The New Conrad Miller Trio at Swansea Jazz Club, Cu Mumbles, Mumbles, Swansea.

Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

The New Conrad Miller Trio on Wednesday May 29th. On tour from Holland are 3 of the countries finest Jazz/Session Musicians. Early 2018 pianist Coen Molenaar released the CD and LP “Sounding Silence ‘. Together with EnriqueFirpi (drums) and David de Marez Oyens (double-bass) they are The New Conrad Miller Trio

Entry only £10, BOOK NOW!!

Cu Mumbles, 7 Castleton Walk Arcade, Newton Rd, Mumbles, Swansea SA3 4AX
(Please note the venue is CARD ONLY at the BAR!)

BOOK ONLINE TICKETS HERE
https://www.swanseajazzland.co.uk/

BOOK TICKETS OVER THE PHONE : CALL 07802 912789

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

‘3PLAY’  with John-Paul Gard at Swansea Jazz Club, Cu Mumbles, Mumbles, Swansea.

Date: Wednesday, May 22, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

WEDNESDAY May 22nd, 8pm

‘3PLAY’               

with John-Paul Gard

3Play is a contemporary UK smooth jazz trio, the original members of the band are John-Paul Gard (Keyboards and bass), Stuart Ryan (Guitars) and Paolo Adamo (Drums). With over 60 songs from bob james, george duke, fourplay, jeff lorber plus their own original songs. The band are currently working on a new album and will be due for release soon!

Cu Mumbles, 7 Castleton Walk Arcade, Newton Rd, Mumbles, Swansea SA3 4AX
(Please note the venue is CARD ONLY at the BAR!)

BOOK ONLINE TICKETS HERE
https://www.swanseajazzland.co.uk/

BOOK TICKETS OVER THE PHONE : CALL 07802 912789

Phil Robson Organ Trio at Derby Jazz, The Hound Dog, Derby.

Date: Saturday, June 15, 2024

Featuring: Phil Robson

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

PHIL ROBSON
ORGAN TRIO
The Hound Dog
Sat. June 15th

An all-star trio; Phil Robson – guitar, Ross Stanley – Organ, Gene Calderaazzo – drums.

“Robson performs impeccably throughout, whether he’s contributing chordal washes in support, or taking the spotlight for some intricate, fluid solos of his own.” ALL ABOUT JAZZ

Phil Robson grew up in Derby and is now a multi-award-winning guitarist & composer who was a seminal part of the London scene for many years before relocating to New York City in 2015 for five years. He is now based in the Republic of Ireland. He has led bands featuring jazz legends such as David Liebman, Mark Turner, Billy Hart, James Genus, Marc Copland & many more as well as working as a freelance musician with a huge cross spectrum of internationally renowned artists such as Kenny Wheeler, Barbra Streisand, Steve Lacy, Vince Mendoza, Donny McCaslin, Django Bates, The BBC Big Band, Ingrid Jenson, Phil Woods, Mike Gibbs, Bob Brookmeyer, Steve Wilson Maceo Parker, etc.

In Europe he is renowned as the co-leader of the cult UK band ‘Partisans’ with saxophonist Julian Siegel which ran for 23 years as well as for his work with his partner, the great singer/songwriter Christine Tobin.

In New York he is best known for his collaboration with the master saxophonist/composer Jed Levy.

He’s also a ‘Babel Label’, ‘Whirlwind Recordings’ and ‘Lyte Records’ recording artist with highly acclaimed albums who performs at major venues and festivals around the world as well as being a renowned educator who is an honorary ARAM (Associate of the Royal Academy of Music) in London.

THE HOUND DOG
SAT. JUNE 15th
DOORS 6.30
£15

A DERBY JAZZ NIGHT at
The HOUND DOG
at 6 FRIAR GATE DE1 1BU

https://mjazz.co.uk/whats-on/

SOULDEEP at Derby Jazz, The Hound Dog, Derby.

Date: Saturday, May 25, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

SOULDEEP return to Derby Jazz at The Hound Dog

SOULDEEP
The Hound Dog
Sat. May 25th

SOULDEEP featuring The SoulDeep Horns & Jamie Joseph are back after their SOLD OUT show last February.
Formed in 2008 by Derby jazz/funk drummer George Grignon to performing the music of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, The Brecker Brothers, Weather Report, James Brown and the like! It’s mutated over the following 16 yrs but ut’s still focussed on the music that first inspired George.
The current lineup features the amazing vocals of Jamie Joseph, rising star keyboardist Rob Dimbleby and the UK’s hottest young horn section. The band is rounded out by top local guitarist Rich Belfitt and the smooth bassist Andy Barrett.

SOULDEEP sold out The Hound Dog last February so book now to be sure of a great Saturday night!

THE HOUND DOG
SAT. MAY 25th
DOORS 6.30
£15

https://mjazz.co.uk/derby-jazz-whats-on/

A DERBY JAZZ NIGHT at
The HOUND DOG
at 6 FRIAR GATE DE1 1BU

London Piano Festival at Kings Place, London.

Dates: Friday, October 04, 2024 - Sunday, October 06, 2024

More details

We have received the following press release;

Lineup for the ninth annual London Piano Festival at Kings Place revealed.

Lineup for the ninth annual London Piano Festival at Kings Place revealed, with performances by Festival Founders Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen in addition to Lara Melda, Rose McLachlan, Kit Armstrong, Michael Wollny, Reinis Zariņš, Susan Tomes and the Carducci String Quartet.

4-6 October 2024 | Kings Place, London
#LondonPianoFestival

Mozart gala featuring three of Mozart’s finest early piano concerti with Katya Apekisheva, Lara Melda and Charles Owen accompanied by the Carducci String Quartet

Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’enfant Jésus by Reinis Zariņš in his Festival debut

A two-piano improvised set from classical pianist Kit Armstrong and jazz pianist Michael Wollny

22 pieces inspired by Chopin’s 22 Nocturnes, an anthology of works written by women composers, with Rose McLachlan

A centenary celebration of Fauré and his contemporaries in solo and duet works with Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen

A recital of works written by female piano composers over the past two centuries with Susan Tomes

Pianists and co-Artistic Directors Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen reveal another dynamic lineup for the ninth London Piano Festival (LPF) which returns to Kings Place from 4-6 October 2024. Three days of classical and jazz piano performances will see Festival debuts from exceptional pianists Lara Melda, Kit Armstrong, Rose McLachlan, Michael Wollny and Reinis Zariņš. Other instruments feature in the Festival lineup for the first time with the esteemed Carducci String Quartet performing in the Mozart gala, and pianist and writer Susan Tomes returns to close this year’s Festival. Under 30s tickets are available for all concerts at a reduced price of £8.50. The Festival is delighted to be working with International Piano magazine as its media partner for the ninth year running.

Co-Artistic Directors Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen commented, “We are delighted to return to the beautiful space at Kings Place and to welcome so many outstanding pianists for their Festival debut this year. In our ninth edition, there is a particular focus on women composers – Susan Tomes highlights historic works, whilst Rose McLachlan brings us 22 new pieces, and our joint Fauré recital spotlights the works of his female contemporaries, Mel Bonis and Cecile Chaminade. We also include other instruments in our lineup for the first time with the superb Carducci Quartet – a much-anticipated new strand to the LPF journey!”

The Festival Founders Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen open this year’s Festival with a Mozart Gala, featuring three of Mozart’s finest early piano concerti. Apekisheva performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major K414, whilst Owen takes on his Concerto in C Major K415. Lara Melda, the winner of the 2010 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, makes her Festival debut with Mozart’s Piano Concerto in Eb Major K449. They are joined by the internationally renowned Carducci String Quartet in special arrangements of these works for string quartet [4 Oct].

Apekisheva and Owen take to the stage together once again with a Fauré Salon 100 programme, celebrating the composer’s centenary year. The recital, designed to evoke the intimate setting of a 19th-century Parisian salon, spotlights Fauré alongside his composer contemporaries, Mel Bonis and Cecile Chaminade. Apekisheva and Owen will alternate solo compositions with works for piano duet, representing their longstanding collaboration as performers, and concluding with Fauré’s ever-popular Dolly Suite [5 Oct].

Rose McLachlan, winner of the Chopin Prize at both Chetham’s and the Royal Northern College of Music, makes her Festival – and Kings Place – debut with 22 pieces inspired by Chopin’s 22 Nocturnes. McLachlan conceived this new anthology as a collection of works by talented, but as yet unpublished, female composers. 16 works were chosen from 80 scores submitted by women composers around the world, with the remaining six commissioned by established composers, such as Zoe Rahman [5 Oct].

The London Piano Festival typically features jazz in its lineup, and in Armstrong meets Wollny, two world-class performers come together for a special collaboration: classical pianist Kit Armstrong and jazz pianist Michael Wollny. Both artists will return to Kings Place in their Festival debut for a unique solo and duo improvisation set [5 Oct].

Award-winning Latvian pianist Reinis Zariņš makes his London Piano Festival debut with Olivier Messiaen’s epic cycle, Vingt Regards sur l’enfant Jésus, composed during the darkest days of the Second World War. Writer and broadcaster Stephen Johnson will explore the historical context of the work in an insightful pre-concert talk [6 Oct].

The Festival closes with Women and the Piano, a recital from pianist and writer Susan Tomes. Taking her new book of the same name as a starting point Susan performs a series of compositions by women composers over the last 200 years, including Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, Cecile Chaminade and Amy Beach. There will be a post-concert Q&A with Susan hosted by Tim Parry, Editor of International Piano magazine and Deputy Editor of Gramophone magazine [6 Oct].

The London Piano Festival was founded by pianists Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen in 2016 and takes place every October at Kings Place, London. Previous visiting artists have included Alfred Brendel, Alexandra Dariescu, Julian Joseph, Gabriela Montero, Stephen Kovacevich, Jason Rebello, Vadym Kholodenko, Leszek Możdżer and Kathryn Stott, amongst many others. The Festival has also commissioned several new works for two pianos, working with composers including Sally Beamish, Jonathan Dove, Elena Langer and Nico Muhly.

Full programme

Friday 5 October, 7:30pm | Kings Place, Hall One
A Mozart Gala
Mozart Piano Concerto in A, K414 (KA)
Mozart Piano Concerto in C, K415 (CO)
Mozart Piano Concerto in E, K449 (LM)
Katya Apekisheva, Charles Owen and Lara Melda piano
TBC double bass | Carducci String Quartet
Tickets | £20 – £50 + under 30s and concessions

Saturday 5 October, 12pm | Kings Place, Hall One
Fauré 100: Fin De Siècle
Chaminade Serenade d’automne
Chaminade La chaise a Porteurs (CO & KA)
Chaminade Automne (CO)
Fauré Nocturne No. 6 in D flat, Op. 63 (CO)
Fauré Barcarolle No. 5 in F Sharp minor, Op. 44 (CO)
Fauré Nocturne No. 1 in E flat minor Op. 33/1 (KA)
Fauré Nocturne No. 3 in A flat, Op. 33/3 (KA)
Fauré Impromptu No. 2 in F minor Op. 31 (KA)
Mel Bonis Melisande & Omphale (KA)
Fauré Dolly Suite, Op. 56 (CO & KA)
Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen piano
Tickets | £22 + under 30s and concessions

Saturday 5 October, 3pm | Kings Place, Hall Two
Rose Mclachlan: Twenty-Two Nocturnes
Agnieszka Lasko Autumn                
Nitzan Vardi As They Come And Go
Alanna Crouch                          
Dianna Neufeld For a Winter’s Night
Marlowe Carruth Pregando              
Wendy Edwards Beardall-Norton Nocturne for Lora
Jennifer Bowman                        
Heather Hammond Thinking of Frederic
Caroline Tyler                            
June Armstrong Sweet Sorrow
Helen Walker Like the Night            
Victoria Proudler Triste
Lucy Hackett The Moth                          
Caroline Wright Reflections
Stephenie Leung La ballerine solitaire
Katie Jenkins Cerddorieth i Bronwyn
Charlotte Butler Moonlight on the Waves
Charlotte Botterill Waves Collide with the Precipice…
Nicole DiPaolo
Olga Berman Elegy
Nancy Litten Fred and Bertie’s Nighttime Stroll
Zoe Rahman
Rose McLachlan piano
Tickets | £18 + under 30s and concessions

Saturday 5 October, 7:30pm | Kings Place, Hall One
Armstrong meets Wollny
Michael Wollny and Kit Armstrong piano
Tickets | £22 – £35 + under 30s and concessions

Sunday 6 October, 11:00 | Kings Place, Hall Two
Pre-Concert Talk: Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’enfant Jésus
Stephen Johnson speaker
Tickets | FREE, but a ticket for the concert is required

Sunday 6 October, 12pm | Kings Place, Hall One
Messiaen: Vingt Regards Sur L’enfant Jésus
Messiaen Vingt Regards sur l’enfant Jésus
Reinis Zariņš piano
Tickets | £20-40 + under 30s and concessions

Sunday 6 October, 3pm | Kings Place, Hall Two
Susan Tomes: Women And The Piano
Marianna Martinez Sonata in A
Hélène de Montgeroult Etude No. 106 in B
Maria Szymanowska Caprice sur la Romance de Joconde
Fanny Mendelssohn ‘Mai’ and ‘Juli’ from Das Jah
Clara Schumann Notturno, Op. 6, No. 2
Romance, Op. 21, No. 3
Teresa Carreño Un Bal en Rêve
Amy Beach Dreaming, Op. 15, No. 3
Cecile Chaminade Guitare
Susan Tomes piano
Tickets | £22 + under 30s and concessions

http://www.londonpianofestival.com

http://www.kingsplace.co.uk

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

Tickets
Under 30s tickets are available for all concerts (£8.50)
Kings Place Box Office: 020 7520 1490

Biographies

Charles Owen –
Described by Gramophone magazine as “one of the finest British pianists of his generation”, Charles Owen has enjoyed an extensive international career performing a wide-ranging repertoire to outstanding critical acclaim.  Charles Owen is a Professor of Piano at the Guildhall School in London and was appointed Steinway & Sons UK Ambassador in 2016.

Katya Apekisheva
Katya Apekisheva, described as being a “profoundly gifted artist” by Gramophone magazine, is one of Europe’s most renowned pianists, in demand internationally as both a soloist and as a chamber musician. She has been marked out as a pianist of exceptional gifts, performing with many of the world’s leading orchestras, and has received widespread critical acclaim for her interpretations. Katya is a Professor of Piano at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Lara Melda
Lara Melda won the BBC Young Musician 2010 competition, performing Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 2 in the final round with Vasily Petrenko and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Cardiff. Amongst many venues in the UK and abroad, she has performed at the BBC Proms, the Wigmore Hall, and the International Music Festival in Istanbul. In 2022, she curated a critically acclaimed multi-sensory Van Gogh immersive concert experience in collaboration with Exhibition Hub.

Carducci String Quartet
The award-winning Carducci Quartet is internationally acclaimed as one of the most accomplished and versatile ensembles of today. Founded in 1997, the ensemble has won numerous international competitions, including the USA Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and First Prize at Finland’s Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition.

Rose McLachlan
Born into a family of musicians in Cheshire, Rose McLachlan began piano lessons with her father, Murray McLachlan, aged 7. In 2016, Rose was the overall winner of the Scottish International Youth Prize at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and in 2017 was awarded the Yamaha Prize in the EPTA UK competition. She has won the Chopin Prize at both Chetham’s and at the Royal Northern College of Music. In November 2022, Rose was awarded the Musician’s Company Silver Medal.

Kit Armstrong
Born in 1992 in California, USA, Kit Armstrong studied physics at California State University, later chemistry and mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania and mathematics at Imperial College London. He has built a formidable career as a solo pianist since, performing in major international venues with some of the world’s finest orchestras. He has also developed a broad compositional oeuvre of solo, vocal, chamber and symphonic works.

Michael Wollny
Michael Wollny has established himself as one of the most important figures in contemporary European jazz. He has won numerous awards in Germany and beyond, including a ‘Choc de l’annee’ from Jazzman (France), a Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Award, and Album of the Year from Jazzwise and The Times for Weltentraum (2014).

Reinis Zariņš
Equally at home in classical and contemporary repertoire, Reinis Zariņš’s passion lies in the crafting of conceptual programmes that encourage interaction between music, history, and philosophy. He has performed as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician throughout Europe and North America, and has won Latvia’s Grand Music Award five times.

Stephen Johnson
Stephen Johnson is a composer, writer and broadcaster. Since his first appearance on Radio 3’s CD Review in 1987, he has taken part in several hundred radio programmes, especially on BBC Radio 3, 4 and World Service.

Susan Tomes
Susan Tomes has won numerous awards as a pianist, both on the concert platform and in the recording studio. She grew up in Edinburgh and was the first woman to take a degree in music at King’s College, Cambridge, when co-education arrived at the college after 400 years. She is also a writer, and has written several acclaimed books, including the multiple award-winning The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces. Her seventh book, Women and the Piano – a History in Fifty Lives, was released in March this year.

About Kings Place
Kings Place is an open, multi-arts venue, presenting an adventurous and critically-acclaimed programme, with words and music at its heart. Every year we curate a series of festivals to engage a breadth of different communities. We are a place where many audiences belong, a place where people connect with their passion and no-one is lost in the crowd.
Kings Place was developed from a generous act of philanthropy. Driven by a belief that arts and culture are a fundamental part of a thriving city – our work is as vibrant as our location in King’s Cross. We are independently-funded and generate income through ticket sales and the staging of world-class conferences and events.
We are rooted in partnership and have developed a collaborative community of resident partners and artistic associates. By opening our doors, people and creativity can flourish. We provide stages for artists, space for local communities and young musicians, share our home with partners, and offer audiences unforgettable, shared experiences.
We are Kings Place, the cultural pulse of King’s Cross.
http://www.kingsplace.co.uk

Outside UP! at Leif Tea Rooms and Piano Bar, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

Date: Friday, May 31, 2024

More details

Bassist Adrian Litvinoff writes;

Outside UP has been re-booked for Leif Bar in Leamington, giving our pianist Pete Houtman another chance to commune with the excellent baby grand piano.  We’ll be there from 8.30pm on May 31st.

Friday May 31st
8.30pm
Free


Outside UP!
Peter Houtman piano
Adrian Litvinoff basses
Wal Warmington drums

Leif Tea Rooms and Piano Bar
116 Warwick Street
Leamington Spa
CV32 4QP
01926 336457

Rob Luft Quintet / Rachel Musson & Luke Baccus   at Jazz in The Round, Cockpit Theatre, Marylebone, London.

Date: Monday, May 27, 2024

Featuring: Rob Luft

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Jazz in the Round: http://www.jazzintheround.co.uk

Celebrate the launch of One Jazz at Jazz in the Round on 27 May with Rob Luft’s quintet featuring Joe Wright on tenor saxophone, Tom McCredie on bass guitar and Corrie Dick on drums & percussion with special guest Alice Zawadzki on violin & vocals plus Rachel Musson (sax) and Luke Bacchus (piano).

THE COCKPIT
Gateforth Street, London NW8 8EH

Box Office: 020 7258 2925
(10.30am - 6pm, Monday - Friday,
12 noon - 6pm, Saturday)

The Jazz Defenders at Black Mountain Jazz, Melville Centre, Abergavenny.

Date: Sunday, May 19, 2024

More details

From;
https://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk/event-details/the-jazz-defenders

Sun, 19 May |  The Melville Centre
The Jazz Defenders

Led by one of the UK’s most formidable jazz pianists, George Cooper, The Jazz Defenders are a group born from a deep love of Blue Note jazz, drawing on a wealth of inspiration to craft their own raw and vibrant compositions.

Time & Location
19 May 2024, 20:00
The Melville Centre, 4 Pen-Y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UD, UK

About the event

Having played several shows at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club as well as many other prestigious venues in the UK, they continue to electrify audiences with their energy and virtuosity.

As The Jazz Defenders carry on distinctly ‘defending’ the legacy of some of the classic hard bop greats such as Horace Silver, Lee Morgan and Art Blakey, they begin to evolve their modern soul jazz slant to combine solid grooves and catchy horn lines with a collaborative and comprehensive sound, fusing soul, jazz, hip hop, soundtrack and groove into a masterful union that leaves audiences mesmerised.

The group’s brainchild, pianist and composer George Cooper, has lent his ample skill to a range of artists as varied as Hans Zimmer, Nigel Kennedy, U2, Omar, Slum Village, MF Doom, The Brand New Heavies, Lisa Stansfield, Wet Wet Wet, The Haggis Horns, Abstract Orchestra and Lack of Afro.

George Cooper - piano/keyboards

Jake McMurchie - tenor sax

Nick Malcolm – trumpet

Ian Matthews – drums

Will Harris – bass

“Absolutely storming!” Jamie Cullum

Website
http://www.thejazzdefenders.com

Tickets
Standard: £20.00
Friends of BMJ: £18.00
Under 18s: £10.00
https://thelittleboxoffice.com/blackmountainjazz

606 Jazz Club presents ‘Jazz On The Lawn’ at Fulham Palace, London.

Dates: Friday, August 02, 2024 - Saturday, August 03, 2024

More details

From;
https://www.606club.co.uk/events/fulham-palace-1/

JAZZ ON THE LAWN AT FULHAM PALACE
2024 DATES: Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd August, 2024
THE SHOW GOES ON RAIN OR SHINE!

Friday 2 August, 2024
Doors 6:30pm :: Show 7:30pm :: Show Ends 10pm
SOME KINDA WONDERFUL PRESENTS: ‘THE WONDER OF STEVIE’ FEAT. NOEL MCCCALLA & DEREK NASH
Some Kinda Wonderful Present Derek Nash Noel McCall
GENERAL ADMISSION
Adults/Youth 11 & Up: £22.00 :: Children 4-10: £14 :: Children 3 & under: Free*
Two of the UK’s finest musicians, saxophonist Derek Nash, singer Noel McCalla and their band come together to celebrate the music of one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time, Stevie Wonder. An award-winning player, Derek Nash is perhaps best known as one of the featured saxophonists with the Jools Holland Band and leader of the enormously successful “Sax Appeal”. Noel McCalla first came to prominence in the mid 80’s with the seminal Jazz/funk band Morrissey/Mullen, subsequently joining the iconic Manfred Mann’s ‘Earth Band’ with whom he toured and performed for almost 20 years. This is a uniquely powerful, feel-good show! 
“Nash…bravura display of contemporary saxophone” The Observer;
“Nash…breathtaking” Sunday Times;
“McCalla…spine tingling” Guardian

Saturday 3 August, 2024
Doors 6:30pm :: Show 7:30pm :: Show Ends 10pm
ADRIAN COX QUINTET ‘THE NEW ORLEANS CLARINET’ WITH SPECIAL GUEST LOUISE BALKWILL
Adrian Cox Louise Balkwill Jazz on the Lawn Fulham PalaceGENERAL ADMISSION
Adults/Youth 11 & Up: £22.00 :: Children 4-10: £14 :: Children 3 & under: Free*
Adrian Cox is of the leading exponents of the New Orleans clarinet. His unrivalled feel and virtuosity have led to work with the biggest names in jazz, including concerts with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. A former member of Kansas Smitty’s (“London’s new swing princes”, Evening Standard), Adrian’s wealth of knowledge of the music and players from this celebrated era will take you on a trip from New Orleans to New York, from the small groups to the legendary vocalists such as Irma Thomas and Ella Fitzgerald. The band this evening features the award-winning singer Louise Balkwill, along with fellow Smitty’s alum Joe Webb on piano and the wonderful Denny Ilett (known for his work with New Orleans legend Lillian Boutté) on guitar.  VIEW VIDEO CLIP
“[Cox] London’s most charismatic reeds man” Time Out;
“Totally bowled over by Louise Balkwill’s incredible vocals” Jazzwise

Picnic Prom with James Taylor Quartet (JTQ) & Emma Smith at Belcombe Court, Bradford on Avon, Wilts.

Date: Monday, August 26, 2024

Featuring: James Taylor Quartet (JTQ)

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Picnic Prom with James Taylor Quartet (JTQ) & Emma Smith
26 August Tickets £48

Join us at our annual picnic prom. Bring your party picnic and visit our pop- up bar – relax with a drink in hand while music fills the air or explore the secret pathways and hidden nooks of the magnificent grounds, rarely open to the public…

Featuring an expanded 6-piece line-up, including the incredible vocal talents of Yvvone Yanney, JTQ are perhaps best known and best loved for their unrivalled live performances – so don’t miss this opportunity to witness a true British music institution, live in concert.

Emma Smith has performed in venues ranging from the 02 Arena to the leading jazz clubs of New York City, as well as collaborating and recording with the likes of Michael Bublé, The Quincy Jones Orchestra and Robbie Williams. She will be appearing with her own world-class trio of musicians: expect a wonderfully eclectic, but most of all fun, evening of world-class jazz.

http://www.ifopera.com

Bob Cooper’s The A Train, late afternoon event at The Buck and Bell, Long Itchington, Warwickshire.

Date: Sunday, June 02, 2024

More details

Bassist Adrian Litvinoff writes;

I have been invited to sit in on bass with Bob Cooper’s swing jazz outfit The A Train on Sunday June 2nd, out at the Buck and Bell, Long Itchington.  It’s nice to be asked. Should be fun!

Sunday June 2nd
4.30pm
Bob Cooper’s The A Train

The Buck and Bell
The Green
Long Itchington
CV47 9PH

Jazz Stroud 2024, various venues, Stroud, Glos.

Dates: Thursday, May 23, 2024 - Sunday, May 26, 2024

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following press release;

Jazz Stroud 2024 - 23 – 26 May at
Brunel Goods Shed, SVA, St Laurence Church

Joe Armon-Jones – Ruth Goller’s Skylla – Tomorrow’s Warriors Frontline, BIG MASSIVE & Romarna Campbell – un.procedure featuring Cassie Kinoshi – Donna Thompson – Magic Lantern – Ines Loubet – Tianna – And-Is-Phi – Matt Brown 6161, Daniel Inzani – TLK – Afromerm – Matt Carmichael – PRAH Foundation –
Plus Jam Sessions, DJs, Clubnights and more…

http://www.jazzstroud.org

“A remarkably well-planned and varied festival, with the accent on new and younger
performers” – Jazzwise Magazine

The venues, streets and record stores of the Cotswold cultural hub that is Stroud will once again come alive to a whole universe of sounds when the Jazz Stroud
Festival returns for its eighth edition from 23-26 May. This year’s line-up features headliners including keyboard maestro Joe Armon-Jones (of Mercury Prize-winners Ezra Collective) this time leading his own hugely talented band; Mercury nominated saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi appears with her thrilling electronica jazz trio un.procedure; renowned bass guitarist and singer Ruth Goller (Rokia Traoré/Melt Yourself Down) brings her beguiling vocal project Skylla to the festival, and rising Scottish sax star Matt Carmichael performs his jazz-folk-infused original music.

Things get under way with a Tomorrow’s Warriors Takeover on the Thursday night (23 May) showcasing three emerging bands: newly formed five-piece BIG MASSIVE, who energetically explore sounds from hip-hop and dub to jungle and videogame music; the female-led Frontline whose funky horns and heavy grooves
will make you move while internationally renowned drum prodigy Romarna Campbell unleashes her mix jazz and fusion with fire and finesse.

The festival’s plethora of new names includes exciting singers Donna Thompson, TLK, Ines Loubet, Tianna, plus Steam Down’s And-Is-Phi; Run Logan Run drummer Matt Brown’s powerful new horn-heavy project 6161, while label PRAH Foundation will be showcasing some of its roster alongside DJ sets. Bristol’s Space Jam will be in residence for some spontaneous musical inventions across the weekend.

Now in its eighth year, the festival, which began as a small, single venue weekender featuring Get The Blessing and Andy Sheppard, has organically grown to take in
several key venues around the town including the magnificent Grade 2 Listed Brunel Goods Shed, beautiful St Laurence Church and funky SVA Studios Bar as well as
break out live spaces in the town’s two vinyl emporiums, Sound Records and Klang Tone. Initially featuring bands and artists drawn from the Bristol and South West
talent pool for the first two years – Jazz Stroud was perfectly placed to ride the British New Jazz explosion of 2018-19 and featured some of the leading lights of the
scene – often before they hit the big time – these included stunning shows from Nubya Garcia, Comet is Coming and Emma Jean-Thackray relatively early on in
their careers.

This laid the blueprint for Jazz Stroud’s programming ethos: keeping tabs on emerging artists but also building relationships with them and creating an environment that makes them want to spread the word in their networks and return to Stroud in years to come – Joe Armon-Jones was in Nubya Garcia’s band when they performed in 2018. The festival also strives to give young musicians a platform, this year handing a whole evening over to Tomorrow’s Warriors.

And while the town has a rustic charm and a hippie heritage, the festival features cutting edge audio tech with a longstanding partnership with spatial audio specialists d&b audiotechnik (whose UK base is in nearby Nailsworth). With their 360-degree immersive soundscape system installed at the Goods Shed for the festival, and with many shows presented in-the-round, the system really comes into its own alongside projections on the venue’s lime-stone walls.

Jazz Stroud creates a thrilling audio-visual presentation of some of the freshest jazz sounds around.

Daylight Music feat. 97 Ensemble, >Σ + Kay Elizabeth, lunchtime event at St. John’s, Leytonstone, London.

Date: Saturday, May 25, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

The Return of Daylight Music - 25th May

Good news! We return to St John’s Leytonstone where musicians will take you on a unique journey within the resonating acoustics of the space. Over the two hours you’ll experience ambitious modern classical music, experimental electronic sounds and songwriting with intense soul.

97 Ensemble join us to champion music by underrepresented composers, with a particular focus on women composers featuring the music of Errolyn Wallen and Shiva Feshareki. A duo of ethereal water spirits >Σ will dive deep into otherness with oceanic vibration and electronic creations. Kay Elizabeth’s music explores words and music from lost places with a voice which is honest, raw and true.

Advance PWYC tickets: https://buytickets.at/arcticcircle/1245631

St John’s Leytonstone
St John the Baptist, 825 High Rd Leytonstone, Bushwood, London E11 1HH.

Brecon Jazz Festival ‘Taster Day’, daytime event at The Cwtch:  Brecon Beacons College, Brecon.

Date: Thursday, June 13, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Thurs 13 June Festival ‘Taster Day’ by College students, 11-4pm
Advance info : Brecon Student & NPTC College ‘Taster Day’ for Brecon Jazz Festival 2024 - outdoor venue - with extra special ‘Big Band’ and more.
Come along & support these young organisers, at
The Cwtch:  Brecon Beacons College in the town - on 13th June

https://www.breconjazz.org

Michael Wilkins / Martin Pickett / Steve Kershaw / Mike Goff / Siân Goff / Tom Neill - Stan Tracey’s Jazz Suite “Under Milk Wood” at Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire.

Date: Friday, July 12, 2024

Featuring: Michael Wilkins / Martin Pickett / Steve Kershaw / Mike Goff / Siân Goff / Tom Neill

More details

From;
https://www.jazzinreading.com/?p=23024&future=true

Jazz at Progress | Jazz Suite: Under Milk Wood | Buy tickets https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/progresstheatre/t-lnmvkae
Friday 12 July 2024 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £17.00 (£15.00 concessions) plus maximum 5% booking fee.

Ewen Baird tenor saxophone
Martin Pickett piano
Steve Kershaw double bass
Mike Goff drums
Siân Goff & Tom Neill narrators

Under Milk Wood
You’ve heard the original Radio Drama and seen the Play – now experience the Musical! OK, not exactly a musical – but read on…

In 1965, inspired by Dylan Thomas’ masterpiece, renowned pianist and composer Stan Tracey, ‘the godfather of British jazz’, composed Jazz Suite: Under Milk Wood – a beautifully constructed set of eight tunes, each with an unmistakably individual character, including the acknowledged genius of the tone-poem Starless and Bible Black.

Jazz in Reading – in collaboration with Progress Theatre – has arranged a performance of the work: Stan Tracey’s music interwoven with Dylan Thomas’ words. This is a rare opportunity to experience two musical and literary masterworks at their uplifting and life-affirming best.

“A friend of mine has attended every presentation of this performance to date having attended the previous five at Goring, Oxford, Marlow, Bracknell and Reading. He finds new treasures to enjoy on each occasion. So will you. This is not to be missed.” – Trevor Bannister

Progress Theatre, Reading, RG1 5HL.

Jim Mullen / Terence Collie Duo at Jazz on the Plaza, Café Yukari, Kew, London.

Date: Sunday, May 26, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Sunday 26 May 7.30pm
Jazz on the Plaza
Café Yukari, Kew

Jim Mullen - Guitar
Terence Collie - Piano

£16 in advance, £18 on the door

Making his Jazz on the Plaza debut is the legend of the UK jazz scene and award-winning Scottish guitarist Jim Mullen.
Enjoy an intimate piano and guitar concert in the “bijou” setting that is Cafe Yukari.

Mood Indigo Events are run by Kingston based vocalist Janet McCunn and Hampton based pianist Terence Collie combining their efforts to bring great jazz music to SW London and beyond. This is all done without any funding and is reliant solely on your continued support in attendance at our events.

http://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk

Neighbourhood Café Yukari
110 North Road
Kew,
Richmond,
TW9 4HJ

Dave O’Higgins Quartet at Mood Indigo Events, Riverside Arts Centre, Sunbury-on-Thames.

Date: Sunday, May 19, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Sunday 19 May 8pm
Riverside Arts Centre, 59 Thames Street, Sunbury

Dave O’Higgins - Saxophone
Terence Collie - Piano
Matyas Hofecker - Double Bass
Alfonso Vitale - Drums

£16 online/£20 on the door

A welcome return to Sunbury for the prolific recording artist (over 20 albums as leader) and one of the UK’s finest tenor saxophonists, the mighty Dave O’Higgins!

Mood Indigo Events are run by Kingston based vocalist Janet McCunn and Hampton based pianist Terence Collie combining their efforts to bring great jazz music to SW London and beyond. This is all done without any funding and is reliant solely on your continued support in attendance at our events.

http://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk

Graham McGregor-Smith Band at The Old Court, Windsor.

Date: Tuesday, June 04, 2024

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Graham McGregor-Smith Returns To The Old Court for Hometown gig - June 4th

GRAHAM MCGREGOR-SMITH ANNOUNCES HOMETOWN SHOW
The Old Court, Windsor
June 4th 2024

‘A superb songwriter who brings a touch of pure class to proceedings’ BBC Introducing

Graham McGregor-Smith has a wonderfully conversational songwriting style’ Sir Robin Millar CBE (Producer – Sade / Everything But The Girl)

Local singer-songwriter Graham McGregor-Smith and his band return to The Old Court in Windsor on June 4th to play his superb debut album, ‘Road to Anywhere’.

“A most enjoyable album”: Jazz Views

“Undeniable joy and life-affirming energy” On Magazine

Promising a night of awesome music and good vibes Graham will be accompanied by his all-star band featuring some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians. Together, they will perform songs from ‘Road To Anywhere’, along with a handful of cover songs responsible for influencing and inspiring Graham throughout his life. To complete a thrilling set, Graham has alluded to a potential preview of some new material.

Having sold out shows at Hampstead Jazz Club, and Windsor’s The Old Court at the end of 2023, Graham launched his album at the famous Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho in March.

“Performing at Pizza Express, Soho was a joy from start to finish”, McGregor-Smith explains. “I’ve seen so many amazing live performances there over the years, so to actually launch my album at this venue that has hosted the debuts of Gregory Porter, Diana Krall and Norah Jones was a huge honour and profoundly humbling. Looking forward to the show in Windsor, there’s something truly special about playing to your home crowd. With so many friends and family in the audience, it just lifts everything and creates a feeling of pure magic, so I can’t wait.”

Band Line up:
Graham McGregor-Smith (vocals)
Julian Hinton (MD, keys and backing vocals) [Trevor Horn; Seal; Rod Stewart; Stormzy]
Brandon Allen(saxophone) [Kyle Eastwood; Omar]
Ben Somers (bass and backing vocals) [Seal; Taylor Swift]
Dave Storey (drums) [Ivo Neame, Mike Outram]

Born in rural Worcestershire and raised on a musical diet of jazz, blues and pop, Graham McGregor-Smith enjoyed a successful business career before facing up to the inescapable fact that his teenage passion for songwriting burned as brightly as ever.

After years of contemplation and completing many life milestones, including a successful business career, a 3,200-mile charity bike ride for Action Medical Research, and raising children, Graham decided his 61 years of age was no longer a barrier restricting his dreams of a career in music. After devoting time to refining and developing his songwriting through courses at London’s ICMP and The Songwriting Academy, Graham penned the songs that would later go on to make up his first album. Graham recently talked to The Guardian about releasing his debut album in his sixties – read his story here.

A lyric-led musician, Graham pens and performs spiritually uplifting songs with tinctures of classic instrumentation that fuse pop and swinging jazz, that results in a harmonious blend that bears resemblance to artists Gilbert O’Sullivan, Jimmy Webb and João Gilberto.

Graham has shared a live performance of the album’s title track ‘Road To Anywhere’ featuring his talented fleet of accompanying musicians. WATCH HERE. The track is one of the collections brightest moments, and encompasses lessons from life and escaping love that led to the production of this album. Existing as an uplifting mantra reminding oneself, that once you have escaped the darkness in your past, wherever the road takes you will be better and brighter.

Road To Anywhere is available on CD, vinyl, download and all streaming services now.

Tickets;
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/graham-mcgregor-smith-performs-road-to-anywhere-tickets-853795133227?aff=oddtdtcreator

https://mcgregor-smith.com/

Blues Central at The Melville Centre, Abergavenny.

Date: Friday, June 14, 2024

More details

From;
https://melvillecentre.org.uk/event/blues-central/

Blues Central
June 14 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
|£12.00

BLUES CENTRAL are a four piece electric, Rhythm & Blues band, formed in 2001 by former RCA records recording artist and studio session musician Pete Hughes.
Since their formation, the band has played on the national blues club and festival circuit, sharing a stage with artists including Nina Simone, Booker T and the MGs, Gary Moore, Chicken Shack and several other global blues luminaries.
The band has also appeared live on the Paul Jones Blues show on BBC Radio 2.
BLUES CENTRAL play an eclectic mix of urban blues from Chicago, Texas and the American “Deep South” all with their unique British interpretation.
A good time is guaranteed for all…..

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

Tara Clerkin Trio + Haress at Sy;gigs, St. Alkmund’s Church, Shrewsbury.

Date: Thursday, May 23, 2024

More details

From;
https://www.facebook.com/people/Sygigs/100095324282062/

Event 5.0 - Season 2.0
Letting the Light in - an alternative approach to music and mental health.

Tara Clerkin Trio @soundaroundme_ + @haressband
@ St Alkmunds Church Shrewsbury
May 23rd 2024.

Tara Clerkin Trio @soundaroundme_ are Pat Benjamin, Sunny Joe Paradisos and Tara Clerkin, two of which hail from Shrewsbury.

The musicians involved in a number of cult Bristol bands over the years before confidently settling down in triangle formation. They are inspired by and borrow from jazz, trip hop, electronica, psychedelia & minimalism, twirling the non-pretentious strands of these threads together into a trippy green winged-cloak, adorning Arthur Russell and dripping in blue jam.

TCT will be supported by Haress who are based in Bishops Castle in our beautiful Shropshire Hills.
Haress intertwine dark and repetitive electric guitar figures in order to create a hypnotic mantra-like state, their intuitive playing works on a kind of telepathy until it’s impossible for the onlooker to work out which player is responsible for which sound.

The Harlem Gospel Travelers at 229, London.

Date: Sunday, July 28, 2024

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

The Harlem Gospel Travelers announce exclusive UK concert.

After being discovered by Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed, The Harlem Gospel Travelers released their first LP in 2019 titled He’s On Time (Colemine Records), garnering rave reviews, with Pop Matters hailing the album’s “musical transcendence” and AllMusic praising it as “dreamlike and joyous”.

In 2022, The Harlem Gospel Travelers released their sophomore album titled Look Up! (Colemine Records). Craig Charles of BBC6 Music called it “the soundtrack to one of the best albums of the decade so far.”

The band also openly tackles subjects like racism and injustice with a fierce sense of pride and determination. The album has also caught the attention of Sir Elton John who has invited the band to his Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music, and declared them as his second favourite American group.

Tickets from;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/the-harlem-gospel-travelers/229/3000814

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

East Neuk Festival, various locations in Crail, Anstruther, Kilrenny, St Monans and Elie, Fife.

Dates: Wednesday, June 26, 2024 - Sunday, June 30, 2024

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

Cross genre music festival held in various towns in the East Neuk region of Fife. For details please visit Festival website;
https://eastneukfestival.com/enf2024/

Mick Hutton All Star Invite Quintet at Clun Valley Jazz, SpArC Theatre,  Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire.

Date: Saturday, December 14, 2024

More details

From;
https://clunvalleyjazz.com/whats-on/p/mick-hutton-all-star-invite-quintet-14th-december-2024-sparc-theatre-bishops-castle

Mick Hutton All Star Invite Quintet - 14th December 2024, SpArC Theatre Bishop’s Castle
£23.00

Mick has been well known on the British jazz scene since 1980, recording more than 100 CDs as well as providing music for film and television.

SpArC Theatre, Brampton Rd, Bishops Castle.

Shirley Smart Trio at Clun Valley Jazz, SpArC Theatre,  Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire.

Date: Saturday, November 09, 2024

Featuring: Shirley Smart

More details

From;
https://clunvalleyjazz.com/whats-on/p/shirley-smart-trio-9th-november-sparc-theatre-bishops-castle

Shirley Smart Trio - 9th November, SpArC Theatre Bishop’s Castle
£23.00
SpArC Theatre, Brampton Rd, Bishops Castle.

Clun Valley Jazz welcomes this incredible collective back to Bishop’s Castle for another amazing night. Shirley is one of the best improvising cellists in the UK, flanked by John Crawford on piano and Demi Garcia Shabat on drums.

Loz Speyer’s Inner Space Quintet at Clun Valley Jazz, SpArC Theatre, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire.

Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024

Featuring: Loz Speyer’s Inner Space

More details

From;
https://clunvalleyjazz.com/whats-on/p/loz-speyers-inner-space-quintet-14th-september-sparc-theatre-bishops-castle

Loz Speyer’s Inner Space Quintet - 14th September,  SpArC Theatre Bishop’s Castle
£23.00

Loz Speyer brings together an astonishing collecting of musicians to form the Inner Space Quintet, challenging each distinctive voice to make itself known within this immediate, captivating music. Featuring Loz Speyer on trumpet & flugelhorn, Dee Byrne on alto saxophone, Josephine Davies on tenor saxophone, Oli Brice on double bass and Gary Willcox on drums.

SpArC Theatre, Brampton Rd, Bishops Castle.

Josephine Davies Satori Trio at Clun Valley Jazz, SpArC Theatre Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire.

Date: Saturday, August 10, 2024

Featuring: Josephine Davies

More details

From;
https://clunvalleyjazz.com/whats-on/p/josephine-davies-trio-satori-10th-august-2024-sparc-theatre-bishops-castle

Josephine Davies Trio Satori - 10th August 2024, SpArC Theatre Bishop’s Castle
£23.00

Satori’s irrepressible ensemble defies categorisation, instead shifting deftly through various imaginative soundscapes according to where the shared inspiration takes them. Featuring Dave Whitford on double bass, Dave Madden on drums and Josephine Davies on saxophone.

SpArC Theatre, Brampton Rd, Bishops Castle.

Jay Phelps Sextet at Clun Valley Jazz, SpArC Theatre, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire.

Date: Saturday, July 13, 2024

Featuring: Jay Phelps

More details

From;
https://clunvalleyjazz.com/whats-on/p/jay-phelps-sextet-13th-july-2024-sparc-theatre-bishops-castle

Jay Phelps Sextet - 13th July 2024, SpArC Theatre Bishop’s Castle
£23.00

Jay Phelps has curated an exceptional show that brings together the best of Miles Davis from 1958 and 1959.

Prior to the release of Kind of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all time, Miles was busy in the studio, working with the same line-up of musicians: (Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb). In 1958, the year before Kind of Blue, the album called ’58 Miles was released and set the stage for the birth of the world’s greatest jazz album of all time the following year. These albums defined the ground-breaking approach to the art of improvisation.

SpArC Theatre, Brampton Rd, Bishops Castle

Richard Fairhurst Trio at Clun Valley Jazz, SpArC Theatre,  Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire.

Date: Saturday, June 08, 2024

More details

From;
https://clunvalleyjazz.com/whats-on/p/richard-fairhurst-trio-saturday-8th-june-sparc-theatre-bishops-castle

Richard Fairhurst Trio - Saturday 8th June, SpArC Theatre Bishop’s Castle
£23.00

BBC Jazz Award winner Richard Fairhurst is one of the UK’s leading jazz pianists. With his trio, he’ll be playing music taken from his upcoming album, which will be released later this year.

The performance will feature Richard Fairhurst on piano, Dave Whitford on bass, and Tim Giles on drums.

SpArC Theatre, Brampton Rd, Bishops Castle.

Julian Costello Quartet with Georgia Mancio, album launch at 606 Jazz Club, Chelsea, London.

Date: Thursday, May 23, 2024

Featuring: Julian Costello Quartet

Venue

606 Club

90 Lots Road
London
SW10

More details

From;
https://www.606club.co.uk/events/view/julian-costello-quartet-with-special-guest-georgia-mancio-album-launch/

JULIAN COSTELLO QUARTET WITH SPECIAL GUEST GEORGIA MANCIO (ALBUM LAUNCH)
THURSDAY 23RD MAY 2024 - 8:00 PM
MUSIC CHARGE: £16.00

An established artist on the UK and International scene, saxophonist & composer Julian Costello has performed at the EFG London Jazz Festival to packed houses as well as concerts in France, Poland, Germany and Belgium. The show this evening will celebrate the launch of his latest album, ‘And All the Birds Were Set Free’ on the highly-regarded UK jazz label, 33Jazz Records. Along with Julian on tenor and soprano saxophones, the quartet includes John Turville-piano, Andy Hamill-bass & Tom Hooper-drums, and features the remarkable, award-winning vocalist Georgia Mancio as special guest. More information to follow…

“...highly melodic music…full of rhythmic sophistication” The JazzMann; “

Costello imbues his instrumental pieces with emotion, space and lyricism” London Jazz News; “Costello…a writer with a talent for inventive and memorable melodies” All About Jazz

http://www.juliancostello.co.uk

Colosseum + Soft Machine double bill at 229, London.

Date: Wednesday, November 27, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Progressive Jazz Rock Legends COLOSSEUM + SOFT MACHINE

Colosseum came to fame in 1969 when the band led by legendary drummer Jon Hiseman released its debut album Those Who Are About To Die Salute You. Best selling studio albums followed, notably Valentyne Suite (1969) and The Daughter of Time is Truth (1970). Changes in personnel saw the arrival of the soulful Chris Farlowe, famed for his Sixties chart hit Out Of Time and Clem Clempson, the young blues guitar virtuoso and vocalist and bass player Mark Clarke. However, the group broke up in 1971 and the musicians went their separate ways.

Named after the William S. Burroughs novel The Soft Machine, the Canterbury-scene legends Soft Machine were formed by Daevid Allen, Kevin Ayers, Mike Ratledge, & Robert Wyatt in 1966. Soft Machine shared the stage with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa and more. A series of incredible albums were released before the band split in 1978.

Tickets here;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/colosseum-soft-machine/229/2995486

63rd Jazz a Juan Festival, Juan-les -Pins, Cote D’Azur, France.

Dates: Monday, July 08, 2024 - Thursday, July 18, 2024

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

Guest contributor Colin May has forwarded the following information;

The Line up has been announced for this summer’s 63rd   Jazz A Juan

Marcus Miller, Joshua Redmond and Chris Potter are among the stars lined up for this year’s Jazz A Juan from the 8th to 18th of July .It will be Miller’s 15th appearance at the annual festival at Juan-les -Pins on the Cote D’Azur since his debut in 1996.

Joshua Redmond who appears on the same night as Miller is expected to have with him young vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa who features on his latest release and his first for Blue Note, and Chris Potter will lead a line-up of Brad Mehldau, John Patitucci and Jonathan Blake.

An Afro Caribbean night has been programmed with Cuban musicians El Comité and bassist Avashi Cohen’s Banda Iroko project. There’s a jazz take on the music of the Grateful Dead, trumpeter Eric Truffaz and rising funk stars Scary Pockets. Global music superstar Youssou N’Dour also is appearing .

The traditional French National Day free concert this year squeezes four acts into what’s usually a two act a night format with appearances by a Japanese pianist , a Chinese trumpeter, a French vocal group and an all female New Orleans brass band before the firework display.

Running alongside the main festival, and continuing after will be the hour long free Jammin’ Summer Sessions featuring emerging bands. Many of these will have gained selection by impressing at the previous November’s Jammin’ Juan Jazz Market which was reviewed in these pages Jammin’ Juan 2023, Palais Des Congress,
https://www.thejazzmann.com/features/article/jammin-juan-2023-palais-des-congress-juan-les-pins-france-8th-to-10th-november-2023
The line-up for the Summer Sessions will be announced in June.

For more details on the Jazz A Juan line up:
Jazz à Juan - International Jazz Festival in Juan-les-Pins (http://www.jazzajuan.com)

G*Funk at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.

Dates: Friday, December 27, 2024 - Monday, December 30, 2024

Venue

Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London

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

More details

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

G*Funk
PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)
Now firmly established as the best possible cure for the post-Christmas blues, G*Funk are back once again to keep the holiday spirit going with a selection of fantastic Soul, Blues, Rock and Funk covers that are guaranteed to put you in the party mood. An unmissable chance to see world class musicians cut loose and play a selection of classic tunes.
£39.00

27 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
28 December 2024 12:00pm 1:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
28 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
29 December 2024 12:00pm 1:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
29 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
30 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00

Acoustic Alchemy, December residency at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.

Dates: Monday, December 16, 2024 - Monday, December 23, 2024

Venue

Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London

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

More details

From;
https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/acoustic-alchemy

Acoustic Alchemy
PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

For over two decades Acoustic Alchemy have been packing out Dean Street with their legendary December shows. After a three years that has seen their new album Thirty Three and a Third receive both critical acclaim and chart and radio success and touring the world the band are back in London to play their unique blend of jazz, funk, reggae and blues. These shows are always a highlight of the year and often sell out fast so book early to avoid disappointment!

Acoustic Alchemy have spent over a quarter century making music and in that time they have not only received critical acclaim for their albums (including three Grammy nominations), but also have built a reputation for being one of the most exciting live bands in the business.

For the last decade the band lineup has been made up of Greg Carmichael on nylon guitar, Miles Gilderdale on steel string acoustic and electric guitars, Fred White on keyboards and the powerhouse rhythm section of Greg Grainger on drums and his brother, Gary Grainger on bass.

Despite a tragic setback in the late 1990s and the inherent challenges of the 21st century music industry – the group has assembled and sustained a vast and loyal following that stretches well beyond their U.K. origins.

https://www.acousticalchemy.co.uk/

Band Lineup;
Greg Carmichael (guitar)
Miles Gilderdale (guitar)
Jay Rowe (keyboards)
Greg Grainger (drums)
Gary Grainger (bass)

16 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
17 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
18 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
19 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
20 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
21 December 2024 12:00pm 1:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
21 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
22 December 2024 12:00pm 1:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
22 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00
23 December 2024 6:30pm 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Available £39.00

Zoe Gilby Quartet: “Pannonica” at Guildford Jazz, Guildford Pavilion, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Thursday, May 23, 2024

Featuring: Zoe Gilby Quartet

More details

From Martin Collins of Guildford Jazz;

Thursday 23rd May: Zoe Gilby: “Pannonica”
Performing lyrical interpretations of compositions from the legendary pianist and composer, Thelonious Monk. Inspired by the 1988 Carmen McRae album “Carmen Sings Monk”, Zoe details this performance with a time line of Thelonious and Carmen’s career including the story behind ‘Pannonica’ written in honour of the patron of bebop, Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter. Zoe Gilby’s unique vocal phrasing and appreciation of Monk and McRae’s work is the highlight of this project. With Terence Collie on piano, Marianne WIndham on double bass and Alex Goodyear on drums.
Food and drinks from 19.15 Jazz from 20:00 to 22:15
at Guildford Pavilion, Woodbridge Road, GU1 4RP.
Tickets £20 (Discounts for Members and Students) https://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk/

Roger Beaujolais Quartet at The Irving Studio, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, Glos.

Date: Monday, June 03, 2024

Featuring: Roger Beaujolais Quartet

More details

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

WHEN: 8.00 pm, Monday 3rd June

WHERE: The Irving Studio, Everyman TheatreCheltenhamTickets: £20.00

Roger Beaujolais - Vibes, Robin Aspland - Piano Simon Thorpe - Bass, Milo Fell - Drums

Roger Beaujolais is the foremost vibes player in the UK. He is doing a tribute to Milt Jackson (MJQ) and promoting his latest album ‘Bags of Vibes’. Along with a bit of a history of vibes in jazz, featuring compositions by other well-known vibes players.

Tickets available from the Everyman Theatre Box Office 01242 572573 or http://www.everymantheatre.org.uk

The Everyman Theatre
Regent Street, Cheltenham, GL50 1HQ

Box Office: 01242 572573

https://www.rogerbeaujolais.com/

Hejira – Celebrating Joni Mitchell at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, June 27, 2024

Featuring: Hejira featuring Hattie Whitehead

More details

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

Hejira – Celebrating Joni Mitchell
June 27 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Celebrating the music of Joni Mitchell featuring Hattie Whitehead in a formidable 7-piece band
Hejira is a 7-piece band set up to celebrate and honour the masterpiece works of Joni Mitchell, mostly from the late ‘70s. Having released the albums ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns’, ‘Hejira’, ‘Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter’ and ‘Mingus’  (regarded as her ‘jazz period’), Joni then toured briefly with a band formed from the crème de la crème of contemporaneous jazz musicians (Metheny, Mays, Brecker, Pastorius and Alias). The tour was recorded, producing the outstanding live album, ‘Shadows And Light’; it is from this album that the band Hejira is drawing the body of its repertoire. Comprising highly experienced jazz musicians, this band is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead who not only has – in her own way – assimilated the poise, power and beauty of Joni’s vocals, but also plays guitar with Joni’s stylistic mannerisms. Expect an evening of the ‘great’ songs from Mitchell’s back catalogue, such as ‘Amelia’, ‘Woodstock’, ‘A Case Of You’, ’Song For Sharon’ and ‘Edith And The Kingpin’.

Hattie is joined by Ollie Weston (tenor & soprano saxophones), Chris Eldred (keyboards), Pete Oxley (guitar), Dave Jones (bass), Rick Finlay (drums) and Marc Cecil (percussion)

TICKETS
Music Spoken Here prides itself in offering 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 £10-15.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach
https://musicspokenhere.club/a-new-approach/

VENUE
The Marrs Bar
12 Pierpoint Street
Worcester,
Worcestershire WR1 1TA
Phone
(01905) 613336

ORGANISER
Music Spoken Here
Phone
07989745955
Email
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Brandon Allen’s Groove Band at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, June 13, 2024

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/brandon-allens-groove-band/

Brandon Allen’s Groove Band
June 13 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Groove, funk & fusion from a saxophone heavyweight at the height of his powers
We are delighted to welcome Australian/UK saxophonist and composer Brandon Allen to The Marr’s Bar with his Groove Band for an evening of groove, funk & fusion influenced by Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Eddie Harris, John Scofield, Tom Scott, David Sanborn and The Brecker Brothers.

Allen, who also heads up the Brandon Allen Quartet / Sextet and The Stanley Turrentine Project, has toured Internationally with the Kyle Eastwood band and performed with Eric Clapton, Paloma Faith, Omar Lyefook, Gary Husband, Adam Nussbaum, Stefano Di Battista, Ibrahim Maalouf and numerous others.

This relatively new band, which has already enjoyed two sold-out shows at Ronnie Scott’s, has an equally impressive collective CV. The lineup features Mike Outram (Carleen Anderson, Tim Garland, Chick Corea, Steven Wilson, Herbie Mann) on guitar, Hamish Balfour (Harvey Mason, Yolanda Charles’ Project PH, Tenderlonious, Odyssey, Faze Action, Bassically) on keys, Chris Attwell (Valmuz) on bass and Jamie Murray (Gary Husband, Emma Rawicz, David Preston, Emily Francis).

TICKETS
Music Spoken Here prides itself in offering 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 £10-15.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach
https://musicspokenhere.club/a-new-approach/

VENUE
The Marrs Bar
12 Pierpoint Street
Worcester,
Worcestershire WR1 1TA
Phone
(01905) 613336

ORGANISER
Music Spoken Here
Phone
07989745955
Email
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Trio HLK with Evelyn Glennie at Hall One, Lings Place, London.

Date: Friday, June 14, 2024

More details

From;
https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/jazz/evelyn-glennie-and-trio-hlk/

Evelyn Glennie and Trio HLK
Anthropometricks
Scotland Unwrapped

Join Evelyn Glennie and Trio HLK in Hall One as they showcase their enthralling new album Anthropometricks.
Since forming a quartet with legendary percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Trio HLK have forged a unique new musical language, bringing together contemporary classical and jazz and performed to sold-out halls all over Europe. In this concert for Scotland Unwrapped, they will introduce their electrifying new album Anthropometricks.

‘True innovators’ Gramophone Magazine

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

Date: Fri 14 Jun
Start time: 8pm (Doors: 7.30pm)
Venue: Hall One
Price: £20.00-£42.00
+ 10% booking fee.
Availability: Tickets available

https://www.evelyn.co.uk/

https://www.triohlk.com/

Jasper Hoiby’s 3Elements Trio at The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston, London.

Date: Thursday, May 30, 2024

Featuring: Jasper Hoiby

Venue

The Vortex Jazz Club

11 Gillett Square,
London N16 8AZ

More details

From;
https://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/event/jasper-hoibys-3elements-trio/

JASPER HOIBY’S 3ELEMENTS TRIO
THU 30 MAY 2024, 7.30PM
Standard £15 / Vortex Members £13 / Students & UC beneficiaries £12

Doors 7:30 PM, Music 8:00 PM – 1 set(s) of music

LINE-UP:
Jasper Høiby – Bass
Jamie Peet – Drums
Chaerin Im – Piano

ABOUT
As the founding member of Phronesis, one of the most talked about and acclaimed European bands during the last decade, Jasper Høiby now returns with his new piano trio 3Elements. With a melodic and bold sound of visceral and kinetic musical interplay and featuring a revolving line-up of some of Europe’s best young talent, his latest release ‘Like Water’ features piano prodigy Chaerin Im from South Korea and Jamie Peet, a uniquely eclectic drummer from the Netherlands.
Since creating his first band in 2005, Copenhagen-born London based bassist Jasper Høiby has gained recognition for his fresh and dynamic approach to jazz, blending intricate compositions with spontaneous improvisation. With Høiby’s bass playing at the forefront, he has released a string of highly acclaimed albums and toured extensively around the globe, captivating audiences with his various groups which include Phronesis, Fellow Creatures and Planet B. His music transcends genres, combining elements of contemporary jazz and European folky influences with cutting edge improvisation.
Since 2010, Jasper Høiby has emerged as a pivotal artist within Edition Records, choosing the label as the exclusive home for all his musical releases. His collaborations span across a spectrum of the jazz scene’s luminaries including Tigran Hamasyan, Jason Lindner, Jeff Ballard, Shai Maestro, Mark Guiliana, Verneri Pohjola, Marius Neset, Django Bates, Sun Mi Hong, Miquel Zenón, Louis Cole, Makaya McCraven, Ben Lamar Gay, Wolfgang Muthspiel and Kit Downes. He has appeared at jazz clubs, concert halls and festivals across the world and in 2012 won the Copenhagen Jazz Festival’s ‘Young Spirit Award’ alongside honorary award winners Jack DeJohnette and Palle Mikkelborg.

“The brilliant bass player, Jasper Høiby, outstanding music”
– GILLES PETERSON

“Høiby fashions his pieces so the lines between freedom and form are beautifully blurred, the music flows as a tumultuous organic whole –
everything belongs, nothing is forced.”
– MOJO

“The intricate, information-dense linear arrangements and tightly plotted rhythm tracks that characterised Phronesis are here relaxed so that the music is allowed to flow and breathe.” – Editors Choice, JAZZWISE ****

“3 Elements” offers an uncompromising and robust sound palette, which recalls the groove of Phronesis while being distinguished by the richness of the charismatic and unique sound of Høiby’s bass.
– RADIO FRANCE

“3Elements” offers a compelling, uncompromising, and robust sonic palette reminiscent of the groove-centric Phronesis, whilst being enriched by Høiby’s unmistakably charismatic bass sound.
– UKVibe *****

Petersfield Jazz Festival at Churcher’s College, Ramshill, Petersfield, Hampshire.

Date: Saturday, June 01, 2024

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

Colin Clark of Petersfield Jazz Festival writes;

This will be the first Petersfield Jazz Festival and will be held on 1st June in the grounds of Churcher’s College, Petersfield under a large marquee for an audience of around 400.

There will be eight bands, the headliners being Stefan Redtenbacher’s Funkestra playing their homage to Joni Mitchell. We also have The Full Circle Quartet, Emily Windham featuring Nicolas Meier, Pete Roth Trio, Sam Walker and Anton Browne and Sarah Jane Eveleigh.

Our website is :
http://www.petersfieldjazzfest.com

Churcher’s College,
Ramshill,
Petersfield
GU31 4AS

Swansea International Jazz Festival 2024, various venues, Swansea.

Dates: Thursday, June 13, 2024 - Sunday, June 16, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Swansea International Jazz Festival
June 13 - 16, 2024

The city will be buzzing with the cool sound of jazz from 13 to 16 June,  when the festival makes its welcome return.

Swansea Council proudly brings you Swansea International Jazz Festival in partnership with Swansea Jazz Club.

Concert Programme Here;
https://www.swanseajazzland.co.uk/ourtickets/cat_1824544-2-SWANSEA-INTERNATIONAL-JAZZ-FESTIVAL-2024.html

Curved Air at The 100 Club, London.

Date: Thursday, August 15, 2024

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Curved Air are a pioneering English progressive rock group formed in 1970 by musicians from mixed artistic backgrounds, including classical, folk, and electronic sound. The resulting sound of the band was a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock, and fusion with classical elements.

Along with High Tide and East of Eden, Curved Air were one of the first rock bands after It’s a Beautiful Day, The Flock and The United States of America to feature a violin.

Curved Air released eight studio albums, the first three of which broke the UK Top 20, and had a hit single with Back Street Luv which reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart.

Tickets here;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/curved-air/100-club/2946039

100 Club,
100 Oxford Strett
London W1D 1LL.

‘Beyond the Bassline’, 500 years of Black music in Britain exhibition at The British Library, London.

Dates: Friday, April 26, 2024 - Monday, August 26, 2024

More details

We have received the following press release;

First exhibition to document 500 years of Black music in Britain opens at the British Library this spring.

Beyond the Bassline (26 April – 26 August 2024) is the first major exhibition to document 500 years of Black music in Britain

Events with Joan Armatrading, Eddy Grant and No Signal confirmed with more to be revealed

New works by Touching Bass, Jukebox Collective, Rastafari Movement UK Wellbeing, Friendly Pressure and Khadijah Ibrahiim explore music as a vehicle for community

Beyond the Bassline (26 April – 26 August 2024) at the British Library is the first major exhibition to document the 500-year musical journey of African and Caribbean people in Britain. Inspired by the British Library’s sound archive, the exhibition explores the people, spaces and genres that have transformed the landscape of British music.

Traversing musical genres, from classical, gospel and jazz through to reggae, jungle and afroswing, Beyond the Bassline charts the influence of Black British musicians, creatives and entrepreneurs on popular music since the 16th-century. It also considers the role emerging technologies and the internet have played in creating, listening to and sharing music.

The exhibition spotlights the spaces – physical, digital and symbolic – that have cultivated creative expression and inspired a number of Black British music genres, from The Reno in Manchester, Bristol’s Bamboo Club, Scottish club night The Reggae Klub and The Four Aces in London, to carnivals, community centres and record shops across the country.

Encompassing more than 200 exhibits, Beyond the Bassline features:

Audiovisual material, from interviews with activist Amy Ashwood Garvey, calypsonian Lord Kitchener and musician Fela Kuti to performances by singer Shirley Bassey, pianist Winifred Atwell and saxophonist Joe Harriott, and footage from the MOBO Awards and BBC One’s Top of the Pops.

Ephemera and memorabilia including a t-shirt from the Reggae Klub, one of the earliest reggae nights in Scotland, posters, signs and photographs from the Bamboo club in Bristol and The Four Aces in London, and objects retrieved from the demolished basement of The Reno in Manchester.

Costumes, including a dress worn by Patti Flynn, co-founder of the Butetown Bay Jazz Heritage Festival and the Black History Month movement in Wales, on her 1970s tour.

Visual art including The Lion of Judah Roars in his Head (1977) by Errol Lloyd, Night Owls (1995) by Denzil Forrester, Sounds Yellow (2009) by Sir Frank Bowling and imagery documenting the evolution of grime by acclaimed photographer Simon Wheatley.

Musical instruments including a double bass belonging to Gary Crosby, founding member of Jazz Warriors and a 1950s steelpan on loan from the Horniman Museum.

Equipment including Ludwig van Beethoven’s tuning fork, which he presented to violinist George Bridgetower in 1803, sound engineer King Tubby’s Hometown Hi-Found and Mighty Ruler’s 1960s sound systems, plus a Sony Walkman WM B-10, Telepathy Tape Pack and Nokia 3310.

Manuscripts and books including a handwritten letter by 19th century opera singer Amanda Aldridge, also known as Montague Ring and published letters by 18th century composer Ignatius Sancho.

To accompany Beyond the Bassline there will be a rich programme of public events, including live performances, club takeovers by No Signal (26 April), Touching Bass (3 May and 12 July) and Queer Bruk (21 June), as well as in conversation events with eminent singer-songwriters Eddy Grant (26 April) and Joan Armatrading (18 June), with more to be revealed.

Visitors to Beyond the Bassline will also get to see a new, specially commissioned film. iwoyi: within the echo (2024) is a five-channel 10-minute film and sound installation exploring the radical potential of Black British music to manifest reparative futures. Directed by Tayo Rapoport and Rohan Ayinde in collaboration with the South London-based musical movement and curatorial platform Touching Bass, the film is produced by NOIR and has an original score made by Melo-Zed.

New soundscapes, artworks and films exploring Black British identity through the medium of music feature throughout the exhibition and have been created by community-rooted, youth-led group Jukebox Collective, charitable enterprise and network Rastafari Movement UK Wellbeing, bespoke loudspeaker system Friendly Pressure and literary activist, theatre maker and published writer, Khadijah Ibrahiim.

Curated by Dr Aleema Gray at the British Library in collaboration with Mykaell Riley at the University of Westminster, Beyond the Bassline follows a three-year partnership to research, foreground and reposition six centuries of African musical contributions to the UK.

Dr Aleema Gray, lead curator of Beyond the Bassline at the British Library, said:
‘The exhibition represents a timely opportunity to broaden our understanding of Black British music and situate it within a historical conversation. Black British music is more than a soundtrack. It has formed part of an expansive cultural industry that transformed British culture.’

Associate Professor Mykaell Riley, guest curator of Beyond the Bassline at the British Library and Director of The Black Music Research Unit at the University of Westminster, said: ‘
This is British history, this is popular music. And the exhibition is not an end point but the beginning of a new positioning of Black British music, within academic research and high art spaces.’

There will be panel displays and events at public libraries across the UK, arranged through the Living Knowledge Network, with each library’s collection, regional connections and local music scene at the core, to help tell a national story about Black music in Britain.

Beyond the Bassline tickets are on general sale from today (http://www.beyondthebassline.seetickets.com/) and cost £15 with concessions available. There will be Pay What You Can days on the first Wednesday of every month.

About the British Library
We are the national library of the UK and we are here for everyone. Our shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. Although our roots extend back centuries, we aim to collect everything published in the UK today, tomorrow and far into the future. Our trusted experts care for this collection and open it up for everyone to spark new discoveries, ideas and to help people do incredible things
We have millions of books, and much more besides. Our London and Yorkshire sites hold collections ranging from newspapers and maps to sound recordings, patents, academic journals, as well as a copy of every UK domain website and blog. Our public spaces provide a place to research, to meet friends, to start up a new business or simply to get inspired by visiting our galleries and events. We work with partners and libraries across the UK and the world to make sure that as many people as possible have the chance to use and explore our collections, events and expertise. And we’re always open online.

About the University of Westminster
The University of Westminster offers a vibrant learning environment attracting more than 21,000 students from nearly 170 nations and we continue to invest in our future with new developments, research projects and new ideas. The University ranked in the top 20 in the UK and in the top 30 in the world for international students, according to the Times Higher World University Ranking 2024.
The University has also been recognised as one of the top 15% out of over 1,400 universities globally for its work on contributing to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). We also rank 2nd for social mobility among English universities, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and educational charity the Sutton Trust. Established as London’s first polytechnic in 1838, we have, from our earliest days, opened our doors to provide educational opportunities to people regardless of their background and supported them on their journey to develop their skills, knowledge and expertise.
We offer highly attractive practice-based courses which are independently rated as excellent, many with international recognition. Our distinguished 186-year history has meant we lead the way in many areas of research, particularly Politics, Media, Art and Design, Architecture and Biomedical Sciences, and our position in the city of London allows us to continue to build on our close connections with leading figures and organisations in these areas as well as in the worlds of business, information technology, politics and law. Our commitment to educating graduates for the needs of professional life attracts high quality students from within the UK and around the globe.
Global engagement, employability and sustainability are key elements in the University of Westminster’s vision for the future and we strive to ensure the very highest standards are met and maintained.

​

​

Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival 2024, Moseley Park, Birmingham.

Dates: Friday, July 12, 2024 - Sunday, July 14, 2024

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Birmingham’s Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival 2024 announce Phase 2 line-up
Friday 12 to Sunday 14 July 2024
Birmingham UK

LEFTFIELD
YUSSEF DAYES
THE BLACKBYRDS
JAMES LAVELLE | MR SCRUFF | DAWN RICHARD | MUNGO’S HI FI | JAMES HUNTER   | RYAN HOPE + MORE

Leftfield, Yussef Dayes and The Blackbyrds are among the headline acts set to join the previously announced Kool and The Gang at Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival (Friday 12 to Sunday 14 July 2024).

Other acts heading to the Birmingham festival’s main stages include Mo’Wax and Unkle’s James Lavelle (DJ set), Mr Scruff, Glaswegian soundsystem Mungo’s Hi Fi with Marina P, Grammy-nominated James Hunter, primordial groovers Thumpasaurus, New Orleans’ dynamo Dawn Richard, and Ezra Collective’s Ife Ogunjobi.

Formed in 1988, Leftfield (Friday) quickly became one of the most influential and innovative dance music acts of all time. 1995’s Leftism and 1999’s Rhythm and Stealth were both Mercury Music Prize nominees, solidifying their position as true pioneers.

Revered multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer Yussef Dayes’ (Saturday) debut solo album, Black Classical Music, made an instant impact when it dropped last autumn, prompting two BRIT Award nominations (for best new Artist and Best Alternative Act). Yussef is widely recognised as one of the most electrifying live performers of his generation.

Assembled by legendary Donald Byrd in 1973, The Blackbyrds (Saturday) laid the foundations for the jazz-funk movement. With such tracks as Do It Fluid, Walking In Rhythm, Happy Music and the iconic Rock Creek Park, their music has been widely sampled by such acts as De La Soul and Massive Attack. Recently celebrating their 50th anniversary, their line-up is led by original members Keith Killgo and Joe Hall.

Other acts heading to Mostly Jazz include Ryan Hope (one third of Gabriels), multi-instrumentalist corto.alto, Jorja Smith labelmates Bricknasty, Canadian hip hop collective Super Duty Tough Work, London-based soul ensemble Wonder 45, and Luke Una, plus leading West Midlanders Leftfoot (hosting their own stage), Neone The Wonderer, The Atlantic Players, Ella More, Isla Wolfe, and Alex Polack.

They join the already announced Sunday headliners Kool and The Gang, along with DJ Craig Charles, and Nubiyan Twist.

John Fell, Mostly Jazz’s Festival Manager, said: “With one of the most influential electronic acts, Leftfield, opening on Friday, the BRIT nominated Yussef Dayes with us on Saturday, with the legendary R&B/funk pioneers Kool and The Gang closing on Sunday, we have one of the most varied Mostly Jazz line-ups so far. And we still have a couple special guests to announce yet – so keep an eye out for news on those soon.”

Set in the idyllic Moseley Park, just two miles outside of Birmingham city centre, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival has built a strong reputation for presenting iconic and up-and-coming artists in an intimate outdoor setting.

Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival runs from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 July 2024 at Moseley Park and Pool, Moseley, Birmingham. Tickets on sale from Friday 23 February 2024, 10am. See: http://www.mostlyjazz.co.uk

LISTINGS

Friday 12 to Sunday 14 July 2024
Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival
Moseley Park and Pool, 93b Alcester Road, Birmingham B13 8DD
Website: http://www.mostlyjazz.co.uk

Social media:
http://www.facebook.com/mostlyjazz
http://www.x.com/mostly_jazz
http://www.instagram.com/mostly_jazz/
#mostlyjazz

Tickets:
Adult Day: £65 + booking fees
Under 18 Day: £32 + booking fees
Family Day: £160 + booking fees
Adult Weekend: £169 + booking fees
Family Weekend: £370 + booking fees
Under 18 Weekend: £65 + booking fees
Under 12: Free

FRIDAY 12 JULY 2024
Leftfield
Dawn Richard
James Lavelle (DJ set)
Ryan Hope (Gabriels)
Mr Scruff
Bricknasty
Ella More
NBHD House Band x Neone The Wonderer

Leftfoot presents: Official After Party
Fila Brazillia (DJ set) + guests
Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham

SATURDAY 13 JULY 2024
Yussef Dayes
The Blackbyrds
Thumpasaurus
Luke Una
Homoelectric
The Atlantic Players
Sofia Grant
Super Duty Tough Work
Knats
Ashley Allen & Friends
Isla Wolfe
Band: Together

Leftfoot presents: Official After Party
Leftfoot Allstars + guests
Hare and Hounds, Kings Heath, Birmingham

SUNDAY 14 JULY 2024
Kool and The Gang
Craig Charles
Mungo’s HiFi x Marina P
Nubiyan Twist
James Hunter
Cherise
Ife Ogunjobi
Wonder 45
corto.alto
The Filthy Six
Ni Maxine
The Alex Polack Quartet and The Ibaia String Quartet

Further artists to be announced.

ABOUT MOSTLY JAZZ FUNK AND SOUL FESTIVAL
Debuting in 2010, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival is a diverse, vibrant festival, celebrating ground-breaking, innovative UK music alongside international trailblazers. Held in Moseley Park, a stunning 11-acre woodland glade in the heart of Moseley Village, the festival is just two miles from the centre of Birmingham, yet is a world away from city life. With sloping grounds, creating a natural amphitheatre in front of the beautiful lake, it’s the perfect setting for a festival. Each year Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul brings incredible artists, workshops, arts, crafts, and a selection of Birmingham’s most loved street food and drinks vendors to Moseley, for one epic party weekend.

Previous headliners include Chic feat. Nile Rodgers, Public Enemy, Gregory Porter, Chaka Khan, De La Soul, Bonobo, The Specials, The Wailers, Goldie, Fat Freddy’s Drop and KC and The Sunshine Band.

Secret Night Gang at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, May 30, 2024

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/secret-night-gang/

Secret Night Gang
May 30 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Uplifting, transcendent, jazz-inflected street soul from Manchester

Come and join us as we celebrate two years of Music Spoken Here at The Marr’s Bar with a very special show from British street soul masters, Secret Night Gang. Formed by Manchester natives and childhood friends Kemani Anderson and Callum Connell, this 7-piece collective spread their uplifting, transcendent, and genre-blending street soul sound through dynamic melodies and jazz-inflected soul prowess, renewing the musical frontiers of the genres. released

Handpicked from Manchester’s vibrant live music scene in 2021 by legendary broadcaster, DJ, producer and label head Gilles Peterson, the band has been championed by a wide range of tastemakers, including Rolling Stone, Clash magazine, Jazz FM, Jamie Cullum and Bandcamp, just to mention a few. Their eponymous debut album in 2021 on Peterson’s Brownswood label was followed up last year with “Belongs on a Place Called Earth”, selling out shows at Ronnie Scott’s and the Jazz Cafe in London. They have also performed at the most progressive contemporary festivals including North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Primavera Sound, Love Supreme, We Out Here and Cross the Tracks.

Joining Kemani (vocals) and Callum (sax) will be Aaron Wood (trumpet), Nicola Guida (keys), Jack Duckham (guitar), Manny (bass) and Ruben Edwards (drums).

TICKETS
Music Spoken Here offers exceptional live music experiences in Worcester at a price affordable to you. Our fortnightly events at The Marr’s Bar are operated on a ticketless, ‘pay-what-you-can’ on the door model, which works well for most shows considering our typical audience size and venue capacity.
The suggested contribution for this event is £10-15.

For more popular shows like this where we may reach venue capacity, it is important that we monitor expected attendance to ensure the venue is adequately staffed and avoid turning people away at the door. We therefore request that you register interest in attending this event and we will provide regular updates by email. We will also provide updates through this event webpage, our mailing list and all our social media channels.

Music Spoken Here Club Members will be given priority if spaces become limited. You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach
https://musicspokenhere.club/a-new-approach/

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

Phone
(01905) 613336

ORGANISER
Music Spoken Here
Phone
07989745955
Email
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

manchester jazz festival, various venues, Manchester.

Dates: Friday, May 17, 2024 - Sunday, May 26, 2024

More details

We have received the following press release;

manchester jazz festival announces its festival line-up! (17-26 May 2024)

manchester jazz festival is back this Summer!

manchester jazz festival (mjf) is back for 10 days of jam-packed festival fun and musical vibes across the city this May!
mjf2024 will take place between 17-26 May 2024 at venues and sites across Manchester, celebrating the latest up and coming talent from across the North, and the best names in contemporary jazz.
Headliners include: John Surman, Courtney Pine, Laura Misch, Nikki Iles, Tim Garland, Sarāb, Julian Joseph, Laura Jurd, Nubiyan Twist, Daniel Erdmann, Trish Clowes & Ross Stanley and many more…

Building on the success of last year, manchester jazz festival (mjf2024) begins with a spectacular FREE opening weekender at the vibrant neighbourhood: First Street (mjf @ First Street) from 17 – 19 May. There will be three event stages: Main Stage, Ask Garden Stage and HOME stage, each celebrating the breadth and individuality of our home-grown scene and beyond: bands emerging through our artist development programmes, alongside national and international talent, plus family-friendly activities and food & drink.

There are three new venue partners for this year: The Deaf Institute (The Lodge), Stoller Hall and The Carlton Club in Whalley Range, alongside mjf regulars and returning venues: St Ann’s Church, Matt & Phreds, RNCM, Forsyth Music Shop and the festival closes with an extended weekend-long party at Band on the Wall. mjf is also hosting a new mjf originals commission Séance - a moving musical performance, transforming The Deaf Institute into a space for connection. Built around voicemail messages from lost loved ones, artists Verity Watts and Rosie Parsons, will invite audiences to come together over shared experiences of loss and grief.

The mjf piano trail is also making a comeback! manchester jazz festival and Forsyth Music Shop have joined forces once again for the mjf2024 piano trail: to find Manchester’s hidden talents across a trail of 12 street pianos at locations across Manchester city centre. From 18 April – 26 May, the mjf piano trail encourages everyone to get creative and share their talent and for those who want to take part, there’s a chance to enter a competition to win a Yamaha P-45B piano and many more prizes. More information to be announced soon…

Ticket prices range from FREE to £30 but there’s plenty of free-to-access music and activities taking place at locations across the city centre, including the whole of the opening weekender: mjf @ First Street.

manchester jazz festival has also reinstated its international programme and have been working hard to overcome the challenges of the last four years posed by the pandemic and Brexit. mjf have struck up new partnerships with near neighbours in Ireland and France to bring audiences co-commissions and UK debuts, including two French bands touring by train to reduce their carbon footprint, thanks to Europe Jazz Network’s Green Pilot Tours. mjf hopes to inspire its audiences to match their commitment and attend via green travel.

As well as artists from Norway, Finland, Germany and Denmark, mjf also began an exciting new artistic collaboration with Centre National de la Musique (CNM) in Paris and Glasshouse ICM (formerly Sage Gateshead) for French and northern UK artists to collaborate on new music for the festival.

Tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday 16 February at http://www.manchesterjazz.com

Highlights of the festival programme are as follows:

The Deaf Institute, The Lodge 16 May
Just before mjf2024 starts, there’s a special trailblazer event on 16 May: Séance - a moving musical performance, transforming the The Deaf Institute into a space for connection.

mjf @ First Street, 17 - 19 May
Artists performing at First Street include: Mangorata, Gaz Hughes Trio, Secret Night Gang, Maja Mannilla Trio, A Hologram Maze, Amy Gadiaga Quintet, Conor Michael & The GreensKeepers, Thanda Gumede & Friends, Atatu Trio, Hoda Jahanpour & Pedraum Agahi, Claire Victoria Roberts, Sonic Threads, Meilana Gillard: RBG Trio, m.oe, AJB3, Floorkin, Archipelego, Amy Thatcher & Francesca Knowles and the Jazz North Northern Line Showcase on Sunday 19 May, featuring: Ceitidh Mac, Bryony Jarman-Pinto, Dirty Freud, Tom Harris and Vipertime.

As well as some of the North’s leading artists gracing the Main Stage on Friday and Saturday (17 - 18 May), some of Greater Manchester’s 18-25 year-old bands from mjf’s Soundcheck talent development programme, and a selection of mjf hothouse alumni artists, will perform on the Ask Garden Stage. On Sunday (19 May), mjf partners with Jazz North to present the Northern Line touring support scheme showcase: profiling five acts selected by industry leaders.

RNCM 18 & 25 May
Nikki Iles Jazz Orchestra, John Surman: Words Unspoken

The Carlton Club 20 – 22 May
The Wagon Train + Maja Bugge, with Evans and Gregory: SORTLAND, Daniel Erdmann’s Thérapie de Couple

Matt and Phreds 17 - 25 May
Gypsies of Bohemia, Kemani Anderson, Band Pres Llareggub Brass Band, M&P x mjf Open Jam (led by Johnny Hunter), Slow Down Motion, The Mudez Project, The Gelatos, The Vinyl Steppers, plus more to be announced…

St Ann’s Church 24 May
Trish Clowes & Ross Stanley, an impressive duo interacting brilliantly with both energy and delicacy.

Forsyth Music 24 May
UK jazz piano legend Julian Joseph

The Stoller Hall 24 May
Tim Garland’s Lighthouse Trio on its 20th anniversary tour.

Band on the Wall 23 - 26 May
Courtney Pine, Nubiyan Twist, Adam Ben Ezra, Nu Genea x Mr Scruff take over x Me Gusta, Laura Misch, Laura Jurd’s Big Friendly Band, Sarāb, Close Counters, Fallen Flags, D’Accord!, Awen Ensemble, Bianca Gannon Ensemble, Carole Nelson Trio, Black Hudu (DJ set).

Steve Mead, mjf CEO and Artistic Director, said: “We can’t wait to welcome you back to our 10-day festival - the 29th mjf - to share some hugely inspiring artists with a host of venues and partners across the city.  mjf is acknowledged for championing northern talent, under-the-radar artists and debuts of new music, as well as bringing some big names to Manchester, and of course for celebrating the diversity of our music and its artists. This year, I’m especially pleased to be able to welcome international artists back to mjf after 5 years, with a host of UK debuts and special collaborations, notably with France and Ireland, but also featuring Norway, Finland, and Germany. For many, mjf is the sound of surprise – it’s the sound we love and we hope you will too. We can’t wait for you to join us.”

mjf2024 will take place from 17 – 26 May 2024 in venues across Manchester city centre. Tickets go on sale at 10am on 16 February at http://www.manchesterjazz.com

About manchester jazz festival
manchester jazz festival is the city’s longest-running music festival and is unlike any other on the jazz festival circuit. mjf champions regional artists and celebrates musical innovation. Accessible to all, mjf features ten days of contemporary jazz from the north and across the UK, with national premieres of original work and a range of free events.
mjf takes place from 17 - 26 May 2024. All the latest news, tickets and booking information can be found at http://www.manchesterjazz.com 
SÉANCE – this mjf originals project was produced with the generous support of PRS Foundation and Granada Foundation
Winner of the 2016 Europe Jazz Network Award for Adventurous Programming.
UK’s first festival signatory to Keychange, supporting a 50/50 gender balance across our stages. Founder Member of the Black Lives in Music charter, 2020.
Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner.

About First Street
First Street is a vibrant urban mixed-use neighbourhood located at the heart of Manchester and is a phased development which is being delivered by Ask Real Estate in partnership with Richardson. First Street includes cultural arts venue, HOME, the UK’s first Melia INNSIDE hotel, safe and welcoming areas of public green spaces and a 700-space car park operated by Q-Park. Now boasting an array of bars, restaurants and leisure venues including newly opened Gino D’Acampo Manchester, Indian Tiffin Room, relaxed fine dining offered by WOOD, Junk Yard Golf Club, The Gas Works Brewbar, Ribeye Steakhouse, family favourite Pizza Express, and Bunny Jacksons.
First Street is proving to be an eye-catching location for a broad mix of office occupiers and is now established as a thriving business location which will see the Government Property Agency make it their new home in early autumn.
The expansion of the Estate is continuing apace; currently on site is Downing’s co-living scheme named Square Gardens which will be ready to welcome young professionals in September this year as well as House of Social, a new concept by Vita Student which will be completed the following year.  Both schemes will further enhance the residential options here at First Street.

Follow us

Facebook at /manchesterjazzfestival

Instagram @manchesterjazzfestival

Twitter/X @ManJazzFest

#mjf2024

Core Funders and Festival Sponsors:
Arts Council England, Manchester City Council, PRS for Music Foundation and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, First Street, Ask, Forsyth’s Music Shop, Yamaha

La Vie En Rose, gypsy jazz quartet at Bridgwater Arts Centre, Bridgwater, Somerset.

Date: Saturday, December 07, 2024

More details

Promoter Roger Collett has forwarded the following information regarding this event;

BRIDGWATER ARTS CENTRE
CASTLE STREET TA6 3DD

SAT. DECEMBER 7th 8.00pm (doors 7.00 pm)

LA VIE EN ROSE
GYPSY JAZZ PAR EXCELLENCE
CONJURING UP THE MOOD OF 1930’s PARIS AND FUSED WITH FLAVOURS OF EASTERN EUROPE, THE QUARTET BRING YOU IRRESISTIBLE RHYTHMS AND EVOCATIVE MELODIES IN ORDER TO CREATE A HEART WARMING HIP SWINGING SOUND JOIN THEM ON A VOYAGE OF DELIGHT. A FOOT-TAPPING WHIRL OF EXPRESSIVE ENERGY

RESERVED SEATS £15.00 from the BOX OFFICE OPEN WEEKDAYS 10.00 am – 3.00pm
TEL 01278 422700 OR ONLINE
http://www.bridgwaterartscentre.co.uk

Supporting the Hospital League of Friends

‘Four Hands, One Piano’ feat. Mike Denham & Julian Phillips at Bridgwater Arts Centre, Bridgwater, Somerset.

Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024

More details

Promoter Roger Collett has forwarded the following information regarding this event;

BRIDGWATER ARTS CENTRE
CASTLE STREET TA6 3DD

SAT. OCTOBER 12th 8.00pm ( doors 7.00pm)

4 HANDS – 1 PIANO
THE MASTER OF RAGTIME MIKE DENHAM MEETS THE PROFESSOR OF BOOGIE WOOGIE JULIAN PHILLIPS, TO PLAY AN EVENING OF BRILLIANT MUSICIANSHIP. RAGTIME A SYNCOPATED PROPULSIVE MUSICAL STYLE OF THE EARLY 20th CENTURY BLENDS PERFECTLY WITH BOOGIE- WOOGIE A GENRE OF BLUES MUSIC FROM THE 1920’s AND 30’s TO OFFER A SCINTILLATING ARRANGEMENT
OF MUSIC FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT.

RESERVED SEATS £15.00 FROM THE BOX OFFICE OPEN WEEKDAYS 10.00 am-3.00pm
01278 422700 OR ONLINE
http://www.bridgwaterartscentre.co.uk

Supporting the Hospital League of Friends

‘Memories of Mardi Gras’ feat. Chris Walker Quintet at Bridgwater Arts Centre, Bridgwater, Somerset.

Date: Saturday, July 13, 2024

More details

Promoter Roger Collett has provided the following information regarding this event;

BRIDGWATER ARTS CENTRE
CASTLE STREET TA6 3DD

SAT JULY 13th 8.00 pm ( doors 7.00 pm)
MEMORIES OF MARDI GRAS
ACE REED PLAYER CHRIS WALKER LEADS A FINE QUINTET OF MUSICIANS TO PLAY GREAT WORKS FROM THE GOLDEN YEARS OF JAZZ. NUMBERS SUCH AS BOURBON STREET PARADE, OLD SHANTY TOWN, SWEET GEORGIA BROWN, YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE INTERSPERSED WITH AMUSING ANECDOTES WILL STIR UP HAPPY MEMORIES OF THAT ERA. LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL !!!!

RESERVED SEATS £ 15.00 from the BOX
OFFICE open WEEKDAYS 10.00am – 3.00 pm
01278 422700 or online
http://www.bridgwaterartscentre.co.uk

Supporting the Hospital League of Friends

The Gaz Hughes Trio at Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire.

Date: Friday, June 21, 2024

Featuring: The Gaz Hughes Trio

More details

From;
https://www.jazzinreading.com/?p=22129&future=true

Jazz at Progress | The Gaz Hughes Trio: The Nuclear Bebopalypse Tour | Buy tickets https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/progresstheatre/t-dvplxgn
Friday 21 June 2024 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £19.00 (£17.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.

Gaz Hughes drums
Andrzej Baranek piano
Gavin Barras double bass

The Gaz Hughes Trio: The Nuclear Bebopalypse Tour

Gaz Hughes is a renowned jazz drummer and band leader, who first gained wide public attention as the original drummer in the Matthew Halsall Band. He has played a significant role in the early recordings of the Gondwana label and has been a highlight on the album “On The Go”, which won the Best Jazz Album of the Year at the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards in 2012, and was nominated for the Best Jazz Album MOBO Awards in 2011.

As a sideman, Gaz has performed with an impressive array of jazz artists, both in the UK and internationally, including Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, Marshal Allen, Greg Abate, Alan Barnes, Bruce Adams, Mark Nightingale, Tony Kofi, Ian Shaw, and many others. Additionally, he has also collaborated with a number of rock and pop artists such as Patti Boulaye, Suzi Quatro, Ray Quinn, Rick Guard and Kristyna Myles.

In 2019, Gaz was voted fifth place in the British Jazz Awards. In 2020, he released his debut album as a band leader, “Plays Art Blakey”, featuring Alan Barnes, Bruce Adams and Dean Masser. The album was met with critical acclaim and was supported by a UK tour and extensive radio play. In May 2022, Gaz released a trio album “Beboperation” which was well received by audiences and critics. Following its success, the trio went back to the studio to record a follow-up album. In February 2023, Gaz released his third album as a band leader, entitled “Beboptical Illusion”, featuring mostly original compositions and representing a new direction for the trio.

The new album, Nuclear Bebopalypse, continues with original numbers inspired by the late 50’s Piano Trio format but with fresh twists. A recent promoter described the music as “Old School Jazz for the 21st Century” – which Gaz says sums up things perfectly.

On 21 June you will experience an exciting drum-led jazz combo with lashings of swing and effortless bebop improvisation. Review comments include:

“Incredible” – Ginger Baker

“An extremely tasteful and swinging straight ahead drummer, Hughes exhibits a no nonsense approach to his playing” – http://www.jazzviews.net

“They rarely deliver anything less than excellence and today topped just about everything that had preceded it. I feel sad for the squares who weren’t there” – Bebop Spoken Here

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

Buxton International Festival 2024, various venues, Buxton, Derbyshire.

Dates: Thursday, July 04, 2024 - Sunday, July 21, 2024

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

04/12/2023 - We have received the following press release;

BUXTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL (4-21 JULY 2024)
LAUNCHES FIRST WAVE OF TICKETS

Buxton International Festival (4-21 July 2024) launches its first wave of tickets. Early bird tickets for Carlos Acosta and discounted Jazz Weekender packages will be available from the Festival Box Office from 10am on Tuesday, 5 December 2023.

BUXTON DEBUT FOR CARLOS ACOSTA
Carlos Acosta brings his highly acclaimed show, ‘On Before’, to Buxton Opera House on Saturday, 20 and Sunday, 21 July 2024 at 7.30pm as part of an international tour presented by Norwich Theatre and Valid Productions.
The intensely personal evening of dance is created, directed and performed by the legendary Cuban dancer and features fellow dancer Laura Rodriguez. Guest choreographers include Russell Maliphant, Kim Brandstrup and Will Tuckett, alongside Acosta’s own choreography.
Tickets cost £20 - £60.

JAZZ WEEKENDER PACKAGES

Buxton’s Jazz Weekender Packages - Buxton’s all-day jazz “passes”, including traditional, contemporary, New Orleans, gospel and Afro-jazz - have proved hugely popular over the last two years. There are two discounted packages available from 5 December:

Jazz Weekender Plus: tickets include all jazz events from Thursday 4 July – Monday, 8 July, plus stall seats at Peter Brook’s La tragédie de Carmen in Buxton Opera House. Tickets cost £209.

Jazz Weekender tickets include all jazz events from Saturday, 6 July – Monday, 8 July. Tickets cost £160.

Gigs take place at Jazz at The Palace Hotel, Buxton Opera House and the Pavilion Arts
Centre. Stars include:

 Ian Shaw, 4 July
 Emily Brown Quartet, 5 July
 Hot Jazz Trio, 6 July
 Zoe Rahman Octet, 7 July
 An evening with New Orleans clarinettist Adrian Cox playing alongside a string quartet led by Gabriella Swallow and guest singer, Tommy Blaze (from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing) on 8 July.

BOX OFFICE
Tel: 01298 72190
http://www.buxtonfestival.co.uk

FESTIVAL TIMELINE
The full programme and festival brochure will be issued on Monday 26 February, with Priority Booking opening on 5 March and Public Booking on 2 April 2024.

For further information visit: http://www.buxtonfestival.co.uk

Dean Stockdale Quartet at Kidderminster Jazz Club, St. Ambrose Parish Centre, Kidderminster, Worcs.

Date: Friday, June 07, 2024

More details

From;
https://www.kidderminsterjazzclub.co.uk/2023-2024-season-shows

Dean Stockdale Quartet
Kidderminster Jazz Club
Fri, Jun 7, 2024 @ 7:00PM St Ambrose Parish Centre , Leswell Street - DY10 1RP, Kidderminster

The ‘Celebrating Oscar’ Quartet’ is a new quartet playing inventive arrangements of Oscar Peterson’s original compositions together with music that he was associated with. We focus on bringing the infectious swing of Oscar’s groups, as well as showcasing his compositional ability and virtuosic piano style.

The pianist acknowledges his influences as Bill Evans, Errol Garner and of course Oscar Peterson to whom he pays tribute with this fine album. Stockdale has got the approach to the music here spot on. A dozen songs written by or associated with the great pianist and tastefully arranged for the quartet.

There are no pyrotechnics and Stockdale does not feel the need to emulate Peterson in any way, just deeply swinging jazz played with joy and integrity.

The quartet features Gavin Barras on bass, Gaz Hughes on drums Tim Williams on guitar

Hopkins Hammond Trio at Kidderminster Jazz Club, St. Ambrose Paish Centre, Kidderminster, Worcs.

Date: Friday, July 05, 2024

More details

From;
https://www.kidderminsterjazzclub.co.uk/2023-2024-season-shows

Hopkins Hammond Trio
Kidderminster Jazz Club
Fri, Jul 5, 2024 @ 7:00PM St Ambrose Parish Centre , Leswell Street - DY10 1RP, Kidderminster
The classic jazz formation known as the ‘Organ Trio’ may be a new concept to you. If so, you will probably be delighted to know that it is not three organs but rather one organ (usually a Hammond organ), guitar and drums - three instruments that blend together to create a unique sound that can be very subtle or very powerful and everything in between.
Formed on a rare sunny day in Bristol, UK in 2016, this organ trio knew they were on to a winner after the first tune they played together. There is an undeniable chemistry between the three of them that is evident in everything they play. This could be well-known jazz standards, tunes by the likes of John Scofield and Pat Metheny or the trio’s own compositions.
Matt Hopkins – guitar Matt’s inventive and melodic guitar playing has been featured in groups as stylistically diverse as Andy Sheppard’s Hotel Bristol and Emily Wright & The Royals. He also takes the lead role in the “Music of Pat Metheny” project alongside pianist Dave Newton. Matt is also known as an instructor and educator, specialising in jazz improvisation.
Scott Hammond – drums Scott is probably best known for playing rock music with Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull all over the globe since 2010 but he’s not just a rocker. Jazz, especially in the organ trio setting, has always been close to Scott’s heart and this trio shows a more subtle side to his playing. In the jazz world, Scott has worked with Alan Barnes, Tina May, Herb Geller, Bobby Wellins, Jason Rebello, Pee Wee Ellis and many others.
Ruth Hammond - organ Ruth has many strings to her bow as she is equally adept on organ, piano, saxophones, accordion and vocals. After graduating from Leeds College of Music in 1998, she became Runner Up in the Young Jazz Musician of the Year (on tenor saxophone). She has released a solo album “All The Good Things” which features her singing her own songs.
£15.00

First Friday Of Each Month
Bring Your Own Drinks/Bottle