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Jazz North announces latest artists to join ‘Northern Line’ roster.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Jazz North, the northern jazz development agency, has announced the 6th roster of Ambassador Artists to be selected for Northern Line, its innovative model for touring.

We have received the following press release;


PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release, Wednesday 11th April 2018


Latest roster of Jazz North’s northern line jazz artists announced

Jazz North, the northern jazz development agency, today announces the 6th roster of Ambassador Artists to be selected for northern line - the innovative model for touring which gives promoters the opportunity to programme high quality artists with low financial risk.

Since its launch in 2013, northern line has featured 59 such ambassador artists who have performed 650 gigs to date with over 170 promoters partners across the north of England and beyond.

The northern line 6th Round roster is:

Artephis (Manchester)

Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat (Leeds)

Manchester Jazz Collective (Manchester)

Mark Williams Trio (Newcastle)

Paul Taylor (Newcastle)

Ponyland (Cumbria)

Täpp (Manchester)

Treppenwitz (Leeds)

_glowe (Manchester)

The artists were selected by an independent panel of jazz professionals following an open call to musicians living in the north of England. This year’s selection panel was: Barney Stevenson, Marsden Jazz Festival; Wesley Stephenson, Jazz North East; Juliet Kelly, Musician; Dennis Rollins, Musician; Amy Pearce, Producer; Jilly Jarman, Blue Jam Arts; Nigel Slee, Jazz North Creative Director;  Steve Mead, Jazz North Creative Director, Manchester Jazz Festival Artistic Director; David Porter (Chair), JNight and Hull Jazz Festival.

Lucy Woolley, northern line project manager said :
“The northern line scheme aims to highlight both the quality and variety of jazz being composed and performed by artists all across the North. This year’s roster is no exception, reflecting the diverse talent living and working in the region”.

Jazz North will support these Round 6 artists with professional development and tour subsidy between September 1st 2018 and December 31st 2019. The artists will be performing on Monday 23rd July at the northern line showcase at Manchester Jazz Festival.


More information available at http://www.jazznorth.org/northern-line or Lucy Woolley, northern line Project Manager - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

northern line Round 6 roster

Artephis
Aaron Wood trumpet, flugelhorn, electronics / James Girling guitar / Ali Roocroft piano, keyboards / Alasdair Simpson bass guitar / Matt Brown drums
RNCM alumni combining outstanding musicianship and spry energy with organic yet sophisticated compositions; light-footed grooves that call on late-‘60s/early-‘70s Miles Davis, prog rock and electronic music.

Täpp
Rebekah Reid violin, loop pedal / Polly Virr cello, loop pedal
A Manchester duo combining acoustic strings and classical composition practices with loops and improvisation, conjuring up pieces that evolve and borrow from jazz, minimalism, folk, world and electronic dance music.

Treppenwitz
Matthew Aplin piano / Tom Riviere double bass / Steve Hanley drums
Their sound spans European avant-garde and spiritual blues; exploring improvisation, at times peaceful and spacious, at others frenzied and angular, this Leeds trio offers a collective approach to the classic format.

Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat
Emma Johnson tenor saxophone / Calvin Travers guitar / Sam Quintana bass guitar / Alasdair Wells drums
Lyrical, contemporary swing with an emphasis on accessible melodies and a warmth of sound, played by young instrumentalists who met at Leeds College of Music and have since formed a strong and joyful bond, immediately apparent in their sound.

Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor piano
A solo recital from this Newcastle-based pianist, composer and improviser, whose trademark performances are rhapsodic journeys that lead listeners through twists and turns, complex harmonies and classical vignettes, with a restless capacity for invention.

Manchester Jazz Collective
Kyran Matthews, Jeff Guntren, Emily Burkhardt saxophones / Graham South, Nick Walters trumpets / Ellie Smith trombone / Rich McVeigh bass trombone / Andy Stamatakis-Brown piano / Paul Baxter double bass / Johnny Hunter drums
A collaboration of northern players creating large-scale compositions and defying stylistic categorisation, thanks to their varied palettes and democratic approach: rich orchestrations rub shoulders with middle-Eastern harmonies, Afro-jazz and heavy metal. 

glowe_
Lis Murphy voice, violin / Mali Hayes voice / Kate Moran, Simmy Singh violins / Kath Ord viola / Sarah Dale cello / John Ellis piano / Mark Lewis double bass / Myke Wilson drums
Hauntingly beautiful and uplifting, blending personal stories and an interest in musics from across the globe via Manchester, Lis uses pop-song formats to convey the intense darkness and light arising from humanitarian subjects such as war, loss and love.

The Mark Williams Trio
Mark Williams guitar / Paul Susans bass guitar / Russ Morgan drums
Influences from rock, metal and fusion, with added electronic effects, give this guitar trio from Newcastle an edgier and more modern sound, yet with melody and improvisation still at its core.

Ponyland
Jordie Cooke guitar / Frankie O’Keeffe voice / Faye MacCalman tenor saxophone / Matthew Forster tenor& baritone saxophone / Geoff Bartholomew trumpet / John Pope bass / Dave McKeague, Oscar Cassidy drums
Saddle up for a ride into a heady, energetic world of samba reggae, punk-jazz and Afro-beat via the steppes of Cumbria and Newcastle; tackling loss of cultures, community and a changing society with good vibes, animalistic behaviour and raw energy.


About Jazz North
Jazz North is the strategic development agency for jazz in the north of England. It was founded in 2012 to increase the profile of contemporary jazz in the north by developing opportunities for artists, building audiences, helping to address identified gaps in jazz provision and creating cohesion across the northern jazz scene. With a ground-breaking approach to supporting and nurturing jazz across the north, it is the only organisation of its kind in the UK.  Using the power of collective partnership working, it builds networks between musicians, educators, promoters and venues; supports artists through advice and continuing professional development; grows audiences for jazz; and inspires children and young people to make music.
Our vision is that the North is recognised within and beyond the area as a leading talent hub for jazz.
Jazz North is a registered charity and is an Arts Council England Sector Support Organisation (SSO)


http://www.jazznorth.org

About northern line
An initiative of Jazz North, northern line is a pioneering subsidised roster scheme which identifies and supports northern based jazz artists through tour subsidy, ongoing advice, mentoring and guidance on all aspects of their performing career as well as help with marketing and support with funding applications. Bands from across the jazz genre are selected each year through an open application and rigorous selection process by a panel of independent industry specialists from across the UK.  Artists remain on the scheme for a period of 18 months, during which time Jazz North subsidises performances by these bands to promoters, to secure diverse performance engagements at venues and festivals in the north of England and to contribute to a sustainable northern jazz economy.