BMJazz Katz – Christmas In Sight, early evening performance at Black Mountain Jazz, Melville Centre, Abergavenny.

Date: Sunday, December 07, 2025

More details

From;
https://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk/event-details/bmjazz-katz-christmas-in-sight

BMJazz Katz – Christmas In Sight
Sun 07 Dec |  The Melville Theatre

Time & Location
07 Dec 2025, 18:00 – 18:40
The Melville Theatre, 4 Pen-Y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UD, UK

About the event

BMJ’s youth jazz ensemble has an eye on the coming festive season with their ‘Christmas In Sight’ performance.

This will be a shorter gig than normal, with a get-together in the coffee lounge after.  Please stay for a while.

Tickets are £7 and these will be available on the door or you can use the box office on this page.

Tickets for under-18s are FREE = please do not use the box office form on this page.

All ticket income will support ongoing BMJazz Katz activities.

Please come and support this gig – NOTE THE EARLY START

Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio at Guildford Jazz, The Stoke Hotel, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Friday, January 30, 2026

Featuring: Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio

More details

Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz writes;

Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio
Fri 30 Jan from 20.00 to 22.15 (doors open 19.00) at The Stoke Hotel, 103 Stoke Rd, Guildford GU1 4JN
Join multi-award-winning trombonist Dennis Rollins for an evening with his simmering jazz funk trio, featuring Hammond organ virtuoso Ross Stanley and Joel Barford on drums, playing a brilliant marriage of refined contemporary jazz arrangements and smokin’ grooves or, as the BBC Music Magazine has expressed it: “This group produces genuine fireworks”. Dennis is a previous winner of the BBC Jazz Best Band Award, the Parliamentary Jazz Education Award, and the Ronnie Scott’s Best Trombone
Award.
For more details of the event and to book tickets visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

Art Themen Organ Trio at Guildford Jazz, The Guildford Pavilion, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026

More details

Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz writes;

Art Themen Organ Trio
Thurs 15 Jan from 20.00 to 22.15 (doors open 19.00) at the Guildford Pavilion, Woodbridge Rd, Guildford GU1 4RP
A previous winner of the tenor sax category in the British Jazz Awards, recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Worshipful Company of Musicians, saxophonist Art Themen is a true living legend of the British jazz scene. Described by THE OBSERVER as “One of the tiny handful of undeniably perfect jazz musicians”, he remains as brilliant and inimitable as ever. For this first Pavilion concert of 2026 Art’s trio, which features organist Pete Whittaker and drummer George Double, will be joined by Marianne Windham on bass.
For more details of the event and to book tickets visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

Leon Greening Trio, afternoon performance at The Guildford Institute, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Monday, January 12, 2026

More details

From Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz;

Leon Greening Trio
Mon 12 Jan from 2.00pm to 3.00pm (lunch available from 12 to 2pm) at The Guildford Institute, Ward St, Guildford GU1 4LH
For this first performance of the Guildford Jazz New Year programme, we are delighted to welcome pianist Leon Greening, an exciting and hugely popular performer at jazz clubs around the UK. With his hard swinging style, inspired by the likes of Bud Powell, Wynton Kelly and Bobby Timmons, Leon epitomises the very best on the UK Jazz scene today. Joining Leon will be the UK’s premier jazz drummer Steve Brown, and Guildford Jazz anchor Marianne Windham on bass.
For more details of the event and to book tickets visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

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

Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/ankora/

February 12, 2026 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Ankora
The Marr’s Bar 12 Pierpoint Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, United Kingdom

8-piece ensemble featuring the future stars of British jazz

Eight ambitious young musicians that met through Tomorrow’s Warriors – a London-based artist development organisation – were selected to perform as the Tomorrow’s Warriors Frontline ensemble, under the direction and tutelage of drummer, composer and educator Romarna Campbell.

Ankora is the exciting new step the ensemble are taking to launch into the London jazz scene. The name is derived from the Latin word for ‘anchor’ (anchora): a symbol of groundedness, hope and a connection to roots. These connotations are expressed through their repertoire of both originals and covers of powerful jazz tunes. The name links to an alternative meaning in Italian, ‘again’, marking the momentum of their rebirth as they continue their musical and artistic journey.

The band, whose average age is just 20, features 2024 BBC Young Jazz Musician finalist Klara Devlin on trumpet and drummer Miranda Radford, who both appeared on our stage when Miranda brought her quartet up in February 2025. Mali Sheard (sax), Keira Chakraborty (flute), Hannah Clifton (trumpet), Tami Adebanjo (guitar) Kezia Abouma (piano) and Holly Reinhardt (bass) complete the line-up of exceptional young players at the start of promising careers in the British jazz scene.

The band’s influences include the legacies of Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter, while branching out to the more contemporary mastery of Esperanza Spalding, Geri Allen, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Kenny Kirkland. The ensemble takes inspiration from the spark and power of these jazz legends, compositionally and in their playing.

Collectively, the members of ‘Ankora’ have already made their mark on the jazz scene through performances at venues such as Love Supreme Jazz Festival, We Out Here, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Dizzy’s Jazz Club (NYC), The Vortex, Brick Lane Jazz Festival and The Jazz Café. Ready for more, the unique, powerful voice of the ensemble is excited to embrace the wonder and diversity of today’s jazz scene.

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/

Detroitwich Funk Machine at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/detroitwich-funk-machine/

January 22, 2026 @ 7:30 am - 10:00 pm
Detroitwich Funk Machine
The Marr’s Bar 12 Pierpoint Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, United Kingdom

The music of James Brown, Tower of Power, Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, Blood Sweat and Tears, Kenny Garrett and more brought to life by an amazing 9-piece local band.

Co-led by Droitwich-based Californian bassist Tom Clarke-Hill and saxophonist Andy Shillingford from Stourbridge, Detroitwich Funk Machine have raided the archives of 70s and 80s funk, jazz-funk and fusion to deliver an outstanding and entertaining show featuring the music of James Brown, Tower of Power, Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, Blood Sweat and Tears, Kenny Garrett, Mike Stern and many more.

Tom Clarke-Hill features on vocals, bass and entertaining banter while Andy Shillingford heads up the top-shelf West Midlands horn section that sees the return of saxophonist Chris Bowden and trombonist Dave Sear who both appeared in April 2025 (Chris with his Hypnos Files band and Dave with The Boom Yeh), along with saxophonist Pelham Wood and trumpeter Alex Astbury (of the Digbeth Jazz team). On the polyphonics are Tom Morgan (guitar) and Arran Shanghavi (keys), with Andy Brotherton completing the lineup on drums.

If you enjoyed Hoop (Nov 2023), FNUK (Jan 2024), Steve Taylor’s Fusion Phew (May 2024), Impossible Conversations (Feb 2025) or The Boom Yeh (Apr 2025), you are going to love Detroitwich Funk Machine!

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/

Davide Giovannini’s Minas Project at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, January 08, 2026

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/davide-giovanninis-minas-project/

January 8, 2026 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Davide Giovannini’s Minas Project
The Marr’s Bar 12 Pierpoint Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, United Kingdom

High energy, original Brazilian jazz in a tribute to Minas Gerais, the home of Toninho Horta, Milton Nascimento, Beto Guedes and Lo Borges
We are really excited to be kicking off 2026 with this delightful musical journey to the south-east Brazilian state of Minas Gerais from drummer, vocalist and composer Davide Giovannini, returning to The Marr’s Bar with his own band after performing to a full house with TRYPL in January 2025.

Giovannini has worked with artists including Steve Winwood, Lisa Stansfield, Paul McCartney, Björk and Roy Ayers, but it was his time in Brazil with guitarist Toninho Horta that inspired the Minas Project – a collection of original compositions that reflect the spirit of Minas’ music, with beautiful melodies that float on a rich harmonic bed, spiced up by dynamic solos that enrich the tunes with fire and emotions.

The all-star lineup also sees the return to the Music Spoken Here stage for saxophonist Paul Booth (appeared with TRYPL in 2025 and HOOP in 2024), pianist Neil Angilley (Steve Taylor’s Fusion Phew, 2024) and bassist Davide Mantovani (Tristan Banks Quartet, 2023). Completing the lineup and appearing for the first time with us is guitarist Guille Hill.

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/

Yetii ’ Inner World’s ’ Album Tour at Black Mountain Jazz, Melville Centre, Abergavenny.

Date: Sunday, February 22, 2026

Featuring: Yetii

More details

From;
https://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk/event-details/yetii-inner-worlds-album-tour

Yetii: ’ Inner World’s ’ Album Tour
Sun 22 Feb |  The Melville Theatre

Time & Location
22 Feb 2026, 20:00 – 22:30
The Melville Theatre, 5 Pen-Y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UD, UK

About the event

We welcome Yetii to Black Mountain Jazz 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.

Alex Veitch – piano
Ashley John Long - double bass
Alex Goodyear - drums

“a performance that both enthralled and delighted the audience ★★★★★”- Ian Mann,  TheJazzMann

“Impossible to ignore”  - Jazzwise

“a trio of fluent and wildly inventive improvisers” UK Jazz News

Video Link -  https://youtu.be/rSRrT5kb8ZM

Tickets
Ticket type
General Admission
Price
From £9.75 to £19.50

Standard
£19.50

Friends of BMJ
£17.50

Under 18’s
£9.75

Elijah Jeffery & Eddie Gripper at Black Mountain Jazz, Melville Centre, Abergavenny.

Date: Sunday, January 25, 2026

Featuring: Elijah Jeffery & Eddie Gripper

More details

From;
https://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk/event-details/elijah-jeffery-eddie-gripper

Elijah Jeffery & Eddie Gripper
Sun 25 Jan |  The Melville Theatre

Time & Location
25 Jan 2026, 20:00 – 22:30
The Melville Theatre, 4 Pen-Y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UD, UK

About the event

Black Mountain Jazz Club is delighted to welcome back two Cardiff-based musicians well known to BMJ audiences.

Vocalist–songwriter Elijah Jeffery and award-winning pianist Eddie Gripper join forces to present their acclaimed new CD (self-entitled, ‘Elijah Jeffery & Eddie Gripper’ ) currently on a UK wide tour, with a striking blend of original songs and a bold reimagining of Purcell’s 17th-century aria, praised for its imaginative, genre-defying approach.

Their live performance weaves together progressive pop, indie folk, and alternative jazz, taking audiences on a captivating musical journey. From the folk-inspired ‘Shifting Seasons’ to the introspective jazz ballad ‘Because of You’, the art-pop energy of ‘Close Your Eyes’ and a fresh take on ‘Dido’s Lament’, Elijah and Eddie showcase their flair for storytelling and innovative composition.

With a shared passion for pushing musical boundaries, their performance promises an intimate yet adventurous experience that resonates across genres, making this a must-see evening for lovers of inventive, genre-defying music.

Hampshire-born vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Elijah Jeffery brings influences ranging from the Great American Songbook to contemporary folk, whilst English pianist Eddie Gripper - hailed for his melodic charm and already compared with the greats - adds a distinctive blend of jazz, folk and modern classical colour.

“These are songs that convince both musically and lyrically, there is real musical and emotional intelligence at work here” - Ian Mann,  TheJazzMann

“Both halves of the duo excel on this recording, both in their quality and restraint, but it is their joint passion for song writing that shines brightest.”  - Neil Duggan,  All About Jazz

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

Standard
£18.00

Friends of BMJ
£16.00

Under 18’s
£9.00

Arfordir at St Edwards Church, Roath, Cardiff.

Date: Friday, December 12, 2025

More details

Pianist and composer Julian Martin writes;

I’d like to invite you to an evening of improvised music inspired by Scenes of Winter in Wales performed by Arfordir, our new contemporary quartet. We aim to create music inspired by the wild and wonderful Welsh landscape, and this will be our first outing in this format.

Noson o gerddoriaeth fyrfyfyr wedi’i hysbrydoli gan Olygfeydd o’r Gaeaf yng Nghymru a berfformir gan Arfordir, pedwarawd cyfoes newydd sy’n creu cerddoriaeth wedi’i hysbrydoli gan dirwedd wyllt a rhyfeddol Cymru.

Arfordir are:
Ben Thomas: Trumpet
Julian Martin: Piano
Ross Thomas: Bass
Ian Williams: Drums

This event will take place at St Edwards Church, Roath.
12th December 2025.
Doors at 7.00. Music at 7.30, followed by refreshments in the School room.
All welcome. This is a non-ticketed event. A voluntary contribution can be made at the door. It would be great to see you there.

Daylight Music: The 400th Edition, lunchtime event at St Mary Magdalene Church, London N7.

Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025

More details

From;
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/arcticcircle/1857712

Daylight Music: The 400th Edition
Sat 13 Dec 2025 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Somewhere in our sixteenth year we reach the unfathomable figures of the four hundredth edition of our series. How did that happen?

What do we have in store to mark this moment? Well for now we’re keeping our plans under wraps. What we do know is that we will be able to hand you mince pies to munch on and the finest riches that music, sound and storytelling can offer.

Come celebrate the end of another year, another milestone edition of our gathering, with a room full of friendly and familiar smiling faces. We’d love to see you at our quadricentennial event!

Arctic Circle’s Daylight Music has, for over sixteen years, become an important part of London’s live music scene, with a weird and wonderful mix of musicians presenting ideas and storytelling in music and sound,  alongside delicious cake, in some of the most splendid and iconic venues.

Further event details: Cafe is open. An event for all ages. Pay-What-You-Can entry in advance or on the door (£12 per adult suggestion, children free), subject to availability/capacity.

Location
St Mary Magdalene Church, London, N7 8LT.

James Kitchman Quartet at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Featuring: James Kitchman

Venue

Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London

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

More details

James Kitchman writes;

I’ve got a London show coming up that I’d love you to be at. On 10th December, my longstanding quartet, with Bruno Heinen on piano, Tom McCredie on bass, and Shane Forbes on drums, will be playing at Pizza Express Soho, and it’s shaping up to be a special night. If you’ve been meaning to come to a gig, this is the one — hope to see you there.

https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/james-kitchman-quartet

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

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

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

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 | SOLO RECITAL | SPECIAL EVENT
SAT 4.18 at 7:30 p.m. | Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor
Presented in collaboration with the University Musical Society
THE COMPLETE PHILIP GLASS PIANO ETUDES
Timo Andres | Inon Barnatan | Janice Carissa, 2022 Gilmore Young Artist | Vicky Chow | Aaron Diehl | Lara Downes | Lisa Kaplan | Daniela Liebman | Christian Sands | Justin Snyder
This distinctive concert offering of all 20 of Glass’s etudes features 10 pianists onstage, each offering a unique musical tribute to this masterful composer.

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.

Amuse Manouche at The Lion’s Den, Midhurst.

Date: Thursday, December 18, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

The Midhurst Jazz, Food & Blues Festival Does Christmas!

Celebrate Christmas with us at this cosy soirée with gypsy jazz Festival favourites Amuse Manouche at The Lion’s Den, 7pm on Thursday 18th December.

We’ll be weaving a little Parisian magic as well as some Christmas joy through the room, blending festive sparkle with swinging rhythm in an intimate atmosphere! Hearty German sausages, sweet mince pies, and fragrant mulled wine on the menu — the perfect recipe for a winter’s night of music, comfort, and really good company!
Think laughter, warmth, and the clink of glasses as the band plays from the sofas, bringing the music right to your side.
This will be the third of the “Midhurst Sessions” following sold-out evenings with The Medicine Band and The Errol Linton Band in October!

Tickets £24 (excl. food & beverages). Click
HERE https://www.midhurstjazzandblues.com/shop/p/christmasparty

The Lions Den is located on North St, Midhurst GU29 9DJ, close to the bus station and the North Street Car Park. Doors from 6pm, music starts after 7.30pm.

Bonus festive session ~ Jazz Trio, Vocals & Jam at Brecon Jazz Club, The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon.

Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025

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We have received the following information regarding this event;

Bonus festive session ~ Jazz Trio, Vocals & Jam
Saturday 13th December @ 7pm Muse
Spots for JAMMERS - RSVP ‘JAM’ & must book please
ALL - PLEASE NOTE DAY & TIME
Tickets ALL £10 / PWYC
BOOK HERE FOR JAM/TRIO (Sat 13th DEC)
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/breconjazz-jazzlivecymru/t-vxerxlr

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

http://www.breconjazz.org
CONTACT: Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Fiddlebop & Friends at Brecon Jazz Club, The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon.

Date: Tuesday, December 09, 2025

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We have received the following information regarding this event;

JAZZ CLUB DECEMBER

Tues 9th December @ 8pm Muse
Featuring the wonderful FIDDLEBOP
Hot swing & cool Jazz, also with Guests
Tickets £14 early / £16 standard / PWYC
Lineup: Dave Favis-Mortlock violin / Joanna Davies guitar & vocals
Graeme Lamble fretless bass / Rod Paton keys / Leslie Maynerd alto sax / Steve Harley percussion / Ros Moore, Amy Rose Garlick vocals

BOOK NOW FOR BJC FIDDLEBOP (Tues 9th DEC)
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/breconjazz-jazzlivecymru/t-rzlyona

Restaurant Option: 6pm details to follow.

http://www.breconjazz.org
CONTACT: Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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

Burghausen International Jazz Week, Burghausen, Germany.

Dates: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 - Sunday, March 22, 2026

More details

We have received the following press release;

Press release: 55th International Jazz Week Burghausen, March 17-22, 2026, Advance ticket sales start: November 26, 2025

The excitement is spreading: The program for the 55th Burghausen International Jazz Week from March 17 to 22, 2026, has been finalized and promises musical highlights! To mark this small anniversary edition, IG Jazz Burghausen is presenting a week full of diverse concert experiences, from international stars to promising new discoveries.

Following the traditional winners’ concert of the 16th European Young Artists’ Jazz Award, the Mike Stern Band feat. Leni Stern, Gabor Bolla, Noam Tanzer & Juan Chiavassa will open the main concerts in the Wackerhalle. Another highlight is the renowned German drummer Wolfgang Haffner. With his All Star Celebration, he celebrates his 50th stage anniversary and invites not only his long-time musical companions Simon Oslender (keys) and Thomas Stieger (bass), but also singer Viktoria Tolstoy, trombonist Nils Landgren, and DJ Shantel.

Also part of the line-up is trumpeter Theo Croker, who will be presenting his Miles Davis Centennial Blue Moods: Miles in the Golden Hour project. Multiple Grammy winner Cory Henry and his band The Funk Apostles will be providing a heavy dose of musical energy, as will the experimental collective Sonic Interventions, which was awarded this year’s German Jazz Prize for Newcomer of the Year. Lovers of avant-garde sounds will get their money’s worth with the duo Stian Westerhus & Maja S. K. Ratkje in the historic Ankersaal in the center of Burghausen’s old town.

The traditional Blues Saturday returns to its authentic roots and brings two outstanding masters of the genre to Burghausen with Paul Lamb & The King Snakes and Ronnie Baker Brooks.

The festival program is complemented by other impressive acts. These include Turkish saxophonist Korhan Futacı, the New York jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements, and London-based bassist, singer, and composer Amy Gadiaga.

Promoting young talent remains a key concern. In addition to the closing Sunday, which is traditionally reserved for newcomers and will be performed by Ayé, INUI, and the Jakob Bänsch Quintet in 2026, the Shuteen Erdenebaatar Trio will take over the nightly jazz cellar concerts. And, of course, the Burghausen Old Town will once again be transformed into an atmospheric musical promenade on Saturday after the main concerts with the Jazznight during the 55th International Jazz Week.

The complete program can be found here;
https://www.b-jazz.com/jazzwoche-burghausen-2026/

Advance ticket sales begin on November 26, 2025, and if you want to stay up to date on everything related to Jazz Week, the newsletter offers all the information and news first hand. You can register directly here.
https://www.b-jazz.com/newsletter/

Levy/Robson International Quartet at Derby Jazz, Dubrek Studios, Derby.

Date: Friday, December 05, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

LEVY/ROBSON INTERNATIONAL QUARTET launch UK leg of their European tour in Derby Friday December 5th

LEVY/ROBSON INTERNATIONAL QUARTET
DUBREK STUDIOS, BRIDGE ST.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 5TH 8PM

Phil Robson/Jed Levy band hit the road for December dates
Esteemed British guitarist Phil Robson embarks on an extensive UK tour this December with the Levy/Robson International Quartet, a transatlantic ensemble that first came together in New York City. The group is co-led by acclaimed US tenor saxophonist Jed Levy (Jaki Byard, Jack McDuff, Tom Harrell) and features Italian drum legend Roberto Gatto (Freddie Hubbard, Joe Zawinul, Michael Brecker) alongside leading UK bassist Mark Hodgson (Cedar Walton, Randy Brecker, Eddie Henderson).
Formed in 2017 when Robson was based in New York, the original line up became a regular feature at iconic venues including Smalls, Birdland and the 55 Bar, as well as touring across the UK, Germany, Spain and California. Since Robson’s relocation to Ireland in 2020, the collaboration has continued with various European incarnations.  The quartet’s current line-up reunites some of Europe’s most celebrated musicians and will tour both Italy and the UK in November/December 2025.

TICKETS & MORE INFORMATION
https://mjazz.co.uk/whats-on/8l-levy-robson-international-quartet/

A Winter Solstice Evening with the Aidan Thorne / Will Barnes Duo at The Garden Room, Left Bank Village, Hereford.

Date: Thursday, December 18, 2025

More details

A Winter Solstice Evening - with acclaimed double bassist Aidan Thorne and guitarist Will Barnes, presenting an intimate evening of jazz infused with the spirit of the winter solstice. Paying homage to the great guitar double bass duos like Joe Pass + NHOP and Pat Metheny + Charlie Haden.
Thursday December 18th, in the Garden Room, at the Left Bank Village.
Expect a repertoire that shifts gracefully between evocative arrangements of traditional solstice tunes, original compositions, and all with a touch of festive cheer.
Aidan Thorne is best known as the leader of the Cardiff based quintet Duski, whose two albums “Duski” (2016) and “Make a Wish” (2020) received great acclaim. Weirdshire audiences will also be very aware of the lovely acoustic duo work Aidan has been doing with Toby Hay.
Will Barnes has performed with the likes of Gary Potter, Frank Vignola, Dan Cassidy, Alan Barnes and John Etheridge. Having toured extensively with Classical/Jazz crossover group “Gypsy Fire” Will has performed sell-out shows at some of the UK’s top theatres, clubs and festivals including Ronnie Scott’s, 606 Club, Royal Albert Hall, Brecon Jazz Festival, Cheltenham Jazz Festival and the International Gypsy Guitar Festival. Will also regularly performs throughout Europe, both with his own ensembles and as a sought-after session guitarist.
This promises to be just the thing to set us up for the solstice!
Tickets;
https://wegottickets.com/event/682946/
Here’s a little bit of Aidan and Will in a quartet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl7E7tYx9dU

https://weirdshire.com/

HEREFORD: The Left Bank Village
Bridge St
Hereford
HR4 9DG

http://www.theleftbankvillage.co.uk/contact

01432 353552

Sean Noonan Trio at Speakeasy Bar, Left Bank, Village, Hereford.

Date: Monday, December 08, 2025

More details

MONDAY 8TH DECEMBER) we will be at the Speakeasy again for the legendary Sean Noonan Trio. Sean is a speaking drummer, composer, and rhythmic storyteller: his music defies categorisarion. His live shows are startling, inspiring and absolutely unique, bridging punk-jazz, modern orchestral composition (he recorded his own concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra), creating genre-defying soundscapes. His collaborations read like a who’s who of adventurous music: Marc Ribot, Malcolm Mooney (CAN), Jamaladeen Tacuma (Ornette Coleman), Abdoulaye Diabate, Ligeti Quartet amongst many others.
The trio includes another legend: the multi-award winning Matthew Bourne on keys. Another multiple collaborator, Matt has worked with Marc Ribot, Paul Dunmall, Annette Peacock, John Zorn, Pete Wareham, Barre Phillips and Tony Bevan amongst many others. His solo albums have been released on the Leaf label to great acclaim (Leftfield Album of the Year award by the Sunday Times).
And on double bass, Michael Bardon - hugely respected, and a regular at some of the top venues and festivals throughout the UK and Europe including Sant’anna Arresi Jazz Festival (Sardinia), Haldern Pop Festival (Germany), Experimenta Festival, (Bari, Italy) Locomotive Jazz Fest (Italy), Cafe Oto, Jazz Od Nowa Fest (Poland), Manchester Jazz Festival, The Vortex, Club Integral (London).
Genuinely an incredible line up of top class musicians.
Support is from local Prog-Rock, Ambient, Jazz-infused free improvising collective Taverner’s Teapot.
Tickets;
https://wegottickets.com/event/669465/
And to whet your appetite - here’s the trio doing their thing earlier this year at The Vortex, in North London:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rv8_fpIDXg

https://weirdshire.com/

HEREFORD: The Left Bank Village
Bridge St
Hereford
HR4 9DG

http://www.theleftbankvillage.co.uk/contact

01432 353552

MILES at Southwark Playhouse, Borough, London.

Dates: Wednesday, February 04, 2026 - Saturday, March 07, 2026

More details

We have received the following;

Following an acclaimed sell-out run at Summerhall Arts this year at Edinburgh Fringe, MILES. transfers to Southwark Playhouse Borough from 4 February – 7 March 2026.

Written and directed by Oliver Kaderbhai, MILES. is a fusion of live jazz and theatre exploring the life, legend and legacy of Miles Davis. Performed by Jay Phelps—the acclaimed trumpeter and DJ known for his work with Wynton Marsalis, Shabaka Hutchings, Amy Winehouse and Wizkid—and Benjamin Akintuyosi, the production delves into the creative chaos behind Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time. The dynamic two-hander moves through time and influence to examine Davis’s artistic evolution and impact, inspired by Davis’ autobiography, extensive research, and archival recordings.

PRESS RELEASE

:DELIRIUM: and Lauren Reed Productions presents:
MILES.
A fusion of live jazz and theatre explores the life, legend, and legacy of Miles Davis  
Written and directed by Oliver Kaderbhai 

Southwark Playhouse Borough, 4 February – 7 March 2026
PRESS NIGHT: Monday 9th February, 7.30pm

“This hypnotic play…works superbly”
★★★★
The Times
(on MILES. at Summerhall Arts 2025)

http://www.milesdavisplay.com

http://www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/miles/

Delving into the creative chaos behind Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time, MILES. is a dynamic two-hander blending live jazz and multi-rolling performance to explore the life and legacy of Miles Davis. Led by acclaimed trumpeter Jay Phelps (Wynton Marsalis, Shabaka Hutchings, Amy Winehouse, Wizkid) with Benjamin Akintuyosi, the duo embodies a shifting cast of characters—including Davis himself—as the production moves fluidly through time, memory, and influence. Inspired by Davis’ autobiography, extensive research, and archival recordings, MILES. captures the sound, pressure, and innovation of an artist who redefined modern music. The result is a hypnotic, smoke-laced fever dream: an exploration of addiction, reinvention, and the explosive cost of genius. The London transfer follows an acclaimed sell-out run at Summerhall Arts at Edinburgh Fringe 2025.

Writer and director Oliver Kaderbhai said,
“Bringing Miles’ story to Southwark Playhouse Borough 100 years after his birth feels like the perfect place to explore the legacy of a complex man whose music transcends time, place and race whilst being rooted in all of those things. The Playhouse sits neatly between the beating heart of London’s contemporary jazz scene in Peckham and the storied history of haunts like Ronnie Scotts in Soho and the 606 in Chelsea. Miles’s album, ‘Kind of Blue’ resonates with a contemporary audience as much, if not more than it did when it was released in 1959. He created something extraordinary in a time of deep civil division and personal turmoil, and, somehow, that felt hopeful to me.”

Oliver Kaderbhai is a writer, director, producer, and the founder of theatre company :DELIRIUM:. Directing credits include
MILES. (Edinburgh Fringe 2025), Clybourne Park (Park Theatre), Striking 12 (Union Theatre), Songs of Abdulkarim (59 Productions, Kuwait), One Minute (The Vaults),
Peter Pan (co-directed, Chichester Festival Theatre), and Go To Your God Like A Soldier (Old Vic Tunnels). He has also worked as Associate, Resident or Assistant Director on major productions including Hamilton (UK tour), Jesus Christ Superstar and Running Wild (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).

Jay Phelps
is a London based trumpeter and DJ who has performed with some of the world’s top artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Shabaka Hutchings, Amy Winehouse and Wizkid. With an instantly recognisable warm and projecting trumpet tone, Phelps is a household name on the international Jazz scene with worldwide streams exceeding 500k. Canadian born Phelps has had a career spanning over 20 years and his charismatic energy has lead him to radio presenting for Jazz FM and Worldwide FM, as well as creating the Youtube documentary series Ear to the Ground. Jay has also created SoulEndvr, his own music casting agency for TV, Film and advertising (featured on Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO and BBC). This summer Phelps released The Now, his seventh album as a leader with Apple Music subsidiary label Platoon. Jay made his acting debut at Edinburgh Fringe this year with the world premiere of MILES. at Summerhall Arts.

Southwark Playhouse is a registered charity that delivers a year-round programme of entertaining and enriching work. Southwark Playhouse operates two separate venues ‘Southwark Playhouse Borough’ and its newest theatre ‘Southwark Playhouse Elephant’ which opened in January 2023. Southwark Playhouse has always prided itself in telling stories and inspiring the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers, where support for the community has been rooted at the core of the organisation.

Running Time: 90 mins | Suitable for ages 14+

Company information 

Director and writer
Oliver Kaderbhai

Original concept
Jay Phelps 

Set and costume designer
Ellie Wintour

Lighting designer
Alex Lewer

Sound designer
Will Tonna

Projection designer Colin J Smith
 

Cast 

Miles, Elwood Buchanan -Benjamin Akintuyosi  

Jay, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Miles’s Father - Jay Phelps 

Listings information
4 February – 7 March 2026
Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Little
77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD
Mon – Sat 7.30pm, Tues & Sat 3pm | £28 Standard | £22.50 Concession
  4 - 7 February | £16 Previews

http://www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/miles
| 020 7407 0234

How To Get To Borough Venue: The nearest stations are Elephant & Castle and Borough

Sparks & Visions Jazz Festival at Theater Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.

Dates: Friday, January 23, 2026 - Sunday, January 25, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following press release;

International Jazz Festival Sparks & Visions (23–25 January 2026) – a young festival with impact

The International Jazz Festival Sparks & Visions has quickly become a fixture in the European festival landscape. Founded three years ago by Anastasia Wolkenstein, the festival in Regensburg combines a programme of exceptional artistic quality with a unique atmosphere in the classical three-tier theatre of the UNESCO World Heritage city.

What began as a bold experiment has evolved into a platform that attracts renowned artists as well as exciting new voices in jazz. Sparks & Visions stands for discoveries beyond the mainstream and a curatorial signature that inspires and surprises. The programme spans from poetic chamber music and folkloric colours to energetic avant-garde sounds, broadening the perspective on the diversity of music we call jazz.

The very first edition was nominated for the German Jazz Prize in the category Festival of the Year—an early sign of the festival’s radiance. Since the premiere, Bayerischer Rundfunk has accompanied the festival and will also record all concerts in 2026 for later broadcast on BR-Klassik.

A key element of Sparks & Visions is its venue: the historic Theater Regensburg, with its horseshoe architecture and excellent acoustics, creates an intimacy between performers and audience that turns each concert into an intense experience.

The stage design by artist Karl Iaro, with its suspended glass mobiles, has become the visual signature of the festival. It highlights the aesthetic dimension of Sparks & Visions and reinforces the core idea of presenting jazz in a coherent, inspiring setting—as an open, vibrant and accessible art form.

In this spirit, the festival creates a space that invites both dedicated jazz listeners and curious first-timers to engage with sound and encounter.

From 23 to 25 January 2026, curator Anastasia Wolkenstein—once again in collaboration with Theater Regensburg—presents eight concerts featuring outstanding musicians from twelve countries. Carefully considered dramaturgy and balance shape a weekend that offers stylistic and instrumental breadth within a cohesive whole. This year, the festival also looks across the Atlantic for the first time—with a performance by three-time GRAMMY-nominated American harpist Brandee Younger and her trio.

Thus, Sparks & Visions confirms its place in Regensburg’s cultural calendar and beyond—inviting shared discoveries and letting musical visions shine.

Friday, 23 January 2026

Leïla Martial & Valentin Ceccaldi (FR)
With their duo Fil, vocalist Leïla Martial and cellist Valentin Ceccaldi open the festival with a radically poetic journey between improvisation, chanson and contemporary expression. Their programme Le Jardin des Délices fuses fragile quietness and expressive energy into an intense dialogue between voice and instrument—dissolving boundaries and turning attentive listening into an adventure.

Nitai Hershkovits (IL)
Israeli pianist Nitai Hershkovits, known for his work with Avishai Cohen and Oded Tzur, presents his ECM solo programme Call On The Old Wise—a quiet masterpiece between jazz and classical lyricism. With refined harmony and touching calm, he turns the piano into a resonant space for intuition and depth—music that sets silence in motion.

Marius Neset Quintet (NO/SE/UK/IR)
Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset stands for breathtaking energy, technical brilliance and compositional scope. With his European all-star quintet he brings Cabaret to the stage—a theatrical sound spectacle balancing precision and wildness, uniting virtuosity and emotion.

Saturday, 24 January 2026

Zsófia Boros & Björn Meyer (HU/SE)
A night of quiet tones: guitarist Zsófia Boros and bassist Björn Meyer—both on ECM—meet in a finely woven dialogue of folk, minimal music and jazz. Two solo sets and a shared improvisation merge into a meditative conversation on resonance, proximity and the art of listening.

Makiko Hirabayashi “Weavers” (JP/DK)
With her ensemble Weavers, Japanese-Danish pianist Makiko Hirabayashi interlaces baroque motifs by George Frideric Handel with contemporary jazz. The result is a transparent fabric of sound and emotion—poetic, structured and deeply moving, a quiet glow between past and present.

Reuben James (UK)
Singer, pianist and songwriter Reuben James brings funk, jazz and soul to the stage with disarming joie de vivre. A former musical partner of Sam Smith and a leading figure of the new UK soul generation, he stands for groove, charisma and musical intelligence—an energised finale to the festival’s Saturday.

Sunday, 25 January 2026

Velvet Revolution & Jelena Kuljić (DE/UK/RS)
For the festival matinee, Daniel Erdmann’s Velvet Revolution and Jelena Kuljić join forces for an intimate project between jazz, chamber music and song. Their re-readings of The Velvet Underground unfold a quiet intensity where melancholy, beauty and poetic rebellion meet.

Brandee Younger Trio (US)
With Brandee Younger, a three-time GRAMMY-nominated harpist and composer, a US artist appears on the Sparks & Visions stage for the first time. She brings the harp into a modern, groove-driven context between jazz, soul and spirit—powerful, elegant and luminous.

The International Jazz Festival Sparks & Visions is presented by a non-profit limited company (gUG) with Anastasia Wolkenstein as managing director and festival curator, supported by the City of Regensburg and several sponsors. Wolkenstein has worked in the music industry for 17 years as an agent for acclaimed, award-winning artists in contemporary jazz, has served twice on the main jury of the German Jazz Prize, and was artistic director of the international festival Jazz&TheCity in Salzburg in 2023 and 2024.

Tickets
Day tickets and festival passes in five categories are available from Monday, 10 November 2025 from Theater Regensburg (box office and online).
Programme information: http://www.sparks-and-visions.com

6th Annual Bath Jazz Weekend at Widcombe Social Club, Bath.

Dates: Friday, January 09, 2026 - Sunday, January 11, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following information;

IT’S HERE - Bath Jazz Weekend

YES - IT’S HERE!
The Bath Jazz Weekend 2026 website is now live - with full details about the programme - also see below -
and tickets for the whole Weekend, individual days or individual sessions are now on sale through Tickets Candy and also from Bath Box Office (online, in person or by phone) or online from Eventbrite.
https://ticketscandy.com/e/bath-jazz-weekend-2026-12901
https://bathboxoffice.org.uk/whats-on
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bath-jazz-weekend-2026-tickets

The unmistakable, long awaited, uniquely co-operative and utterly diverse three days and ten sessions of jazz (plus another fascinating jazz-related film) are the perfect New Year gift.  At just the right time of year (after all the fuss of Xmas and Hogmanay is over but before work and life start again in earnest) and in the intimate setting of Widcombe Social Club (with bar and grub available throughout) the 6th annual Bath Jazz Weekend has tickets available for the whole weekend, individual days or individual sessions - and discounts for WSC members and Under 25s.
Check programme and prices HERE.
https://www.bathjazzweekend.com/

Details, updates and contact the Weekend via
http://www.bathjazzweekend.com
http://www.facebook.com/AllOfTheAboveMusic
http://www.widcombesocialclub.co.uk

Weekend, single day and single session tickets available online from
Tickets Candy
or from https://alloftheabovemusic.eventbrite.com
Or in person, by phone 01225 463362 or online

Bath Jazz Weekend is simply unique, maybe in the whole UK, as an event that presents three days of the highest quality music -  on the earliest weekend of the New Year!
The 6th Bath Jazz Weekend (Friday 9 to Sunday 11 January 2026) features a remarkable line up of bands of international standing.
See the entire line up in detail below.
Tickets are available now from
Tickets Candy
Eventbrite online
Bath Box Office online
or by phone on 01225 463362 & in-person at Bath Box Office
  Get tickets for the whole Weekend, single days or single sessions
+ discounts for WSC members
+ Under 11s go free…
or visit the Bath Jazz Weekend 2026 website

From;
https://www.bathjazzweekend.com/programme

Friday 09/01/26
Doors Open 5pm - Programme Begins 6:15pm

Film: ALL NIGHT LONG (1962, DIR. Basil Dearden)
Featuring Patrick McGoohan, Richard Attenborough, Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Tubby Hayes & Johnny Dankworth
Shakespeare’s Othello is transposed to the 1960s world of the Soho jazz scene in a daring yet sensitive and socially conscious staging of an inter-racial marriage, unusually augmented with performances by jazz legends like Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus, and a superb cast including Richard Attenborough and an unforgettable Patrick McGoohan as the scheming drummer.

JON LLOYD QUARTET
Jon Lloyd/John Law/Nick Pini/Alex Goodyear
Saxophonist and composer Jon Lloyd is a long-time member of the UK’s first division of contemporary jazz and improvisation, with a current quartet whose recent recordings and ECM-style aesthetic have gathered increasingly appreciative attention from audiences and critics alike.

RAPH CLARKSON’S EQUAL SPIRITS
Xolani Mbatha/Raph Clarkson/Chris Batchelor/Phil Merriman/Riaan Vosloo/Yuval Wetzler
Equal Spirits playing.jpg
Led by composer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Raph Clarkson, Equal Spirits is a joyous a collaboration between South African and British artists, featuring music from their debut album ‘Wise and Waiting’ which celebrates the profound and beautiful contribution made by South African musicians to jazz and improvised music in their long European exile.

Saturday Afternoon 10/01/26
Doors Open 12 Midday - Programme Begins 1:30pm

OLIE BRICE QUARTET: ALL IT WAS
Olie Brice/ Rachel Musson/Alexander Hawkins/Will Glaser
Featuring three of bassist Brice’s closest (and most notably in-demand) colleagues the quartet play music from their debut album ‘All It Was’ combining powerful freedom and exploration with memorable melodies, driving swing and emotional intensity, all heralded by critic Richard Williams as ’The work of a truly extraordinary quartet….one of the records of the year’.

ALISON RAYNER QUINTET: ARQ
Alison Rayner/ Buster Birch/Deirdre Cartwright/Diane McLoughlin/Steve Lodder
The much-lauded, award-winning, eclectic quintet ARQ, led by bassist and composer Alison Rayner with her pioneering colleagues guitarist Deidre Cartwright and saxophonist Diane McLouglin, celebrate more than a decade of their uniquely crafted sound drawing on jazz, folk, pop and Latin influences.

Saturday Evening 10/01/26
Programme Begins 6:45pm

ROBERT MITCHELL
Solo piano
Robert MItchell piano playing from the back.jpg
Polymath Mitchell – composer, pianist, band leader, professor and poet – whose quintet True Think has electrified previous Bath Jazz Weekend programmes on a record three annual occasions – synthesises his remarkable breadth of experience into the ultimate musical crucible of a solo performance for the 2026 Weekend.

LOUIS SCLAVIS & BRUNO DUCRET
Duo
Maestro amongst maestri, giant of French and European jazz, ECM alumnus and incomparable genius of clarinet, bass clarinet and soprano saxophone Louis Sclavis honours a long-standing Bath friendship in this unique visit together with cellist Ducret whose musical lineage aligns perfectly with Sclavis and the finest European traditions.  Incroyable - un privilège unique pour le Bath Jazz Weekend.

NICK MALCOLM & OUT FRONT
Nick Malcolm/Jason Yarde/Jake McMurchie/Olie Brice/Dave Smith
Trumpeter and composer Nick Malcolm presents music from Buried Webs, the 2025 debut album from his quintet Out Front, a collection of original compositions in a musical world rich in interplay, abstraction, and deep emotion captured by some of our most distinctive improvisers.

Sunday Afternoon 11/01/26
Doors Open 12 Midday - Programme Begins 1:00pm

REBECCA NASH & ALEX MERRITT
Duo
Pianist Rebecca Nash and saxophonist Alex Merrit weave influences from the ethereal harmonies of John Taylor, the vivid colours of Messiaen, and the shimmering textures of Debussy, exploring the interplay of light and shadow, tension and release, a love of the spontaneous, alongside an appreciation for composition, silence and space.

ELLIOT GALVIN: THE RUIN
Elliot Galvin/Mandhira de Saram/Ruth Goller/Corrie Dick
The Ruin marks a new departure for trailblazing pianist and composer Elliot Galvin, focussing on music from his eponymous album inspired by personal memories, flowing freely between serpentine piano and modular synth lines, ephemeral vocalisations, groove-heavy percussion and intricate improvisations from a quartet of inimitable British jazz alumni.

EMILY TRAN QUINTET
Emily Tran/Mali Sheard/Holly Reinhardt/Joe Steyn/Christ-Stéphane Boizi
The London scene fostered by Tomorrow’s Warriors provides this year’s programme with yet another inspirational next generation band led by pianist and composer Emily Tran and including saxophonist Mali Sheard who made a lasting impact on our audience in 2024.  The 2026 Bath Jazz Weekend ends once again with an enticing view of future jazz horizons!

Widcombe Social Club
Widcombe Hill
Bath, BA2 6AA

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/

The Christmas Project at Guildford Jazz, St John’s Church, St John’s St, Farncombe , Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Friday, December 12, 2025

More details

Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz writes;

The Christmas Project
Friday 12 December from 8.00pm at St John’s Church, St John’s St, Farncombe GU7 3EJ
The Christmas Project is an exciting international band led by two of the Netherland’s leading jazz musicians Henk Kraaijeveld and Jan Willem van Delft with Guildford’s Marianne Windham (Winner of the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Award for ‘Services to Jazz’) on bass and Steve Brown on drums plus special guest, leading UK vocalist Clare Wheeler.
For more details visit http://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

Stuart Henderson & Dave Newton with Marianne Windham afternoon performance at Guildford Jazz, Guildford Institute, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Monday, December 08, 2025

More details

Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz writes;

Stuart Henderson & Dave Newton
Monday 8 December from 2.00pm at the Guildford Institute, Ward St GU1 4LH
Sixteen times winner of the British Jazz Award for best pianist, Dave Newton has worked with a galaxy of jazz stars from Alan Barnes to the great American clarinettist Buddy de Franco while Stuart Henderson, formerly principal trumpet of The Scots Guards, has also become a leading figure on the UK jazz scene. Marianne Windham completes the line-up on bass.
For more details visit http://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk

All’s Well Sisters at All Souls NYC, New York City, USA.

Date: Sunday, December 07, 2025

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Swinging Holiday Jazz Vocal Concert by All’s Well Sisters, Dec 7

All’s Well Sisters Vocal Trio Brings Timeless Swing in a Festive Evening of Holiday Jazz at All Souls NYC, Dec 7

New York, NY — New York City’s leading chamber choir, Musica Viva NY, presents ALL’S WELL SISTERS: Blanket of Snow, a one-night only holiday concert on the Upper East Side at All Souls NYC on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Inspired by the Jazz Age’s Boswell Sisters, the dynamic jazz vocal trio All’s Well Sisters known for its playful energy and tight harmonies will blend the charm of 1930’s New Orleans swinging jazz with the sparkle of holiday favorites. From jazz renditions of “A Child Is Born” and “Let It Snow” to fresh takes on “Boswellified” favorites and original music, the All’s Well Sisters and its stellar jazz rhythm section promises an evening brimming with warmth, wit, and winter cheer. Three Musica Viva NY soloists will make cameo appearances with the performer group.

“Holiday time IS music time.  It’s a part of the fabric of the holidays as far as we’re concerned, and we’re so excited to be a part of that tapestry for the Musica Viva NY Winter Concert,” says Katie McCreary, Musica Viva NY soprano soloist and co-founder of All’s Well Sisters. “We know how to have a good time, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we tend to laugh a lot at performances… but the music? The music is smart, complicated, and thrilling. We base our music off the Boswell Sisters who wrote songs using jazz harmony and imitated the instrumental improvisation by using nonsense syllables (scatting). The Boswells, like all good jazz composers, took songs you already knew and changed the meter, changed the mode, changed the tempo and created counter melodies.  They turned melodies backwards, inside out and on their head - all within one song! After this concert, we hope audiences will love the Boswells as much as we do!”

Musica Viva NY has a long history of nurturing young artists including Renee Fleming, Samuel Ramey and Aeolus Quartet, all of whom were at the beginning of their careers when they were presented by Musica Viva NY. In recent years, Musica Viva NY has continued this tradition by providing a platform for exceptionally talented artists such as Bangladeshi-American Shabnam Abedi and jazz pianist Joe Block, Mexican soprano Guadalupe Peraza and her multicultural project Mexamorphosis, and rising opera stars from Spain’s Teatro Real’s Crescendo program. This season continues that legacy—now with a distinctive jazz-inflected reach—as Musica Viva NY is thrilled to collaborate with its soloist Katie McCreary and the All’s Well Sisters in presenting emerging talent. This will be the All’s Well Sisters inaugural professional live concert presented by an organization.

About All’s Well Sisters
All’s Well Sisters started as a remote project during the Covid-19 pandemic influenced by the American Jazz Age trio, the Boswell Sisters. Co-founded by singer Katie McCreary, this all-female singing jazz trio got inspired by the Queen of England’s speech in which she reassured the world that “we will meet again,” referring to Vera Lynn’s 1939 song of the same title. The song became famous during WWII for providing hope to a ravaged world. The All’s Well Sisters “Boswellified” the song and kept looking for more uplifting songs to sing. The New York City-based group sings favorite American tunes with Boswell Sisters-tinged arrangements.

About Musica Viva NY
“Musica Viva NY: sounds of the city…with a commitment to new music and diverse composers, New York City choir Musica Viva NY is paving the way for daring collaborations” – Choir & Organ
Musica Viva NY is a non-profit arts organization that was established nearly 50 years ago. Its mission is to bring world-class music to a wide community through an annual concert series, an active community engagement program, and an ambitious artistic vision. Under the baton of Artistic Director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez since 2015, Musica Viva NY strives to offer joy, solace and renewal in a complex world by presenting new compositions and classic masterworks in transformative interpretations that ennoble the human spirit.
Musica Viva NY’s superb chamber choir and world class collaborating instrumentalists make their concert home in Manhattan’s historic All Souls Church. It regularly combines its presentation of the classical repertoire with less widely known works, as part of its commitment to perform the works of living American composers, women composers and composers of color, including works that address social, racial or environmental issues. Composers whose works have been featured in recent Musica Viva NY performances include Florence Price, Alexandra T Bryant, Steve Reich, Frank Ticheli, Missy Mazzoli, Alice Walker, Joel Thompson and Jesse Montgomery.
Musica Viva NY has commissioned and premiered numerous works by contemporary composers including Bora Yoon, Seymour Bernstein, Elena Ruehr, Joseph Turrin, Bruce Saylor, Jean-Louis Petit, Eugenio Toussaint, Gilda Lyons, Richard Einhorn, Trent Johnson and Trevor Weston.
Beyond high-quality concert performances, Musica Viva NY also serves the communities of New York City through a growing variety of rich community engagement programs. Currently, Musica Viva NY partners with New York city public schools, extracurricular youth ensembles, New York Public Library branches and the All Souls’ Monday Night Hospitality dinner program, offering free performances, artist clinics, interactive workshops, and more. Musica Viva NY has nurtured young artists throughout its half century of existence. Great musicians who have been Musica Viva NY singers and soloists include the Metropolitan Opera stars Samuel Ramey and Renée Fleming, and Broadway’s Aladdin, Michael Maliakel.
Its discography’s latest addition Crimson Roses: Contemporary American Choral Music (Naxos) features a crowning performance by mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. An indispensable recording of contemporary American choral music by Joseh Turrin, Richard Einhorn, and Gilda Lyons, Crimson Roses is hailed for its “warmth, vitality and cohesion (Gramophone),” and “superbly articulated, tonally rich and keenly balanced exceptional performances (Fanfare).”
The organization was founded as an annual concert series in 1977 by Walter Klauss, who directed the group for 38 years, and adopted the name “Musica Viva” in 1985. Under Walter Klauss’ baton the choir toured in Paris (2004), Germany and Czechoslovakia (2006) and Italy (2012). In 2026 it will tour in Spain under the auspices of Teatro Real of Madrid.

Ticketing + Program Information:
Sunday, December 7, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. (pre-concert talk at 4:00 p.m.)
All Souls NYC, 1157 Lexington Avenue, New York City, Train 6 to 77th St or 4/5/6 to 86th St
Tickets: $50 general/$30 students/FREE for children 12 and under. Tickets are available from MusicaViva.org.

Performers:
Katie McCreary - AWS founding member, soprano
John Evans - AWS founding member, arranger, guitar and keys
Tynan Davis - AWS founding member, alto
Caitlin Caruso Dobbs - AWS alternate member, mezzo-soprano
Nathan Siler - MVNY tenor
Shawn Bartels - MVNY tenor
Nick Hay - MVNY bass
Jennifer Hodge - bass player
Justin Hart - AWS founding member, percussion arrangement and kit player

Program:
Let It Snow, Jule Styne, arr. John Evans
‘Tis Autumn, Henry Nemo, arr. John Evans
Here Comes the Sun, George Harrison, arr. John Evans
Creole Love Call, Duke Ellington and Adelaide Hall
Comes Once in a Lifetime, Jule Styne
Make Someone Happy, Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, arr. John Evans
Blanket of Snow, Katie McCreary and John Evans
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, traditional, arr. John Evans
Heebie Jeebie Blues, Boyd Atkins, arr. The Boswell Sisters
Crazy People, Edgar Leslie and Jimmy Monaco, arr. The Boswell Sisters
Right Hand Man, Wayne Kirkpatrick, arr. John Evans
Mele Kalikimaka, Robert Alexander Anderson, arr. John Evans and the Digi Sisters
60 Seconds in a Minute, Mills Brothers
Sing Sweet Nightingale, Mack David, Jerry Livingston, Al Hoffman, arr. John Evans
Everybody Loves My Baby, Spencer Williams, arr. The Boswell Sisters
Everybody Eats, Cab Calloway, arr. John Evans and All’s Well Sisters
A Child is Born, Thad Jones
We Don’t Talk About Bruno, Lin Manuel Miranda, arr. John Evans
Coffee and a Crepe, Katie McCreary and John Evans, arr. John Evans (based on a tune by Lily Rose Peck)
We’ll Meet Again, Ross Parker and Hughie Charles, arr. John Evans

Darius Brubeck Quartet ‘music of the Brubecks’ at Union Chapel, Islington, London.

Date: Monday, December 15, 2025

Featuring: Darius Brubeck Quartet

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

BRUBECK PLAYS BRUBECK
Darius Brubeck Quartet
Celebrating 20 Years
Sunday 15 December 2025
Union Chapel, London
Music from the Brubecks

“How often do you come away from a jazz concert wishing it could have been bottled and later poured out to relive the magic again?”
Stuart Nicholson, Jazzwise

Union Chapel hosts a landmark evening with pianist and composer Darius Brubeck, celebrating both the 20th anniversary of the Darius Brubeck Quartet and the enduring musical legacy of his father, jazz legend Dave Brubeck.

A pillar of British jazz for two decades, the Darius Brubeck Quartet - Brubeck (piano), Dave O’Higgins (saxes), Matt Ridley (bass) and Wesley Gibbens (drums) - has cultivated a rare musical understanding through years of shared experience on stage and in the studio.

This special concert presents two contrasting sets that reflect both tradition and evolution - the first showcasing Brubeck’s own original works and new compositions, the second devoted to his father’s timeless classics, including interpretations of ‘Take Five’ and ‘Blue Rondo à la Turk’.

With its distinctive acoustics and evocative atmosphere, Union Chapel provides the perfect setting for this reflective and celebratory evening, honouring a family legacy that helped shape modern jazz, while affirming Brubeck’s own compelling musical voice.

Darius Brubeck Quartet: https://dariusbrubeck.com/

Union Chapel: https://unionchapel.org.uk/whats-on/brubeck-plays-brubeck

19b Compton Terrace, London N1 2UN – doors 7pm

Copies of Time OutTakes – a rare Brubeck Editions release featuring previously unheard outtakes from the legendary 1959 Time Out sessions by the Dave Brubeck Quartet (Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Eugene Wright and Joe Morello) will be available on the night. Discovered in the Brubeck archives Time OutTakes offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative process behind one of the most influential albums in jazz history, featuring fresh takes of ‘Blue Rondo à la Turk’, ‘Take Five’, ‘Strange Meadowlark’ and ‘Cathy’s Waltz’, plus two previously unreleased tracks: ‘I’m in a Dancing Mood’ and ‘Watusi Jam’.

Also available will be copies of We Have Waited Too Long by The Jazzanians, as well as Playing the Changes: Jazz at an African University and on the Road (University of Illinois Press) a book chronicling the Brubecks’ time in South Africa. Together, these projects illuminate a vital period in South African cultural history (1983–2006) and the transformative power of jazz as a force for connection and change.

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

Bring Your Own Bottle/Drinks

Zoe Gilby Trio at Kidderminster Jazz Club, St. Ambrose Parish Centre, Kidderminster, Worcs.

Date: Friday, March 06, 2026

Featuring: Zoe Gilby

More details

From;
https://www.kidderminsterjazzclub.co.uk/2025-2026-season-shows

Kidderminster Jazz Club
Fri, Mar 6, 2026 @ 7:00PM
£15.00

Zoë Gilby is a vocalist and songwriter, making a stunning impression on the music scene today. Her compelling original compositions are written with double bassist husband Andy Champion. A powerful collection of songs with a strong narrative. Supported by guitarist Mark Williams they deliver a commanding mix of musical sophistication and dramatic edge. An engaging repertoire of story telling and atmosphere, her stockpile of music also includes an adventurous blend of contemporary composers from Kate Bush to Pink Floyd and the sensitive treatment of jazz standards, completes this particular “story-book” Touring the UK and internationally, she continues to perform at prominent jazz festivals and venues.

“A mix of intelligent original songs and innovative arrangements of tunes by both jazz and pop composers. It’s the quality of the original songs that make this jazz vocal album stand out from the pack.” - Ian Mann, The Jazzmann

Band
Vocals – Zoe Gilby
Guitar – Mark Williams
Double Bass – Andy Champion

St Ambrose’s Parish Centre
Leswell St,
Kidderminster DY10 1RP

Bring Your Own Bottle/Drinks

The Inscape Jazz Quartet at Kidderminster Jazz Club, St. Ambrose Parish Centre, Kidderminster, Worcs.

Date: Friday, February 06, 2026

More details

From;
https://www.kidderminsterjazzclub.co.uk/2025-2026-season-shows

Kidderminster Jazz Club
Fri, Feb 6, 2026 @ 7:00PM
£15.00
“The Inscape Jazz Quartet”

Performance description:

“The Inscape Jazz Quartet is a newly formed jazz combo that presents a captivating set of original music inspired by the poetry of Gerard Manly Hopkins and his concept of “Inscape” (the unique essence of things). Lyrical, thoughtful and poetic is the order of the day, they also include well loved standards to lend some familiar sounds for the listener. This Quartet brings together some of the UKs most exciting talent to create an ensemble that offers both soulful and fresh sounds.”

Band Members
Nathan Hayward - Piano
Nick Wilshire - Saxophone
Marcus Penrose - Double Bass
Simon Whiting - Drums

St Ambrose’s Parish Centre
Leswell St,
Kidderminster DY10 1RP

Bring Your Own Bottle/Drinks

Liverpool International Jazz Festival 2026 at The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool.

Dates: Thursday, February 26, 2026 - Sunday, March 01, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

From;
https://capstone.hope.ac.uk/jazzfestival/

Liverpool International Jazz Festival (LIJF) was established in 2013 by Liverpool Hope University, and in previous years has included performances from some of Jazz music’s leading lights.

The emphasis of the Festival is on contemporary instrumental jazz in a variety of styles with a focus on presenting work from an international selection of world class artists, taking audience members on a musical journey that traverses numerous genres and cross-genres.

The next incarnation of the Festival will take place from Friday 26th Feb 2026 to Sun 1st March 2026 inclusive. The Festival will comprise concerts from a stellar line up of artists including Tim Garland and Geoffrey Keezer, David Helbock and Julia Hofer, Zoe Rahman and Arun Ghosh, Robert Mitchell’s Little Black Book, Martin Taylor and Marius Neset Quartet. Tickets for individual events along with Festival All Performances Bundle tickets to cover the six main festival concerts , will go on sale on Friday 17th October 2025 at 10am.

Festival All Performances Bundle Tickets, priced £60 +bf until 31st Dec 2025 and £72 + bf from 1st Jan 2026, cover all the main six Festival concerts and can be purchased via TicketQuarter
https://ticketquarter.co.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=lijf-2026&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=

Event Name Event Date and Time Venue

LIJF 2026: Tim Garland and Geoffrey Keezer Thurs 26th Feb 2026, 7.30pm The Capstone Theatre

LIJF 2026: David Helbock & Julia Hofer Fri 27th Feb 2026, 7.30pm The Capstone Theatre

LIJF 2026 and Milap Presents Zoe Rahman and Arun Ghosh Sat 28th Feb 2026, 1pm The Capstone Theatre

LIJF 2026: Robert Mitchell’s Little Black Book Sat 28th Feb 2026, 7.30pm The Capstone Theatre

LIJF 2026: Martin Taylor Sun 1st March 2026, 1pm The Capstone Theatre

LIJF 2026; Marius Neset Quartet Sun 1st March 2026, 7.30pm The Capstone Theatre

The Capstone Theatre
Liverpool Hope University
Creative Campus
17 Shaw Street
Liverpool
L6 1HP

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Daylight Music: The 400th Edition at St Mary Magdalene Church, London N7.

Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

The Four Hundredth Edition
Saturday 13th December
St Mary Magdalene Church, Islington

Somewhere in our sixteenth year we reach the unfathomable figures of the four hundredth edition of our series. How did that happen?

What do we have in store to mark this moment? Well for now we’re keeping our plans under wraps. What we do know is that we will be able to hand you mince pies to munch on and the finest riches that music, sound and storytelling can offer.

Come celebrate the end of another year, another milestone edition of our gathering, with a room full of friendly and familiar smiling faces. We’d love to see you at our quadricentennial event!

Tickets here;
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/arcticcircle/1857712

Daylight Music: The 400th Edition
Sat 13 Dec 2025 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
St Mary Magdalene Church, N7 8LT

Somewhere in our sixteenth year we reach the unfathomable figures of the four hundredth edition of our series. How did that happen?

What do we have in store to mark this moment? Well for now we’re keeping our plans under wraps. What we do know is that we will be able to hand you mince pies to munch on and the finest riches that music, sound and storytelling can offer.

Come celebrate the end of another year, another milestone edition of our gathering, with a room full of friendly and familiar smiling faces. We’d love to see you at our quadricentennial event!

Arctic Circle’s Daylight Music has, for over sixteen years, become an important part of London’s live music scene, with a weird and wonderful mix of musicians presenting ideas and storytelling in music and sound,  alongside delicious cake, in some of the most splendid and iconic venues.

Further event details: Cafe is open. An event for all ages. Pay-What-You-Can entry in advance or on the door (£12 per adult suggestion, children free), subject to availability/capacity.

St Mary Magdalene Church, Lower Holloway
Holloway Rd, London N7 8LT

The Fabulous Speakeasy New Years Eve Party feat. The Fabulous Red Diesel at The Beacon, Hastings, Sussex.

Date: Wednesday, December 31, 2025

More details

From;
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-fabulous-speakeasy-new-years-eve-party-tickets-1672081473699

Wednesday, December 31
The Fabulous Speakeasy New Years Eve Party
By PriestessRecords
Get your roaring 20’s on, and get down to the jazziest speakeasy party in town. Live music from The Fabulous Red Diesel

Date and time
December 31 · 8pm - January 1, 2026 · 1am GMT

Location
The Beacon
67-68 Saint Mary’s Terrace Hastings TN34 3LS

£10

And finally, we are ,after popular demand, bringing in a small pub quiz for New years Eve at The Beacon Hastings. So that’s Pass the Parcel, Fancy Dress ( speakeasy style) with a prize for the most amazing costume, full dance set of original mind-blowing jazzy tunes from yours truly, and fire in the garden. Plus spell-casting for New Years resolutions and plans, licenced bar and food available. It’s at The Beacon in Hastings, tickets from Eventbrite or on the door, but be aware , we sold out last year, so best to get them early !

NYC WINTER JAZZFEST, various venues, Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York City, USA.

Dates: Thursday, January 08, 2026 - Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following press release;

2026 NYC WINTER JAZZFEST, (Jan. 8-13) Announces Individual Shows and Marathon Dates.

 STILL WE RISE: NYC WINTER JAZZFEST ANNOUNCES SHOWS, VENUES AND LINEUPS

NYC Winter Jazzfest 2026 — January 8-13, 2026
In Manhattan and Brooklyn

Psychic Hotline Records Showcase, Meshell Ndegeocello at Pioneer Works, Giant Step 35.5 Anniversary at Elsewhere, My Country Tis of Thee at LPR, Gilles Peterson at Roulette, Dave Harrington’s Prankster’s East Reimagine Bitches Brew

Full Festival and Marathon Passes on sale now at http://www.winterjazzfest.com

22nd season celebrates Black American Music, Community, and Joy amidst forces of Erasure

A rallying cry echoes across the season:
STILL WE RISE • STILL WE GATHER • STILL WE DANCE • STILL WE PLAY •  STILL WE SING.

For its 22nd edition, NYC Winter Jazzfest (January 8-13 2026) reaffirms its commitment to nurturing community and free expression through live music. This year’s theme centers on the joy and beauty of gathering together while celebrating the tradition and future of Black American music—especially urgent during a time when external forces threaten to erase Black culture and history.

“Winter Jazzfest has always been more than a music festival—it’s a nurturing community gathering, a platform for diverse voices, a space of joy and resilience,” said the festival team. “In 2026, we double down on the power of music to resist erasure and amplify the voices at the heart of Black American music traditions.”

The 2026 festival once again brings together a kaleidoscope of voices spanning jazz, experimental, soul, electronic, and global traditions. Today, the festival is announcing the initial individual shows, venues and dates for the Manhattan and Brooklyn Marathons. The initial line-up includes:

Adam O’Farrill’s ELEPHANT
Adegoke Steve Colson
Alden Hellmuth
Alfredo Colón Quintet
Amir ElSaffar w/ Tomas Fujiwara, Ole Mathisen, and Tania Giannouli
Amirtha Kidambi Elder Ones
Amy Gadiaga
Annie & The Caldwells
Arturo O’Farrill
Arun Ramamurthy Trio
Bex Burch
Black Earth Sway w/ Nicole Mitchell, Alexis Lombre, Coco Elysses, JoVia Armstrong
Brandon Ross Phantom Menace w/ Graham Haynes, David Virelles, JT Lewis, Hardedge
Brandon Woody’s Upendo
Brittany Davis
Carmen Staaf & Sounding Line
Civil Disobedience w/ David Ambrosio, Donny McCaslin, Ingrid Jensen, Bruce Barth & Johnathan Blake
Cory Henry
Dave Harrington’s Pranksters East Reimagine Bitches Brew
David Binney Action Trio w/ Pera Krstajic and Louis Cole
David Murray Quartet
Dawn of Midi
DoYeon Kim Quintet
Ekep Nkwelle
Elena & Samora Pinderhughes
Endea Owens & The Cookout
Freedom Riders
Gabrielle Cavassa
Gilles Peterson
Hanging Hearts
Instant Alter w/ Emilio Modeste, Natasha Agrama, Brandon Rose, Miguel Russell
James Brandon Lewis Quartet
James Carter Quintet - Trane: A Centennial Supreme
Joe Westerlund
Joel Ross
John Roseboro
Joy Guidry
Julius Hemphill Stringtet
Kahil ElZabar & Isaiah Collier
Kassa Overall
Lady Blackbird
Lakecia Benjamin
Laura Anglade
Lex Korten & Canopy
LOJO Watts w/ Logan Richarson, Joe Sanders, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts
Louis Cato
Luke Stewart’s Silt Trio
Luke Titus
Mádé Kuti & The Movement
Marcus Gilmore’s Journey to the New
Mei Semones
Merope w/ Shahzad Ismaily
Meshell Ndegeocello
Mingus Dynasty
Nate Mercereau
Nels Cline: songs from Lovers conducted by Michael Leonhart
Obed Calvaire
Ohad Talmor’s Back to the Land w/ David Virelles, Joel Ross, Chris Tordini and Eric McPherson
Patricia Brennan Tentet
Pedrito Martinez
Quantum Blues Quartet w/ Tisziji Muñoz, Will Calhoun, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, and Paul Shaffer
Ron Trent
Sam Gendel
Sarah Elizabeth Charles
Sasha Berliner
Shahzad Ismaily, Maria Chavez, Greg Saunier
Sylvan Esso (DJ Set)
Takuya Kuroda
The Either/Orchestra plays éthiopiques
Tia Fuller & Shamie Fuller-Royston
Tomas Fujiwara Dream Up
Tomeka Reid Quartet
Tyreek McDole
Veronica Swift
William Tyler & Yasmin Williams
Xenia Rubinos
+ More TBA

Additional artists, individual shows, keynote speakers, and panel programming will be announced in the coming weeks.

January 8, 2026 - Psychic Hotline at NYC Winter Jazzfest
Mei Semones & John Roseboro, Amy Gadiaga, Sam Gendel, Joe Westerlund, William Tyler & Yasmin Williams, Sylvan Esso (DJ set)
Venue: LPR
Time: 7:00 PM Doors
Winter Jazzfest partners with Durham-based record label Psychic Hotline for a label showcase that expands the conversation around jazz and its many intersections. Founded by Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn with Martin Anderson, Psychic Hotline is an artist-run company built on radically artist-forward values: transparent deals, creative freedom, and an ever-growing community of voices. This showcase brings together adventurous music-makers across jazz, folk, and experimental traditions—Mei Semones & John Roseboro, Amy Gadiaga, Sam Gendel, Joe Westerlund, William Tyler & Yasmin Williams—plus a DJ set from Sylvan Esso. Winter Jazzfest has previously presented Psychic Hotline artists including Amaro Freitas, Sam Wilkes, and Gendel. This year’s showcase extends a warm genre-agnostic welcome to a label that celebrates our core values.

Manhattan Marathon
January 9, 2026 - Winter Jazzfest Manhattan Marathon
Venues: LPR, City Winery, City Winery Loft, Nublu, Drom, Bitter End, Zinc Bar
Time: 5:00 PM - 3:00 AM
On January 9, 2026, Winter Jazzfest’s legendary Manhattan Marathon once again transforms Lower Manhattan into a living map of sound, with music coursing through LPR, City Winery, City Winery Loft, Nublu, DROM, The Bitter End, and Zinc Bar. Audiences will be able to wander between venues and encounter strikingly different musical worlds that nevertheless speak to one another in surprising ways.
At LPR, experience lush, orchestrated textures alongside vibraphone and trumpet-driven ensembles exploring the percussive and electronic edges of contemporary improvisation. At City Winery, hear socially conscious bandleaders embodying jazz’s activist spirit, alongside a fiery tribute to John Coltrane. At Nublu, genre-benders join forces, creating exchanges where so-called “jazz” collides with ambient and electronic textures. At DROM, experience global currents flowing into contemporary jazz and the avant-garde.  Late-night settings like Zinc Bar and The Bitter End keep the energy alive with cross-genre sparks originating from NYC to Paris, the Middle East and beyond. Our marathons are a kaleidoscope of rhythm, harmony, and expression—an open invitation to journey across the many shades of jazz in 2026 and beyond.

Brooklyn Marathon
January 10, 2026 - Winter Jazzfest Brooklyn Marathon
Venues: Brooklyn Bowl, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Superior Ingredients, National Sawdust, Baby’s All Right, Union Pool, Loove Annex
Time: 5:00 PM - 3:00 AM
For the fourth year in a row, on January 10, Winter Jazzfest’s signature Marathon heads to Brooklyn for its second night; a night of expansive sounds spread across Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Bowl, Superior Ingredients, Loove Labs Annex, Baby’s All Right, National Sawdust, and Union Pool. Like our Manhattan Marathon, our Brooklyn Marathon highlights artists who blur genre lines while staying rooted in jazz’s spirit of invention. At Music Hall of Williamsburg, rising stars of jazz vibraphone dovetail with folk-rooted fingerstyle guitarists and singer-songwriters whose instrumental and vocal storytelling intersect folk traditions with jazz. Brooklyn Bowl offers a global pulse, summoning trance-inducing diasporic traditions from Ethiopian jazz to Gnawa to Afrobeat and contemporary Afro-Cuban music. At Loove Labs Annex, we present a Fully Altered Artists showcase connecting multiple generations of forward-thinking jazz with radical reimaginings of improvised music. The avant-garde thrives at Baby’s All Right, with a cornucopia of cutting-edge improvisers lik. National Sawdust features exploratory voices in the Black Music continuum, while Union Pool’s Dada Strain showcase, now in its third year, offers genre-agnostic and boundary-breaking collaborations. The Brooklyn Marathon is a meeting ground for tradition, experimentation, and the global resonance of jazz today.

January 11, 2026 - Meshell Ndegeocello, Cory Henry, Annie & The Caldwells
Venue: Pioneer Works
Time: 7:00 PM Doors
Meshell Ndegeocello is the quintessential Winter Jazzfest artist—restlessly collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and fiercely dedicated to chronicling the experiences of Black Americans through song. Across projects that braid soul, jazz, and spoken word, her work radiates the creative impulse to bring joy, pain, birth, death and all life’s events in words and music—always unflinching, and deeply grooving. Opening, GRAMMY-winning keyboard visionary Cory Henry brings the church with him—melding gospel, jazz-funk, and R&B uplift. His recent project Church draws on his musical heritage and family, a testament to an artist whose work moves feet and hearts alike.
Mississippi’s Annie & The Caldwells testify with disco-tinged gospel soul straight from West Point, MS. As Annie says, “My family is my band,” and their multigenerational harmonies and sibling rhythm section turn lived experience into praise, perseverance, and party.

January 11, 2026 - Giant Step 35.5 Years Celebration at WInter Jazzfest
Gilles Peterson, Ron Trent, Kassa Overall, plus guests TBA
Venue: Elsewhere
Time: 6:00 PM
Giant Step and Winter Jazz present an unforgettable night celebrating 35.5 years of Giant Step, featuring exclusive New York DJ sets from Gilles Peterson, Ron Trent, and a live performance from Kassa Overall. Both Gilles and Ron have deep roots in Giant Step’s history; from Gilles’ many iconic DJ sets over the years to Nuyorican Soul, and Ron’s influential DJ residency and production work during Giant Step Records golden era in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Expect a special musical journey only these legends can deliver, plus a live set from Kassa Overall and special guests. Kassa’s new album Cream is earning rave reviews for its bold fusion of jazz and hip-hop. This one will sell out so grab your ticket early.

January 12, 2026 — LPR - My Country ’Tis of Thee: Freedom Riders & Guests Arturo O’Farrill, Samora Pinderhughes, Mádé Kuti, Adegoke Steve Colson + more
Doors: 7:00 PM
Winter Jazzfest presents My Country ’Tis of Thee—a powerful night of music, resistance, and hope. At the heart of the evening are the Freedom Riders, an all-star ensemble of youngish voices in creative music, dedicated to amplifying messages of social justice through sound including Tomoki Sanders, Alfredo Colón, Milena Casado, Sasha Berliner, Carmen Staaf, Joe Dyson and co-leaders Luke Stewart and Ben Williams (both bassists with deep roots in our nation’s capital).
This one-of-a-kind performance takes the shape of a truly improvised round robin, interweaving spontaneous creation with standard repertoire linked to the civil rights movement. Alongside these echoes of history, the Freedom Riders and their invited guests—visionary artists Arturo O’Farrill, Adegoke Steve Colson, Samora Pinderhughes, and Mádé Kuti plus additional guests to be announced—will share current songs born from their own activist practice, underscoring the ongoing struggle for equality and freedom.

January 13, 2026 - Gilles Peterson Presents: Liner Notes
An Evening of Music, Stories and More presented by NYC Winter Jazzfest & Giant Step
Venue: Roulette
Internationally renowned broadcaster, DJ label owner, festival curator and record collector, Gilles Peterson has played a pivotal role in supporting and promoting underground music globally over the past four decades. Please join us for a unique evening where Gilles enters into a conversation with his records. Accompanied by a series of special guests, he will join the musical dots, playing and chatting about his favorite sounds past, present and future - think of it as a live radio show you can see.

Take Two: Dave Harrington’s Pranksters East Reimagine “Bitches Brew”
January 13, 2026 - Take Two: Dave Harrington’s Pranksters East Reimagine “Bitches Brew”
Venue: LPR
co-presented with Pique-nique
Pique-nique and Winter Jazzfest present guitarist and producer Dave Harrington and his Pranksters East, reinterpreting Miles Davis’ groundbreaking album “Bitches Brew” in his centennial year.
Part of the Take Two deep-listening series, the evening pairs an uninterrupted playback of the 1970 classic followed by a live reimagining by Harrington and his ensemble.  Known for his work with Darkside, Taper’s Choice and exploratory solo projects, Harrington has assembled all-star Pranksters in cities across the country. Always a “behemoth grooving machine”, they drew inspiration from many substrates of free improvisation, asking what lies between “Bitches Brew” and “Blues for Allah”.
For this special performance, Harrington leads an ensemble of longtime friends and new collaborators, taking cues from Miles’ legendary 1970 Fillmore shows when he opened for the Dead. Honoring both the energy of those live sets and Teo Macero’s groundbreaking studio craft, the group will explore the space between composition, improvisation and production.

Visuals & Messaging: STILL WE RISE
The festival’s 2026 creative direction, led by Creative Director Maryam Shines, takes inspiration from Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise.” The artwork created for this year’s festival is a visual anthem of resilience, power, and joy, drawing on the bold lines of political poster art, the brilliance of Afrofuturist visionaries, and the lush imagination of artists like Kerry James Marshall and Mati Klarwein.
At its center, two hands rise—cupped open, both offering and receiving—embodying the spirit of jazz itself: the magic of cross-cultural and socio-economic exchange occurring across time, the embrace of tradition and the human urge to innovate new musical forms of expression. Flowers, especially roses, bloom throughout the imagery: as sound bursting from instruments, as threads binding musicians together, as offerings of joy in defiance of silence. (“Still I Rise” by Dr. Maya Angelou is officially used here with permission of Caged Bird Legacy, LLC)
The rallying cry echoes across the festival:
STILL WE RISE. STILL WE GATHER. STILL WE DANCE. STILL WE PLAY. STILL WE SING.

From Then Until Now
NYC Winter Jazzfest began in 2005 at the Knitting Factory on Leonard St., with the inaugural mission of highlighting music that deserved wider attention while the APAP conference was in town. To a large degree, that mission remains. But over the years it has grown to focus on artists with meaningful messages—serving as a beacon for racial and gender justice, climate action, immigration, mass incarceration, and other urgent issues that affect so many of us.
The overarching goal is clear: to grow the audience for jazz through a broad programming vision that reflects the diversity of New York’s scene, presenting the widest spectrum of what jazz can be. That mission continues in January 2026, as Winter Jazzfest once again supports a host of fearless and creative musicians while pushing boundaries and imagining new possibilities for our music scene and our world.

About NYC Winter Jazzfest
Praised by The New York Times, The New Yorker, NPR and countless other outlets, NYC Winter Jazzfest has become a creative home for pathbreaking artists from New York and around the world, and a pivotal destination for arts leaders, hardcore fans, and new listeners alike. The festival has grown from its humble beginnings into a citywide event featuring as many as 150 groups and 600+ artists across 20 stages in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Founded by New York concert impresario Brice Rosenbloom, Winter Jazzfest is the definitive all-inclusive jazz gathering, offering a “state of the union” of the music in all its forms—from avant-garde to post-bop, party bands to ambient electronics, jazz-funk to global fusions. Attendees regularly travel from across the U.S. and abroad, making it one of the most anticipated destination festivals on the international calendar—often referred to as jazz’s answer to SXSW.

2026 Partners: Boom Collective, Langham Hotels, Yamaha, Venue Pilot, Nublu, Giant Step, Paris Jazz Club, TSF Jazz, Psychic Hotline, Reservoir, Dada Strain, Pique-nique, KMDH, WRTI, Fusicology, DoNYC

 
http://www.winterjazzfest.com

Will Barnes Quartet at Corn Exchange Jazz Club, The corn Exchange, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.

Date: Friday, January 09, 2026

Featuring: Will Barnes Quartet

More details

From;
https://www.rosscornexchange.co.uk/events-one

Jazz Club Will Barnes Quartet
Friday, January 9, 2026
7:30 PM 9:30 PM

Following the success of their debut album Source of the Severn, the Will Barnes Quartet returns with Outside the Light, a bold new collection of original jazz compositions. Drawing inspiration from local folklore and Celtic mythology, the album explores themes of light, seasons and changing landscapes.  Featuring pianist Jack Gonsalez, bassist Aidan Thorne, and drummer James Batten, the quartet is known for their tight interplay and dynamic live performances. With acclaim from MOJO and The Jazz Mann, this tour offers an evening of contemporary jazz that’s both heartfelt and compelling. 

★★★★★
“I’m thrilled to say I’m left hungry for more”
HiFi Choice ‘Hot Pick’

​★★★★
“Springy deftness… Cool precision… Serious chops…”
Andy Cowan, Mojo

“They are superlative musicians!”
Adam Walton, BBC Radio Wales

​★★★★
“Evocative, intelligent… contemporary”
Ian Mann, JazzMann

“Immaculately conceived and performed”
Nick Lea, Jazz Views

Tickets;
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vidlerhospitalityltd/1897000

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

Brick Lane Jazz Festival, various venues, London.

Dates: Friday, April 24, 2026 - Sunday, April 26, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

27/09/2025.
We have received the following press release;

Brick Lane Jazz Festival announces the first wave of artists for their fifth birthday edition, including first headliner Brian Jackson

24th – 26th April 2026 | Early bird tickets start from just £29.95

Alexander Flood, Alici , Amanda Whiting, Arjuna Oakes, Brian Jackson, Charlie Stacey, Daoud, Footshooter (live), Gabriele Poso (Live), IAMNOBODI, Knats, Kwame Yeboah, Leif Kaner-Lidström, Levitation Orchestra, Meron T, Ruby Rushton, Saiming, SHOLTO & Finn Rees, TABLE, Tia Gordon, Wilfy D

Today, Brick Lane Jazz Festival announces the first wave of artists for their fifth birthday edition, which will take place from 24th – 25th April 2026.

Growing from its modest debut across four venues in 2022 to a 12-stage extravaganza spanning Brick Lane and Shoreditch in just three years, the festival was named #1 Best London Festival by The London Standard in 2024, and has earned plaudits from the likes of The Guardian, Metro, NOTION, Clash, The Line Of Best Fit, Jazzwise, All About Jazz, UK Jazz News, Elle, Wonderland, TimeOut, Jazz FM, Rinse FM, One Jazz, Worldwide FM, and many more. Since 2024, the festival has also amplified its impact with the launch of BLJF Presents - a year-round series of events showcasing the UK’s most exciting artists, record labels, and parties. After sell-out shows in Manchester, Brighton, London and more, BLJF Presents is heading to new heights in 2025/26 with more regional stops in the likes of Bristol and Glasgow, as well as two international shows in Brussels in November.

Having firmly established itself as a cornerstone of East London’s musical landscape, Brick Lane Jazz Festival has earned a reputation for spotlighting local artists and emerging trailblazers from the city’s thriving underground scenes, whilst honouring the jazz legends that have come before them. 2026’s edition sees them continue to hold down this tradition, bringing together an eclectic range of genre-defying artists to play against the backdrop of some of the capital’s most renowned cultural hotspots. All the festival venues are within a short walk from the central hub at the iconic Truman Brewery space on Brick Lane, transforming the site and surrounding area into a vibrant hive of gig-hopping excitement for three days every April.

Reflecting on this fifth birthday edition, the festival’s Founder, Juliet Kennedy says, “From day one, Brick Lane Jazz Festival has been about shining a light on the incredible talent in London’s jazz scene. Five years on, Brick Lane Jazz Festival has grown into a landmark celebration of the UK’s underground music community. It’s been incredible to see the festival become a space where artists and audiences connect so powerfully – and this is only the beginning. Our ambition is to keep pushing boundaries and championing the next wave of talent for many years to come. We’re only just getting started!”

The first wave of 2026’s stellar line-up sees them bringing together a borderless array of artists that span jazz, alt-rap, neo-soul, R&B, neo-classical, electronic music, and more. It also sees the announcement of the festivals first headliner, jazz-funk legend and Gil Scott-Heron collaborator, Brian Jackson. It also brings together the likes of Australian beat-master Alexander Flood, recent Geordie Greep (ex-black midi) and Eddie Chacon touring band Knats, spiritual jazz collective Levitation Orchestra, Tenderlonious-led South London jazz outfit Ruby Rushton, Ghanian multi-instrumentalist Kwame Yeboah, and many more.

The full line-up so far is as follows:
Brian Jackson
Alexander Flood, Alici , Amanda Whiting, Arjuna Oakes, Charlie Stacey, Daoud, Footshooter (live), Gabriele Poso (Live), IAMNOBODI, Knats, Kwame Yeboah, Leif Kaner-Lidström, Levitation Orchestra, Meron T, Ruby Rushton, Saiming, SHOLTO & Finn Rees, TABLE, Tia Gordon, Wilfy D

2026 will mark the first year that the Greentea-Peng-approved venue Mad Cats will feature as one of the festival’s stages alongside Village Underground, Ninety One Living Room (hosted by Jazz re:freshed), Rough Trade East, 93 Feet East, Rich Mix, Juju’s Bar & Stage, The Brick Lane Tap Room (hosted by Tomorrow’s Warriors), and many more.

2026 will once again see the festival partner with Jazz re:freshed and Tomorrow’s Warriors, both vital community organizations that nurture emerging talent in UK jazz. As always, those without tickets can also enjoy free-entry spaces throughout the site, including The Brick Lane Tap Room, The Big Chill, 93 Feet East, and Cafe 1001.

Early bird tickets for the festival are now on sale with day passes starting from just £29.95, and weekend passes from £89.95. Tickets and more info are available HERE
https://bookings.kaboodle.com/tickets?t=kaboodle-9y4i4&c=202&p=24960&k=878a15279e5367e1334b6a2dbf51879bedb52c5d

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Leela James at Cadogan Hall, London.

Date: Friday, January 16, 2026

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Soul Superstar LEELA JAMES

With her unmistakably raw, powerful, and soul-stirring voice, Leela James brings her timeless blend of classic soul and contemporary R&B to London’s Cadogan Hall for one unforgettable night.

Since her 2005 debut A Change Is Gonna Come, Leela James has earned acclaim with hits like Fall For You, Complicated, and Say That featuring Anthony Hamilton—delivering seven Top 20 R&B singles and two Billboard #1s.

Crowned “The Goddaughter of Soul” by James Brown himself, Leela’s live shows are celebrated for their emotional depth, vocal fire, and unfiltered authenticity. With seven acclaimed albums and multiple NAACP and Soul Train awards to her name, she stands as one of modern soul’s most vital voices.

Joined by special guests, this is a rare chance to experience a true soul powerhouse in one of London’s most intimate and iconic venues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W9TCEwEIus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK90l_hg_aE

Tickets;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/leela-james/cadogan-hall/3468964

Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace
London SW1X 9DQ
Box Office: 020 7730 4500
http://www.cadoganhall.com

Sarah Jane Morris & Tony Remy, album launch at 229, London.

Date: Sunday, March 08, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

“Sarah Jane Morris has a magnificent, enormous voice.”
THE SUNDAY TIMES

International Women’s Day 2026 sees the launch of the new album from Sarah Jane Morris & Tony Remy ‘The Sisterhood Volume 2’.

A representation of Sarah Jane’s roots, inspirations, and indefatigable love of contemporary music-making and its iconic pioneers ‘The Sisterhood, Volume 2’ celebrates twelve female stars who dominated the singing and songwriting of the 20th century - Amy Winehouse, Big Mama Thornton, Bonnie Raitt, Debbie Harry, Etta James, Janis lan, Joan Armatrading, Patti Smith, Peggy Seeger, Sinead O’Connor and Tracy Chapman.

Sarah Jane Morris - Lead Vocals
Tony Remy - Guitar
Marcus Bonfanti - Guitar/Vocals
Henry Thomas - Bass/Vocals
Anders Olinder - Keys/Vocals
Martyn Baker - Drums

Tickets here;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/sarah-jane-morris/229/3442347

229, London W1W 5PN.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6OkR6hN1HY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7DRSzRAj2U

Booker T. Jones at Koko, Camden, London.

Dates: Friday, April 17, 2026 - Saturday, April 18, 2026

More details

We have received the following press release regarding these events;

As leader of the legendary Booker T. & The MG’s, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, GRAMMY lifetime achievement award recipient Booker T. Jones is arguably the most famous Hammond B3 player in History.

Working alongside Otis Redding, Albert King and more at Stax Records, Booker T. Jones has also worked with Willie Nelson, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Bill Withers and countless others.

Do not miss this chance to catch one of the finest musicians of all time as part of the Ace Records 50th Anniversary Concerts Series.

Tickets here;
https://agmp.seetickets.com/tour/booker-t-jones

Bryan Corbetts Instrumental Groove Unit at Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026

Featuring: Bryan Corbett

More details

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

Bryan Corbetts Instrumental Groove Unit
Jan
10
Sat
19:00
Bryan Corbetts Instrumental Groove Unit
Tickets from £12
Saturday 10th January
NEW JAZZ START TIME - Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7pm start
£25/£12 U22
Seated gig
Renowned Birmingham based trumpeter and flugelhorn player Bryan Corbett presents his new Instrumental Groove Unit featuring Paul Deats (Fender Rhodes & keyboards), Luke Harris (drums) and Wayne Matthews (basses)
This exciting new project introduces original material and a repertoire with emphasis on the ‘pocket’ of groove and freedom of improvisation.
The Bomb……Courtney Pine

The Hive, 5 Belmont, Shrewsbury, SY1 1TE

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

01743 234970

Kodo at Royal Festival Hall, London.

Dates: Friday, March 06, 2026 - Saturday, March 07, 2026

More details

Serious have forwarded the following information;

Fri 6 & Sat 7 March, Royal Festival Hall
KODO

Don’t miss your chance to explore the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum, the taiko, and experience the soul-stirring rhythm of life first hand with KODO as they debut a brand new show across two night’s at the Royal Festival Hall.

Tickets and further information here;
https://serious.org.uk/events/kodo

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

Mabel Matiz at Royal Festival Hall, London.

Date: Friday, February 13, 2026

More details

Serious have provided the following information regarding this event;

Friday 13 February, Royal Festival Hall
Mabel Matiz

Turkish musician, singer-songwriter and producer Mabel Matiz offers an impressive blended sound of maqam music, Anatolian folk melodies with synth, and urban pop. Don’t miss his exciting headline show at the Southbank’s Royal Festival Hall for 2026.

Tickets and further information here;
https://serious.org.uk/events/mabel-matiz

Fri 13 February 2026
Stage time / 7:30pm
Doors / 7:00pm

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

Tickets

£30 - £60 + booking fee

Yasmine Hamdan at , EartH (Theatre),  Hackney, London.

Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026

More details

Serious have provided the following information regarding this event;

Thursday 12 February, EartH (Theatre)
Yasmine Hamdan

One of the most groundbreaking musicians in the Middle East, Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan returns to London for 2026 with a headline show at EartH and her new album I remember I forget, set to be released on 19 September.

Tickets and further information here;
https://serious.org.uk/events/yasmine-hamdan

Thu 12 February 2026
Stage time / 8:00pm
Doors / 7:30pm

Location
EartH (Theatre),
11-17 Stoke Newington Road
N16 8BH
Visit Website
https://earthackney.co.uk/

Tickets
£25 + booking fee

Aynur at The Barbican Centre, London.

Date: Thursday, April 02, 2026

Venue

Barbican Centre

Silk Street,
London.
EC2Y 8DS

More details

Serious have forwarded the following information regarding this event;

Thursday 2 April 2026, Barbican
Aynur

One of the most prominent Kurdish singers of our times, Aynur, is back to perform at London’s Barbican for 2026!

Since her last performance at the EFG London Jazz Festival in 2023, Aynur released her acclaimed album Rabe (meaning ‘stand-up’ or ‘rise-up’ in Kurdish), which secured the number one position on the Transglobal World Music Chart last year, and is described by Songlines Magazine as “one of her strongest albums”.

Over the past 25 years, she has created a timeless musical language, combining the treasures of Kurdish traditions with modern arrangements that connect generations and cultures. Don’t miss your chance to see this multi award winning cultural icon in the UK in 2026.

Tickets and further information here;
https://serious.org.uk/events/aynur-3

The Bad Plus with Chris Potter and Craig Taborn at The Barbican Centre, London.

Date: Monday, March 30, 2026

Venue

Barbican Centre

Silk Street,
London.
EC2Y 8DS

More details

Serious have forwarded the following information regarding this event;

Monday 30 March, Barbican
The Bad Plus Chris Potter and Craig Taborn

Witness The Bad Plus with Reid Anderson, Dave King, Chris Potter, plus Craig Taborn live at the Barbican as they celebrate the enduring legacy of Keith Jarrett, one of the most visionary improvisers in jazz history.

Tickets plus further information at;
https://serious.org.uk/events/the-bad-plus-chris-potter-craig-taborn

Swing Into Christmas with the Down for the Count Swing Orchestra, matinee and evening shows at Cadogan Hall, London.

Date: Sunday, December 21, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Swing into Christmas
with the Down for the Count Swing Orchestra
Sunday 21 December, 1pm & 6pm

Celebrate the festive season in style with the vocalists and instrumentalists of the Down for the Count Swing Orchestra, as they Swing Into Christmas, recreating the sounds of Nat ‘King’ Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday and perform iconic Christmas songs as well as many fantastic new song selections for the 2025 show – all performed in authentic big-band-with-strings style!
ENCORE & series discounts available.

Tickets and further information here;

Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace
London SW1X 9DQ
Box Office: 020 7730 4500
https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/swing-into-christmas-with-the-down-for-the-count-swing-orchestra-2025

N-Ex-T presents Sean Noonan, Matthew Bourne & Michael Bardon at Hafan Yr Afon, Newtown, Powys.

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025

More details

From;
https://www.hafanyrafon.com/event-details/n-ex-t-sean-noonan-matthew-bourne-michael-bardon

N-Ex-T: Sean Noonan, Matthew Bourne & Michael Bardon
Wed 10 Dec |  Newtown

The project features Sean Noonan on drums and vocals, the award-winning pianist Matthew Bourne, and double bassist Michael Bardon, forming a trio with undeniable chemistry throughout the album.

Time & Location
10 Dec 2025, 19:00 – 22:00
Newtown, Hafan Yr Afon, Car Park, Back Ln, Newtown SY16 2NH.

About the event;

A series of experimental music evenings where sound knows no boundaries and creativity has no limits.

A space for sonic adventurers, risk-takers, and the curious, N-Ex-T brings together improvisers, noise-makers, and unconventional artists to explore new territories in sound.

Whether you’re into free jazz, ambient textures, electronic explorations, or raw, unfiltered improvisation, this is a night where the unexpected thrives.

This month we are very excited to bring Sean Noonan, Matthew Bourne & Michael Bardon…

THE NOONAN TRIO
Sean Noonan (Vocals and Drums)
Matthew Bourne (Keyboards)
Mick Bardon (Double Bass)

Maverick science meets its match with The Noonan Trio’s first album, Inherit a Memory. The combo explores the outer boundaries of musical radicalism, speculatively blending new music, free improvisation, and rhythmic storytelling.

The Noonan Trio features Sean Noonan on drums and vocals, Matthew Bourne, awarded “Jazz Innovation” at the BBC Radio Jazz Awards and hailed as “the future sound of jazz” and an “unpredictable pianist,”, and double bassist Michael Bardon (Zappanation Rock Opera), forming a trio with undeniable chemistry throughout the album.

Sean Noonan is a celebrated N.Y. speaking drummer and composer based in London whose innovative music defies categorization. As a “rhythmic storyteller,” he crafts imaginative narratives akin to modern-day sonic griots, seamlessly blending ancient traditions of wandering minstrels with contemporary musical forms.

Modern Drummer Magazine highlights Noonan’s independent spirit: “Independence might be the ruling concept of this drummer-leader’s career. It defines a common relationship not only among his hands, feet, and voice, but between his art and almost everything else in drumming.”

Noonan’s rhythmic storytelling evolved through collaborations with artists such as Marc Ribot, Marni Nixon (legendary Hollywood songstress), Malcolm Mooney (singer from CAN), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (bassist for Ornette Coleman), Irish American folk singer Susan McKeown, Malian Griot Abdoulaye Diabaté and the London Symphony Orchestra. These cross-genre compositions explore the ensemble as an extension of a drummer’s limbs, orchestrating rhythmic language derived from the drum kit.

Doors 7PM
Starts 7:30PM

Help us plan well ahead and book early. There is 0% ticket fee.

Nearly Dan at The Jazz Cafe, Camden Town, London.

Date: Sunday, March 29, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Nearly Dan are the Spirit & Sound of Steely Dan.

Less tribute and more homage, Nearly Dan are saviour to the growing legions of Dan fans, desperate to hear the meticulously crafted grooves and allusive lyrical style of Donald Fagen & Walter Becker. Nearly Dan’s approach is faithful, though not reverential, and relaxed but as tight as their namesakes.

It’s been over 40 years since the release of the first Steely Dan album Can’t buy a Thrill, featuring the hits Do It Again and Reelin’ In The Years.

The 9-piece Nearly Dan promise all the Steely Dan favourites in a two hour­ plus show, featuring tracks from the groove of Countdown to Ecstasy to the super cool of celebrated albums The Royal Scam, Aja, Gaucho plus Donald Fagen’s solo masterpiece The Nightfly.

https://www.seetickets.com/tour/nearly-dan-perform-steely-dan

Merope + M.Haiux at Sy Gigs, Unitarian Church, Shrewsbury.

Date: Saturday, December 06, 2025

More details

Chris Taylor of Sy ; Gigs writes;

Event 8.0 - December 6th @ The Unitarian
Merope + M.Haiux

Securing this booking is a real personal milestone. Since beginning the SY Gigs seasons, I’ve been hoping to host Merope.

Merope’s roots lie deep in the soil of Lithuania’s folk tradition, brought vividly to life by Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė’s ethereal vocals and kanklės (a traditional Lithuanian string instrument). These are interwoven with the ornate, exploratory guitar and electronics of Belgian multi-instrumentalist Bert Cools. Together, they create an intimate sound world, a celestial, contemporary reimagining of ancient Baltic music.
https://stroomtv.bandcamp.com/album/v-jula

Support on the night comes from M.Haiux, the solo project of Liverpool-based guitarist Matthew McPartlan. With minimalistic finger-picked guitar, M.Haiux crafts melodic soundscapes steeped in emotional depth and quiet power.
https://mhaiux.bandcamp.com/music

This will be a beautiful and immersive evening. There a number of early bird tickets at 2024 prices available now.

Tickets;
https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Shrewsbury/Shrewsbury-Unitarian-Church/Merope/41223526/

Saturday 6th December 2025
Shrewsbury Unitarian Church in Shrewsbury
6:30pm til 10:15pm (Performance starts 7:30pm)

Eddie Parker’s Airborn at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, December 11, 2025

More details

Dave Fuller, instigator of Music Spoken Here writes;

Eddie Parker’s Airborn will be coming to Worcester in December to play our last show of 2025!
Along with Iain Ballamy (Apr 2024) and Mark Lockheart (coming up in 2026), this will leave only 18 more members of the legendary Loose Tubes ensemble (who I’ve only seen once, at their reunion gig in 2014 at Ronnie Scotts) to appear on our stage!
Life goals!

Featuring Eddie Parker (flute, keyboards) Rob Luft (guitar) , Jay Davis (drums) and Dave Manington (bass).

Original music ranging from mysterious further reaches of tonality to funky grooves and beautiful ballads, with influences from Schoenberg to Santana
Airborn began life as “a posh covers band”, playing music by Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, John McLaughlin and Keith Jarrett. Pretty soon, former Loose Tubes flautist Eddie Parker began to write original music for the combination and the Airborn Suite emerged. The music ranges from the mysterious further reaches of tonality to funky grooves to beautiful ballads, with influences from Schoenberg to Santana.
The band features former Music Spoken Here featured artist Rob Luft on guitar, Dave Manington on bass and Jay Davis on drums.

http://www.musicspokenhere.club

Venue;
The Marrs Bar
12 Pierpoint Street
Worcester,
Worcestershire
WR1 1TA

TICKETS
Music Spoken Here is proud to offer exceptional live music experiences in Worcester at a price affordable to you. Our fortnightly events at The Marr’s Bar are ticketless, just show up on the night and pay what you can afford on the door.
The suggested contribution for this event is £15.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach
https://musicspokenhere.club/a-new-approach/

Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival 2026, Moseley Park, Birmingham,

Dates: Friday, July 10, 2026 - Sunday, July 12, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival
10th – 12th July 2026. Moseley Park, Birmingham.
https://mostlyjazz.co.uk/

Fugue and Groove Jazz Trio at Fentham Hall Jazz Club, Marsh Lane, Solihull.

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Tuesday 17th March
Evening
Fentham Hall Jazz Club, Marsh Lane, Solihull, B92 0AH

Janette Mason – ReWired at Jazz at Progress, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire.

Date: Friday, December 05, 2025

Featuring: Janette Mason

More details

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

Jazz at Progress | Janette Mason – ReWired | Tickets on sale soon
Friday 5 December 2025 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.

Janette Mason keyboard
Tom Mason bass
Eric Ford drums
Janette Mason – ReWired

‘A substantial triumph for Janette Mason as she breathes new jazz life into this well chosen selection of tunes. Her arrangements are intelligent, imaginative and sophisticated.’ Ian Mann (The Jazzmann) ****

Janette Mason is a jazz pianist, a composer for film and TV, an arranger and producer of all genres from jazz to soul to pop, and a dedicated and heartfelt musical communicator. Over the course of a thirty-year career she has quietly but emphatically made her presence felt, delighting audiences with her skills in all kinds of settings, from tiny jazz clubs to international film and TV projects.

Whether leading her own trio, playing sessions with Oasis, Pulp, or Seal, working with legendary producer Tony Visconti, launching her latest project AYRA in collaboration with vocal legend Juliet Roberts, teaching jazz at Bradfield College or fulfilling her role as Artist in Residence at Twickenham Theatre, Janette always stays true to her core values – a commitment to musical excellence, combined with a generous, giving sensibility that reaches out to audiences and ensures that the message in the music is always there to be heard.

Janette says that her direct influences as a keyboard player were Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea. Her own playing on her latest album, ‘ReWired’ has been described as ‘a triumph of elegant tones and passionate swing’. It took her six months to tie down the rights to the eight songs she reinterprets: ‘Cars’ (Gary Numan), ‘John, I’m Only Dancing’ (David Bowie), ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’ (Rodgers and Hart), ‘Good 4 U’ (Olivia Rodrigo), ‘The Man with the Child in His Eyes’ (Kate Bush), ‘Eleanor Rigby’ (Beatles), ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ (George Shearing) and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ (Noel Gallagher).

Janette will be joined by:

Tom Mason, one of the most versatile double bassists and bass guitarists on the UK music scene.  His résumé of recordings, performances and tours boasts artists such as Lizz Wright, Mark Ronson and Jamie Cullum. Tom has also been long-term member of award-winning pianist Robert Mitchell’s Panacea.

Eric Ford on drums, has performed across the globe and played on around sixty albums. He has worked with musicians as diverse as Ronnie Laws, Marc Almond, Clare Teal, The London Jazz Orchestra and Jason Rebello. He will be familiar to Progress audiences for his performances with the acclaimed contemporary jazz trio Partikel, the Scott Willcox Big Band and Chris Biscoe’s celebration of Mike Westbrook

‘My career has come full circle,’ Janette explained in a recent interview. ‘I am now working on and playing music I listened to and was influenced by as a teenager. Sometimes I can’t believe that has happened. I have reached a point in life where I just feel happy. That’s where I am at and If audiences enjoy even a small percentage of it, and it takes them somewhere else, that will be wonderful.’

Full details of the album ‘Rewired ‘are available here.
https://propermusic.com/products/janettemason-rewired

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.

Lichfield Jazz Big Band Christmas Special at St. Annes Church, Burntwood, Lichfield, Staffs,

Date: Friday, December 19, 2025

More details

23/06/2025
Nick Dewhurst has forwarded the following information regarding this event;

It might be a bit too early to be thinking about Christmas…or is it?

Well - it’s now under 6 months until the “world-famous” Lichfield Jazz Big Band Christmas Special gig happens in 2025, and I wanted to let you know about an EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT ticket that I’m running on my website for the next month!

Here’s what you need to know….

Friday 19th December 2025
The Lichfield Jazz Big Band play their legendary Christmas Big Band show exclusively in the stunning venue which is St Anne’s Church in Burntwood.
Featuring 16 of the finest Jazz musicians from across the Midlands, the LJBB will play arrangements of Christmas & festive tunes like you’ve never heard before!
Doors will open at 7pm, and the show will run from 7.45-9.45pm with a short interval.  There will be light refreshments available from the church. 

Tickets for the concert will cost £15, and will be available from my website as well as on the door, however, between now and the 23rd of July, there will be an early bird discounted ticket, costing £13.  You can purchase these tickets here: http://www.nickdewhurst.com/box-office

So - as is always the case with this gig, get your tickets early as it always sells really well!

If you’ve any questions about the gig, please send me an email & I’ll be happy to help.

Thanks all - and back to the summer now! 

All the very best,
Nick

Nick Dewhurst Music
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.nickdewhurst.com

Bath Jazz Weekend 2026 at Widcombe Social Club, Bath.

Dates: Friday, January 09, 2026 - Sunday, January 11, 2026

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

Bath Jazz Weekend - on the ever shifting first full weekend of January - will happen next year on Friday 9, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 January 2026.  Make sure you put it in your diary now!