEATURING CAMILA MEZA & DAN WILSON
A long-running, ever-changing showcase for jazz’s finest guitar practitioners, Guitar Night brings together two extraordinary bandleaders with very different sounds this season. Chilean-born Camila Meza first gained widespread attention on the New York scene in the late aughts working widely in bands led by Cuban pianist Fabian Almazan and trombonist Ryan Keberle (who started incorporating her vocals into arrangements for his Pan-American band Catharsis). She’s carved out her own identity as a composer, most vividly with her eight-piece Nectar Orchestra. Dan Wilson also came to renown as a sideman, via widespread touring with Hammond B3 great Joey DeFrancesco, and later bass star Christian McBride. Deeply inspired by guitar maestros Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, and George Benson, he came up playing in church and every note is marked by his sanctified origins. With the release of his fourth album as a leader last year,Things Eternal, Wilson cemented his status as one of jazz’s most accomplished and expressive guitarists.

TUE 7.28 at 8:00 p.m. | GEORGE CABLES SEXTET FEATURING STANFORD JAZZ WORKSHOP FACULTY
At 81, pianist George Cables is jazz royalty. As an accompanist, composer and bandleader he’s been at the center of jazz’s progressive mainstream since the late 1960s, with a resume that rivals any living peer and a book of beloved compositions in regular circulation. A treasured presence at the Workshop for years, George Cables made a name for himself on a series of classic recordings by era-defining musicians, including Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson and Woody Shaw. As a bandleader and composer, he’s made his mark with some two dozen albums, most recently his 2024 trio session I Hear Echoes with bassist Essiet Essiet and drummer Jerome Jennings. Since his recording debut on the 1968 album Electrifying Sounds of the Paul Jeffrey (a quintet session with drummer Billy Hart, his bandmate in the all-star combo The Cookers), Cables has distinguished himself with his bright, voluptuous sound and vivifying combination of elegance and grit. Altoist Art Pepper famously dubbed him “Mr. Beautiful” for his sublime melodic sensibility, but he could just as easily have been talking about Cables as a man. A composer of arrestingly alluring tunes, he’s made a deep mark wherever he’s spent time, nowhere more so than in Northern California, where his regular presence at Keystone Korner was an essential part of the storied North Beach venue’s creative mojo.

WED 7.29 at 8:00 p.m. | ALDO LÓPEZ-GAVILÁN
Even in a country with a glorious tradition of extravagantly talented pianists, Havana-reared Aldo López-Gavilán is a conspicuously commanding musician. Steeped in jazz, Afro-Cuban and European classical music, he’s a celebrated composer who hails from an illustrious musical clan. His father, Guido López-Gavilán, is an esteemed conductor and composer, and his late mother, Teresita Junco, was an acclaimed concert pianist. His older brother, violinist Ilmar Gavilán, is a founding member of the Harlem Quartet (their long thwarted but eventually successful efforts to perform together became the subject of the 2020 documentary Los Hermanos/The Brothers by award-winning Bay Area filmmakers Ken Schneider and Marcia Jarmel). After making his professional debut at age 12 with the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra, López-Gavilán went on to perform Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with the National Symphonic Orchestra of Cuba. At the same time, he was delving into the classical canon, López-Gavilán was honing his skills as an improviser. Invited to perform at the Havana Jazz Festival with Chucho Valdés, he made such a powerful impression that the legendary pianist called him “simply a genius, a star.” He’s been living up to the praise ever since.

THU 7.30. at 8:00 p.m. | TAYLOR EIGSTI GROUP FEATURING GRETCHEN PARLATO & ZACK GROOVES
Since the turn of the century no artist has been more deeply identified with Stanford Jazz than pianist Taylor Eigsti, a prodigy who went on to carve out a brilliant career as an accompanist, composer and two-time GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist.
Eigsti’s annual performance at Stanford typically falls in the Festival’s last week, providing a bold exclamation point to the previous weeks of musical adventures. Though he’s never hidden his incandescent talent under a bushel, Eigsti did wait a decade between albums, a drought that came to an end with 2020’s Tree Falls, which earned a GRAMMY Award. His 2023 follow-up, Plot Armor, scored another GRAMMY, and he’s joined at this concert by the brilliant vocalist Gretchen Parlato, who sang on both projects. Eigsti has also toured widely with Parlato and recorded on several of her albums. They’re thrilled to regroup with a more recent connection, YouTube sensation Zack Grooves (aka Zack Graybeal). A stellar drummer who was known mostly as a busy sideman around North Carolina, he’s turned his YouTube channel into a bustling educational resource for fellow trap set acolytes with close to a half-million subscribers. Zach Grooves has been touring with Eigsti over the past couple of years, including a 2024 European jaunt featuring Parlato and tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel and a fall 2025 European tour with vocalist Becca Stevens.

FRI 7.31 at 8:00 p.m. | ALL-STAR JAM
At this lovingly curated annual jam session, audiences will hear pairings and combinations of jazz artists rarely heard anywhere else. In duet, trio, quartet, and larger ensembles, these amazing top-tier players will let their unbridled creativity soar. Artists TBA.

Africa Oyé Festival 2026, Sefton Park, Liverpool.

Dates: Saturday, June 20, 2026 - Sunday, June 21, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

Festival tickets are on sale now via http://www.ticketquarter and www.africaoye.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.africaoye.com.

Haiku Salut + Osgled + Matt Sewell at Sy : Gigs, The Darwin Room, Shrewsbury Library, Shrewsbury.

Date: Sunday, September 13, 2026

More details

From Chris Taylor of Sy : Gigs

Event 4.0 - September 13th - Haiku Salut + Osgled + Matt Sewell
A new delicious afternoon matinee for your diaries.

Sunday 13th September 2026
The Darwin Room, Shrewsbury Library in Shrewsbury
2:30pm til 6:00pm (Performance starts 3:00pm)

September 13 — Early Bird tickets are now on sale. There are only a small number owing to capacity of venue.
https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Shrewsbury/The-Darwin-Room%2C-Shrewsbury-Library/Haiku-Salut—Osgled—Matt-Sewell/42155982/

I am really thrilled to welcome back @haikusalut to Shrewsbury.

The last time Haiku Salut joined us was in November 2018 at St Alkmund’s Church, an evening show beautifully supported by my friend Joel (@tinyleavesmusic).

This time, they return in a different light at our new venue, The Darwin Room, Shrewsbury Library, presenting a special afternoon matinee, with support from Osgled and Matt Sewell.

For those discovering them afresh, Haiku Salut are the Derbyshire-born trio of Gemma Barkerwood, Sophie Barkerwood and Louise Croft. Self-described as “instrumental dream-pop-post-folk-neo-everything,” their music is intricate, cinematic and entirely wordless, glockenspiel, accordion, piano, electronics and found sounds woven into something both playful and profound.
Drawing inspiration from composers such as Yann Tiersen and Benoît Charest, alongside the delicate experimentalism of Múm, they create immersive soundscapes that feel like miniature films unfolding in real time.
https://haikusalut.bandcamp.com/music

Osgled (Welsh for amplitude ) draws on a rich blend of experimental sounds, combines ethereal, atmospheric layers with poignant, melancholy synths, all woven together with dreamy and evocative vocals. The result is a soundscape that feels both otherworldly and deeply emotional, transporting listeners into a space of reflection and feeling.
https://osgled.bandcamp.com/music

The Matinee will be bookended again by dear friend and Shrewsbury polymath @mattsewell.
https://ctrmusic.bandcamp.com/album/a-crushing-glow-compiled-by-matt-sewell

Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2026 at Glynde Place, East Sussex.

Dates: Friday, July 03, 2026 - Sunday, July 05, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

For details please visit Festival website;
https://lovesupremefestival.com/

Olivia Murphy Jazz Orchestra at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.

Date: Monday, May 18, 2026

Venue

Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London

Pizza Express Jazz Club,
Dean Street,
Soho,
London,
W1D 3RW.

More details

From;
https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/olivia-murphy-jazz-orchestra

Olivia Murphy Jazz Orchestra
Album Launch

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)
The Olivia Murphy Jazz Orchestra returns to PizzaExpress Jazz Club after their sold out 2025 performance to celebrate their debut studio album release “Fateful Birds and Fledgling Stories”. Conducted by multi-award-winning composer Olivia Murphy, and featuring 18 of the most impressive improvising musicians from the UK jazz scene, this exclusive show will include brand new works, alongside compositions from the album, described as “some of the most exciting large ensemble jazz emerging from the London scene today”.
£25.00

18 May 2026 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)
Available
£25.00

Full Biography

Olivia Murphy has quickly established herself as an innovative, creative and colourful artist working in large ensemble composition and has developed her own distinct and personal voice. Her music fuses contemporary composition and song-writing with elements of free improvisation, while always keeping story-telling at its core, hailed as “outstanding … fresh, original contemporary music that certainly deserves to be given a much wider audience” (Jazzwise).

Murphy has been funded to record her orchestral works by Help Musicians and PRS Foundation, and is the winner of both the Musicians’ Company Eddie Harvey Award (for jazz arrangement) and the Dankworth Award (for jazz composition). In recent years she has been commissioned by Merton Music Foundation, University of Birmingham and Sonorite Saxophone Quartet and has been published by the ABRSM. Murphy is also Resident Musical Director for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and has directed her music on collaborations with Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra, Trinity Laban Jazz Ensemble and Birmingham Jazz Orchestra.

With inspiration from Greek Myth to video games, instrumentation including bass flutes and mezzo sopranos, and free improvisation weaved into intricate compositions, Olivia Murphy Jazz Orchestra (OMJO) is heartfelt then silly, orderly then raucous but always astonishingly original. The Orchestra features 18 of the most impressive improvisers in the UK, all sharing a common thread of the Birmingham or London jazz scenes. Murphy’s compositions have been described as “an undoubted triumph” and “fresh contemporary music”, while her distinct conducting style is “like expressive dancing”; she feels that leading her Orchestra is exactly what she was meant to do.

OMJO was formed in early 2022 after being awarded the prestigious Peter Whittingham Development Award, and the Orchestra has since performed sold out dates across the UK, including Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Vortex Jazz Club, and Cheltenham Jazz Festival. The Orchestra’s debut EP “Somewhere, Not So Far Away”, recorded live in Birmingham was described as “brimming with emotion” and “highly accomplished music”. In 2024, the Orchestra recorded their debut studio album “Fateful Birds and Fledgling Stories” with support from the Help Musicians’ Next Level Award which will be released on 8th May 2026.

Band Lineup
Olivia Murphy (conductor / composer)
Becca Wilkins & Rebecka Edlund (vocals)
Poppy Helmer, Lewis Sallows, George Garford, Jonathan Chung & Alicia Gardener Trejo (woodwinds)
Tom Syson, Alex Astbury, Charlotte Keeffe (trumpets)
Dave Sear, Joel Knee, Christ-Stephane Boizi, Olivia Hughes (trombones)
Daniel Kemshell (guitar)
Olly Chalk (piano)
Aram Bahmaie (double bass)
Kai Chareunsy (drums)

“her arrangements bring to mind Gil Evans, elsewhere are reminiscent of Maria Schneider, wistful and moody…clearly a name to watch out for”
UKJazzNews

42nd Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival, various venues, Birmingham and West Midlands.

Dates: Friday, July 24, 2026 - Sunday, August 02, 2026

More details

For details please visit Festival website;
http://www.birminghamjazzfestival.com/

Stacey Kent at Cadogan Hall, London.

Dates: Thursday, July 16, 2026 - Friday, July 17, 2026

Featuring: Stacey Kent

More details

SERIOUS have provided the following information;

Thu 16 & Fri 17 July, Cadogan Hall

Stacey Kent

Due to high demand and limited tickets for 16 July, a second date has been added on Friday 17 July for Stacey Kent at Cadogan Hall. Don’t miss the Grammy-nominated star part of this year’s Summer Jazz Series.

Tickets;
https://serious.org.uk/events/stacey-kent

Cadogan Hall,
5 Sloane Terrace
SW1X 9DQ.

Katie Melua + Jed Holland at Union Chapel, Islington, London.

Date: Tuesday, July 07, 2026

More details

SERIOUS have provided the following information regarding this event;

Tuesday 7 July, Union Chapel

Katie Melua + Jed Holland

This July, one of the UK’s best-selling female artists, Katie Melua, brings an intimate show to Union Chapel. With over 11 million albums sold and 56 platinum awards, she continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

Tickets;
https://serious.org.uk/events/katie-melua

Union Chapel,
Compton Terrace,
London,
N1 2UN

Gaz Hughes Trio at Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.

Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026

Featuring: The Gaz Hughes Trio

Venue

The Hive, Shrewsbury

5 Belmont,
Shrewsbury,
Shropshire.
UK

More details

From Mike Wright of Shrewsbury Jazz Network;

Gaz Hughes Trio
June 13 £25/£12 U22
Drummer Gaz Hughes returns to SJN at the Hive with his exciting trio partners Gavin Barras (double bass) & Andrzej Baranek (piano). Rooted in the timeless tradition of the piano trio, they breathe fresh life into standards and mix in a few of their own original compositions for good measure. The result showcases seamless interaction, bold creativity, and an infectious joy. Classic Sound with a Modern Twist.
‘A high level of swing and musicality…Jazz Journal

Alex Hitchcock Quartet at Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.

Date: Saturday, May 09, 2026

Featuring: Alex Hitchcock Quartet

Venue

The Hive, Shrewsbury

5 Belmont,
Shrewsbury,
Shropshire.
UK

More details

From Mike Wright of Shrewsbury Jazz Network;

Alex Hitchcock Quartet
May 9 £25/£12 U22
Following sold-out album launches in New York and London, Saxophonist and composer Alex Hitchcock brings a cutting-edge quartet with Joe Downard (bass), Will Barry (piano) & Luke McCarthy (drums). This exciting band will be performing music from the acclaimed new release. ‘Letters from Afar’, a sonic correspondence across
emotional, geographic, and artistic distances. This is music for curious, open-minded listeners drawn to art at the edge of beauty and disruption.
‘Leading the charge in terms of new jazz music being created in the UK..’ BBC Jazz World

Pete Roth Trio at Guildford Jazz, The University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026

Featuring: Pete Roth

More details

From Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz;

Pete Roth Trio at Guildford Jazz, The University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey
Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026
More details
Pete Roth Trio
Thursday 30 Apr from 20.00 to 22.15 (doors open 19.00) at the University of Surrey, Stag Hill, Guildford GU2 7XH
A unique evening with legendary prog-jazz drummer BILL BRUFORD who set the standard for creative rock drumming with Yes and King Crimson before returning
to his first love, jazz. The Pete Roth Trio, which features Bill Bruford on drums, Pete Roth on guitar and Mike Pratt on bass, strives for an intimate, eclectic approach
that references everything from jazz funk to the classical music of Dvořák. This performance includes a pre-concert interview with Bill Bruford from Guildford
Mayor HOWARD SMITH.
For more details and to book tickets visit
https://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

Nils Kavanagh Trio at Black Mountain Jazz, Melville Centre for the Arts, Abergavenny.

Date: Sunday, April 26, 2026

Featuring: Nils Kavanagh

More details

From;
https://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk/event-details/the-nils-kavanagh-trio

The Nils Kavanagh Trio
Sun 26 Apr | Melville Centre for the Arts

Time & Location
26 Apr 2026, 19:00 – 23:00
Melville Centre for the Arts, 5 Pen-Y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UN, UK

About the event

Winner of the Young Irish Jazz Musician of the Year Award 2022-2024 and finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024, Irish/Danish pianist Nils Kavanagh is making his mark on contemporary improvised music.

His highly anticipated debut album, ‘No Expectations’ brought an energetic and explorative sound,with a taste for strong melodies, bright harmonies and explosive rhythms.
Home, joy, family, mythology, folk music, loss and longing are all key to Nils’ music, with an overarching focus on warm melody and musical storytelling.

Nils’ trio, consisting of bassist Ursula Harrison (BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024 winner) and drummer Sam Green, present a diverse mix of music, ranging from compositions inspired by Celtic traditional music and contemporary jazz from Scandinavia and the UK, to modern interpretations of jazz repertoire and other popular music, bringing a new flavour to the classic piano trio format.

Tickets
Ticket type
General Admission
Price
From £9.00 to £18.00

Standard
£18.00

Friends of BMJ
£16.00

Underr 18’s
£9.00

Shirly Smart Trio at Divinity School Lecture Theatre, St.John’s College, Theatre, Cambridge.

Date: Friday, May 22, 2026

Featuring: Shirley Smart

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Shirley Smart Trio - 22nd May - Divinity Theatre, Cambridge City Centre

SHIRLEY SMART TRIO
Friday 22nd May

Jazz artist in residence Shirley Smart brings her dynamic blend of North African, Middle Eastern infused Jazz to John’s.

Shirley Smart - cello
John Crawford - piano
Demi Garcia Sabat - drums

Doors 18:30 / Concert 19:00
Divinity School Lecture Theatre

Shirley Smart is recognised as one of the UK’s most versatile and creative cellists – being equally at home and well versed in jazz and Middle Eastern music, as well as classical music.

“Fascinating listening, and thought-provoking entertainment for the open-eared”
The Arts Desk

‘A superb set - a sound world that is at once rooted in the ancient and traditional musics that it draws from in an utterly contemporary manner that also incorporates modern jazz.”
Jazzviews

Drawing on a background of 10 years living in Jerusalem and working with the overlapping worlds of jazz, Arabic, Turkish and North African music, her trio brings these influences together in an evening of vibrant melodies, grooves, swing and lively improvisation. Showcasing her unique ability to explore the potential of the cello in a jazz context, performing multiple roles as bassist, lead and soloist on the instrument, and featuring also some of the UK’s leading lights in world-influenced jazz - John Crawford on piano, and Demi Garcia Sabat on percussion, this dynamic group promises and evening of inspired music-making

Originally trained under Raphael Wallfisch at the Guildhall School of Music, and Janos Starker in Paris, she subsequently moved to Jerusalem, where she remained for 10 years, studying and performing a wide variety of musical traditions from North Africa, Turkey and Middle East. She was also highly active on the jazz scene, working with artists including Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital and Yasmin Levy. Since returning to the UK, she has quickly become known as one of the most creative cellists on the music scene and has worked with many leading jazz and world music groups, including Antonio Forcione, Mulato Astatke, Neil Cowley, Julian Ferraretto and Robert Mitchell. She leads her own trio, with John Crawford on piano, and Demi Garcia Sabat on drums, and band Melange.

Shirley is Professor of Musicianship and Improvisation at the Royal College of Music in London and Musician-in Residence at St. Johns College, Cambridge. She has also held posts at City, University of London and Kent University and is a visiting tutor for the National Youth Jazz Collective.

Tickets;
https://wegottickets.com/event/686181

CAMBRIDGE: Divinity School Lecture Theatre
Old Divinity School
St John’s College
Cambridge
CB2 1TP.
http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk
Access: Often entered from All Saints’ Passage, linking St John’s Street.

Pete Oxley’s Time is of the Essence, lunchtime event at Harborough Jazz Club, The Three Swans Hotel, Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

Date: Sunday, June 14, 2026

More details

From;
https://harboroughjazz.com/

Welcome to Harborough Jazz

Who Are We?
Harborough Jazz Club focuses on promoting modern and mainstream forms of Jazz. We stage a monthly Sunday gig and a local jam session. We have an excellent reputation for providing jazz sessions from national and international names. Join as a club member and enjoy special rates and booking privileges.

Where to Find Us
We look forward to seeing you at our lunchtime sessions on the second Sunday in every month at The Three Swans Hotel, Market Harborough, UK to enjoy a friendly relaxed atmosphere, good food and the best in modern jazz. Our open jam sessions are held on the last Tuesday in the month the Coach and Horses pub in Lubenham (see Local Jazz News). https://harboroughjazz.com/local-jazz-news

Pete Oxley’s Time is of the Essence
The Three Swans , Market Harborough, LE167NJ
Sunday 14th June 2026
Pete Oxley: Time is of the Essence
Inspired by the stunning 1999 album by Michael Brecker, Time is of the Essence is an ‘organ quartet’: sax, guitar, organ and drums. Formed in 2010, the band features original music along with pieces by the likes of Michael Brecker, Steely Dan, Wes Montgomery and Eddie Harris, falling very much into the ‘groove’ category of jazz!
Ollie Weston ~ Saxophones, Pete Oxley ~ Guitars, Martin Pickett ~ Organ, Keith Fairbairn ~ Drums
Tickets;
https://www.ticketsource.com/booking/select/npkpedezpxbg
PLEASE HELP US BY PURCHASING TICKETS IN ADVANCE

The Three Swans Hotel,
21 High Street,
Market Harborough,
Leicestershire,
LE16 7NJ

01858 466644

https://threeswans.co.uk/

Dean Stockdale Quartet, lunchtime event at Harborough Jazz Club, The Three Swans Hotel, Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

Date: Sunday, May 10, 2026

Featuring: Dean Stockdale Quartet

More details

From;
https://harboroughjazz.com/

Welcome to Harborough Jazz

The Dean Stockdale Quartet
The Three Swans, Market Harborough, LE167NJ
Sunday 10th May 2026
Dean Stockdale is a highly regarded jazz pianist, arranger and composer known for his sensitive, swinging style, and regularly appears around the UK with his trio and with some of the best names in UK jazz. His biggest influences in jazz are the piano styles of Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Gene Harris, Mulgrew Miller and Erroll Garner. He enjoys the tradition of mainstream jazz with a passion for the American Songbook. Also featured will be Tim Williams guitar, Gavin Barras bass and Gaz Hughes drums.
Tickets;
https://www.ticketsource.com/booking/select/zjkyakqmenen
PLEASE HELP US BY PURCHASING TICKETS IN ADVANCE

The Three Swans Hotel,
21 High Street,
Market Harborough,
Leicestershire,
LE16 7NJ

01858 466644

https://threeswans.co.uk/

Norman Connors & The Starship Orchestra with Meli’sa Morgan & Bobby Lyle at Cadogan Hall, London.

Dates: Tuesday, May 05, 2026 - Wednesday, May 06, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

NORMAN CONNORS & the STARSHIP ORCHESTRA with Meli’sa Morgan & Bobby Lyle.

European exclusive dates for legendary American jazz-funk producer, composer and drummer Norman Connors and the Starship Orchestra with special guests Meli’sa Morgan and Bobby Lyle.

Born in Philadelphia, Norman Connors started his career as drummer with John Coltrane, Archie Shepp and Pharaoh Sanders releasing his debut album, ‘Dance of Magic’, as a bandleader in 1972. After signing with Buddha Records in 1974, where he also became the label’s A&R manager, Norman Connors scored his biggest crossover hits with ‘Valentine Love’ featuring Michael Henderson & Jean Carne (1975), ‘We Both Need Each Other’ (1976) and his signature song ‘You Are My Starship’ which was written and sung by Michael Henderson.

Norman Connors’ back catalogue features rare groove and jazz-dance classics such as ‘Mother of the Future’, ‘Captain Connors’, ‘Mr. C’, ‘Once I’ve Been There’, ‘Phoenix’, ‘Stella’, ‘Samba for Maria’ and many more.

Over the years, Norman Connors has performed and recorded with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Airto Moreira, Alphonse Mouzon, Cecil McBee, Gary Bartz, Eddie Henderson, Hubert Laws, Bill Summers, Carlos Garnett, Ron Carter, Anthony Jackson, Jean Carne, Phyllis Hyman, Lee Ritenour, James Gadson, Dorothy Ashby, Paulinho Da Costa, The Jones Girls, Nathan East, Glenn Jones, Peabo Bryson, Sun Ra, Mtume, Freddie Hubbard, Billy Paul amongst many others.

R&B /Soul singer Meli’sa Morgan is famed for the ‘Fools Paradise’ single and her cover of the Prince song ‘Do Me, Baby’. Her career started in the High Fashion group whose sole hit was ‘Feelin’ Lucky Lately’ (1982). Meli’sa has worked with Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Melba Moore, Kashif, Cool Million, & Freddie Jackson.

Keyboardist Bobby Lyle started his career in the Young-Holt Unlimited group in the late 1960’s. After stints touring with Sly & The Family Stone and Ronnie Laws, Bobby Lyle released his classic LP ‘The Genie’ (1977). Bobby Lyle has released 17 essential solo albums over his career and has performed with Anita Baker, George Benson, Phyllis Hyman, Al Jarreau and many more.

https://www.seetickets.com/tour/norman-connors-the-starship-orchestra

Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace
London
SW1X 9DQ

http://www.cadoganhall.com

Tommy Scott Trio at Cheltenham Jazz Club, The Irving Studio, The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, Glos.

Date: Monday, October 19, 2026

More details

From;
https://www.everymantheatre.org.uk/shows/jazz-in-the-studio/

Tommy Scott Trio
Mon 19th Oct
Tommy’s music takes listeners on a compelling journey, from sensitive and lyrical moods, to passionate and driving virtuosity. Although Tommy is influenced by the mainstream jazz tradition of Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner, his music also has elements of latin grooves and classical composition. For this performance, Tommy makes a rare return to his hometown of Cheltenham, featuring a trio with the amazingly talented Max Luthert on Bass, and Euan Palmer on Drums.

Box Office:
01242 572 573

The Everyman Theatre
Regent Street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ.

The Jon Lloyd Quartet at Cheltenham Jazz Club, The Irving Studio, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham.

Date: Monday, May 11, 2026

Featuring: Jon Lloyd’s European Quartet

More details

From;
https://www.everymantheatre.org.uk/shows/jazz-in-the-studio/

The Jon Lloyd Quartet
Mon 11th May
An original ECM-style European contemporary jazz group. The music is both sensitive and exuberant , melodic yet harmonically exciting, and has a persuasive way of reaching an audience.
Jon Lloyd - Saxophone
John Law - Piano
Nick Pini - Double Bass
Alex Goodyear - Drums

The Everyman Theatre
Regent Street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ.

Box Office:
01242 572573

King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys - 40th Anniversary Special at The Regal, Tenbury Wells, Worcs.

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys - 40th Anniversary Special

Saturday 11th July 2026 | 7:30pm

King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys will celebrate an incredible 40 years on the road in 2026. Formed in 1986 in Darlaston, the band still features original members King Pleasure and Bullmoose ‘K’ Shirley and has performed more than 7,000 shows across 21 countries, sharing stages with legends including B.B. King and Ray Charles.

With 14 albums, dozens of radio and TV appearances, and a reputation as one of the world’s greatest jump, jive and swing bands, they’ll mark the milestone with special reunion gigs, international tour dates, festival headliners, and a commemorative album reissue throughout 2026.

Don’t miss out. Grab your tickets now and be part of the celebration!
https://www.regaltenbury.co.uk/events/king-pleasure-amp-the-biscuit-boys-40th-anniversary-special

The Regal, Tenbury Wells
47-49 Teme Street,
Tenbury Wells,
Worcestershire,
WR15 8AE.

China Moses at The Jazz Cafe, Camden, London.

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Saturday 12 September, Jazz Cafe
China Moses

China Moses blends jazz, soul, blues, and groove with soaring vocals. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Paris by Dee Dee Bridgewater and Gilbert Moses, she’s built a global career spanning seven acclaimed albums and stages from Ronnie Scott’s to the Royal Albert Hall. Her high-energy shows mix playful storytelling with raw emotion, taking audiences somewhere entirely unexpected.

Tickets;
https://serious.org.uk/events/china-moses

Sat 12 September 2026
Stage time / 7:30pm
Doors / 7:00pm

Jazz Cafe,
5 Parkway
London
NW1 7PG

Tickets
£30 - £50 + booking fee

midori jaeger at St. Pancras Old Church, London.

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Wednesday 22 April, St. Pancras Old Church
midori jaeger (Un)planted EP launch
Cellist, composer and vocalist midori jaeger launches her upcoming EP (Un)planted with a full-band performance in the intimate surroundings of St Pancras Old Church. This show marks a special moment from the Take Five alumni as she unveils new music that brings her story, sound and band together in one space.

Tickets;
https://serious.org.uk/events/midori-jaeger-unplanted-ep-launch

Wed 22 April 2026
Stage time / 7:30pm
Doors / 7:00pm

Location
LONDON St Pancras Old Church,
Pancras Road
NW1 1UL

Tickets
£16.50 + booking fee

Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2026, various venues, Cheltenham, Glos.

Dates: Wednesday, April 29, 2026 - Monday, May 04, 2026

More details

11/02/2025
We have received the following press release;

Cheltenham Jazz Festival 30th Anniversary // Corinne Bailey Rae, Courtney Pine 40th anniversary, Emma-Jean Thackray, Bill Frisell, Lady Blackbird, Joshua Redman, Yazz Ahmed, Makaya McCraven, Camilla George and more

Cheltenham Jazz Festival Announces Star-Studded 30th Anniversary Line-Up

*Corinne Bailey Rae appointed the Festival’s new Guest Curator for 2026-2028*

**Miles Davis centenary to be marked with a special orchestral tribute from the Guy Barker Big Band & BBC Concert Orchestra**

Wednesday 29th April – Monday 4th May 2026
Lady Blackbird • Joshua Redman • Corinne Bailey Rae • Emma-Jean Thackray • Courtney Pine 40th anniversary • Bill Frisell • Nigel Kennedy • Makaya McCraven • Earth Wind & Fire Experience • Jalen Ngonda • Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra • Tinariwen • Roberto Fonseca • Georgia Cécile • China Moses • Emma Rawicz • Yazz Ahmed • Theon Cross • Camilla George • Gentleman’s Dub Club • The Puppini Sisters • Gotts Street Park and more

“Cheltenham Jazz Festival is the perfect stomping ground for newcomers and enthusiasts alike.”
The Guardian

***Tickets go on general sale 4th March and 25th February for members. All tickets available from http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz***

Cheltenham Jazz Festival has announced details of its 30th anniversary edition, taking place from Wednesday 29th April to Monday 4th May 2026. One of Europe’s most popular jazz festivals, the six-day event will present a wide-ranging programme spanning international headliners, leading contemporary jazz artists, genre-crossing innovators and emerging UK talent.

30 Years Young: The Next Chapter
As Cheltenham Jazz Festival marks its 30th anniversary, the Festival celebrates three decades of championing world-class jazz, supporting emerging talent and bringing bold, diverse music to audiences in Cheltenham and beyond. Thirty years young, the Festival continues to look firmly to the future, building on a rich legacy of iconic performances while embracing new voices, fresh collaborations and innovative programming that will shape the next generation of jazz for years to come.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, the Festival has confirmed that double-Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae will become its new Guest Curator from 2026 to 2028. Taking over from Gregory Porter and coinciding with the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut album, Bailey Rae will curate a series of specially commissioned performances and will play a central role in shaping the Festival’s artistic direction over the next three years. Her top picks for the Festival are Joss Stone, Lady Blackbird, Gotts Street Park, Ladies of Midnight Blue, Emma Jean-Thackray and Tinariwen.

Corinne Bailey Rae – Cheltenham Jazz Festival Guest Curator, said:
“I’m thrilled to be joining Cheltenham Jazz Festival as Guest Curator in its 30th year and to be helping shape its artistic journey over the next three years”, says Corinne Bailey Rae. “Jazz is such an important part of my life and learning journey, and I’m excited to celebrate its incredible legacy as part of the Cheltenham family, exploring new ideas and future collaborations while also bringing new voices to the forefront”.

The 2026 Festival will also mark the centenary of Miles Davis with a special orchestral tribute from the Guy Barker Big Band & BBC Concert Orchestra who’ll present Miles Davis Symphonic: Kind of Blue featuring exclusive arrangements and guest performers, celebrating the enduring influence of one of the most important and influential figures in jazz history.

World Class Performances and Jazz Stars
The Festival’s contemporary jazz programme continues its long-standing commitment to excellence, welcoming one of the most influential saxophonists of his generation Joshua Redman; US guitarist Bill Frisell performing a special show to mark his 75th birthday alongside mentor Eyvind Kang; Motown-inspired vocalist Jalen Ngonda; boundary-pushing drummer and producer Makaya McCraven; and the US singer dubbed “the Grace Jones of jazz” Lady Blackbird.

Celebrating the UK’s rich jazz and soul heritage, the programme also features Courtney Pine marking the 40th anniversary of his landmark debut album Journey to the Urge Within; Mercury Prize nominee Emma-Jean Thackray; Scottish retro soul-jazz singer Georgia Cécile; Leeds-based trio Gotts Street Park; fast emerging soul singer Nectar Woode; Gentlemen’s Dub Club celebrating 20 years since their formation; and London-based duo Blue Lab Beats.

In 2026, the newly titled DEYA Arena will expand its capacity to 900 and will be sponsored by Cheltenham-based DEYA Brewery as part of a new Partnership. The venue will host a strong international line-up including Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca; Saharan desert blues collective Tinariwen; along with a 90s mixtape from DJ YODA and vivacious contemporary jazz from home-grown talent, saxophonist and vocalist Kim Cypher.

This year’s Dunkertons stage brings bold blues influences to the Festival. The Easy Rollers deliver a set inspired by 1930s swing, Giacomo Smith brings sharp modern blues energy, and emerging talent Elysia Biro brings powerful vocals and contemporary soul.

Championing The Brightest and Emerging Talent
The Parabola Arts Centre (PAC) returns with a programme focused on adventurous new work and emerging talent. Highlights include forward-thinking saxophonist Emma Rawicz; a specially commissioned show from Yazz Ahmed; British jazz tuba player Theon Cross; acclaimed saxophonist Camilla George; BLACKSABBATHMODE – a reimagining of the music of Black Sabbath from the nu-jazz duo BIGHEADMODE (Robbie and Ewan Moore) and south London multi-instrumentalist Plumm; American singer and broadcaster China Moses and more.

International Crossover Stars
Among the headline performances at the Festival’s 2000-capacity Big Top are Brit-Award-winning singer-songwriter Jessie J, making her Cheltenham Jazz Festival debut; visionary singer-songwriter Van Morrison; a hit-filled set from Earth Wind & Fire Experience by Al Mckay; double Brit Award-winning soul star Joss Stone; the world-renowned Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra with special guests; 30 million-selling art-pop pioneers 10cc; an intimate acoustic set from Jack Savoretti; the world’s best-selling violinist Nigel Kennedy; 80s pop trailblazers ABC; and British singer-songwriter James Morrison performing music from his latest album Fight Another Day.

Nurturing the Talent of Tomorrow
Building on the charity’s landmark 80th campaign, which reached more than 80,000 children, this year’s Jazz Festival continues its year-round commitment to talent development and outreach. The Festival will present a range of family-friendly events, including Jazz It Up on the Free Stage, a Family Concert and a Jazz Concert for Schools, enabling hundreds of children to experience jazz music in a fun, welcoming and inclusive environment.

The Festival’s learning and participation activity also extends far beyond the Bank Holiday weekend. Through Musicate, its flagship education programme, the charity brings new and unfamiliar genres of music into schools throughout the year, inspiring pupils and teachers through hands-on and inclusive musical experiences.

As part of the Festival’s wider commitment to talent development and local arts scenes, across the week emerging and local talent will play in venues across Cheltenham including Joe Hicks, The Good Stuff and Dub Catalyst.

Ian George, Head of Programming for the Jazz Festival and co-CEO of parent charity Cheltenham Festivals:
“Reaching 30 years is a major milestone for Cheltenham Jazz Festival. This anniversary programme reflects everything the Festival has always stood for – world-class artists, boundary-pushing jazz and a platform for the next generation. We’re delighted to have appointed the brilliant Corinne Bailey Rae as our new Guest Curator and look forward to our collaboration over the next three years.”

Access To Music returns to Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2026 on Friday 1st May at the Cheltenham Town Hall, continuing its mission to bring together leading voices in music and accessibility. This year the conference will host keynote speakers including Grammy nominated artist Lachi; panels, lightning talks and presentations exploring the latest innovations and challenges; networking and technology discovery sessions throughout the day and roundtables, performances and research discussions coordinated by AEME.

Based in the Festival Village at Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2026 will once again offer a diverse mix of special one-off performances, free events, workshops, family shows and late-night jams, alongside shows across town including Cheltenham Town Hall and Hotel Du Vin.

Cheltenham Festivals is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

Part of Cheltenham Festivals, Cheltenham Jazz Festival is one of the world’s iconic jazz festivals, having launched in 1996 the Festival has welcomed some of the globe’s biggest stars and jazz legends including Van Morrison, Dionne Warwick, Gregory Porter, Jamie Cullum, Norah Jones, Ornette Coleman, Billy Cobham, Courtney Pine, Jools Holland, Esperanza Spalding, Chick Corea, Laura Mvula, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Robert Glasper and Melody Gardot. From Big Top big bands to bold, experimental performances as part of its PAC programme, the Festival champions the freedom to experiment while nurturing the next generation of talent and music-makers. Its ever-evolving programme deepens the connection between community, creativity and education, showcasing artists who are redefining the genre.

Since Cheltenham Music Festival was established in 1945, the charity’s enduring commitment to championing culture has grown to encompass four world-renowned Literature, Science and Jazz Festivals and year-round learning and participation and talent development programmes culminate in four world-class Festivals, offering everyone an opportunity to explore and create culture. Over 225,000 visitors a year are inspired by its Literature, Science, Jazz and Music Festivals.

Cheltenham Festivals’ charitable mission is only made possible by the ongoing support of its Patrons, members, funders, Partners and volunteers.

Cheltenham Festivals is signed up to the Keychange programme which aims for a 50:50 gender balance across the Festival line-up.

Cheltenham Jazz Festival is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner supported by PPL.

Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2026 Line-Up To Date:

Big Top
James Morrison
Van Morrison
Jessie J
ABC
Joss Stone
The Earth Wind & Fire Experience by Al McKay
10cc
Jack Savoretti
Mica Paris with Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra
Miles Davis Symphonic: Kind of Blue - Guy Barker Big Band & BBC Concert Orchestra
Jalen Ngonda

Town Hall
Nigel Kennedy
Joshua Redman
The Puppini Sisters
Bill Frisell & Eyvind Kang
Courtney Pine
Georgia Cécile – American Songbook
Lady Blackbird

DEYA Arena
DJ YODA
Gotts Street Park
Blue Lab Beats
Emma-Jean Thackray
Tinariwen
Makaya McCraven
Gentleman’s Dub Club
Roberto Fonseca
Nectar Woode
Kim Cypher featuring Ashley Slater
The Big Family Gig

Dunkertons
The Easy Rollers
Giacomo Smith
Elysia Biro

PAC
China Moses
Yazz Ahmed (Tony Dudley Evans Commission)
Theon Cross
Camilla George
Emma Rawicz
Black Sabbath Mode
RBC & Siena Co-collaboration
Ladies of Midnight Blue
Elaine Mitchener
Matt Carmichael
Robinson Khoury

Family Tent
Tots Tunes with Tara Franks
Jazz Kids
Discover Kathak with Sonia Sabri
Aga Serugo-Lugo: Family Sing
Afro-Latin Adventures: Ladies of Midnight Blue
Family Ceilidh
Suntou Susso
Alice Zawadzki

Poppy Daniels at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/poppy-daniels/

Poppy Daniels
April 23 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm
£15

‘Go-to’ trumpet player on the London scene brings her own music blending London roots with jazz, latin and hip-hop.

Londoner Poppy Daniels has become an integral part of the UK jazz scene, and ‘go-to’ trumpet player for the likes of Blue Lab Beats, Daniel Casimir, Celeste, Jordan Rakei, Arlo Parks, Hak Baker and more, at world renowned venues at home and abroad.

After an extensive career thus far, Poppy is now focusing on her own music, blending her London roots with jazz, latin and hip hop influences. In 2025 she released her debut EP ‘Keep On Going’, on the progressive Jazz Re:freshed label. The EP was co-written with bassist Alley Lloyd (Colectiva, Fleur East, Poppy Ajudha, Yasmin Lacey) and features Allexa Nava, who played for us in November.

Poppy will be performing with her band featuring Eddie Lee (keys), Kian Cardenas (guitar), Patrick Hand (bass) and Lox (drums).

Venue
The Marr’s Bar
12 Pierpoint Street
Worcester,
Worcestershire
WR1 1TA.

(01905) 613336

https://marrsbar.co.uk/

manchester jazz festival (mjf2026), various venues, Greater Manchester.

Dates: Friday, May 15, 2026 - Sunday, May 24, 2026

More details

09/02/2025
We have received the following press release;

manchester jazz festival: bringing in the next 30 years of jazz!

Manchester’s longest-running music festival is back this Summer for 10 days of jam-packed festival fun and musical vibes across the city this May!

manchester jazz festival (mjf2026) will take place between 15-24 May 2026 at venues and sites across Manchester, celebrating the latest up and coming talent from across the North, and the best names in contemporary jazz.

Headliners include: China Moses, Andy Sheppard Trio, Yellowjackets, Toni Kofi/Denys Baptiste Quintet, Cassie Kinoshi’s seed., Bel Cobain, Lau Noah, NOUT, Cotonete, Sarsen Drift + Tom Cawley, Olivia Cuttill & Friends, Orchestra Mambo International and many more…

Jazz lovers rejoice – manchester jazz festival is back for its 31st edition in 2026. Lighting up venues across the city, mjf2026 will see hundreds of northern, national and international jazz musicians descend on Manchester, showcasing the genre’s leading lights alongside its most exciting emerging talent.

mjf was first staged in the summer of 1996, hosting nine bands in one venue over the course of a single day. Who could have known that this would mark the start of what is now Manchester’s longest running music festival, radiating across the city for 10 whole days each year. And yet, for all it’s grown, mjf’s spirit remains the same, rooted in the joyful celebration and genuine support of the contemporary jazz world’s diverse and local artists.

Building on the success of the last few years, manchester jazz festival (mjf2026) begins with a spectacular FREE opening weekender at the vibrant neighbourhood: First Street (mjf @ First Street) from 15 – 17 May. There will be two event stages: Main Stage and the Ask Garden Stage, each celebrating the breadth and individuality of our home-grown scene and beyond: bands emerging through mjf’s artist development programmes alongside a host of northern success stories giving their homecoming performance at mjf (Lara Jones, Thanda Gumede). The opening night shines a light on tomorrow’s talent, including a pop-up performance curated by mjf’s Youth Advisory Board, with family-friendly activities on Saturday morning and food and drink offers throughout the weekend.

New for this year, a series of programme partnerships (Manchester Folk Festival, Oldham Coliseum Theatre) will bring mjf artists to new audiences and new artists to mjf audiences. You’ll see mjf spread across our usual range of venues and music nights: Matt & Phreds, RNCM, Forsyth Music Shop, The Stoller Hall, Low Four Studios, Stage & Radio and The Carlton Club. The festival closes with an extended weekend-long party at Band on the Wall, and an afternoon triple-bill at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, that shines a light on three contrasting approaches to songwriting, against the backdrop of the special Women in Jazz Photography exhibition on display there throughout.

Featured in that triple bill will be Satnam Galsian, who’ll be presenting 2026’s mjf originals new work premiere, and whose music blends the rich tradition of Punjabi folk with contemporary, feminist storytelling. It’s a compelling piece that we’ve co-commissioned with Oldham Coliseum, Wigan Old Courts and Khushi Festival.

The mjf piano trail competition is also making a comeback! manchester jazz festival and Forsyth Music Shop have joined forces once again for the mjf2026 piano trail competition: to find Manchester’s hidden talents across a trail of at least 18 street pianos at locations across Manchester city centre and beyond, including Rochdale, Trafford, Salford, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Wigan. From 29 March (which happens to be World Piano Day!) to 31 May, the mjf2026 piano trail competition encourages everyone to get involved and share their creativity and just have fun! For those who want to take part, there’s a chance to enter a competition to win a Yamaha electric piano and many more prizes, and there will be live performances at some of the pianos on the trail, more information to be announced soon.

Alongside the piano trail itself, there will also be two bespoke piano trail walking tours available, run by Free Manchester Walking Tours (FMWT), on the 17 and 24 May (£12 per adult, children go free) with some of the proceeds from the tours going to support the Play it Forward: Street Piano Fund, run by mjf and Forsyth Music Shop, which aims to expand the current network of street pianos across more boroughs and communities across Greater Manchester all-year-round.

Ticket prices for the festival start from £7.50 and there’s plenty of free-to-access music and activities taking place at locations across the city centre, including the entire opening weekender: mjf @ First Street, and gigs in the Copper Bar at Band on the Wall and at Matt & Phreds.

Festival fans have come to expect international debuts at mjf; this year we welcome artists from France, Spain, Poland, Italy, Cuba and Brazil. You’ll hear them first at mjf!
Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday 13 February at manchesterjazz.com

Highlights of the festival programme are as follows:

mjf @ First Street, 15 - 17 May
As well as some of the North’s leading artists gracing the Main Stage on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (15 - 17 May), there will be family-friendly activities launching the Saturday (16 May) morning vibes on the Ask Garden Stage, followed by performances from mjf’s talent development programme alumni, and on Sunday 17, mjf partners with Jazz North to present the Northern Line showcase: profiling five acts selected for the touring scheme by industry leaders.

The Stoller Hall 15 & 22 May (main venue and *Carole Nash Hall)
Andy Sheppard Trio
Andy Scott & Carmel Smickersgill + Simeon Walker + Her Revelation (triple bill)*

RNCM Theatre 16 & 23 May
Cassie Kinoshi’s seed.
Legacy - Coltrane and Cannonball: Tony Kofi & Denys Baptiste Quintet

Matt and Phreds, 15 - 24 May
Hijack Horns, M&P’s Big Band Brunch ft. DG Kollective, Kemani & Friends, Chinese Marbles, Tom Sharp Jazz Orchestra, M&P’s Big Band Brunch ft. DG Kollective, Three or Four Shades of Mingus, Hania Derej Trio, Beyond the Blue, The Plimp Souls, M&P’s Jazz Brunch ft. The Grant Russell Quartet, Suboptimal, Alligator Gumbo and mjf Wrap Party Jam ft. Ed Kainyek Quartet.

The Carlton Club, 18-19 May
Big Ideas x mjf and Brume x mjf

Low Four Studios, 20 May
mjf presents a special double-bill performance in the intimate surroundings of Low Four Studios.
Sarsen Drift + Tom Cawley (double-bill)

Whittles, Oldham, 20 May
OCT x mjf presents: Vipertime + support

Forsyth Music Shop, 21 May
Olivia Cuttill & Friends play the Legends of Jazz

George St Chapel, Oldham, 21 May
OCT x mjf presents: Her Revelation + Lullaby - Sonic Cradle

Band on the Wall, 19 - 24 May
Main venue: Yellowjackets, Bel Cobain + support, Lau Noah, Cotonete + support, Tara Lily, China Moses + support.
Copper Bar gigs: Beat the Jams x mjf: Tom Thorp & George King, Calico, Finite Experience, Yoni Mayraz, Thiara Collective, Manchild, Jon Onabowu, Nout, Flo/ra and Band on the Wall Jazz Workshop Band.

Stage & Radio, 22 May
The GreensKeepers Jam x mjf

The Social, Aviva Studios, 24 May
Dilettante, Caraway and Satnam Galsian + Special Guests.

Steve Mead, mjf CEO and Artistic Director, said:
“After last year’s bumper 30th anniversary celebrations, we’re heading purposefully into our fourth decade with mjf’s trademark array of contemporary sounds, surprising discoveries and the promise of good times. Festivals are a prized possession for a city: no other occasion presents so many opportunities to come together with friends old and new, to embark upon curious adventures and to simply spend time surrounded by exceptional music of the highest calibre. Music offers something valuable to each of us – be it cultural nourishment, escape or good company. In a time of ongoing financial, social and political challenges, music has the power to unite us and remind us of the values that are important for us all. I hope you’ll choose to spend some of your valuable time in our company and be rewarded at mjf this summer.”

mjf2026 will take place from 15 – 24 May 2026 in venues across Manchester city centre. Tickets go on sale at 10am on 13 February at http://www.manchesterjazz.com

Deborah Rose at Breda Viva La Vie, Roeselare, Belgium.

Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026

Featuring: Deborah Rose

More details

Wed 20 September – Belgium | Breda Viva La Vie, Roeselare

Bruanestraat 1, Roeselare, Belgium, 8800

https://www.facebook.com/bredavivalavie

https://www.facebook.com/events/1387920556420939

Deborah Rose at Credenhill Church, Credenhill, Herefordshire (part of the Traherne Festival).

Date: Saturday, June 06, 2026

Featuring: Deborah Rose

More details

Sat 6 June – Traherne Festival, Credenhill Church.

https://thomastraherneassociation.org/

Aleph Aguiar “Sugar on my Blackbeans” Album Launch at PizzaExpress Live, The Pheasantry, Chelsea, London.

Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026

More details

From;
https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/aleph-aguiar

Aleph Aguiar
“Sugar on my Blackbeans” Album Launch

PizzaExpress Live (Chelsea)
Venezuelan-born, UK-based guitarist Aleph Aguiar returns with Sugar on my Blackbeans, his third release and a nostalgic yet modern take on the lively, swinging Latin jazz of the 1960s. Across nine original compositions, Aguiar pays tribute to one of his favourite musical eras, when artists were boldly experimenting with Latin American rhythms and percussion.
£25.00

22 April 2026 6:30pm 8:00pm The Pheasantry (Chelsea)
Available
£25.00
https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/choose-seats/aleph-aguiar/1742008

Full Biography

Aleph Aguiar is an international musician and composer, originally from Venezuela. To date, Aleph has released two albums of Afro-Venezuelan Jazz, Pataruco (2015) and Maku (2017). Aleph’s upcoming album, entitled Sugar on my Blackbeans , continues to explore these musical roots whilst encompassing a broader range of jazz influences, reflecting his diverse career. Beginning his career in Venezuela, Aleph recorded as a session guitarist with Simon Diaz, Cecelia Toth and Maria Rivas.

In the UK, he has worked with award winning saxophonist Tony Kofi, trumpet player Quentin Collins and singer Heidi Vogel. He has recorded with Andy Watts Quartet and was the guitar and singing coach for Simon Bird in ‘The Inbetweeners 2’ movie. Currently Aleph is working with award winning jazz singer Georgia Cecil, recording guitars on her latest album and performing in her live band at renowned venues across the UK. In 2019, Aleph was the guitarist for the West End run of the musical ‘On Your Feet’, which went on to tour internationally.

Following this, Aleph toured the UK with ‘Hairspray’ the musical. Aleph has extensive experience in the field of Contemporary Dance, working as an accompanist at acclaimed institutions such as Trinity Laban, The Place, Roehampton University and English National Ballet School. Aleph has collaborated with a number of dance artists, composing music for companies/ choreographers, including: Loop Dance Company, Clarisse Roud Works, H2Dance and Daisy Farris Dance Collective.

In his own creative practice, Aleph is interested in exploring new technologies to expand the potential of the guitar as an electronic instrument. In 2022, Aleph initiated his own collaborative project, SoundStage, which brought dancers and music together through a unique interactive floor.

Band Lineup;
Aleph Aguiar (guitar)
Quentin Collins (trumpet)
Shane Forbes (drums)
Liam Dunachie (organ)
Will Fry (percussion)

The Pheasantry
152 Kings Road,
London SW3 4UT
020 3798 9192

Julian Lage ft. John Medeski, Jorge Roeder and Kenny Wollesen at Royal Festival Hall, London.

Date: Friday, May 15, 2026

More details

Friday 15 May, Royal Festival Hall
Julian Lage ft. John Medeski, Jorge Roeder and Kenny Wollesen

Hailed as one of the most prodigious guitarists of his generation, Julian Lage takes over the Royal Festival Hall with his world-class quartet featuring John Medeski, Jorge Roeder and Kenny Wollesen.

Tickets;
https://serious.org.uk/events/julian-lage-featuring-john-medeski-jorge-roeder-and-kenny-wollesen

Fri 15 May 2026
Stage time / 7:30pm
Doors / 7:00pm

Location
Southbank Centre / Royal Festival Hall,
Belvedere Road
London
SE1 8XX
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/

Tickets
£30 - £45 + booking fee

Julian Lage is a world-class guitar virtuoso and composer, hailed as one of his generation’s greatest talents by critics and colleagues alike. Born in California and currently based in New York City, Lage began his musical career at a very young age, and has charted a colorful, ever changing, and ever innovative path since, one that has, so far, earned him five GRAMMY nominations, one Independent Music Award and countless invitations to collaborate with the best and brightest working in music today.

Lage’s most recent studio release is 2024’s critically acclaimed Speak to Me (Blue Note Records), which was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 67th annual GRAMMY Awards. Over the course of his multi-decade career, Lage has collaborated with fellow musical heavyweights including Gary Burton, Yoko Ono, Jim Hall, John Zorn and more.

Ludlow Piano Festival 2026, various venues, Ludlow, Shropshire.

Dates: Wednesday, May 20, 2026 - Sunday, May 24, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following information;

Ludlow Piano Festival 2026 launch
We are delighted to announce the full programme for Ludlow Piano Festival 2026. Alistair’s introduction and ticketing information (with details of discounts) appears below, and you can then click through to our new website for complete event details, programmes and tickets.

UPDATE 26th JANUARY - 09:00
All events have been on sale for 24 hours.
An incredible 25% of tickets have been sold already.
Two events are already over 50% sold.
We have delivered almost £1000 of discounts through the LPF3-10 scheme (see below).
We will increase the quota of discounted tickets available but some events will now inevitably withdrawn from the scheme in the next week.
The earlier you purchase, the more choice you will have!

Alistair McGowan
LPF Chairman and Artistic Director
“This May, we will be bringing you some old friends, lots of big names and five days of non-stop, fabulous pianism!
Cally Beaton is back to host our legendary ‘Celebrity Concert’, we have Reverend Richard Coles telling Alistair McGowan his ‘Desert Island Piano’ choices (which will be played ‘live’ on stage by Anthony Hewitt), comedy from Rainer Hersch (last seen here as Victor Borge) with “Wagner’s Ring Cycle for People Who Can’t be Bothered to Sit Through It”, we have mellow jazz, another fascinating masterclass, solo recitals from exciting, young talent like self-styled ‘Working Class-ical Hero’ (and boxer) Ellis Arey (playing Scriabin, Mompou et al), local YouTube sensation, Luke Faulkner (with ‘By Special Arrangement’) and the 15-year old future Superstar, Elisey Mysin (giving two different concerts); Clara Rodriguez plays it ‘The South American Way’, Anne Lovett returns with her own compositions on two pianos (with audio-visual back-up), Ludlow’s own Liam Dunachie plays songs from the West End’s favourite musicals, and hot from the world’s biggest platforms: Danny Driver (playing Medtner et al), Peter Donohoe (playing Mozart et al) France’s leading pianist Vanessa Wagner (playing all the Études of Philip Glass for the first time on British soil) and Isata Kanneh-Mason (playing Beethoven and Ravel).
As Wolf Hall composer, Debbie Wiseman, said of us last year: “It’s a very special festival.” We think she’s right!”

Ticketing Information
Ticket sales for all events now open
Tickets for all events are sold on our behalf by Ludlow Assembly Rooms. Please note that some events take place at other venues, so do check the location carefully before you attend.
Tickets are issued electronically as QR codes, and are also available as Apple/Google Wallet tickets.
If you prefer, you can buy tickets in person or by phone via Ludlow Assembly Rooms on 01584 878141, during their normal opening hours.
Tickets are non-refundable, unless there is a waiting list for a sold-out event, in which case a full refund will be offered.

LPF 3-10
We are pleased to offer the LPF 3-10 discount again for a limited period. The earlier you book, the more choice you’ll have – and the more events you attend, the more you’ll save.
Buy adult tickets for three or more different eligible events in a single transaction and you will receive a 10% discount.
The LPF 3-10 Offer will close at our discretion, and some events may be withdrawn from the offer earlier than others depending on sales.
The offer applies to adult tickets only, and is not available on tickets for The Celebrity Concert or the Masterclass.
The discount does not apply to the £1 booking fee per ticket. For example, a £20 ticket will receive a £1.90 discount.

EVENTS:

From;
https://ludlowpianofestival.com/lpf-2026/

Wednesday 20th May 2026
St Laurences Parish Church
20 MAY 2026
The Celebrity Concert
St Laurence’s Church
7.00pm
Our ever-popular curtain-raiser is back with some new names and some old friends. Super Cally Beaton will host in her engaging, lively and cheeky way and interview and introduce players* such as: Rachel Parris, Rainer Hersch, Rev Rich Coles, and Colin Sell (I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue).
*Subject to change.

21 MAY 2026
Rainer Hersch:
Wagner’s Ring Cycle in One Hour
Ludlow Assembly Rooms
2.00pm
“Wagner’s Ring Cycle for people who can’t be bothered to sit through it.” After bringing us his hit comedy shows ‘Rainer Hersch’s Victor Borge’ and ‘All Classical Music Explained’ Rainer returns promising to get through Wagner’s 15-hour epic in under 60 minutes.

21 MAY 2026
Ellis Arey:
Working Class-ical Hero
Palmers Hall
4.30pm
Ellis Arey is a DECCA-signed British pianist whose performances have been featured on Channel 4, the BBC, and Sky Arts, where a short documentary was recently dedicated to his work. A two-time winner of the Leeds Besbrode Piano Competition, he has established himself as one of the most compelling young voices on the UK classical scene.

21 MAY 2026
Isata Kanneh-Mason
St Laurence’s Church
7.30pm
One of the most sought-after young British pianists comes to Ludlow with a programme full of variety. A very hot ticket!

22 MAY 2026
Liam Dunachie:
Music From The Musicals
Ludlow Assembly Rooms
2.30pm
The first of two ‘Local to Ludlow’ events. Ludlow-born Liam returns from London’s West End to play music from the West End’s greatest musicals.

22 MAY 2026
Clara Rodriguez:
The South American Way
Palmers Hall
4.30pm
London-based and Venezuelan-born pianist Clara Rodriguez – acclaimed by BBC Radio 3 as “the Queen of Latin American Classical Music” – has captivated audiences worldwide with her artistry.

22 MAY 2026
Richard Coles:
Desert Island Piano
Ludlow Assembly Rooms
10.30am
Richard Coles has done practically everything from losing on Strictly to almost winning in the Jungle to having number one singles, hosting Radio 4 shows, Have I Got News For You as well as writing hugely successful novels.

22 MAY 2026
Danny Driver
St Laurence’s Church
7.30pm
One of the country’s busiest pianists, Danny is a regular on Radio 3, at the prestigious Wigmore Hall in London and is known and respected for his very different and exciting programming.

23 MAY 2026
Luke Faulkner:
By Special Arrangement
Ludlow Assembly Rooms
11.00am
Local to Ludlow, pianist, composer and YouTube sensation, Luke Faulkner, plays arrangements of well-known symphonies, ballets, and operatic arias.

23 MAY 2026
Anne Lovett:
I, Just Lovett!
Ludlow Assembly Rooms
2.30pm
After enchanting us with film music and her classical choices (as well as her high heels and wild hair) in our first two festivals, French-born but London-based Anne returns with an hour of her own music from her latest album.

23 MAY 2026
Elisey Mysin:
The Concert
Palmers Hall
4.30pm
Fifteen years old. Diminutive. Extraordinary. Elisey Mysin is the very definition of a child prodigy. He has already worked as a soloist with many leading orchestras including the Greek National Radio and Television Orchestra, and The Russian National Symphony Orchestra.

23 MAY 2026
Peter Donohoe
St Laurence’s Church
7.30pm
Peter loved playing in Ludlow so much last year that he asked us if he could come back! Who are we to say ‘no’ to one of the country’s most respected soloists?

24 MAY 2026
Peter Donohoe:
Masterclass
Ludlow Assembly Rooms
11.00am
A chance to hear two promising students being given expert tuition from a master of the craft. Feel the experience, see the learning, hear the difference.

24 MAY 2026
Elisey Mysin:
The Encore
Palmers Hall
2.30pm
A second chance to marvel at the young mastery of the extraordinary Elisey Mysin. This time he brings us music by his countrymen: Rachmaninov, Stravinsky and Prokofiev. Prepare to be amazed!

24 MAY 2026
Martin Pyne Trio:
Small Blue
Ludlow Assembly Rooms
4.00pm
After accompanying our silent films for the last two years, this time Martin returns with his jazz trio playing their own smooth and mellow compositions from their last album. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon between the classics.

24 MAY 2026
Vanessa Wagner
St Laurence’s Church
6.30pm
Vanessa has been selling out France’s biggest arenas and today she makes a rare appearance on these shores.
Tonight, she plays (in full) one of the great contemporary landmarks – the twenty piano Etudes of Philip Glass, revealing its full emotional depth. For the listener, it’s a captivating journey where each piece unfolds into the next and Vanessa Wagner gradually and uniquely places these works among the great musical cycles.
A UK Premiere – in Ludlow!

Al Di Meola at Barbican Hall, Barbican Centre, London.

Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026

More details

From;
https://serious.org.uk/events/al-di-meola

Al Di Meola
Thu 25 June 2026
Stage time / 8:00pm
Doors / 7:30pm

Location
Barbican,
Silk Street
EC2Y 8DS

Tickets
Presale tickets go live this Thursday 29/01/2026, 10am £35 - £65 + booking fee
https://serious.org.uk/events/booktickets/41601
Pre-sale tickets available to Serious subscribers this Thursday from 10am. Sign up to our mailing list receive your presale code

Al Di Meola returns with his acoustic band and the program “The Guitarchitect,” a refined concert experience that unites five decades of music, sweeping multimedia visuals, and the stories that shaped a lifetime of artistry.

This show will be a celebration of legacy, innovation, and the evolution of the Di Meola sound -performed with the unmistakable precision and passion that have defined his world-renowned career.

Join us for an evening that honours the past, embraces the present, and looks toward the future.

Presented in collaboration with Marshall Arts

2026 Swansea International Jazz Festival, various venues, Swansea.

Dates: Thursday, September 03, 2026 - Sunday, September 06, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

SWANSEA INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL 2026
Dates for diary…
THURSDAY SEP 3rd - SUNDAY SEP 6th!

https://www.swanseajazzland.co.uk/

‘Dave Jones’ Stratospheric’ and ‘Chube’ at The Drill Hall, Chepstow.

Date: Wednesday, July 01, 2026

More details

Dave Jones has forwarded the following information;

Weds 1 July at Drill Hall
A double-header concert with 2 unique bands, in Chepstow …
‘Chube’ and Dave Jones’ ‘Stratospheric’

“A totally cosmic experience … a melange of excellence” (BBC Introducing with Adam Walton re ‘Stratospheric’)

“Jazz, rock and electronics were all promised, and all were brilliantly delivered” (Ian Mann re ‘Chube’)

Further details and tickets are now available from the ‘Buy Tickets’ button below …
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/hybrid-jazz-club/chube-dave-jones-stratospheric/2026-07-01/20:00/t-dkayjmz

‘Chube’ / Dave Jones’ ‘Stratospheric’
Drill Hall, Chepstow, NP16 5HJ
Wednesday 1st July 2026 8:00PM

A double-header featuring ‘Chube’ and Dave Jones’ ‘Stratospheric’. Both bands have their own unique type of fusion - ‘Chube’ are an electro acoustic trio utilising an effected harp to produce new ambient and rock sounds alongside bass and drums, while Dave Jones’ ‘Stratospheric’ are a new 5-piece band with a jazz-influenced approach to material that’s in a Prog Rock style.

‘Chube’ are …
Ben Creighton Griffiths (harp)
Ashley John Long (bass)
Jon Bradford-Jones (drums)
“Jazz, rock and electronics were all promised, and all were brilliantly delivered.” (Ian Mann)

Dave Jones’ ‘Stratospheric’ are …
Ben Waghorn (saxes, flute)
Tim Rose (guitar)
Dave Jones (keyboards)
Ashley John Long (bass)
Scott Hammond (drums)
“A totally cosmic experience … a melange of excellence” (Adam Walton, BBC Introducing).

Event Details
Doors Open at 7:30PM
From 8:00PM to 10:00PM

Location
Drill Hall, Chepstow, NP16 5HJ

Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Ludlow, Shropshire.

Date: Friday, May 15, 2026

More details

From;
https://ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk/show/lady-nade-sings-nina-simone/

Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone

Bills kitchen is open for pre-show suppers on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30pm. Click here to book.
Renowned for her distinctive and award-winning vocal prowess, Lady Nade possesses one of the most singular voices in the UK music scene.

Critics and fans alike have often drawn comparisons between Lady Nade’s voice and the legendary Nina Simone. An artist known for paying homage to those who have profoundly influenced her journey, Lady Nade holds Nina Simone in high regard.

Nina Simone, an icon and consummate musical storyteller of the twentieth century, left behind a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion, and love through her extraordinary body of work. By the end of her life, she had garnered an unprecedented level of recognition. Her music reached millions through recordings, film, television, and the digital sphere. In the last decade of her life alone, she sold over a million CDs, solidifying her status as a global best-seller.

As a black woman, Lady Nade acknowledges Nina Simone’s trailblazing role in paving the way for artists of her generation. Simone’s tenacity encouraged them not to abandon their dreams and aspirations. Lady Nade is honored to celebrate Nina Simone’s life and enduring legacy alongside some of the UK’s most accomplished musicians.

This high-energy performance is a heartfelt dedication to recreating the transformative sound that blended popular tunes of the era into a distinctive fusion of jazz, blues, gospel, and folk music.

Songs include:

Feeling Good

Love Your Loving Ways

Ain’t Got No, I got Life

Put A Spell On You

I Wish I Knew How

Take Care Of Business

My Baby Just Cares For Me

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood Baltimore

Lilac Wine

Sinnerman

Love Me Or Leave Me

Mr Bojangles

Work Song

Line-up:

Lady Nade – Vocals

Chris Jones – Double Bass

Holly Carter – Guitar

Ruth Hammond – Piano

Matt Brown – Drums

Sophie Stockham – Sax

15 May 2026 - 20:00 @ Auditorium Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone
https://ludlowassemblyrooms.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873679592/events/129638074/seats?zone=Standard%20reserved

01584 878 141
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Assembly Rooms, 1 Mill Street, Ludlow, SY8 1AZ

Branco Stoysin, ‘Recital for Nikola Tesla’ at Sarah Thorne Theatre, Fordoun Road, Broadstairs, Kent.

Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026

Featuring: Branco Stoysin

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Saturday 16th May 2026 at Sarah Thorne Theatre, Fordoun Road, Broadstairs
CT10 2BN. 7:30pm, tickets £14 advanced, £16 at the door.

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/broadstairs/the-sarah-thorne-theatre/branco-stoysin-in-a-recital-for-nikola-tesla/2026-05-16/d-wpqpbohmzvmqn

Branco Stoysin in a recital for Nikola Tesla
The Sarah Thorne Theatre, Broadstairs, CT10 2BN
Sat 16th May 2026

RECITAL for NIKOLA TESLA
Guitarist/composer Branco Stoysin, life-long aficionado of Nikola Tesla, performs his poignant tribute to Serbian born genius of electricity, marking 170 years since the birth of Nikola Tesla and 130 years since the birth of modern civilisation with the implementation of Tesla’s Polyphase AC System on The Niagara Falls in 1896. He’ll also play the tunes from his ninth CD album, Whispers From The Sun, and special three music/video projects about natural world. A recital for an audio and visual delight.

“A musical journey to warm the soul” Sarah Ward, Jazz FM.

https://www.brancostoysin.co.uk

Pat Metheny Side Eye III at The Barbican Centre, London.

Dates: Saturday, July 18, 2026 - Sunday, July 19, 2026

Featuring: Pat Metheny

Venue

Barbican Centre

Silk Street,
London.
EC2Y 8DS

More details

We have received the following press release;

Pat Metheny takes over the Barbican on 18 & 19 July with three special concerts
Tickets on-sale Friday, 9 January
Buy Tickets Here
https://serious.org.uk/summer-jazz-series-2026

Part of the Summer Jazz Series 2026, a celebration of world-class music across London this summer from the producers of the EFG London Jazz Festival, Serious

Twenty-time Grammy Award–winner Pat Metheny, one of the most influential and celebrated musicians of his generation, returns to the Barbican for a special weekend takeover in July with three shows across two days on 18 and 19 July 2026. In a career spanning more than five decades, Metheny has continually redefined the possibilities of jazz, blending lyricism, innovation and genre-crossing ambition to create a body of work that has inspired generations of artists and audiences alike. A tireless and prolific performer, he has sold out major London venues in recent years, including the Barbican and Hammersmith Apollo, affirming his enduring connection with UK audiences and his reputation as one of the most compelling live performers in contemporary music.

This Barbican residency places Metheny centre stage, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience his music in depth across a concentrated series of performances. Renowned for his restless creativity and openness to collaboration, Metheny continues to balance landmark solo projects with bold ensemble work, championing both emerging talent and long-established voices while pushing his own artistry forward.

As part of this weekend, Metheny presents the latest evolution of his ongoing SIDE EYE project. SIDE EYE III sees him joined by Chris Fishman (piano and keyboards), Jermaine Paul (bass) and Joe Dyson (drums), a dynamic lineup that reflects Metheny’s long-standing commitment to mentoring the next generation of jazz innovators. Featuring new music alongside reimagined classics, the project embodies Metheny’s fearless approach to exploration, tradition and collaboration.

A bandleader since the 1970s and an artist who has often performed more than 100 concerts a year, Pat Metheny remains a vital creative force, continually evolving, questioning and redefining what modern jazz can be.

Joe Masterson Trio at The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, Shropshire.

Date: Friday, September 18, 2026

More details

From;
https://edgeartscentre.com/?page_id=14

Friday 18 September 2026

The Joe Masterson Trio

Described by many as a rising star of the UK Jazz scene, Joe Masterson, a 2020 graduate from Leeds Conservatoire is a Birmingham based pianist making his mark on the Birmingham and Midlands Jazz scene. After playing to sell-out crowds across the midlands, and performing at the likes of Cheltenham and Birmingham Jazz Festival, Joe is also known for Jazz at Fletchers – a monthly jazz club in Kings Heath, Birmingham running for over the past 3 years. Here, along with his trio of Miles Levin and Simon Smith, he has collaborated with the likes of Simon Spillet, Chris Bowden, Suzi Woods, Steve Ajao, Alex Clarke, Ade Wakelin and many more.

Influenced by the likes of Monty Alexander, Oscar Peterson and Eddie Higgins, the trio play a variety of music, always looking to groove.

Simon Smith is one of the UK’s most in demand bassists. He has worked extensively as a freelance musician throughout the UK, Europe and the US, including a five year stint based in Los Angeles. Simon’s recording credits include Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan, Wilson Phillips, Glen Ballard and Dave Stewart. He has worked in the live touring bands of artists as diverse as Idina Menzel, Linda Perry, Carl Barât and Carina Round performing at venues and events including Lincoln Center (New York), Ambassadors Theatre, Glastonbury Festival, South by Southwest and La Bâtie Festival (Geneva) amongst many others.

Miles Levin is simply one of the finest jazz drummers in the whole of the UK, respected and admired nationally. He has performed all over the UK and internationally with many of the UK’s leading artists.

Doors 18.30 Show 19.30
Tickets: £15
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/edgeartscentre/the-joe-masterson-trio/2026-09-18/19:30/t-oejvanp

Matt Skelton presents The Blackhawk Quintet: Celebrating Shelly Manne at Jazz at Progress, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire.

Date: Friday, July 03, 2026

More details

From;
https://www.jazzinreading.com/jazz/jazz-at-progress/?future=true

Jazz at Progress | Matt Skelton presents The Blackhawk Quintet: Celebrating Shelly Manne | Tickets on sale soon
Friday 3 July 2026| Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.
James Davison trumpet
Mark Crooks tenor saxophone
Leon Greening piano
Conor Chaplin bass
Matt Skelton drums
This will be a night of ‘cool jazz’ and a tribute to multi-poll winning drummer, Shelley Manne, one of the greats of the West Coast scene of the 1950s An extraordinary and selfless artist, Shelley (1920-1984) – band leader, Contemporary Jazz record label house musician, studio orchestra drummer for countless films and television and owner of ‘Shelley’s Manne Hole’ jazz club – has left an immense legacy of collaborations and recordings, which have enriched the lexicon of jazz percussion with virtuosic alacrity.
This project, masterminded by Matt Skelton, celebrates Shelley’s Quintet – Joe Gordon, trumpet; Richie Kamuca, tenor sax; Victor Felman, piano; Monty Budwig, bass and Shelley Manne, drums – and their particular contribution to the Manne canon, inspired by a clutch of golden performances, captured live at the Blackhawk Jazz club in San Francisco between September 22-24,1959.
Tonight’s ‘stellar’ line-up has been hand-picked for the way they connect with, and are inspired by their corresponding original artists. They will aim to express the band’s own originality and collective inspiration with the Manne Blackhawk quintet as their DNA framework.
Matt Skelton’s Blackhawk Quintet has taken the UK jazz club scene by storm and by the time they make their Progress appearance will have completed a lengthy tour of Scandinavia.
You can expect the fireworks to be flying tonight!
‘An evening of pure jazz joy. Thank you Matt for giving us the opportunity to hear and be part of this important and uplifting music. Jazz night’s don’t come any better than this. We are still smiling.’ – Watermill Jazz Club – Dorking

Progress Theatre
progress theatre - jazz in reading
http://www.progresstheatre.co.uk | The Mount, Off Christchurch Road, Reading RG1 5HL
Bar at all gigs from 7:00pm. Drinks may be taken into the auditorium during performances.
Progress Theatre is a self-governing, self-funding theatre group founded in 1947, maintained by volunteers. The Theatre itself is an intimate 95-seat venue. It is the oldest operating theatre in Reading and has a fully licensed bar. There is wheelchair access to the Theatre with a space for disabled patrons. In 2011 Sir Kenneth Branagh became the Patron to Progress Theatre.

Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita Suba Trio at Union Chapel, Islington, London.

Date: Friday, May 08, 2026

More details

From;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/omar-sosa-seckou-keita-suba-trio/union-chapel/3535169

Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita Suba Trio
Union Chapel, London. Friday 08 May 2026

AGMP Concerts presents

OMAR SOSA & SECKOU KEITA SUBA TRIO with Gustavo Ovalles

The Atlantic Ocean separates Cuba and Senegal, the respective birthplaces of piano virtuoso Omar Sosa and kora maestro Seckou Keita, a distance diminished by their shared ancestral connection to Africa. When the pair met in 2012, Seckou loved Omar for his musical spirituality, whilst Omar saw in Seckou a rare ability to collaborate but not lose his identity. Their debut album Transparent Water (2017) was hailed as “beautiful, rhapsodic… spiritual” (Songlines) and “mesmerising, evocative and sophisticated” (World Music Central).

Omar Sosa has released over 30 albums during an incredible career that has included nominations for seven GRAMMY or Latin GRAMMY awards; Seckou Keita is a multi-award winner, most recently as the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year (2019). Recorded during lockdown and released in 2021, Sosa and Keita’s second album SUBA is a hymn to hope, to a new dawn of compassion and real change in a post-pandemic world, a visceral reiteration of humanity’s perennial prayer for peace and unity. Joining Omar Sosa and Seckou Keita in the studio and for live performances is the inimitable Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles.

Union Chapel, London N1 2UN
Friday 08 May 2026 at 19:00.
Performing
Omar Sosa Seckou Keita

Makaya McCraven at Union Chapel, Islington, London.

Date: Wednesday, May 06, 2026

More details

From;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/makaya-mccraven/union-chapel/3556812

Makaya McCraven
Union Chapel, London. Wednesday 06 May 2026

MAKAYA McCRAVEN - in concert

“Balances jazz’s precious tradition and its present and future.” The Guardian

“Makaya McCraven has quietly become one of the best arguments for jazz’s vitality.” The New York Times

Direct from the USA, master drummer and producer Makaya McCraven brings his group to London for an exclusive ocncert in 2026.

Makaya McCraven was raised in a vibrant, creative community in the Northampton, Massachusetts area, where his father often played with artists like saxophonist and ethnomusicologist Marion Brown, multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef, and saxophonist Archie Shepp. After co-founding a jazz-hip hop band called Cold Duck Complex that ultimately opened for The Pharcyde, Digable Planets, and the Wu-Tang Clan, he moved to Chicago in 2006. Within five years he’d established a name for himself, gigging alongside Willie Pickens, Marquis Hill, and Jeff Parker.

Makaya McCraven released his debut LP ‘In The Moment’ in 2015 followed by ‘Highly Rare’ (2017), ‘Where We Come From’ (2018), ‘Universal Beings’ (2018), ‘Deciphering The Message’ (2021), ‘In These Times’ (2022), and ‘Off The Record’ (2025).

Makaya McCraven has recorded or shared the stage with artists such as Gil Scott-Heron, Kamasi Washington, Nubya Garcia, Shabaka Hutchings, Brandee Younger, Theon Cross, Joel Ross, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and many more.

An AGMP Concerts presentation.

Union Chapel, London N1 2UN
Wednesday 06 May 2026 at 19:00.
Performing
Makaya McCraven

The Herbaliser Band, official album launch at 229, London.

Date: Saturday, May 09, 2026

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We have received the following press release regarding this event;

THE HERBALISER BAND - Official Album Launch

Way back In 1995, Ollie Teeba and Jake Wherry AKA The Herbaliser, a sample-based beatmaking duo from Twickenham, South West London, released their debut 12” single ‘The Real Killer’ on UK label Ninja Tune.

They soon followed up with their first LP, ‘Remedies’ Establishing themselves as one of the main features of the Ninja Tune crew, as they expanded their roster of eclectic artists and DJs. The following year, as they were recording their second full length release, ‘Blow Your Headphones’, they extended their output to include an 8 piece live band.

The Herbaliser Band, (which would count among it’s members, the likes of Easy Access, Chris Bowden and Kaidi Tatham) continued on, touring internationally, to great reception, from diverse audiences and would become regulars at a multitude of electronic, dance, dub and jazz festivals, worldwide, for the next 2 decades or so.

Now, after something of a hiatus, The Herbaliser Band have reformed with a lineup that currently includes Easy Access AKA Ralph Lamb (trumpet/flugelhorn) & Andrew Ross (tenor/baritone sax-flute), James Morton (alto sax), Micah Moody (drums), Patrick Dawes (percussion) & Ollie Teeba on the turntables.

Tickets;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-herbaliser-band/229/3432592

229 London
229 Great Portland St, London W1W 5PN

Branco Stoysin: Recital for Nikola Tesla at The Stables, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, Bucks.

Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026

Featuring: Branco Stoysin

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From;
https://stables.org/event/branco-stoysin-recital-for-nikola-tesla#event-handling-fee-text

Branco Stoysin: Recital for Nikola Tesla
Thursday 14 May 2026 8:45pm

Guitarist/composer Branco Stoysin, life-long aficionado of Nikola Tesla, will be performing his epic new music/video project Aurora Tesla, that in the most lyrical, illuminating and concise way tells the story about Nikola Tesla, Serbian born genius of electricity. It’s a poignant tribute, marking 170 years since the birth of Nikola Tesla and 130 years since the birth of modern civilisation with the implementation of Tesla’s Polyphase Alternating Current System on The Niagara Falls in 1896. Every pylon, everywhere around the world, carries Tesla’s blood, The Electricity, to lighten your existence.

Branco will also play tunes from his previous eight CD albums and from his recent, triple anniversary, the ninth CD album, Whispers From The Sun, which marked 40 years of art-music making, of those 30 years in London. As an avid photographer and naturalist, for the finale of recital, Branco will perform special three music/video projects depicting the beautiful natural world right on our doorsteps. A recital for an audio and visual delight.

“A musical journey to warm the soul.” Sarah Ward, Jazz FM.

“Music of great delicacy and charm.” Chris Parker.

“The sound of a master craftsman at work.” Ian Mann.

http://www.brancostoysin.co.uk

Tickets;
https://stables.org/boxoffice/ticket/507801

box office 01908 280800

The Stables, Stockwell Lane, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, MK17 8LU.

https://www.brancostoysin.co.uk

Buxton International Jazz Festival, various venues, Buxton, Derbyshire.

Dates: Thursday, July 09, 2026 - Sunday, July 26, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

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Multi-disciplinary arts festival that includes the twelve gigs of the Jazz Weekender event from 9th to12th July.

For full programme please visit ;
http://www.buxtonfestival.co.uk

Jazz Weekender programme: View here.
https://buxtonfestival.co.uk/whats-on/jazz-weekender

2026 Gilmore International Piano Festival, various venues, Southwest Michigan, USA.

Dates: Thursday, April 30, 2026 - Sunday, May 10, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

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THE 2026 IRVING S. GILMORE INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL—NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST GATHERING OF KEYBOARD ARTISTS—BRIDGES CLASSICAL AND JAZZ WORLDS IN A GROUNDBREAKING CELEBRATION OF PIANO ARTISTRY,
APRIL 30-MAY 10

Sullivan Fortner, winner of The Gilmore’s 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award, opens and closes the Festival

A Homecoming Moment: Joshua Bell and Shai Wosner Celebrate the Stulberg Competition’s 50th Anniversary in a Special Pre-Festival Recital

2024 Gilmore Artist Alexandre Kantorow’s first Festival appearance

Duo collaboration by Brad Mehldau and 2010 Gilmore Artist Kirill Gerstein

World premieres of Gilmore commissions include American Sputnik, a monodrama co-commissioned by The Gilmore and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, as well as a new work for Eighth Blackbird by Clarice Assad

U.S. premiere of The Kalamazoo Flow by Anders Hillborg performed by Alexandre Kantorow

2010 Gilmore Artist Kirill Gerstein Plays and Conducts Three of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos

Gilmore Festival Fellows Return for a 10-Day Immersive Residency Fostering the Next Generation of Pianists

KALAMAZOO, MI — The Gilmore has announced details of the 2026 Irving S. Gilmore International Piano Festival taking place Thursday, April 30 to Sunday, May 10, 2026, across multiple venues in Southwest Michigan. Drawing thousands of fans to the Kalamazoo region, this year’s Festival showcases the world’s preeminent classical and jazz pianists and artists in 75+ events including a world premiere monodrama, exclusive artist collaborations, Gilmore commissioned works, and family-friendly performances as well as master classes, film screenings, and more. Scroll down for a complete schedule of festival events.

“The Gilmore Piano Festival has established itself as a highlight for music fans. Over 11 days, thousands of patrons from around the world will transform Kalamazoo into a vibrant hub of creativity, culture and connection. For over 30 years, our Festival has brought together incredible artists, emerging talents, and enthusiastic audiences. Building on this success, as well as the Gilmore Artist Awards and this year’s inaugural Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Awards, we’re excited to begin this exciting chapter shifting from a biennial Festival to an annual one that presents the top pianists of both classical and jazz music.”
- Pierre van der Westhuizen, Executive & Artistic Director

The 2026 Gilmore International Piano Festival bridges classical tradition, contemporary innovation, and the evolving landscape of jazz. Anchored by world premieres, interdisciplinary collaborations, and the inaugural Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Awards, the Festival celebrates the piano as a catalyst for creative exchange across genres, generations, and cultures. Its programming highlights both legacy and discovery—pairing iconic artists such as Joshua Bell, Brad Mehldau, Kirill Gerstein, and Alexandre Kantorow with rising classical and jazz talents, while commissioning new works that reflect the piano’s vibrant role in today’s musical ecosystem. With performances spanning historic concert halls, intimate clubs, family offerings, and community spaces across Southwest Michigan, the 2026 Festival envisions the piano not merely as an instrument, but as a unifying force that transforms the region into a dynamic hub of artistic exploration, storytelling, and shared human experience.

The 2026 Festival coincides with the naming of The Gilmore’s first-ever Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Awardee, Sullivan Fortner, as well as the Bell Young Jazz Artist Award recipients Esteban Castro and Tyler Bullock — all scheduled to perform at the 2026 Gilmore Piano Festival. Mirroring the Gilmore Artist Award for classical pianists, the Jazz Artist Awards were bestowed on jazz pianists selected by an anonymous committee. Since its founding in 1989, the Festival has taken place at venues in Kalamazoo and across West Michigan, a region characterized by rolling countryside—filled with orchards, wineries, art galleries, and farmers markets—and the natural beauty of nearby Lake Michigan. Building on the success of its 30-year history, the biennial Festival shifts to an annual one for the first time in 2026. The Gilmore is allowing more space for creativity, more audience goers and a plethora of multi-genre artists.

2026 GILMORE PIANO FESTIVAL ARTISTS
Aaron Diehl · Aaron Goldberg · Alexandre Kantorow · Ali Jackson · Allison Miller · Ambrose Akinmusire · Andrew Rathburn · Armando Gola · ARTEMIS · Bill Charlap · Bob Mervak · Brad Mehldau · Cameron Carpenter · CeciléMcLorin Salvant · Charlotte Hu · Christian Sands · Chuco Valdés · Cyrus Chestnut · Daniela Liebman · Eighth Blackbird · Elliott Wuu · Esteban Castro · Horacio El Negro Hernandez · Ingrid Jensen · Inon Barnatan · Jackson Symphony Orchestra · Janice Carissa · Joseph Lattanzi · Joshua Bell · Julian Kuerti · Justin Snyder · Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra · Kandace Springs · Kayvon Gordon · Keith Hall · Kent Philharmonic Orchestra · Kirill Gerstein · Lara Downes · Libor Ondras · Lisa Kaplan · Lori Sims · Marc-André Hamelin · Matthew Aubin · Matthew Natalie Tenenbaum · Nicole Glover · Nicole Zuraitis · Noriko Ueda · Omer Avital · Raquel González · Renee Rosnes · Richard Goode · Roberto Vizcaino Jr. · Sara Davis Buechner · Sean Hickey · Shai Wosner · Southwest Michigan Symphony · Stanislav Khristenko · Stewart Goodyear · Sullivan Fortner · Timo Andres · Tyler Bullock · Tyrone Allen · Vicki Chow · Yes! Trio

THE GILMORE’S LEGACY OF COMMISSIONING NEW WORKS

The Gilmore has a distinguished history of commissioning new works, continuing its mission to support the creation and performance of new music for the piano. Over the years, the Gilmore Piano Festival has become known for its commitment to expanding the repertoire through significant commissions from renowned composers. The Gilmore has commissioned, on its own and via Gilmore Artists and Gilmore Young Artists Award funds, more than 40 new works from composers including Matthew Aucoin, Michael Brown, Elliott Carter, Christopher Cerrone, Michael Gordon, Stephen Hough, Oliver Knussen, Brad Mehldau, Nico Muhly, Frederick Rzewski, and Tyshawn Sorey, among many others.

The commissioned works of the 2026 Gilmore Piano Festival include the U.S. premiere of The Kalamazoo Flow, a new work by leading Swedish composer Anders Hillborg, which Alexandre Kantorow commissioned through his 2024 Gilmore Artist Award (world premiere scheduled for January 2026 at Le Piano Symphonique Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland). The contemporary music ensemble Eighth Blackbird premieres a new work written by Clarice Assad whose music is deeply rooted in the early, folkloric rhythms of Brazil.

Co-commissioned with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, The Gilmore is thrilled to present the world premiere of American Sputnik, a one-act monodrama for baritone, piano and an orchestral ensemble by composer Evan Mack and Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Mark Campbell. American pianist Van Cliburn instantly shot to superstardom after winning the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War. Exploring the impact of Cliburn’s historic win on his own life and on global culture, American Sputnik features baritone Joseph Lattanzi and Cleveland International Piano Competition-winning pianist Stanislav Khristenko dually portraying the role of Cliburn, joined by the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Julian Kuerti.

THE GILMORE FESTIVAL FELLOWS PROGRAM

The Gilmore Festival Fellows program, a career-advancement initiative for both classical and jazz pianists aged 18 or older, continues during this year’s festival. The immersive program blends the festival experience with a curriculum designed to develop the diverse skills—artistic, business, and personal—needed to build a successful career as a pianist. The 12 Festival Fellows take part in workshops and career coaching sessions focused on the business side of an artistic career and the personal and interpersonal challenges of life as a concert pianist.

This year’s Fellowship is a 10-day residency from May 1-10, 2026, including a May 8th public performance by select Classical Fellows. Jazz Fellows will perform on May 1-2 and 7-8 at the Crawlspace Theater. This season’s residency is overseen by Artist Teachers: Sara Davis Buechner, Bill Charlap, Stewart Goodyear, Marc-André Hamelin, Charlotte Hu, Renee Rosnes, and Lori Sims.

Festival artists share their talents and wisdom with Festival Fellows, who perform and learn from their teachers at Gilmore Festival master classes. The general public is invited to witness the creative process in action and gain insight into the dedication required to become an exceptional pianist. All master classes are free and open to the public. Scroll down for a complete schedule of classes. Visit Gilmore.org/education to learn more.

The Gilmore Festival Fellows program is made possible through the generous support of the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne.

2026 GILMORE PIANO FESTIVAL LINE-UP

When: April 30 – May 10, 2026

Where: The 2026 Gilmore Piano Festival will unfold across more than a dozen venues throughout Southwest Michigan, from historic theaters and concert halls to intimate clubs, churches, and community spaces. This wide variety of locations activates the region as a network of stages, offering audiences exceptional musical experiences in settings of every scale and underscoring the Festival’s commitment to bringing world-class music to the broader community.
Tickets: Donor presale access begins November 20 at 10:00 a.m. ET for supporters who contribute $100 or more, with all tickets going on sale to everyone on January 29, 2026. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.thegilmore.org.

PRE-FESTIVAL EVENTS

CLASSICAL | CHAMBER MUSIC | SPECIAL EVENT
FRI 4.24 at 7:30 p.m. | Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo
JOSHUA BELL
Joshua Bell, violin | Shai Wosner, piano
F. SCHUBERT Violin Sonata in A Major, D. 574 (“Grand Duo”)
E. GRIEG Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 45
S. PROKOFIEV Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94

CLASSICAL | CONCERTO
SAT 4.25 at 7:30 p.m. | Harold Sheffer Music Hall, Potter Center, Jackson
JACKSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH 2022 GILMORE YOUNG ARTIST JANICE CARRISA
Matthew Aubin, conductor | Janice Carissa, 2022 Gilmore Young Artist, piano
J. BRAHMS /arr. V. LEIDIG. Academic Festival Overture
R. SCHUMANN Concerto for Piano in A Minor, Op.54
W.A MOZART Requiem, K.626 (Süssmayr)
OPENING NIGHT
THU 4.30 at 6:00 p.m. | Kalamazoo Institute of Arts & Parish Theater, Kalamazoo

SULLIVAN FORTNER SOLO GAME
The 2026 Gilmore International Piano Festival opens on April 30, 2025, aka International Jazz Day, with a rare solo performance by 2026 Larry J. Bell Artist Award Recipient Sullivan Fortner. Fresh off receiving the inaugural Bell Artist Award, Fortner revisits the spirit of his GRAMMY®-nominated album Solo Game — a kaleidoscopic journey across acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3 organ, and other keyboards. Blending jazz, gospel, and modern improvisation, Fortner moves fluidly between soulful lyricism and bold harmonic exploration, revealing why he’s regarded as one of today’s most imaginative and expressive voices in jazz.

CLASSICAL | MONODRAMA | CONCERTO | includes WORLD PREMIERE
FRI 5.01 at 7:00 p.m. | Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo
FROM CLIBURN TO KANTOROW: A CELEBRATION OF TCHAIKOVSKY
Julian Kuerti, conductor | Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Joseph Lattanzi, baritone | Stanislav Khristenko, piano
Alexandre Kantorow, 2024 Gilmore Artist, piano
The concert will feature the World Premiere of a new one-act monodrama by American composer Evan Mack and Pulitzer-prize winning librettist Mark Campbell, exploring the impact of Van Cliburn’s historic win on his own life and on global culture. Co-commissioned by The Gilmore and Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, American Sputnikfeatures baritone Joseph Lattanzi and Cleveland International Piano Competition-winning pianist Stanislav Khristenko dually portraying the role of Cliburn, joined by the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Julian Kuerti. Also on the program is 2024 Gilmore Artist Alexandre Kantorow — who followed in Cliburn’s footsteps as a winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition — joining the KSO to perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 2, one of the concertos that helped Kantorow earn his victory at the competition.
EVAN MACK /libst. MARK CAMPBELL American Sputnik, WORLD PREMIERE
P. TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Op. 44

FAMILY CONCERT/FILM
SAT 5.02 at 2:00 p.m. | Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo
RIGHT IN THE EYE
Right in the Eye combines 12 short silent films by pioneering French filmmaker Georges Méliès — containing many special effects — with musical virtuosity, lighting design, and more. Three musicians perform on over 50 different instruments, including rare and unique ones, live onstage alongside the films, in a one-of-a-kind production ideal for children ages five and up.

JAZZ
SAT 5.02 at 4:00 + 7:00 p.m. | Bell’s Eccentric Café, Kalamazoo
CYRUS CHESTNUT TRIO
A gifted and innovative jazz pianist, Cyrus Chestnut possesses a soulful style that fuses gospel, classical music, and straight-ahead jazz. With two musical parents who were involved in the church, it was only natural that gospel music would become a major influence on Chestnut’s musical development, showing him not only how to be a better player but also how to connect with audiences. His original compositions are the heart of his latest album, Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony, on which he demonstrates his signature blend of rhythmic precision, emotive expression, and improvisational mastery.

CLASSICAL | SOLO RECITAL | includes U.S. PREMIERE
SAT 5.02 at 8:00 p.m. | Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo
ALEXANDRE KANTOROW, 2024 GILMORE ARTIST
The day after performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, 2024 Gilmore Artist Alexandre Kantorow returns to give a solo recital. Kantorow will present the U.S. premiere of a new work by leading Swedish composer Anders Hillborg, which Kantorow commissioned through his Gilmore Artist Award; he will premiere the work at the Le Piano Symphonique Festival in Lucerne in January 2026.
J.S. BACH /arr. LISZT Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen S. 180.
N. MEDTNER Sonata in F Minor, Op. 5
F. CHOPIN Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 45
A. SCRIABIN Sonata No. 10, Op. 70
L.v. BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 32 in C Minor Op. 111
ANDERS HILLBORG The Kalamazoo Flow, U.S. PREMIERE, commissioned by The Gilmore

FAMILY CONCERT
SUN 5.03 at 12:30 p.m., First Congregational Church of Kalamazoo
BABY GRANDS WITH HEITZIG AND JONES
This Baby Grands will feature The Gilmore’s very own Kory Heitzig on organ, with Dr. Garrett Jones narrating, presenting Rex: The King of Instruments written by Daniel Burton. This lively piece introduces the pipe organ through an energetic blend of organ music and narration. This will be followed by the OrgelKids workshop, an engaging, hands-on experience where kids collaborate to assemble a real working organ. This event is a family-friendly, interactive way to introduce kids to the organ.
Free and open to children of all ages.

CLASSICAL | SOLO RECITAL
SUN 5.03 at 2:00 p.m. | First United Methodist of Kalamazoo
CAMERON CARPENTER
In a rare organ performance for The Gilmore, Cameron Carpenter demonstrates the versatility and dramatic power of his chosen instrument. Committed to expanding the repertoire for the organ, Carpenter composes original music and also creates his own virtuosic arrangements of iconic works of classical music, including J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Carpenter is the first-ever organist to be nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for a solo album (for his debut album Revolutionary), and has transfixed audiences worldwide with his dazzling technique and larger-than-life style.
J.S. BACH/arr. CAMERON CARPENTER Goldberg Variations BWV 988
J.S. BACH Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major, BWV 552 (“St. Anne”)
M. MUSSORGSKY/arr. CAMERON CARPENTER Pictures At An Exhibition

CLASSICAL | SOLO RECITAL
SUN 5.03 at 7:30 p.m. | Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, Kalamazoo
RICHARD GOODE
Pianist Richard Goode is internationally renowned for his interpretations of Classical and Romantic music. His 10-disc recording of Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas remains a benchmark in the industry. Goode returns to The Gilmore to perform two cornerstones of the repertoire: Beethoven’s monumental Diabelli Variations and Schubert’s heartrending Sonata in B-flat Major, his final composition for solo piano.
L.v. BEETHOVEN Thirty-Three Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op. 120
F. SCHUBERT Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960

CLASSICAL | SOLO RECITAL
MON 5.04 at 2:00 p.m. | Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, Kalamazoo
STEWART GOODYEAR
Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear is renowned for his large, dramatic sound, elegant technique, and omnivorous approach to keyboard music. Goodyear has attracted particular attention for his Beethoven “Sonatathons,” a term he coined to describe his epic performances of Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas in one day.
L.v. BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31, No. 2 (“Tempest”)
STEWART GOODYEAR Rhapsody
L.v. BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (“Moonlight”)
STEWART GOODYEAR Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
L.v. BEETHOVEN Andante favori, WoO 57
Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57 (“Appassionata”)

Jazz + Classical | DUO PIANO RECITAL
MON 5.04 at 7:30 p.m. | Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, Kalamazoo
BRAD MEHLDAU & KIRILL GERSTEIN IN DIALOGUE
Grammy Award–winning pianist and composer Brad Mehldau has long bridged musical worlds, shaping modern jazz with performances that blend intellect, emotion, and structure. 2010 Gilmore Artist Kirill Gerstein, equally at home in classical and jazz traditions, is celebrated for his dynamic artistry and curiosity, connecting diverse musical voices with insight and imagination. Their collaboration grew from a shared fascination with the space between composition and improvisation.

JAZZ
TUE 5.05 at 12:00 p.m. | Kalamazoo Civic Theater
ESTEBAN CASTRO TRIO | 2026 BELL YOUNG JAZZ ARTIST
Esteban Castro began playing piano at age four and at 13, became the youngest-ever First Prize Winner at the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition. Now 20, Castro is already an in-demand bandleader and sideman. At The Gilmore, Castro and their trio will perform a mix of standards and Castro’s own award-winning compositions.

JAZZ
TUE 5.05 at 12:00 p.m. | Kool Family Community Center, Battle Creek
TYLER BULLOCK TRIO | 2026 BELL YOUNG JAZZ ARTIST
The regular pianist for the Roy Hargrove Big Band, and with collaborations with Samara Joy, Sean Jones, and Dee Dee Bridgewater already under his belt, Tyler Bullock is one of the most promising pianists of his generation. His original compositions for his trio and other configurations combine the lineage of jazz with his own fresh perspective.

CLASSICAL | CHAMBER MUSIC | includes WORLD PREMIERE
TUE 5.05 at 2:00 p.m. | Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
EIGHTH BLACKBIRD
Four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning contemporary music sextet Eighth Blackbird is, according to The Chicago Tribune, “one of the smartest, most dynamic ensembles on the planet.” They perform Four Organs and Piano Phase, two seminal 20th-century works by pioneering American minimalist composer Steve Reich in his 90th birthday year, as well as the World Premiere of a new work written for them by Clarice Assad, commissioned by The Gilmore. A composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, Assad creatively fuses elements of classical, jazz, and Brazilian music for a sound that’s completely her own.
ARI SUSSMAN to no end
CLARICE ASSAD WORLD PREMIERE, commissioned by The Gilmore
STEVE REICH Piano Phase
Four Organs
NICO MUHLY Doublespeak

JAZZ
TUE 5.05 at 5:00 + 8:00 p.m. | D. Terry Williams Theatre, WMU
KANDACE SPRINGS
Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, jazz pianist and singer Kandace Springs’s natural gifts for lyricism and soulfulness have propelled her to some of the world’s biggest stages. She has performed alongside Prince, Sting and Jack White, Norah Jones, Roy Hargrove, and more, and has released acclaimed albums of acoustic-based jazz. Her Gilmore set will include arrangements from her latest recording, Lady in Satin, a loving tribute to Billie Holiday and her 1958 record of the same name, with Springs on both keys and vocals, joined by her all-female trio.

JAZZ
WED 5.06 at 12:00 p.m. | Kool Family Community Center, Battle Creek
ESTEBAN CASTRO TRIO | 2026 BELL YOUNG JAZZ ARTIST
See May 5 for event description.

JAZZ
WED 5.06 at 12:00 p.m. | Kalamazoo Civic Theater
TYLER BULLOCK TRIO | 2026 BELL YOUNG JAZZ ARTIST
See May 5 for event description.

CLASSICAL | SOLO RECITAL
WED 5.06 at 2:00 p.m. | Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, Kalamazoo
LORI SIMS
A pillar of the Kalamazoo musical community, Lori Sims returns to The Gilmore for a recital on piano and harpsichord, demonstrating how the harpsichord and Baroque musical forms can be updated and reworked in a modern context. Opening with J.S. Bach’s Partita for keyboard No. 6, Sims then jumps to works by two of the 20th century’s most important composers, György Ligeti and Sofia Gubaidulina, who both fused traditional Baroque forms—the Passacaglia and the Chaconne—with their distinctly modern musical languages.
J.S. BACH Partita No. 6 in D Minor BWV 830
G. LIGETI Passacaglia Ungherese
Hungarian Rock
Etudes, Book I, No. 5 “Arc-en-Ciel”
S. GUBAIDULINA Chaconne
CLASSICAL | CONCERTO

WED 5.06 at 7:30 p.m. | Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo
KIRILL GERSTEIN & KALAMAZOO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH BEETHOVEN’S PIANO CONCERTOS
Already respected for his solo piano interpretations, 2010 Gilmore Artist Kirill Gerstein unveils another facet of his musical life for Festival audiences: his role as conductor. In one evening with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Gerstein both plays and conducts three of Beethoven’s beloved Piano Concertos. Beethoven himself frequently performed his own concertos while conducting from the keyboard, and Gerstein will offer Gilmore festival attendeesthe opportunity to experience these masterworks in much the same way that audiences would have in Beethoven’s day.
L.v. BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58

JAZZ
THU 5.07 at 12:00 p.m. | Kalamazoo Civic Theatre
NICOLE ZURAITIS
A vocalist, pianist, songwriter, and arranger who originally trained in classical voice and opera, Nicole Zuraitis offers powerful interpretations of jazz, pop, and anything else she sets her mind to. How Love Begins, her album co-produced with Christian McBride, won Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 2024 GRAMMY® Awards, making her the first artist to win this award for an album entirely made up of original compositions and arrangements. Zuraitis leads a band of powerhouse artists, using her arrangements to showcase their considerable talents in the best possible light.

CLASSICAL | VOICE AND PIANO
THU 5.07 at 2:00 p.m. | Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, Kalamazoo
CHOPIN AND VIARDOT: A DIALOGUE
Charlotte Hu, piano
Raquel González, soprano
Pauline Viardot was an accomplished pianist who studied with Franz Liszt, a world-renowned mezzo-soprano, and a talented composer, yet her name is largely unknown today. In their collaborative recital, pianist Charlotte Hu and soprano Raquel González re-introduce Viardot to her rightful place alongside the greatest of Romantic composers, notably her friend and colleague Frédéric Chopin. Their program spans solo piano works by both Chopin and Viardot, Viardot’s piano-and-voice arrangements of Chopin’s mazurkas — which Chopin himself advised on and was pleased with — and some of Viardot’s own original songs for soprano and piano.
F. CHOPIN Polonaise-Fantasie, Op. 61
Mazurka in E Major, Op. 63, No. 3
Mazurka in F-sharp Minor, Op. 59, No. 3
Mazurka in C Major, Op. 33, No. 3
P. VIARDOT/F. CHOPIN Mazurka Op. 50, No. 2 “Seize ans!”
Mazurka Op. 33, No. 2 “Aime-moir”
Mazurka Op. 6, No. 1 “Plainte d’amour”
Mazurka Op. 7, No. 1 “Coquette”
Mazurka Op. 68, No. 2 “L’Oiselet”
Mazurkas Op. 7, No. 3 and Op. 7, No. 2 “Faible cœur!”
P. VIARDOT Mazurka
Deux airs de ballet
Serenade
F. CHOPIN Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60
P. VIARDOT Original Songs for Soprano and Piano

JAZZ | DUO PIANO
THU 5.07 at 5:00 + 8:00 p.m. | D. Terry Williams Theatre, WMU, Kalamazoo
BILL CHARLAP & RENEE ROSNES
Two of today’s preeminent jazz pianists, Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes have played together in a two-piano setting since the release of their 2010 Blue Note album Double Portrait, a set of duets that traverse their shared musical touchstones. Downbeat declared that “the counterpoint and compatibility are so perfectly balanced, the selections and arrangements so handsome, that Double Portrait is a prize.” On stage, the husband-and-wife duo share their interpretations of jazz standards, Great American Songbook and Broadway tunes, and their own original compositions, inspired by their work together.

JAZZ
THU 5.07 at 7:30 p.m. | Kool Family Community Center, Battle Creek
YES! TRIO featuring ALI JACKSON, AARON GOLDBERG, AND OMER AVITAL
United by three decades of friendship and a reverence for straight-ahead jazz and swing, the members of Yes! Trio are all superstar musicians in their own right. Ali Jackson has played with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra since 2005. Omer Avital synthesizes American jazz, Israeli, and other Arab styles into something new and vital. And Aaron Goldberg leads his own trio and tours with the Joshua Redman Quartet.

JAZZ
FRI 5.08 at 12:00 p.m. | Kalamazoo Civic Theatre
YES! TRIO featuring ALI JACKSON, AARON GOLDBERG, AND OMER AVITAL
See May 7 for event description.

CLASSICAL | SOLO RECITAL
FRI 5.08 at 2:00 p.m. | Cori Terry Theatre, Epic Center, Kalamazoo
GILMORE FESTIVAL FELLOWS SHOWCASE RECITAL
The Gilmore presents top-notch talents of some of this year’s class of Gilmore Festival Fellows, hand selected by The Gilmore’s artistic leadership. Today’s successful artists need to know much more than the music. The Festival Fellows program helps young artists better navigate the industry through mentorships, master classes, Festival performances, workshops, and networking with their peers.

JAZZ
FRI 5.08 at 7:30 p.m. | Kool Family Community Center, Battle Creek
NICOLE ZURAITIS
See May 7 for event description.

JAZZ
FRI 5.08 at 7:30 p.m. | Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, Kalamazoo
ARTEMIS
Equally beloved by audiences and critics alike, ARTEMIS conjures a powerful collective voice from its five members. Originally assembled by pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, the all-female group is distinguished not only by the star power of its individual members, but also by its multi-national and intergenerational lineup. ARTEMIS features Renee Rosnes (piano/Fender Rhodes), Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Nicole Glover (tenor saxophone), Noriko Ueda (bass), and Allison Miller (drums). At The Gilmore, ARTEMIS will perform tunes from their three acclaimed Blue Note albums, featuring a vibrant mix of original compositions by all five band members as well as Rosnes’s arrangements of pieces by Wayne Shorter, Burt Bacharach, and more.

CLASSICAL | CONCERTO
FRI 5.08 at 7:30 p.m. | St. Cecilia Music Center, Grand Rapids
KENT PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Pianist Elliott Wuu, 2018 Gilmore Young Artist, returns to Michigan to perform Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Kent Philharmonic Orchestra, Libor Ondras conducting.
B. SMETANA Dance of Comedians
E. GRIEG Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16
A. DVOŘÁK Slavonic Dances, Op. 46

CLASSICAL | SOLO RECITAL | THEATRICAL
SAT 5.09 at 1:00 p.m. | Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, Kalamazoo
SARA DAVIS BUECHNER “OF PIGS AND PIANOS”
When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, a young Sara Davis Buechner declared: “A piano player and a pig farmer.” Decades later, the first of those has decidedly come true. Of Pigs and Pianos is Buechner’s one-woman show, recounting Sara Davis Buechner’s life story through dramatic narration, musical performances, and projected visuals. As one of the first transgender women in the industry to transition mid-career, Buechner encountered overwhelming obstacles, and faced them with courage and integrity. The New York Times gave the premiere performance a rave review; Buechner herself calls it “one of the most significant artistic works of my life.” [CONTENT WARNING: Of Pigs and Pianos contains strong adult content and language. Recommended for audiences 16 and older.]

CLASSICAL | SOLO RECITAL
SAT 5.09 at 4:00 p.m. | Stetson Chapel, Kalamazoo College
MARC ANDRÉ-HAMELIN
Marc-André Hamelin, “a performer of near-superhuman technical prowess” according to The New York Times, is revered worldwide for his thoughtful interpretations and utter mastery of the most challenging works in the piano repertoire. His Gilmore recital opens with Haydn’s Piano Sonata in D Major, followed by Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 3, an early work dedicated to Haydn. The second half is devoted to Russian piano works, with short pieces by Nikolai Medtner, a younger contemporary of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, as well as Rachmaninoff’s moody and intense Piano Sonata No. 2.
F. HAYDN Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:37
Lv. BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2
N. MEDTNER Improvisation in B-flat Minor, Op. 31, No. 1
Danza festiva, Op. 38, No. 3
S. RACHMANINOFF Étude-Tableau in E-flat Minor, Op. 39, No. 5
Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 36 (1931 version)

CLASSICAL | SOLO RECITAL
SAT 5.09 at 7:00 p.m. | Peace Lutheran Church, South Haven
ELLIOTT WUU, 2010 GILMORE YOUNG ARTIST
As part of the South Haven Performance Series, Elliott Wuu gives a solo recital for audiences in South Haven, featuring piano sonatas by Beethoven and Liszt, Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque, and Liszt’s Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude.
C. DEBUSSY Suite Bergamasque, L. 75
L.v. BEETHOVEN Sonata Op. 31, No. 3 (“The Hunt”)
F. LISZT Bénédiction de Dieu dans la Solitude
from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses. S. 173/3
S. RACHMANINOFF Sonata No. 2, Op. 36

JAZZ
SAT 5.09 at 7:30 p.m. | Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo
CHUCHO VALDÉS ROYAL QUARTET
For over six decades, NEA Jazz Master Chucho Valdés has defined Afro-Cuban jazz through his work as a pianist, composer, and bandleader. A winner of multiple GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY® Awards, Valdés also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and has been inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. His Royal Quartet features virtuosos from the next generation of Afro-Cuban jazz: Horacio El Negro Hernandez (drums), Armando Gola (bass), and Roberto Vizcaino Jr. (congas). They will pay homage to Chick Corea, Mozart, American blues, Cuban folksongs, and more, all with their signature sense of joy and creativity.

CLASSICAL | CONCERTO
SAT 5.09 at 7:30 p.m. | Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College
SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY
Matthew Aubin, conductor
Winner of the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition and featured at The Gilmore’s premiere of American Sputnik, Ukrainian pianist Stanislav Khristenko performs Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor with the Southwest Michigan Symphony.
P. TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23

JAZZ | FESTIVAL FINALE
TUE 5.10 at 4:00 p.m. | Chenery Auditorium, Kalamazoo
FINALE: SULLIVAN FORTNER TRIO featuring CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT & AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE
The 2026 Gilmore International Piano Festival concludes with an exclusive performance created especially for this occasion, uniting three of today’s most visionary artists. Sullivan Fortner, recent recipient of The Gilmore’s inaugural Larry J. Bell Artist Award, leads his trio alongside GRAMMY® Award–winning vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant and acclaimed trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, whose distinctive sound and compositional depth have earned him international recognition. Joined by Tyrone Allen (bass) and Kayvon Gordon (drums), they will explore new musical terrain where improvisation, storytelling, and collective imagination meet in a singular finale that promises to be both intimate and transcendent.

SPECIAL EVENTS

FILM +
TUE 4.28: MURRAY PERAHIA: NOT OF THIS WORLD
WED 4.29: PIANOFORTE
THU 4.30: OSCAR PETERSON: BLACK + WHITE
FRI 5.01: VAN CLIBURN: CONCERT PIANIST. FILM BY PETER ROSEN.
All showtimes at 12:00 p.m., Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Stryker Theatre

CONNECT WITH FILM SERIES
During this year’s Festival, the music comes to the silver screen with afternoon film screenings at the Stryker Theatre. Movies are free to the public. Tickets are made available at 10:00 a.m. on the day of each screening at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum or its website http://www.kalamazoomuseum.org.

JAZZ +
WED 4.29 + FRI-SAT 5.01-2 + FRI-SAT 5.07-8 | Crawlspace Comedy Theatre, Kalamazoo
GILMORE AFTER DARK
Throughout this year’s Festival, the music continues long into the night with Gilmore After Dark events at venues around Kalamazoo. Grab a drink or a bite to eat and enjoy performances by exciting jazz and classical artists, including this year’s talented class of Gilmore Jazz Fellows. It kickstarts April 29 with pianist, vocalist and songwriter Bob Mervak. On May 1-2, saxophonist Andrew Rathbun will host the Jazz Festival Fellows, followed by drummer Keith Hall on May 7-8.

FESTIVAL FELLOWS EVENTS +
FRI 5.01 at 2:00 p.m. A CONVERSATION WITH SEAN HICKEY, Kalamazoo Public Library, Central Library
SUN 5.03 at 10:00 a.m. STEWART GOODYEAR, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
TUE 5.05 at 10:00 a.m. LORI SIMS, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
WED 5.06 at 10:00 a.m. CHARLOTTE HU, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
WED 5.06 at 4:00 p.m. BILL CHARLAP + RENEE ROSNES, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
FRI 5.08 at 10:00 a.m. SARA DAVIS BUECHNER, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU
SUN 5.10 at 10:00 a.m. MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU

MASTER CLASSES
Festival artists share their talents and wisdom with Festival Fellows, who perform and learn from their teachers at Gilmore Festival master classes. Audiences may witness the creative process in action and gain insight into the dedication required to become an exceptional pianist. All master classes are free and open to the public.

CLASSICAL
WED 5.20 at 6:00 p.m. MEIJER GARDENS X GILMORE, Utopia Room at Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
NATALIE TENENBAUM, piano
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and The Gilmore Piano Festival are collaborating on a special evening of entertainment amidst the beauty of the CHIHULY exhibition at Meijer Gardens.

All performances, programs, and performance dates and times are subject to change.

ABOUT THE GILMORE
Created in 1989 to honor the legacy of businessman and philanthropist Irving S. Gilmore, The Gilmore is the premier institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, presenting and awarding extraordinary piano artistry. The Gilmore has presented 16 piano festivals, commissioned over 40 new works for piano, and awarded over $3 million as part of its internationally renowned Gilmore Artists Award for both classical and jazz pianists.
Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, The Gilmore hosts its annual (previously biennial) Gilmore Piano Festival April 30-May 10, 2026, and continues to impact the lives of thousands of area children and adults through its year-round community engagement and music education programs including summer camps, music therapy, and much more.

Abel Selaocoe’s Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory Weekend at Barbican Centre / Milton Court Concert Hall, London.

Dates: Thursday, April 23, 2026 - Sunday, April 26, 2026

More details

We have received the following press release;

Barbican announces Abel Selaocoe’s Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory Weekend: a celebration of South African music, ancestry and connection.

South African cellist, vocalist and composer Abel Selaocoe returns to his roots for a specially curated Barbican weekend in April 2026. The Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory Weekend brings together artists from his homeland of South Africa in a powerful act of remembrance and celebration of shared history through music and will be a highlight of the Barbican’s Spring 2026 season.

Running from Thursday 23 April to Sunday 26 April 2026, and joined by Mbuso Khosa, Nduduzo Makhathini, Gontse Makhene, BCUC, Toya Delazy, Mthuthuzeli November and DJ SNO, Selaocoe traces the journeys of the Bantu people – exploring collective histories of community, resilience and resistance. Through music, movement and storytelling, the weekend reflects on the sonic legacies of the Anglo-Zulu War at Isandlwana, songs of rain, love and rebellion from the apartheid era, and the ancestral rhythms that continue to offer healing and hope today.

Showcasing the depth and diversity of South Africa’s musical landscape, the weekend-long event spans traditional Zulu music, Afro-psychedelic future pop, Afrorave, amapiano and contemporary jazz. Across the weekend, audiences are invited to experience exclusive performances, new collaborations and premieres that honour both heritage and innovation in South African music. In addition, rhythm workshops linked to the music that audiences will hear throughout the weekend will be announced at a later date.

Music is the ceremony of remembering.
To be a musician is to make peace with your own shapeshifting,
to fraternize with your fluidity, and in so doing, trace echoes of the self back through time.
Improvisation is not merely play, it is pilgrimage. A surrender.
A sacred getting-lost so that something ancient might be found.
– Anonymous

Mohopolo/ Ancestral Memory Weekend events:

Tracing the Echoes (Thu 23 Apr, Milton Court, 7.30pm)
BCUC / Toya Delazy / DJ SNO (Sat 25 Apr, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
Simunye (We Are One) ClubStage with DJ SNO (Sat 25 Apr, Level G, 9.45pm)
Sithunyiwe / We Have Been Sent (Sun 26 Apr, Barbican Hall, 7pm)

More details about each of the events in the Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory weekend can be found below:

Tracing the Echoes 
Abel Selaocoe & Friends 
Thursday 23 April 2026, 7.30pm
Milton Court Concert Hall
Tickets from £25 plus booking fee
In the opening concert of his Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory Weekend, South African cellist, composer and vocalist Abel Selaocoe brings together a remarkable group of collaborators for an intimate evening exploring ancestral connection through music.
Tracing the Echoes unites Selaocoe with legendary Zulu musician Mbuso Khosa, celebrated pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, and percussionist Gontse Makhene to share songs and stories drawn from their respective tribal traditions. Together, they trace musical lineages that move between the sacred and the spontaneous, where improvisation, ritual and memory intertwine.
Part of Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory Weekend, curated by Abel Selaocoe
Produced by the Barbican

BCUC / Toya Delazy / DJ SNO
Saturday 25 April 2026, 7.30pm
Barbican Hall
Tickets from £20 plus booking fee
South African artists BCUC (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness) and Toya Delazy join forces for a powerful collaboration as part of Abel Selaocoe’s Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory Weekend. Blending heavy electronic and traditional beats, their performance channels ancestral energy through a fusion of punk-rock, psychedelia, hip-hop and African rhythms.
In this special event, they create a sound that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in history – a reflection on the lives, struggles and spiritual resilience of communities whose stories are often unheard. Drawing inspiration from the spirit world of their ancestors, the performance celebrates Africa not as a continent defined by scarcity, but one rich in tradition, ritual and belief.
Part of Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory weekend, curated by Abel Selaocoe 
Produced by the Barbican

Simunye (We are one)
Saturday 25 April 2026, 9.45pm
Barbican ClubStage, Level -1
Free
“Jiva kuze kuse / Dance till the sun comes up!”
Following the concert, audiences are invited to continue the celebration with Simunye (We Are One) – a late-night ClubStage led by South African DJ SNO. Expect an exhilarating journey through South African jams across time and space, driven by SNO’s unshakable spirit of joy and movement. Nothing stands still on her dance floor.
Hailing from the township of Bophelong, SNO (Selina Nongaliphe Oliphant) sees music as a beacon of strength and hope for the marginalised — a vision rooted in her formative years growing up under apartheid. A genuine innovator in musical curation, she brings together the rhythms of jazz, funk, and Amapiano to create a space of togetherness, energy and freedom.
Part of Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory weekend, curated by Abel Selaocoe 
Produced by the Barbican

Sithunyiwe / We Have Been Sent
Abel Selaocoe & Friends 
Sunday 26 April 2026, 7pm
Barbican Hall
Tickets from £25 plus booking fee
A brand-new multidisciplinary performance commissioned by the Barbican closes Abel Selaocoe’s Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory Weekend, bringing together music, dance and storytelling in an expression of ancestral connection and collective spirit.
Sithunyiwe – “we have been sent” – means we have been sent by our ancestors to invigorate the spirit of those that are around us. Selaocoe describes this new project as following ‘a child-like surrender to the instincts of our bodies and how we hear’. Created by acclaimed choreographer and dancer Mthuthuzeli November (Ballet Black, Royal Ballet, Stormzy, The Chemical Brothers), this new dance work channels the deep spirituality of South African traditions through the body.
Music is created and performed by Mbuso Khosa, Abel Selaocoe and Nduduzo Makhathini, joined by the Bantu Ensemble, led by Rakhi Singh, and joined by Gontse Makhene, Sidiki Dembélé and friends.
Together they craft a spontaneous, immersive performance that seeks to heal, educate and unite – a celebration of togetherness and renewal.
Part of Mohopolo/Ancestral Memory weekend, curated by Abel Selaocoe
Commissioned and produced by the Barbican

About the Barbican
The Barbican is a catalyst for creativity, sparking possibilities for artists, audiences, and communities. We showcase the most exciting art from around the world, pushing traditional artistic boundaries to entertain and inspire millions of people, create connections, provoke debate, and reflect the world we live in.
We are an international arts and events centre rooted firmly in our own neighbourhood, collaborating with local communities and putting the City of London on the map as a destination for everybody. Central to our purpose is supporting emerging talent and shaping opportunities that will accelerate the next generation of creatives.
As a not-for-profit, we rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations, including our principal funder the City of London Corporation. Every ticket purchased, donation made, and pound earned supports our arts and learning programme and enables the widest possible range of people to experience the joy of the arts.
Opened in 1982, the Barbican is a unique and audacious building, recognised globally as an architectural icon. As well as our theatres, galleries, concert halls and cinemas, we have a large conservatory with over 1,500 species of plants and trees, a library, conference facilities, public and community spaces, restaurants, bars, and a picturesque lakeside oasis.
We’re proud to be the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, our Resident Orchestra, and a London base for the Royal Shakespeare Company. We regularly co-commission, produce and showcase the work of our Artistic Associates the Academy of Ancient Music, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Boy Blue, Darbar Arts, Culture and Heritage Trust, and Serious, who produce the EFG London Jazz Festival, alongside other associates and partners including Doc’n Roll Film Festival, London Palestine Film Festival, and Trafalgar Theatre Productions.
For more information, visit our website or connect with us on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | LinkedIn

The Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, Greater London, EC2Y 8DS

https://www.barbican.org.uk/

Yetii at Kidderminster Jazz Club, St. Ambrose Parish Centre, Kidderminster, Worcs.

Date: Friday, May 01, 2026

Featuring: Yetii

More details

From;
https://www.kidderminsterjazzclub.co.uk/2025-2026-season-shows;

Kidderminster Jazz Club
Fri, May 1, 2026 @ 7:00PM
£15.00

We welcome “Yetii” to Kidderminster Jazz Club for this very special one-off gig as part of their UK “Inner Worlds” Album Tour. Yetii released their debut album “Live at The Greenbank” to widespread critical acclaim and have since played at jazz clubs, festivals and arts centres across the UK as well as supporting “The Bad Plus” on their recent UK Tour.

The trio play original compositions combining flowing melodies with expansive group improvisations, interlocking grooves and evolving soundscapes. The band have built their following with a sold-out monthly residency in Bristol including collaborations with Iain Ballamy, Ant Law, and Arun Ghosh, and look forward to their biggest tour to date in support of this release! For fans of EST, The Bad Plus, and Fergus McCreadie.

“a performance that both enthralled and delighted the audience ★★★★★” The Jazz Mann

The Band
Alex Veitch - piano
Ashley John Long - double bass
Alex Goodyear - drums

St Ambrose’s Parish Centre
Leswell St,
Kidderminster DY10 1RP

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