Almshouse All-Stars “Puttin’ on the Ritz” at Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Ludlow, Shropshire.

Date: Friday, October 10, 2025

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We have received the following information regarding this event;

Almshouse All-Stars
“Puttin’ on the Ritz”
Friday 10th October
7.30pm
Ludlow Assembly Rooms

Those of you who attended ‘Jazz in the Afternoon’ at Ludlow Piano Festival in May are sure to enjoy this treat at Ludlow Assembly Rooms in October.

The Almshouse All-Stars are well known to jazz and swing aficiandos in the area and they’re now heading to Ludlow Assembly Rooms on Friday 10th October.  In the intimate, cabaret style venue of Oscars, they will present their usual high quality set including Berlin, Gershwin, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington and many more.  With great chat between numbers and always a fascinating fact or two, it’s bound to be a great evening. 
You could always include the Bill’s Kitchen Meal & Show Deal beforehand…. (details on the link)
If that wasn’t enough, our Steve will be in one of his many other guises that night as barman in Oscars….

Tickets;
https://ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk/show/almshouse-allstars-puttin-on-the-ritz/

Bring alive the swing era of the jazz age with classic songs and hot tunes featuring male & female vocals, sax, clarinet, flute, guitar, double bass, banjo, harmonica & ukulele. Band member credits include TV & radio, BBC & international music festivals, West End shows, The International Rat Pack Tour, residencies for major tourist attractions and cruise lines. Check out youtu.be/hb8zUSGpW7Q for a quick flavour of the music. Plenty more on YouTube and on the Almshouse All-Stars page of the Wyson Lane Music website.

Dinner and a Show!
Bill’s Kitchen, within Ludlow Assembly Rooms, is now offering a 2-course meal before the show for only £16 (if booked 24 hours in advance). Book your table directly with Bill’s Kitchen and come along any time after 5.30pm to eat before the show starts – the earlier you come the bigger the menu selection. Please note that due to the popularity of these events you may be invited to share a table with other diners on the night.
For information about the meals, please contact Bill’s Kitchen directly on 01584 877956 or please book via the Bill’s Kitchen meal-deal booking page
https://book.mysimpleerb.com/18403/bills-kitchen-ludlow/

Call: 01584 878141
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Ludlow Assembly Rooms, Market Square, Ludlow, SY8 1AS

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2025, various venues, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Dates: Friday, September 26, 2025 - Friday, October 10, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following press release;

With great pleasure we announce the 9th year of Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music.

Launched 2017, the festival continues to respond to the city’s appetite for a contemporary grass roots jazz festival, presenting an innovative and diverse international line up, celebrating and pushing boundaries that challenge perceptions of jazz and improvised music.

Despite this year working with restricted funding, we’re grateful that with support from our key partners and investors we’re managing to keep the flame alive and still present a high quality programme of some of the finest regional, national and international improvising musicians.

12 concerts and 4 workshops will take place as part of this years festival spread over 7 days.

Along with UK artists we are pleased to welcome Alister Spence and Tony Buck (Australia), Nina Garcia (France), Biliana Voutchkova (Bulgaria), Michael Thieke (Germany), Luigi Marino (Italy).

As ever events take place across a variety of spaces that provide both the opportunity for rich musical performances whilst also celebrating the heritage of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Venues include Jesmond Swimming Pool, Ouseburn Victoria Tunnel, The Cumberland Arms, The Globe, The Literary and Philosophical Society, Newcastle Civic Centre, Gosforth Civic Theatre.

New projects include celebrations of vital African American artists Thelonious Monk (Xhosa Cole), Albert Ayler (Richard Scott’s ‘Ayler in Sweden’), Duke Ellington (Zoë Gilby with Andy Champion) and civil rights writer and activist James Baldwin (Neil Charles ‘The Baldwin Project’)

It’s looking like another fantastic year of events that promise to deliver an exhilarating ride into the world of contemporary jazz and improvisation.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of our lead partners and investors Jazz North East, Jazz.Coop at The Globe, GemArts, James Smith and Chris Calver at The Literary and Philosophical Society, Jesmond Swimming Pool, Ouseburn Trust, Andy Hamilton and British Society of Aesthetics, Paul Bream and Jazz Alert.

- Wesley Stephenson (Artistic Director and Festival Producer)
Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2025

ARTISTS:

Thomas Dixon
Olivia Moore and Adam Fairhall
Archipelago (Faye MacCalman / John Pope / Christian Alderson)
Nina Garcia
Hannah Marshall
Richard Scott - Ayler in Sweden (Richard Scott / Faye MacCalman / Graham Hardy / John Pope / Emil Karlsen)
Paul Taylor
Jon Bradley
Xhosa Cole - Freemonk (Xhosa Cole / Pat Thomas / Josh Vadiveloo / Mark Sanders)
Neil Charles - The Baldwin Project (Cleveland Watkiss / Neil Charles / Pat Thomas / Mark Sanders)
Raymond MacDonald
George Burt
Martin Mayes
Alister Spence and Tony Buck
Biliana Voutchkova / Michael Thieke / Luigi Marino
Faye MacCalman
Finn / Keeble Group (Abbie Finn / Harry Keeble / Dean Stockdale / Andy Champion)
Zoë Gilby with Andy Champion - The Music of Duke Ellington
+ Very Special Surprise Guests: Yotuns / Dilettante / John Pope Quintet

SCHEDULE;

FRIDAY 26th SEPTEMBER

Newcastle Civic Centre (Late Afternoon)
3.00pm - 4.00pm
The Edith Adamson Carillon: Jon Bradley Jon Bradley (Carillon)

Jesmond Swimming Pool (Evening)
Chill Out Swimming from 8.00pm / Pool Closes 10.00pm (Music Performance 8.30pm - 9.30pm)
Thomas Dixon
Thomas Dixon (Solo Saxophone)

SATURDAY 27th SEPTEMBER

Ouseburn Victoria Tunnel (Early Evening - ‘Sounds of the Underground’)
Doors: 6.00pm
6.00pm - 6.45pm / 7.00pm
Olivia Moore and Adam Fairhall
Olivia Moore (Violin) / Adam Fairhall (Accordion)

The Cumberland Arms (Evening)
Doors: 7.30pm
8.00pm - 8.45pm
Nina Garcia
Nina Garcia (Solo Electric Guitar)
9.00pm - 9.45pm / 10.00pm
Archipelago
Faye MacCalman (Saxophone / Clarinet / Vocals / Electronics) / John Pope (Electric Bass) / Christian Alderson (Drums)

SUNDAY 28th SEPTEMBER

The Globe (Afternoon - ‘Out of the Box’ Players Workshop)
Doors: 1.30pm
Workshop: 2.00pm - 5.00pm
Hannah Marshall
Workshop Host

The Globe (Evening)
Doors: 7.00pm
8.00pm - 8.40pm
Hannah Marshall
Hannah Marshall (Solo Cello)
9.00pm - 9.45pm / 10.00pm
Richard Scott’s ‘Ayler in Sweden’
Richard Scott (Fiddle) / Faye MacCalman (Saxophone) / Graham Hardy (Trumpet) / John Pope (Double Bass) / Emil Karlsen (Drums)

FRIDAY 3rd OCTOBER

The Literary and Philosophical Society (Full Day Workshop - The Joseph Swan Room)
Doors: 10.45am
Workshop: 11.00am - 5.00pm
Workshop on Improvisation and Comedy: Andy Hamilton (Session 1 / 2)

The Literary and Philosophical Society (Lunchtime - The Loftus Room)
Doors: 12.30pm
1.00pm - 1.45pm / 2.00pm
Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor (Solo Piano)

The Literary and Philosophical Society (Early Evening - The Private Members Library)
Doors: 5.30pm
5.45pm - 6.15pm
Raymond MacDonald
Raymond MacDonald (Solo Saxophones)
6.30pm - 7.15pm
Neil Charles
Neil Charles (Solo Double Bass)

The Literary and Philosophical Society (Evening - The Loftus Room)
Doors: 7.30pm
8.00pm - 8.45pm / 9.00pm - 9.45pm (2 x 45 Minute Sets)
Xhosa Cole - FreeMonk ‘Exploring, Abstracting and Collaging the works of Thelonious Monk’
Xhosa Cole (Saxophone) / Pat Thomas (Piano) / Josh Vadiveloo (Double Bass) / Mark Sanders (Drums)

SATURDAY 4th OCTOBER

The Literary and Philosophical Society (Full Day Workshop - The Joseph Swan Room)
Doors: 10.45am
Workshop: 11.00am - 5.00pm
Workshop on Improvisation and Comedy: Andy Hamilton (Session 2 / 2)

The Literary and Philosophical Society (Lunchtime - Performance and Discussion - The Loftus Room)
Doors: 12.30pm
1.00pm - 2.30pm
Neil Charles - Dark Days ‘The Baldwin Project’
Cleveland Watkiss (Vocals) / Neil Charles (Compositions and Bass) / Pat Thomas (Piano) / Mark Sanders (Drums)

The Literary and Philosophical Society (Early Evening - The Private Members Library)
Doors: 5.30pm
5.45pm - 6.15pm
George Burt
George Burt (Solo Guitar)
6.30pm - 7.15pm
Martin Mayes
Martin Mayes (Solo Horns / Conch / Bells)

The Literary and Philosophical Society (Evening - The Loftus Room)
Doors: 7.30pm
7.45pm - 8.30pm
Biliana Voutchkova / Michael Thieke / Luigi Marino
Biliana Voutchkova (Violin / Voice) / Michael Thieke (Clarinet) / Luigi Marino (Percussion)
8.45pm - 9.45pm
Alister Spence and Tony Buck
Alister Spence (Piano) / Tony Buck (Drums and Percussion)

SUNDAY 5TH OCTOBER

The Globe (Afternoon - ‘Saxophone Choir’ Players Workshop - Upstairs Venue Space)
Doors: 1.30pm
Workshop: 2.00pm - 4.30pm
Faye MacCalman
Workshop Host

The Globe (Afternoon - Downstairs Venue Space)
Doors: 2.00pm
3.00pm - 4.00pm
Zoë Gilby with Andy Champion - ‘The Music of Duke Ellington’
Zoe Gilby (Voice) / Andy Champion (Double Bass)
4.30pm - 5.30pm
Finn-Keeble Group
Abbie Finn (Drums) / Harry Keeble (Saxophone) / Dean Stockdale (Piano) / Andy Champion (Double Bass)

FRIDAY 10th OCTOBER

Gosforth Civic Theatre
Doors: 7.30pm / Music: 8.00pm - 10.30pm
Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music x Mercury prize Fringe 2025
8.00pm - 8.30pm
Yotuns Sally Pilkington (Keys) / Christian Alderson (Drums and Percussion)
8.45pm - 9.15pm / 9.20pm
Dilettante (Solo Performance) Francesca Pidgeon (Vocals / Guitar / Saxophone / Keys / Percussion / Looper)
9.30pm - 10.30pm
John Pope Quintet
John Pope (Double Bass and Percussion) / Jamie Stockbridge (Alto and Baritone Saxophones) / Faye MacCalman (Tenor Saxophone and Clarinet) / Graham Hardy (Trumpet and Flugelhorn) / Johnny Hunter (Drum Kit and percussion)
http://www.newjazzandimprovisedmusicrecordings.bandcamp.com

Tickets;
https://www.seetickets.com/search?q=Jazz+North+East&BrowseOrder=Date

VENUES:

Many festival events regularly sell out in advance due to venue capacity.

Limited tickets may be available on the door subject to availability, we encourage our audiences to buy in advance to avoid disappointment, this also helps us with room layouts. We continue to try and keep our prices low and affordable.

This year as we’re working with restricted funding, we have also launched tickets which include a supplementary donation to ensure we can meet our costs and keep the flame alive, if you feel you can pay a little more then all donations are greatly received.

Donations can also still be received through our ‘always open’ New Jazz and Improvised Music Crowdfunder by CLICKING HERE
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/new-jazz-and-improvised-music-recordings

Promoting ecology and sustainability across the festival we encourage ticket holders to bring digital mobile tickets and booking codes to save on ticket printing.

Jesmond Swimming Pool
St George’s Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 2DL
0191 281 2482 / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.jesmondpool.online

Ouseburn Victoria Tunnel
Victoria Tunnel Entrance, Ouse Street, NE1 2PF
(In-between the CrossFit Gym and the Hotel du Vin)
0191 261 6596
http://www.ouseburntrust.org.uk

The Cumberland Arms
James Place Street, Ouseburn, Off Byker Bank, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 1LD
0191 265 6151
http://www.thecumberlandarms.co.uk

The Globe
The Globe, 11 Railway Street, NE4 7AD
0191 272 5185 / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.theglobenewcastle.bar

Gosforth Civic Theatre
Regent Farm Road, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3HD
0191 284 3700 / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk

The Literary and Philosophical Society
The Literary and Philosophical Society, 23 Westgate Road, NE1 1SE
0191 232 0192 / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.litandphil.org.uk

Newcastle Civic Centre
Newcastle City Council, Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
https://newcastle.gov.uk/our-city/edith-adamson-carillon-newcastle-civic-centre

BIOGRAPHIES:

Thomas Dixon
Thomas Dixon (Solo Saxophone)
Thomas Dixon is a Newcastle based Saxophonist, DJ/Producer and bandleader. As a solo artist, he focuses on playing with atmosphere, textures, improvised melodies and found sounds to create soundscapes ranging from intimate to otherworldly.
As well as being inspired by the radical free jazz records of the early 1960s, Thomas is also strongly moved by British club culture, and African township folk music, which can be heard clearly in his other musical projects: DILUTEY JUICE and Kancho Club. Inspired by his time in the ICP’s Dutch Improv Academy, Thomas founded and facilitated ‘Thursday Night Prayer Meeting’, which at the time was Newcastle’s only free improvised music session, and hosted players such as Joe Mcphee, Steve Noble, Dee Byrne and Mark Sanders.
Thomas Dixon will perform at Jesmond Swimming Pool as part of a new festival initiative to encourage audiences into holistic spaces centred around health and wellbeing. This session was first trialled at Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2024 with Faye MacCalman, a superb and memorable evening to all that attended and great way to start the festival.
Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music is delighted to work in partnership with Jesmond Swimming Pool Friday night Chill Out session. And we do emphasise that this adult only session is for swimming whilst you’re listening.

Olivia Moore and Adam Fairhall
Olivia Moore (Violins) / Adam Fairhall (Accordion)
Olivia Moore and Adam Fairhall’s duo bring Indian classical music, American folk music and contemporary jazz together in a highly individual manner. The improvisational aspects of the source traditions are used as an opportunity to blend disparate compositional materials and soloing vocabularies in a subtle way, resulting in a distinctive duo idiom that extends the performers’ established artistic voices.
The format of accordion and violin is particularly well suited for this material; Olivia switches between violins depending on whether the material is Indian or Western in origin, and Adam switches between a tradition Stradella accordion (for highly rhythmic, folk-based playing) and a free bass accordion (for more contrapuntal playing). The repertoire is a mixture of original pieces, Appalachian folk tunes and pieces inherited by Olivia from her Indian teacher. All are approached with an overall sense of creative improvisation.
It’s a great pleasure to welcome Olivia Moore and Adam Fairhall back to the festival to play in Ouseburn Victoria Tunnel (previously featuring Evan Parker in our 2019 edition) and the event comes with the grateful support of GemArts.
“Nourished by Indian and jazz traditions, but with an elegance that comes from her classical training, Olivia Moore’s violin has an Eastern tang that is genuinely entrancing”
– Manchester Evening News
“A hugely accomplished instrumentalist” – The Wire
“Adam Fairhall is a total star” – Independent on Sunday
The performance from Olivia Moore and Adam Fairhall comes as a Newcastle album launch for the recently released ‘Triangles’ on New Jazz and Improvised Music Recordings.
https://newjazzandimprovisedmusicrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/triangles

Archipelago
Faye MacCalman (Saxophone / Clarinet / Vocals / Electronics) / John Pope (Electric Bass) / Christian Alderson (Drums)
Archipelago are a genre-defying trio of adventurous musicians, formed out of the North East of England’s creative musical underground. Fronted by multi-instrumentalist and composer Faye MacCalman, their sound is a dreamlike collision of otherworldly atmospheres, heartfelt song- writing and energetic off-kilter rhythms. Moving between instruments and effects to create the illusion of a much larger ensemble, before peeling back to their raw, improvisational trio form, Archipelago’s uncompromising refusal to fit in one genre makes for a fully-charged musical experience.
With influences stretching from Joni Mitchell to Don Cherry to Esperanza Spalding, Archipelago draw on a deep pool of sonic references and the diversity of their individual musical histories. Faye began working with bassist John Pope (John Pope Quintet, Richard Dawson) and drummer Christian Alderson (The Unit Ama, Month of Birthdays) in ‘mutant funeral jazz big band’ The Midnight Doctors, brainchild of Newcastle guitarist, composer and producer Phil Begg, (who suggested the trio should play together outside that project). Barely a year later Archipelago were playing their first show, squeezed into a tiny coffee shop. Since that debut they have continued to defy expectations, playing anywhere from DIY arts spaces and small rock bars to mainstream pop festivals and respected jazz nights, honing their music onstage and connecting with audiences across supposed genre boundaries.
‘A shape shifting sound’ - Kevin Le Gendre
‘Truly Remarkable’ - NARC Magazine
http://www.archipelagoband.co.uk
Amongst other releases Archipelago have previously issued the album ‘Echoes to the Sky’ on the festival’s associated New Jazz and Improvised Music Recordings project.

Nina Garcia
Nina Garcia (Solo Guitar)
Born in 1990, Nina Garcia lives and works in Paris.
Since 2015, Nina Garcia has been researching and creating around the electric guitar, halfway between improvised music and noise. Her set-up is reduced to a minimum: a guitar, a pedal, and an amp with which she sculpts sound and delves into chaos to bring out the unheard-of. Her concerts draw audiences into an immersive sonic space where power and fragility intersect with communicative intensity. In just a few years, she has attracted the attention of numerous international stages.
“noise guitar’s secret weapon” - Thurston Moore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stKtNBXY1t8&t=2s

Hannah Marshall
Hannah Marshall (Solo Cello)
Hannah’s playing carves pathways into noise and micro-tonality, as well as standard melodic aspects of the ‘Cello, where texture, rhythm & tonality blur. She plays at times with traditional sensibility, and at others times treats the instrument as a collection of parts to be manipulated and re-analysed, often combining the two. Her practice is informed by studies in physicality, natural law & sound healing.
“...one wonders just how she can leave so strong an impression without either grandstanding or ostentation. Her performance here runs threadlike through the music, weaving it together like a tapestry. Music for the shaman in us all” - Duncan Heining (Jazzwise Magazine)

Hannah Marshall ‘Out of the Box’ Workshop
Hannah Marshall (Workshop Host)
‘Out of the Box’ is a practical deep dive into free improvisation, for instrumentalists and vocalists, delving into strategies and simple instruction pieces that engage group improvisation, harnessing the use of chance-based approaches like dice & cards as the means to navigate our way through hundreds of ways to play together freely.
Out of The Box is a game through which the participants explore borrowed, original and collected instructions & instigations, brought together over 20+ years. The workshop can take cues from composers (such as La Monte Young, Pauline Oliveros, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Webern, and Cornelius Cardew), and can investigate areas such as Search & Reflect and Conduction, as well as adapt to different approaches to ‘free’ playing taken from our everyday surroundings in an organic and playful way, where the dice, cards, boxes and chance leads what happens next.
Participants gain experience and insight and reflection into their own unconscious approaches to play and listening, affecting and creating the group - as well as finding inspiration in music making and composition along the way.
Playing a game frees the direction and content of the workshop away from a ‘leader’, or ‘teacher’, to become an interaction of timings and synchronicity, inner and outer, you and me. The game encourages participants to notice what the present moment brings, and how they react to it. This approach takes the pressure off, and invites the participants to simply trust in what the universe is guiding them to do. ‘Out of The Box’ aims to make space to develop tools for listening, to help develop personal creative practice, shake-up stale approaches, or allow new ideas to bubble up, whether those be musical, or otherwise.
The workshop is guided by Hannah, who can explain or clarify the game as it unfolds, if that is what’s needed.
Material and resources that inform the game have been generated through experiences performing improvised music in the Uk and abroad, collaborating in theatre, working in education, community music, working with artists and composers, training in western classical music and investigating philosophical / spiritual practices.
Hannah is an experienced and inclusive facilitator, having held many creative spaces with people of all ages and abilities, and has taken workshops is group Improvisation, mask work, music and art & sensory sounds and stories.
http://www.hannahmarshall.net

Richard Scott - ‘Ayler in Sweden’
Richard Scott (Fiddle) / Faye MacCalman (Saxophone) / Graham Hardy (Trumpet) / John Pope (Double Bass) / Emil Karlsen (Drums)
A brand new project, Ayler in Sweden, imagines a world in which free jazz pioneer Albert Ayler, after beginning his recording career in Sweden in 1962, remained in Scandinavia instead of moving back to the US and incorporated its traditional music into his playing, fusing the ecstatic melodies and asymmetrical rhythms of Swedish folk music with visceral and explosive free jazz.
Newcastle-based violinist Richard Scott has spent the last 10 years immersed in the rarely- overlapping worlds of free improvisation and Scandinavian folk music. He has performed and recorded with Eddie Prévost, Angharad Davies, Hannah Marshall, Mark Sanders, Rachel Musson, Xhosa Cole and many others, and has played and run workshops at folk festivals and events across the UK, Denmark and Sweden.
Joining him for this project’s debut performance (mirroring the instrumentation of the Albert Ayler Quintet of 1965 - 1966) are three of Newcastle’s most versatile and sought-after improvising musicians: Faye MacCalman (tenor sax), Graham Hardy (trumpet) and John Pope (bass), and the
brilliant Leeds-based Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen.”
https://richard-scott.info/home.html

Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor (Solo Piano)
Paul Taylor is an accomplished pianist and keyboard player specialising in improvisation. The music is evocative, alluring and unique; combining unusual harmonies and sonorities with an original and fluid technique. Paul has emerged as one of the most consistently interesting and innovative solo pianists of recent times, combining elements of jazz improvisation with an unorthodox, harmonically complex and often compellingly beautiful musical language that is often inspired by the classical tradition. It is music that is both inspiring and relaxing, taking the listener on an immersive journey.
“Brilliant” - Stuart Maconie, BBC Radio 6 (Freak Zone)
“A rare phenomenon” - International Piano Magazine
“A Chopin of the contemporary art music era” - Neil March (Exile FM)
Paul’s music can be found on Bandcamp
“Those hands delineate a high-yielding path inside the secret rooms of a harmony that draws colours and nuances from romantic pasts, transcendental visions, defined yet shifting tonalities…an instrumentalist whose inner depth and speed of translation from intuition to creative act appear to be in direct proportion” - Massimo Ricci (Touching Extremes)
“A very assured work indeed” - Jazzwise
Paul Taylor has previously released two albums through the festival’s associated New Jazz and Improvised Music Recordings project.
Via https://paulstephentaylor.bandcamp.com/album/via
Interludes https://paulstephentaylor.bandcamp.com/album/interludes

The Edith Adamson Carillon: Jon Bradley
Jon Bradley (Carillon)
This year we once more incorporate the Edith Adamson Carillon at Newcastle Civic Centre into our programme where Jon Bradley will be performing new work on a “Marinal Theme”. Jonathan started regular recitals in 2015 (Previously the carillon has been played by Richard Jennings, Chris Briggs, John Knox, and Dr. Ian Brunt) and expressed his great enthusiasm for this prestigious and historically significant instrument to become part of the festival.
Heard over a great distance, the Carillon performances will extend to an extended audience, celebrating Newcastle’s heritage and encouraging audiences into the outdoor green space surrounding the Civic Centre (the Carillon is situated in the Belfry with the bells played being heard outside and across the city).
For the best listening experience we suggest you head for the courtyard in the centre of Newcastle Civic Centre.
The Edith Adamson Carillon has taken pride of place on Newcastle’s skyline since completed construction in 1967. The 25 bells that make the Carillon were cast in 1966 and bequeathed to Newcastle City Council by James Adamson in memory of his wife, Edith Annie Adamson who died in the same year work commenced on the Civic Centre.
The Carillon is the heaviest of its kind in the world, with a total metal mass of 22 tonnes. The Carillon Tower is adorned with 12 large and 8 small seahorses designed by J. R. M. Cheyne as part of the original building design.
http://www.facebook.com/newcastlecarillon
http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/our-city/edith-adamson-carillon-newcastle-civic-centre

Raymond MacDonald
Raymond MacDonald (Saxophones)
Raymond MacDonald is a saxophonist, composer and academic whose work explores the boundaries and ambiguities between what is conventionally seen as improvisation and composition.
Much of his recent performing work has been in collaborative free improvisation contexts, however his roots in jazz and pop music are always evident in his playing and writing. MacDonald collaborates widely and has worked with visual artists, dancers, writers and filmmakers and has produced music for film, television, theatre and the concert hall.
MacDonald has worked internationally with many of the current pioneers in avant-garde music including the sublime US pianist Marilyn Crispell, German drummer Günter ‘Baby’ Sommer, David Byrne, Damo Suzuki from Can, Nurse with Wound, German trumpeter Axel Dorner, US trombonist and educator George Lewis, Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani, US percussionist Michael Zerang, US cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm.
His ambitious International Big Band features the virtuosic Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, Australians Alistair Spence and Toby Hall and Lloyd Swanton from The Necks and ex Sonic Youth guitarist Jim O’Rourke among others.
We’re delighted to have Raymond MacDonald joint us to perform solo at Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music, whilst also participating in Andy Hamilton’s Workshop on Improvisation and Comedy.
“Music this articulate is rare in any style of music” - Jazz Wise
“Leading contemporary jazz” - The Guardian
“Quite astonishingly brilliant” - Jazz Wise
Find Out More About Raymond MacDonald By Clicking Here
https://www.raymondmacdonald.co.uk/biography

Neil Charles
Neil Charles (Solo Double Bass)
Neil Charles is one of the most in-demand musicians on the scene, with a huge array of credits to his name, including Jack DeJohnette, the Sun Ra Arkestra, Mingus Big Band, Jose James, Jerry Dammers, Courtney Pine, and Terence Blanchard. His own projects have included Zed U, with Shabaka Hutchings and Tom Skinner, and the more recent ensemble Dark Days, dealing with the work of James Baldwin. Most recently, he has been heard across the international scene with Gabriels. As well as being known as a bass player with a huge sound and immaculate sense of time, he is equally renowned as a producer, going by the alias Ben Marc.
Neil Charles has long been one of the key figures in the London free community, presenting group projects with the likes of Elaine Mitchener, Alexander Hawkins and more, not to mention an unforgettable 3 days residency in collaboration with Anthony Braxton.
Neil’s own work on the double bass is rarely brought to the fore so we’re delighted that he will perform solo works as part of this years festival.
He has previously released ‘Low and Beyond’ on the Cafe OTO Otoroku imprint, 9 tracks that are filled with searching passages, bowed refrains and rough and dexterous exploration, embracing the full physical possibilities of his instrument. Neil’s style lands somewhere between Gary Peacock, William Parker and Fernando Grillo to our ears, but heralds its own unvarnished poeticism.
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/shop/neil-charles-low-and-beyond/
“Bassist Neil Charles went flying, from the first moment filling the space with the sound of his mighty wings” - Henning Bolte (Europe Jazz Media Chart)

Neil Charles - Dark Days ‘The Baldwin Project’ Cleveland Watkiss (Vocals) / Neil Charles (Compositions and Bass) / Pat Thomas (Piano) / Mark Sanders (Drums)
Neil Charles ‘Dark Days’ responds to the uncompromising clarity and poetic force of James Baldwin’s reflections on psychic survival, resistance and the emotional toll of racial injustice. Scored for acoustic jazz quartet, the piece features four of the UK’s most revered improvisers — Neil Charles on bass, Pat Thomas on piano, Mark Sanders on drums, and Cleveland Watkiss on voice.

Xhosa Cole
(FreeMonk ‘Exploring, Abstracting and Collaging the works of Thelonious Monk’)
Xhosa Cole (Saxophone) / Pat Thomas (Piano) / Josh Vadiveloo (Double Bass) / Mark Sanders (Drums)
FreeMonk is a brand new ensemble exploring the compositions of Thelonious Monk with the Xhosa Cole fingerprint perfect for a live setting.
Winner of the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the year, Xhosa Cole is an embodiment of the success of numerous community arts programmes in Birmingham including the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra, Jazzlines Ensemble and Birmingham Music Service. Having grown up in Handsworth and first played the Tenor at Andy Hamilton’s Ladywood Community Music School, he’s now among a long legacy of Birmingham Saxophonists including Soweto Kinch and Shabaka Hutchings.
Xhosa has performed twice at the BBC Proms, Composed music for the Flatpack Film Festival, recorded saxophone for Mahalia’s debut album ‘Love and Compromise’, completed a 22 date UK tour, and released his critically acclaimed debut album K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us alongside Soweto Kinch, Reuben James and Jay Phelps. Xhosa Also received the Parliamentary Jazz Award for ‘Best Newcomer’ and Jazz FM ‘Breakthrough act of the year’.
Xhosa has performed alongside artists including Monty Alexander and Courtney Pine and as a soloist for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; at prestigious venues including Cadogan Hall and Ronnie Scotts. As a recording artist, Xhosa featured on Soweto Kinch’s latest album ‘Black Peril’ where he played alongside African-American Jazz titans: Drummer, Gregory Hutchinson and Pianist, ELEW (Eric Lewis).
Cole has also started to breakthrough as an up-and-coming composer. Some of his recent commissions have been from the Ideas of Noise Festival, Ripieno Players, For-wards & Birmingham’s Town Hall Symphony Hall. Much of his writing is informed by his time engrossed in the Jazz cannon, however through composition he has explored a multitude of muses including Arithmetic and Geometric Maths, Biology, Classical Western Harmony and elements of traditional Yoruba Culture and Music.
Xhosa’s deep and authentic connection to the lineage of Jazz music has helped to establish him among the most exciting young talents in the country. At this stage in his career he is continually learning, developing and growing; in keeping with this great tradition. His exposure to players from a range of different traditions and outlooks, compounded by his strong connection to his inner-city community in Handsworth at the heart of Birmingham, has helped to develop a fiercely unique and independent voice.
“He’s got technique, talent, artistry and a burning desire that shows throughout the set” - Downbeat
‘K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us’ brings the 24-year-old saxophonist from ‘one-to- watch’ to ‘must see’ - The Financial Times
https://xhosacole.bandcamp.com

George Burt
George Burt (Solo Guitar)
George Burt is a guitarist and composer based in Scotland. Early experience includes playing in folk groups, ceilidh bands, pit bands, and mainstream and modern jazz groups. He ran a series of improvisation workshops in the 1990s, and this led to the formation of the George Burt/Raymond MacDonald Quartet. The group was described by the Penguin Guide to Jazz as “the leading partnership on the modern/free scene in Scotland, making impressive international associations.” These included Harry Beckett, Keith Tippett and Lol Coxhill. As a founder member of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, he commissioned Barry Guy to compose a new piece for the group, and co-ordinated performances by GIO and Lol Coxhill and Fred Frith.
He has performed with Barry Guy, Marilyn Crispell, Julie Tippetts and Mat Maneri, as well as his two favourite guitarists, Susan Alcorn and Bill Wells.
https://gburt.blog/
https://georgeburt.bandcamp.com/

Martin Mayes
Martin Mayes (Solo: Horns / Conch / Bells)
Horn, alphorn, creator of projects for concerts, events and workshops
The City of London Festival described him as an “Architect of the musical imagination”.
Born in Scotland, Martin Mayes studied music at the University of York, England and began his career in London in the rather contrasting worlds of the rarified experimental music scene and the down-to-earth world of street theatre and community arts, developing an eclectic and multi- disciplinary approach to music.
He has lived in Turin, Italy since 1982.
Over the years Martin has created projects that deal with many aspects of life. He uses music to tell stories and explores the musical potential of spaces and objects using improvisation to bring out the unusual, bizarre and irregular aspects of sound and music.
Amongst a most colourful career he has played in projects with CECIL TAYLOR – the American pianist and one of the creators of free jazz, with DAVID JACKSON – saxophonist and one-time member of the prog rock group Van de Graaf Generator – and with Mongolia’s leading traditional singer TSERENDAVAA.
Martin Mayes
(The Wind)
Martin Mayes solo performances grow out of an idea around a short melody or a poem. Using the horn, the alphorn and the conch together with a mix of bells (especially animal bells) and other noise makers plus a few texts and poems.
This will be Martin’s first solo performances after a three-month abstention from blow-ing the horn due to an operation on the oesophagus, as such he has decided to create the solo performance at Newcastle around the idea of the wind.
We hope that you can join us in the intimate surroundings of the acoustic Members Library of the Lit and Phil to hear some of Martin Mayes’ exceptional music.

Alister Spence and Tony Buck
Alister Spence (Piano / Prepared Piano / Percussion) / Tony Buck (Drums and Percussion)
Alister Spence and Tony Buck are two endlessly curious, deeply committed, distinctive improvisers. They share a fascination with submerged rhythm, oblique extended forms, entwined interplay, and sound for its own sake. As contemporaries their musical histories have run in parallel—and occasionally intersecting—for the last thirty years. The duo’s debut release, Mythographer (ASM013) was listed in the ‘Best Albums of 2023’ by the New York City Jazz Record (January 2024 edition).
Both musicians bring a wealth of musical experience, offering each other the opportunity to dig deep into their vocabularies in order to engage in genuine, interactive dialogue. Whether playing wide-ranging abstract improvisations, swinging driving pieces, or more reflective soundscapes the pair manage to find focus and form wherever the music takes them.
‘an extremely free dialogue between two telepathically communicating personalities ... What’s particularly fascinating is the precision… they just sync the rhythm, drawing out the details attentively’ - Laima Slepkovaitė (Musika Magazine)
‘A special capacity to see through time and space to a different territory’ - Stuart Broomer (FreeJazzBlog)
Watch/Listen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZSlbyUXvOE
Alister Spence
Over more than 30 years Alister Spence has established a reputation as a pre-eminent creative force as pianist and composer in jazz and improvised music in Australia and internationally. He has recorded and toured numerous times with the Alister Spence Trio featuring Lloyd Swanton (the Necks), and Toby Hall. In 2020 the trio joined with rock electric guitarist Ed Kuepper (The Saints, The Laughing Clowns) to form Asteroid Ekosystem.
Spence also tours and records regularly with Satoko Fujii (Japan), Raymond MacDonald (Scotland), and Joe Williamson and Christopher Cantillo (Sweden). Past recordings and tours include with Myra Melford (US), The Australian Art Orchestra, and Clarion Fracture Zone. Albums released with these collaborators have received numerous awards and are frequently reviewed and mentioned in ‘Best Of’ lists in magazines and blogs such as The Wire (UK), New York City Jazz Record (US), Jazzwise (UK), Jazz Forum (Poland), Music Magazine (Japan).
Tony Buck
Tony Buck, regarded as one of Australia’s most creative and adventurous exports, with vast experience across the globe, he is involved in a highly diverse array of projects but is probably best known as a member of the trio The Necks.
Past collaborations include: Brian Eno: Ilan Volkov, David Sylvian, John Surman, Lee Renaldo, Underworld, Swans, and The Ex, to name a few. Current projects include: THE NECKS; UNEARTH (solo music and installation); SPILL with Magda Mayas; Das B with Mazen Kerbaj, Magda Mayas, Mike Majkowski; GLACIAL with David Watson and Lee Renaldo (Sonic Youth) and VELUM with John Butcher and Magda Mayas.
He has received numerous ARIA and APRA awards and, as a member of The Necks, was awarded the 2019 APRA award for Distinguished Contribution to Australian Music.

Biliana Voutchkova / Michael Thieke / Luigi Marino
Biliana Voutchkova (Violin and Voice) / Michael Thieke (Clarinet) / Luigi Marino (Percussion)
The music of the Voutchkova/Thieke duo focuses on micro tonality, imagery and intensely dynamic, often slowly developing and moving soundscapes. Biliana and Michael have worked together within (and in between) both compositional and improvisational methods since 2011.
In 2016 the duo started developing their concept Blurred Music which is dedicated to the translation of the visual concept of blurriness into sonic forms and strategies. The project brought the duo on an elongated concert tour in the USA which culminated with the release of a triple album with recordings from the live concerts, selected as Record of the year 2018 in the reader’s poll of Free Jazz Blog. In 2018 Voutchkova/Thieke received a grant from Musikfonds in Germany to develop this concept into two new directions - a quartet extension with bass recorder player Miako Klein and double bass player Andrew Lafkas, and a new long length installation format with durations of up to 5 hours.
The duo is also engaged in multi disciplinary projects and collaborations with various guest artists and for Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music they will be joined by the outstanding percussionist Luigi Marino.
Read More About Blurred Music Here http://www.bilianavoutchkova.net/voutchkovathieke-duo.html
Listen to Blurred Music Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f-wZm2KKKI
Watch Michael Thieke and Luigi Marino Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tubn9C_jDJg

Finn-Keeble Group
Abbie Finn (Drums) / Harry Keeble (Saxophone) / Dean Stockdale (Piano) / Andy Champion (Double Bass)
This North-Eastern group is co-led by the renowned jazz couple, Abbie Finn on drums and Harry Keeble on sax, also featuring hugely admired performers, Andy Champion on bass, and Dean Stockdale on keys. Their original compositions form a set of highly energetic and engaging contemporary jazz, performed by some of the finest musicians in the North-East. These highly established players deliver top-drawer performance, with deep roots in improvisation, and extraordinarily high-quality musicianship that will be a surprise to no one who knows the work of these artists as individuals.
http://www.abbiefinn.com

Zoe Gilby with Andy Champion - ‘The Music of Duke Ellington’
Zoe Gilby (Voice) / Andy Champion (Double Bass)
Duke Ellington is undeniably one of the most prominent musical icons of the 20th century. Voice and Double Bass duo Zoe Gilby and Andy Champion will be celebrating the importance of his contribution to jazz by performing a special selection of his compositions, rearranged for this dynamic duo.
Winner of Parliamentary Jazz Awards Jazz Vocalist Of The Year 2019 Zoë has teamed up with her husband, the innovative and powerful double bassist Andy Champion
for a voice and double bass duo. This exceptional pairing create an electrifying soundscape in this beautifully integrated music. Breathing fresh life into the familiar as well as heading off to the unchartered. The well-honed duo know each other by heart. Their approach is bold, hypnotic and mesmerizing. Interacting and infiltrating one another’s sound. Removing the boundaries, exploring space and time with just voice and double bass. Inspired by the legendary Sheila Jordan, this exciting project has been taking audiences by storm throughout the UK and Europe and highlights her ingenuity in interpreting a lyric.
“the instinctive interplay between the two performers and the opportunity it gives Zoe Gilby to display her vocal improvisational skills and subtle lyrical interpretations of well-chosen songs and Andy Champion to foreground all the possibilities of his double bass”
“a fantastic gig with both performers demonstrating their dexterous versatility with a great selection of songs, changing tempo and tone, improvising and embellishing at will”
http://www.zoegilby.co.uk

Yotuns
Sally Pilkington (Keys) / Christian Alderson (Drums and Percussion)
Opening the Mercury Music Prize concert is the new collaboration Yotuns.
“Flowing keys and percussion sounds in absorbing and meandering conversations”
The keys/voice and drums/percussion duo of Sally Pilkington (Bulbils/Hen Ogledd) and Christian Alderson (Archipelago/The Unit Ama),Yotuns mix expansive, freewheeling improvisation and pared back, minimalist repetition. For fans of forgotten 80’s VHS soundtracks and music from drowned, abandoned churches.

Dilettante (Solo Performance)
Francesca Pidgeon (Vocals / Guitar / Saxophone / Keys / Percussion / Looper)
Dilettante is the brain-child of multi-instrumentalist and former BC Camplight member Francesca Pidgeon. Live shows are a genre-phobic loop-fest, featuring everything from fuzzy guitar licks to 5-part saxophone harmonies. Whilst Dilettante frequently performs as a full five piece band, Francesca’s compositions equally lend themselves to intimate solo performances. Dilettante’s debut album ‘Tantrum’ was released in 2022 and followed up with ‘Life of the Party’ in 2025. She was recently granted the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Artists. It’s a delight to welcome Dilettante to perform as part of this exceptional triple bill for the Mercury Music Prize fringe in collaboration with Generator North East.
https://dilettantesongs.wixsite.com/home

John Pope Quintet
John Pope (Double Bass / Percussion)
Jamie Stockbridge (Alto / Baritone Saxophones)
Faye MacCalman (Tenor Saxophone / Clarinet)
Graham Hardy (Trumpet / Flugelhorn)
Johnny Hunter (Drum Kit / Glockenspiel)
John Pope is an improviser and composer based in Newcastle upon Tyne. He plays the double bass, bass guitar, musical saw and occasionally dictaphone. An artist with a diverse and expansive creative practice, John funnels a lifelong engagement with jazz, funk, rock music, pop- culture and mysticism through the cracked vessel of the free improviser.
As well as being one third of garage-jazz trio Archipelago, he has performed and collaborated with artists including Roger Turner, Mick Beck, Rhodri Davies, Greg Spero, Field Music, Anton Hunter, Chris Biscoe, Joe McPhee, Laura Cole and many others.
To date the John Pope Quintet have released two albums ‘Mixed with Glass’ and ‘Citrinitas’ on the region’s New Jazz and Improvised Music Recordings label, established in 2020 by Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music. For the Mercury Music Prize he will perform work from those recordings alongside new material that is being honed for his soon to be recorded third album.
https://johnpope.bandcamp.com/album/mixed-with-glass
https://johnpope.bandcamp.com/album/citrinitas

Faye MacCalman
Faye MacCalman (Workshop Host)
Faye MacCalman is a performer, composer-songwriter and improviser on saxophone, clarinet, voice and electronics. Faye fuses experimental songwriting with free-weaving melodies and enveloping rhythms drawing on jazz, folk and rock music inspired by under the surface emotional worlds; playfully merging magical realism with raw realities.
In 2023 Faye was selected as artist in residence at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead, and performs as a solo artist and as bandleader of jazz-art-rock adventurers Archipelago, nominated for UK Jazz Act of the Year in the Jazz FM Awards.
Faye’s music has been described as ‘captivating’ by (NARC Magazine), and ‘moving…I lost myself’ (Huw Stephens, BB6 Music) and has seen her supporting luminary artists such as LA Harpist Mary Lattimore.
Faye has increasing strands of activism in her music, and in 2022 Faye debuted her AV installation ‘Invisible Real’; highlighting anonymous experiences with mental illness within a dreamlike subconscious space, at Cheltenham Jazz Festival. For Faye’s residency at The Glasshouse she developed ‘Invisible Real’ into an expanded live experience with ethereal visuals and music for a brand new ensemble of musicians including Faye.
An in demand collaborator, Faye has worked with Maximo Park, Zoe Rahman, Arun Ghosh, The Unthanks, David Brewis, Daniel Casimir, Me Lost Me and John Pope. Faye’s music has been aired on BBC6 Music, NTS Radio, BBC Radio 3 and Worldwide FM, as well as making featured artist interview appearances on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC6.
http://www.fayemaccalman.com

Sax Choir
Sax Choir is a monthly workshop on the first Sunday of the month 2 - 4.30pm at The Globe, Newcastle. All saxophone players (clarinettists too) of any ability are welcome, anyone who wants to enjoy playing and learning alongside other enthusiasts in a relaxed, supportive atmosphere. The Sax Choir play music from a wide range of genres - blues, jazz, folk, pop, klezmer, classical, with an increasingly stronger element of free jazz and willingness to explore unusual/unique harmonies and accompaniments. The choir learn tunes by ear and sometimes from printed arrangements (which can often get impro rewrites!.. so non-readers will be able to participate fully.)
The Sax Choir aim to work in the great tradition of colliery bands with absolute beginners and professional level players learning and improving together believing everyone has a place in the single reed democracy.
ALL WELCOME! No commitment needed. No punctuality needed. Listeners welcome too and not unheard of…
Sax Choir sessions are free. Thanks to The Globe’ learning and participation program’ for their continuing support and Jazz North East for funding professionally led workshop(s)
We’re delighted that for this special festival edition Faye MacCalman will be running the Sax Choir alongside regular hosts Rachel Richman and Chris McConway.

Workshop on Improvisation and Comedy: Andy Hamilton
The theme of this year’s two day workshop with Andy Hamilton is improvisation in music and comedy – how far does improv play a role in these contrasting forms? Talks are by musicians playing at the festival, including Tony Buck, Alister Spence, Martin Mayes, Raymond MacDonald and George Burt, and by academics and other authorities, with more to be announced.
There will also be talks on related topics.
Organised by Andy Hamilton, funded by British Society of Aesthetics.
Andy Hamilton teaches Philosophy, and also History and Aesthetics of Jazz, at Durham University, UK. During his time at Durham he has also been Adjunct Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Western Australia, Perth, and has taught music aesthetics at Hong Kong University.
Andy specialises in aesthetics, political philosophy, philosophy of mind, J.S. Mill and Wittgenstein.
Amongst others his books include ‘Pianos Toys Music and Noise: Conversations with Steve Beresford’, he is also working on a book of conversations with Australian improvising trio The Necks.
Andy is a long-standing contributor to “The Wire”, “Jazz Journal” and “International Piano” magazines, interviewing and writing features on jazz and classical musicians and composers such as Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Elliott Carter, Kaija Saariaho and Christian Wolff. He is also a jazz pianist, and has adopted the persona Conservative Britartist Hamilton, whose activities satirise the contemporary artworld.
http://www.andyhamilton.org

Jazz Jam with Dave Cottle Trio at Swansea Jazz Club,The Swigg, Swansea Marina, Swansea.

Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

More details

Wednesday September 17th, 8pm
JAZZ JAM with Dave Cottle Trio
FREE ENTRY
Sponsored by Martin Hunt (Independent Financial Advisor)
@THE SWIGG, SWANSEA MARINA

< SA1

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

The Gas Giants All Stars at Widcombe Social Club, Bath.

Date: Sunday, November 02, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

The Gas Giants All Stars
Sunday 2 November
Widcombe Social Club
Doors & Bar open 7pm - Band on stage 8pm
Tickets online HERE
https://ticketscandy.com/ec/nod-knowles-254

The Gas Giants - multi-instrumentalist and composerWill Gregory (of – amongst many others - Goldfrapp and The Moog Ensemble) and percussionist and electronic wizz Tony Orrell (of every notable Bristol band for decades - and didn’t he once meet Deborah Meaden?) have been creating clever, witty, imaginative, sometimes pastiche-y, always relentlessly enjoyable and highly inventive music for cosmic light years.
And now comes the Big Bang (or Band?) as the Gas Giants can’t resist the gravitational pull of an All Stars night with stellar trombonist Raph Clarkson, the intergalactic
Ross Hughes (is there any instrument he doesn’t play?) and another Celestial Guest appearance from the multi-instrumental parallel universe of Max de Wardener.
Witness the creation of this new musical phenomenon and orbit the Gas Giants’ new galaxy from planet All Of The Above – an experience even Elon Musk can’t buy…..but you can!
The anticipated rare sighting of this heavenly body reminds us of the meteor shower and global excitement caused by their terrestrial manifestation at the 2024 Bath Jazz Weekend

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE ON THE GAS GIANTS’ SHUTTLE TO INFINITY AND BEYOND
https://ticketscandy.com/ec/nod-knowles-254
Regular AOTA customers please note:  AOTA is trialling a new online
Box Office - Tickets Candy - which is where the link above leads - and which may save AOTA on box office commission charges.

Tickets are still also available on the Eventbrite site with which customers may be more familiar.
Access Gas Giants tickets on Eventbrite HERE.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/aota-presents-the-gas-giants-all-stars-tickets-1693618120389

All Of The Above Music
c/o Widcombe Social Club
Widcombe Hill
Bath,
BA2 6AA.

The Casimir Connection at Lauderdale House, London.

Date: Sunday, September 28, 2025

Featuring: The Casimir Connection

More details

Diane McLoughlin writes;

The Casimir Connection performs at Lauderdale House, on Sunday 28th September at 7.30pm.
Tickets are available here:
https://www.lauderdalehouse.org.uk/whats-on/the-casimir-connection

We have been enjoying working on new material, which I hope will resonate with you both in thought and feeling!
The compositions will be enhanced by some sparkling spontaneous creativity from wonderful musicians: Alcyona Mick, Tim Fairhall and Kit Massey.

Alcyona Mick is a renowned pianist, known for her work with Tori Freestone and Natacha Atlas; Kit Massey plays regularly with The Hot Club of Jupiter, the BBC Concert Orchestra and teaches at Trinity Laban; Tim Fairhall has played with Yasmin Levy; the John Martin Quartet,  Madwort’s Menagerie and the Gavin Fairhall Lever group.

Here are some reviews of our latest album, Reflection:

“there’s serenity and optimism..all delivered with virtuosic commitment” (Jazzwise)

“brooding, folkloric pieces” (Mojo Magazine)

“an impressive album that warrants repeated listening” (Jazz Journal)

“a fine album from an ensemble that is truly bringing a new perspective on classical chamber composition and contemporary jazz and does so with a genuine sense of adventure” (Jazz Views)

Hope to see you there.
Best Wishes
Diane
The Casimir Connection

http://thecasimirconnection.com

https://caliban.lnk.to/reflection

http://www.lauderdalehouse.org.uk

Lauderdale House
Waterlow Park, Highgate Hill, London N6 5HG.

The Burt Bacharach Jazz Experience: Featuring Alex Steele & Catherine Sykes Quartet at Kenilworth Jazz Club, Kenilworth Rugby Club, Kenilworth, Warwickshire.

Date: Monday, October 06, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

In October, we have a new project from Catherine Sykes and Kenilworth Jazz regular, Alex Steele, which I’m sure you will enjoy.

The Burt Bacharach Jazz Experience: Featuring Alex Steele & Catherine Sykes Quartet - Monday, 6th Oct 2025

KENILWORTH: RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB
Monday 6th October, 2025
Door time: 7:30pm, Start time: 8:00pm
Tickets: £15.00, Students £7.50 available on the door or online at https://wegottickets.com/event/676352
* Please note the online price includes the ticketing site fee and is the same as the door price *
** If you intend to pay on the door please could you notify me, at this email address, of the number of tickets to be reserved which will assist in the planning of the event **

New jazz interpretations of the music of Burt Bacharach featuring Catherine Sykes (vocals), Alex Steele (musical director, piano), Paul Jefferies (double bass), Euan Palmer (drums)

This evening, we are delighted to welcome the brilliant ‘Burt Bacharach Experience’, a jazz evening exploring the incredible diverse compositions of Burt Bacharach, re-interpreted through the creativity of Musical Director, Alex Steele, on piano and the luscious vocals of Catherine Sykes.

Everyone knows the music of Burt Bacharach, with classics including The Look of Love, Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head, What the World Needs Now, I’ll Never Fall in Love Again and many more. They are classic songs, made famous by singers including Dionne Warwick, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield and the Carpenters, and explored by jazz greats including Sonny Rollins and Brad Mehldau. From the 1950’s onwards, Burt Bacharach created a huge catalogue of compositions, featuring a very unique style of chords, harmonies and changing time signatures. It is this creativity in his compositions which has led his music to be greatly explored and appreciated by jazz musicians. Tonight, Alex Steele leads this new band, with a set of special arrangements of these classic songs, pushing the music more deeply into modern jazz territory. You’ll know the songs, but you won’t have heard them played like this before!

More than a thousand artists have recorded the songs of Burt Bacharach over many decades. This new ‘Burt Bacharach Experience’ takes us one step further into explorations of his beautiful music.

Leading the quartet, Alex Steele is a unique voice in jazz, well-known for his passion, energy and a deep sense of musicality as a jazz pianist. He has been inspired by his heroes, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock and Brad Mehldau, and through his own musical journey, he has found his own unique voice. Alex brings his own special sense of energy to audiences, exploring the beauty of improvisation, zest, passion and creativity in music.

Vocalist Catherine Sykes expresses one of her most significant musical influences as Ella Fitzgerald. Catherine says “I love the freedom and space of jazz music. There are no set rules, no boundaries, no definitive way to sing. Rhythm and melody can be played with, feelings explored, day-to-day worries lost in the wonderful world of the music. I love what I do”. When she’s not with Alex exploring the music of Burt Bacharach, Catherine sings with the Glenn Miller Orchestra UK, she tours around the world, and makes special guest appearances with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Nick Ross Orchestra, Manhattan Orchestra, Fat Chops Big Band, Paul Barry Big Band, The Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra, and many more.

Kenilworth Jazz Club,
Kenilworth Rugby Football Club
Glasshouse Lane,
The Jack Davies Memorial Ground,
Glasshouse Ln,
Kenilworth,
CV8 2AJ.

Indika Festival presented by Milap, various venues, Liverpool City Region.

Dates: Friday, October 17, 2025 - Friday, October 31, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

For details please visit;
https://milap.co.uk/experience/indika-2025/

We have been advised of the following performances that are likely to be of interest to jazz listeners;

SARATHY KORWAR
TICKETS https://milap.co.uk/2025/08/milap-and-the-reader-present-yoga-live-sitar-wellness-experience/
One of the most original and compelling voices in the UK Jazz scene. A globally acclaimed percussionist, composer and producer.
With ringing endorsements from the The Guardian, Rolling Stone, MOJO Magazine, Songlines and Jazz FM, Korwar has established himself as a standout artist and collaborator - he won MOJO’s Jazz Album of the Year (2019) for his second studio album, won Songlines’ Best Album of the Year in 2023 and The Guardian placed his third studio album #2 for Best Global Albums (2022).
At INDIKA, Sarathy will present work from his new album ‘There is Beauty, There Already’. Expect a striking, percussion-led exploration of rhythm, voice and electronics featuring South Asian temple procession rhythms and contemporary minimalism.

THE TAPI PROJECT
TICKETS https://milap.co.uk/2025/08/milap-and-mellowtone-present-tapi-project-ft-dj-richie-vegas/
A continuous revival and retelling of stories and themes that make up modern India – held together by their compelling songwriting and compositions. Influences from the worlds of jazz, funk, folk and rock – filtered through the Indian subcontinent – all combine to create their unique and genre-defying sound.

ROHAN ROY COLLECTIVE
TICKETS https://milap.co.uk/2025/08/milap-and-liverpool-philharmonic-hall-present-rohan-roy-collective/
A fresh and fearless take on contemporary fusion. Rohan Roy Collective bring Indian classical ragas into conversation with jazz, groove and global sounds. Performing original compositions that are melodically rich and soulful, the ensemble create an atmosphere that’s both immersive and unpredictable.

Daylight Music presents Freda D’Souza, The Silver Field + Amulet, lunchtime event at St. John’s, Leytonstone, London.

Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Freda D’Souza, The Silver Field + Amulet
Saturday 27th September at St John’s Leytonstone, midday to 2pm

The new term finds us in an introspective mood, as we greet and welcome a new generation of music makers from far and wide. Expect a collage of analogue sounds, slow songs, digital sensations and delicate tender moments.

Freda D’Souza is an interdisciplinary artist whose tender songs find infinite detail in intricate repetition. Their new live project sees these songs expanded through drone, free improv and field recordings in a widening of space and layering of time. These live explorations draw the audience into a sonic meditation on what it means to be committed to loving.

2024 Oram Award-winner The Silver Field is a sound world of Derbyshire-based Rose Kindred-Boothby: voice, tapes, bass, samples, synthesis, strings, reeds, drums, small sounds, big sounds, sunlight, moonlight, a lot of water.
Using her modular synthesiser and other self-built electronic instruments, she weaves together song-soundscapes, creating a rich and dream-like tapestry of sound that draws from folk music tradition, experimental electronics and psychedelia.

Amulet (Joseph Flower and Isaac Tendler) are a Glasgow-based, instrumental duo making repetition-based experimental folk to keep you safe. They create moving soundscapes from looped guitar, synthesiser, field recordings and samples from multiple folk cultures.

Listen in with us this late September to new music once again reverberating and resonating through the space. As the leaves fall and the temperature drops, the kettle is on. It will be so good to be back with you again for another edition of music, tea & cake.

Tickets;
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/arcticcircle/1836526

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

Guitar Workshop with Steven Kirby and John Close, lunchtime event at The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon.

Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025

More details

Calling All Guitarists!
GUITAR WORKSHOP
Weds lunchtime 15 Oct, Muse 12-2pm
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/breconjazz-jazzlivecymru/t-jzenrzn

The Muse Brecon, Brecon, LD3 7DW
Wednesday 15th October 2025 12:00PM

Guitar class & jazz tuition with Steven Kirby & John Close - Weds 15 October, 12-2pm The Muse
Join Steven and John for this lunchtime event of teaching and playing, to learn more about the jazz guitar and improvisation techniques. Steven is a teacher and performer, someone who plays concert stages (including our Festival 2024) as well as intimate gigs, runs coaching and workshops, while John Close teaches guitar to young people in RCT as part of the county music service.
This session is open to guitar players at all levels and to all ages. Please bring your own instrument, music stand, and amp if used.
Tickets are £15 with PWYC & Youth option
Event Details
Starts at 12:00PM

Location
MUSE ARTS CENTRE
Glamorgan St.
Brecon,
LD3 7DW.

Steven Kirby / Deirdre Cartwright Quintet at Brecon Jazz Club, The Muse Arts Centre, Brecon.

Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

TUES 14 OCTOBER
JAZZ CLUB 7.30 for 8pm
Steven Kirby meets Deirdre Cartwright
Guitar Jazz Special
With Nick Kacal bass / Ryan Thrupp drums
Guest John Close
This is going to be such a groove!

Venue: Muse
Tickets £14/£16/PWYC
Thank you to all those who ‘top up’ their payments - much appreciated, and note that the PWYC is there for you to use if you need it. ALL DONATIONS TO BJC, SMALL & LARGE, ARE NOW ELIGIBLE FOR GIFT AID!
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/breconjazz-jazzlivecymru/t-jzenxrz

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

Leela James at Cadogan Hall, London.

Date: Friday, January 16, 2026

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Soul Superstar LEELA JAMES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2025 TD James Moody Jazz Festival at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Newark, New Jersey, USA.

Dates: Saturday, November 08, 2025 - Sunday, November 23, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following press release;

New Jersey Performing Arts Center Announces 2025 TD James Moody Jazz Festival, Nov 8-23
sponsored in part by TD Bank
New Jersey’s Largest Jazz Festival Returns to Newark for 14th Year

Hip-Hop Legends & Leading Poets Unite for Powerful Fusions of Music and Social Justice

Festival Artistic Advisor Christian McBride Leads His Big Band with Andra Day, José James, and Ledisi

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today announced details of the 14th annual TD James Moody Festival, taking place November 8-23, 2025. Co-curated by NJPAC’s Jazz Advisor Christian McBride, this year’s festival, which draws thousands of fans to the city of Newark, aims to showcase jazz as a powerful cultural force for social justice. From groundbreaking jazz masters Arturo Sandoval and Stanely Clarke to the censored “Poet of Havana” singer-songwriter Carlos Varela and hip-hop stars Chuck D, Rakim and Slick Rick baring their souls in the annual Represent! show, this year’s Festival is rooted in jazz’s intertwined history with activism. Presented at various accessible locations throughout Newark, the citywide Festival offers a diverse program of several acts fusing jazz with poetry, spoken word, dance, blues, pop, African-Caribbean music, and more — making it a destination for all arts lovers. New for this year, eligible TD Bank cardholders will receive special perks at the TD James Moody Jazz Festival. Review more information and the full list of benefits here.

Quote from John Schreiber, NJPAC President and CEO:
“Jazz has always been an art form that’s strengthened by artists collaborating, crossing boundaries, finding new inspiration in the counterpoint of different rhythms coming together. You’ll hear that in almost every show at the TD James Moody Jazz Festival this year, and especially in this year’s Represent! concert that will bring together leading voices in hip hop, jazz and spoken word poetry.”

Quote from Christian McBride, TD James Moody Jazz Festival Advisor and multiple GRAMMY® Award-Winning Jazz Bassist:
“This is going to be another all-star, can’t-miss TD James Moody Jazz Festival. I can’t wait to groove with my Big Band and the incredible vocalists Andra Day, José James and Ledisi. But as always, I’m proud that we’ve put together a festival that has something for everyone: You’ll hear inspiring words from Dodge Poets, witness the tap dance magic of Savion Glover, hear Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive sing new tunes inspired by the music of the 1940s with her friend Vilray, and move to Cuban rhythms from Carlos Varela, Diana Fuentes, Arturo Sandoval and Omar Sosa. Plus, we’ll welcome two legendary players — my fellow bassist Stanley Clarke, and guitarist Stanley Jordan — to the NJPAC stage this season. This is a rare treat, and I know fans will be looking forward to their appearances as much as I am. Our goal with the Moody festival is to ensure you’ll always hear some of your favorites — and always discover new music to fall in love with.”

Quote from Martin Melilli, TD Bank Commercial Market President:
“TD Bank has been an active supporter of the festival since it began, sponsoring free community performances and educational events, as well as mainstage concerts showcasing jazz superstars. We are very proud to continue our relationship with NJPAC and the TD James Moody Jazz Festival as they work to educate and inspire through jazz. At TD, we believe music and the arts are a universal language we all speak, and they both have a special way of inspiring positive change and connecting diverse communities.”

2025 TD James Moody Jazz Festival Performers
Alexander Claffy · Andra Day · Arturo Sandoval · Ben Williams · Carlos Varela · Christian McBride · Chuck D · Diana Fuentes · DJ Spinna · George Cables · Jerome Jennings · José James · King George · La Bruja · Ledisi · Lenny Williams · Luisito Rosario Orchestra · Nat Adderley Jr. · NJMEA All-State Jazz Band and Choir · Nuyorican Slam Poetry Team · Omar Sosa · Pokey Bear · Rakim · Rachael Price · Rodrigo Toscano · Savion Glover · Slick Rick · Stanley Clarke · Stanley Jordan · Theodis Ealey · Tucka James ·Tyehimba Jess · Tyreek McDole · Vilray Bolles · West Love
Plus surprise special guests and more!

2025 TD JAMES MOODY FESTIVAL LINE-UP (subject to change):
When: November 8 - 23, 2025
Where: Multiple venues in Newark, New Jersey, including NJPAC (One Center Street), Bethany Baptist Church (275 West Market Street), Feldman Middleton Community Center (92 Thomas Carmichael Drive), Newark Public Library (50 Hayes Street) and Clement’s Place (15 Washington Street)
Tickets: Free-$79. To purchase, contact NJPAC at 1.888.GO.NJPAC/1.888.466.5722
or visit http://www.njpac.org/jazz.

SAT 11.08 @ 6:00 p.m. BETHANY BAPTIST JAZZ VESPERS: GEORGE CABLES TRIO featuring ALEXANDER CLAFFY AND JEROME JENNINGS
George Cables – piano
Alexander Claffy – bass
Jerome Jennings – drums
“Anyone serious about jazz will tell you that George Cables belongs in the pantheon of the greatest jazz pianists.” – All About Jazz
Co-presented by the Bethany Baptist Church Jazz Vespers, NJPAC begins its season-long FREE concert series at Newark’s Bethany Baptist Church with legendary pianist George Cables. Since 2000, Newark’s historic Bethany Baptist Church has hosted free concerts that combine jazz and worship.
A major voice in modern jazz, George Cables is celebrated for his fresh interpretations of classic compositions and for his innovative style of writing. In addition to composing and arranging for his own albums, Cables has contributed to recordings by Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, and many others. Recently named an inaugural recipient of the 2025 Jazz Legacy Fellowship by the Mellon Foundation and the Jazz Foundation of America, Cables is described as a “humble keyboard genius with impeccable technique and a unique songbook.” The New York City Jazz Record hails him as “a piano giant,” while National Public Radio notes that his solos “reveal a deep sense of groove and pacing and a mind at work.” Location: Bethany Baptist Church.

SAT 11.08 @ 7:30 p.m. OMAR SOSA QUARTETO AMERICANOS
Omar Sosa – piano
Sheldon Brown – saxophone/clarinet/flute
Ernesto Mazar Kindelán – bass
Josh Jones – drums
“Omar Sosa has carved out a place for himself in the musical landscape that’s equal parts musical and spiritual. If the spirit speaks to anyone, it’s Omar Sosa.” – NPR Radio
It’s Latin jazz — plus pizzazz — with multi-GRAMMY® nominee Omar Sosa and his Quarteto Americanos. Playing with boundless energy, the Cuban-born composer, pianist and bandleader is “one of those rare birds whose keyboard skills are near those of Chick Corea and Chuco Valdes” (The New York Times). Rounding out the quartet are Omar’s buddies from the Bay Area: drummer Josh Jones, bassist Ernesto Mazar Kindelán and Sheldon Brown on saxophone, clarinet and flute. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.

SUN 11.09 @ 3:00 p.m. STANLEY CLARKE N•4EVER with special guest Ben Williams    
Stanley Clarke – bass
Ben Williams - bass
“In the truest sense of the word, Stanley Clarke is a legend.” – NPR Radio
An evening of bass! Four-time GRAMMY®-winning film composer, bassist and NEA Jazz Master Stanley Clarke is one of the most celebrated acoustic and electric bass players in the world. Clarke’s storied career has been awash with showcases in his virtuosity on the acoustic and electric basses. He’s worked with fellow music titans like Chick Corea, George Duke, Jean-Luc Ponty and Al Di Meola, and has scored for film and television. From 1974-1976, Clarke dropped a series of solo albums that would herald his status as a force in music and foreshadow his 2022 designation as an NEA Jazz Master. Opening the show is fellow bassist Ben Williams – one of the most acclaimed and versatile bassists in modern jazz. A GRAMMY® Award winner, he won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2009 and has been landing impressive accolades ever since. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater. This program is funded by the Berger Family Foundation.

WED 11.12 @ 4:30 p.m. JAZZ IN THE STACKS/BOOKS ON THE MOVE      
TD Jazz for Teens
Enjoy a FREE performance by TD Jazz for Teens at local Newark Public Libraries! Kicking off NJPAC’s monthly series in each of the NPL branches, it will host a Jazz in the Stacks performance preceded by a free engaged reading of Playing at the Border, Yo-Yo Ma’s children’s book as part of the Books on the Move series. Location: Newark Public Library Springfield Branch.

THU 11.13 @ 7:30 p.m. ARTURO SANDOVAL
Arturo Sandoval – trumpet
“a consummate musician, a true virtuoso” – Omaha World-Herald
At 75 years old, jazz trumpet virtuoso Arturo Sandoval still practices every day. Even after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Kennedy Center Honors and 10 GRAMMYs®, he’s never let the acclaim distract him from the most important thing: the music. As a child growing up in Cuba, he found freedom in jazz, Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban jazz. And “freedom,” he says, “is the most important word in any dictionary in any language in the world.” Feel the infectious energy and vivacious versatility of this music legend. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.

FRI 11.14 @ 7:00 p.m. NJMEA / ALL-STATE JAZZ BAND AND JAZZ CHOIR
Catch the next generation of great jazz artists from New Jersey. This annual concert event, co-presented by NJPAC’s Arts Education Department and the New Jersey Music Educators Association, brings together some of the very best young musicians and vocalists from across the state for a dynamic group performance. Performers include NJMEA All-State Jazz Band and NJMEA All-State Jazz Choir. Location: NJPAC’s Chase Room.

SAT 11.15 @ 3:00 + 7:00 p.m. SAVION GLOVER: PROjECt.9
Savion Glover – tap dance + percussion
PROjECt.9 – band + vocalist
“Savion is to tap when Charles Parker is to jazz.” – Herb Alpert
Boldy breaking ground for over a quarter century, Savion Glover brings his drum set and tap shoes to NJPAC. In his latest production PROjECt.9, Savion is lead percussionist as well as tap dancer in an illustrious celebration of sound. The group comprises a vocalist and three other musicians (names TBA) performing original dance compositions and instrumental score written by Savion. In addition to presenting his award-winning tap dancing, Savion also displays his musicianship as percussionist.
What makes PROjECt.9 particularly unique is Savion’s emphasis on the collaboration of sound and improvisation. His performances evoke themes of identity, community and resilience, reflecting the struggles and triumphs of Afrocentric culture.
Born in 1973, the tap dancer/choreographer/actor Savion has graced the stage since childhood. He set a record as the youngest person ever to receive a scholarship in the Newark Community School of the Arts. Before he was a teenager, he made his mark starring in the leading role in the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid. He eventually worked with dancing greats Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr. Among his credits are starring roles in major motion pictures like Jelly’s Last Jam, a role for which he made history as the youngest ever recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant. His starring role in the musical Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk, which he also choreographed, debuted on Broadway in 1996. The musical chronicles events in African-American history and brought Savion a TONY Award for Best Choreographer. Glover was made known to the younger generation with recurring appearances on Sesame Street. He also holds the credit as the live captured dancing motion behind Mumble the penguin in the film Happy Feet. Savion also served as co-choreographer for the film. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.

SAT 11.15 @ 8:00 p.m. BLUES IS ALRIGHT
Tucka James – vocals
King George – vocals
Pokey Bear – vocals
West Love – vocals
Lenny Williams – vocals
Theodis Ealey – vocals/guitar
Blues Is Alright is a one-night only concert of Southern soul, blues and R&B; a musical storytelling filled with stark emotion and a revolving reality check. It’s authentically raw; transforming tragedy, adversity and heartache into a visceral and cathartic experience. This special night of emotive lyrics and guitar-driven accompaniment features a mega lineup of musical royalty: performances by Tucka, King George, Pokey Bear, Theodis Ealey, J-Wonn and West Love.
Equally influenced by R. Kelly and Barry White, Louisiana’s Tucka James is an R&B singer who delivers “pillow talk” songs that recall the grooves of the ’70s, ’80s and 2010s. He kicked off his career singing lead vocals with Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band before going solo and earning his nickname “The King of Swing.”
King George burst onto the Southern Soul scene with his signature party-centric sound and R&B flair. Based out of Hopkins, South Carolina, his album Juke Joint Music was released in 2022. For old-school music lovers, King George is the perfect combination of R&B, soul and funk that’s sure to get anyone to do a little two-step.
Wardell “Pokey Bear” Brown hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he started his career as a rap artist before becoming the soulful singer that he is today. His first hits include “They Call me Pokey” and “Side Piece,” and he’s worked with Tyree Neal, Adrian Bagher, Ms. Pat, Veronica Raelle and Cupid.
Hailing from the Mississippi Delta, West Love’s voice carries the weight of generations of blues legends, equal parts gravel and honey. She’s earned a reputation as a modern-day blues torchbearer, weaving love, loss and life’s struggles into every note. Her guitar sound is inspired by the greats like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters.
The ultimate soul crooner, Oakland, California native Lenny Williams was lead singer of Tower of Power and won BMI’s Songwriter Award in collaboration with Kanye West for “One Night Celebrity,” recorded by Twista. His rich, passionate R&B vocal style made a splash on hits like “Cause I Love You” and “So Very Hard to Go.”
Blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and entertainer … just a few of the titles that describe the phenomenon of Mississippi native Theodis Ealey. After four successful albums with Ichiban Records, he founded IFGAM Records, launching his song “Stand Up in It” to #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart. Location: NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.

SUN. 11.16 @ 2:00 p.m. JAZZ SALSA SUNDAY
Luisito Rosario – vocals
Luisito Rosario Orchestra
As part of NJPAC’s ArtsXChange initiative, this concert is a FREE innovative collaboration between NJPAC and Newark neighborhoods to produce arts and cultural programming. ArtsXChange spotlights local talent and nurtures the creativity of residents of all ages and abilities. The Luisito Rosario Orchestra will be led by New Jersy’s own leading Salsa singer Luisito Rosario. All are welcome to join the salsa party in the South Ward! Location: Feldman Middleton Community Center.

SUN 11.16 @ 7:00 p.m. RACHAEL & VILRAY
Rachel Price – vocals
Vilray Bolles – guitar + vocals
“Rachael and Vilray are a perfect example of the idea that sometimes what that once seemed old fashioned can actually resonate as new again.” – All About Jazz
Brooklyn-based jazz duo Rachael Price and Vilray Bolles, known as Rachel & Vilray, makes their NJPAC debut. Performing works from their latest album West of Broadway (Concord Jazz), the two friends offer a contemporary take on tin pan alley, the Great American Songbook, and vintage small combo jazz. Fusing West Coast jazz with Broadway musicals, they turn the idea of “Everything old is new again” on its head.
Rachael Price is one of contemporary pop’s great vocalists, who when she isn’t singing cabaret jazz with Vilray, fronts the headlining rock band Lake Street Dive. The guitarist/singer/songwriter Vilray exists in that rare intersection of jazz, pop, and singer-songwriter fare. They met at college two decades ago. But it would take them years before they discovered their mutual love of the American songbook standards from the 1930s and 40s and subsequently create a project to showcase Vilray’s special gift of channelling classic songwriters in his original music. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.

THU 11.20 @ 8:00 p.m. REPRESENT! A NIGHT OF JAZZ, HIP HOP, AND POETRY
Rakim – hip-hop artist
Slick Rick – hip-hop artist
Chuck D – hip-hop artist
Tyehimba Jess – poet
Nuyorican Slam Poetry Team – poets
Caridad de la Luz aka La Bruja - poet
DJ Spinna
“A once-in-a-lifetime grouping of artists, presented in a unique way. No two numbers were really alike and yet, due to the vocalists’ and the musicians’ skill, everything flowed together seamlessly.” – NJarts.net
Back by popular demand is the fan-favorite jazz-meets-spoken word show Represent! Curated by Bill Stephney, part of the pioneering Def Jam Records team and responsible for launching rap group Public Enemy, this celebratory concert comprises MCs and poets performing their hit. For one unmissable night, NJPAC unites the leading voices in jazz, hip-hop and poetry.
Blaring horns and baring souls, these masterful artists exclaim their vision of justice, change, and joy. The incredible lineup includes hip-hop stars Rakim (Paid in Full), Slick Rick, and Chuck D (Public Enemy.  Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tyehimba Jess; one of the top poetry slam teams in the nation, the Nuyorican Poets Café’s Slam Team featuring La Bruja; spoken word performers; leading jazz artists and more. Complete line-up to be announced soon! Location: NJPAC’s Prudential Hall. This performance is part of Dodge Poetry.

FRI 11.21 @ 7:30 p.m. JAZZ JAMS
Co-presented by NJPAC’s Jazz Advisory Committee and Rutgers Institute for Jazz Studies, Jazz Jams at Clement’s Place is a FREE Jazz Jams Session concert series featuring top-flight New Jersey musicians directed by pianist and bandleader, James Austin, Jr.  Audience members immerse themselves in the relaxing sounds of jazz music that stimulate the players’ and listeners’ minds. All novice and seasoned jazz musicians and singers are welcomed to jam and improv with the professional band throughout the night. Co-producers: Wayne Winborne, Executive Director, IFJS and Eyesha Marable, AVP, Comm Engagement, NJPAC. Location: Clement’s Place.

FRI 11.21 @ 7:30 p.m. CARLOS VARELA with special guest DIANA FUENTES
Carlos Varela – vocals + guitar
Diana Fuentes – vocals
Rodrigo Toscano - poet
“The music of Cuba’s Carlos Varela feels as timely as ever.” – Los Angeles Times
Known as the “Poet of Havana” or the “Bob Dylan of Cuba”, the immensely popular Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela has dedicated his 30-year music career to expressing “the problems of my people.” His poetic lyrics speak to the promise and pain of Cuba across generations, with complex emotion and powerful imagery. His message has been banned and censored by Cuban authorities, but his songs, like 2000’s “Una Palabra,” continue to resonate around the world. As Carlos explains: “Words can transform. They can reach your soul and your heart. They can shake your bones. They can change your life, and that can’t be lost.”
Special guest Diana Fuentes is a Cuban singer-songwriter known for her sparkling voice and her fusion of pop, R&B and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. She began as a vocalist in Síntesis and Carlos Varela’s band, earning Latin GRAMMY® nominations. She was the first Cuban female artist signed to Sony Music Latin since Celia Cruz, earning two Gold Records and one Platinum Record. Opening the concert is Rodrigo Toscano, an author of 12 books of poetry, dialogist, essayist and labor-environmental activist.
Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater. This performance is part of Dodge Poetry and receives additional support from the Gia Maione Prima Foundation.

FRI 11.21 @ 8:00 p.m. CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE BIG BAND with ANDRA DAY, JOSÉ JAMES, and LEDISI
Christian McBride – bass/bandleader
Christian McBride Big Band
Andra Day - vocals
José James – vocals
Ledisi – vocals
“one of modern jazz’s most innovative musicians” – Glide Magazine
Montclair resident Christian McBride is a nine-time GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist/composer/producer, NJPAC’s Jazz Advisor, Artistic Director of the Montclair Jazz Festival, Board Member and Artistic Chair of Jazz House Kids. He makes his return as a bandleader with his latest project featuring his acclaimed Big Band and several special guest vocalists including: contemporary R&B innovator José James, the unparalleled GRAMMY® Award-winning Ledisi, and Andra Day who won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in the biopic The United States vs. Bille Holiday.
Most of the vocalists appearing on his latest album Without Further Ado, Vol. 1 (Mack Avenue Records) have performed with him on the NJPAC stage. As told to WBGO Radio, “The impetus for this recording actually stems from the annual gala at NJPAC. So since 2012, I’ve been NJPAC’s Jazz Advisor and my Big Band has been the house band for the gala ever since. We’ve invited all kinds of great singers to come and sing at those galas. Between the gala and the James Moody Festival, we’ve had Al Jarreau, Dianne Reeves, Jeffrey Osborne, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Lizz Wright, Fantasia, Cynthia Erivo, Philip Bailey, every singer you could possibly think of. Every year I had to write these arrangements for these singers and they only got played once. After more than 10 years, I’m looking at my library and I got this huge pile of big band music that’s only been played once. I thought they shouldn’t go to waste.“Location: NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.

SAT 11.22 @ 7:30 p.m. STANLEY JORDAN PLAYS JIMI
Stanley Jordan – guitar
“one of the world’s finest guitarists” – Downbeat
World-renowned jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan channels the blues-rock legend in this can’t-miss tribute. “This is my fantasy Jimi Hendrix concert if Jimi were still alive and playing today,” he explains. It was Jimi’s death in 1970 that first moved 11-year-old Stanley to take up the guitar. His jazz career took flight, with four GRAMMY® nominations and the development of his signature two-handed touch technique, which was inspired by Jimi’s left-handed tapping. In this performance, Stanley channels Jimi while allowing his own style to shine through. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.

SUN 11.23 @ 11:30 a.m. + 1:30 p.m. DORTHAAN’S PLACE: NAT ADDERLY JR. QUARTET
Nat Adderly Jr. – piano
“The finest in jazz is on the menu… anticipation runs high at Dorthaan’s Place, whether you’re there for the music, the food, the scene, Dorthaan, or all of the above.” - All About Jazz
NJPAC continues Dorthaan’s Place, its popular Sunday jazz brunch series at NICO Kitchen + Bar curated by Newark’s First Lady of Jazz, Dorthaan Kirk. The series made its debut during NJPAC’s 2012-13 season and has grown ever since. This edition presents New Jersey’s Nat Adderley, Jr. — pianist, composer, arranger and longtime music director for Luther Vandross. Inspired by greats like Chick Corea, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. There are two brunch seatings: 11:00 a.m. (music begins at 11:30 a.m.) and 1:30 p.m.  Location: NJPAC’s NICO Kitchen & Bar.

Sun 11.23 @ 3:00 p.m. 14th ANNUAL SARAH VAUGHAN INTERNATIONAL JAZZ VOCAL COMPETITION
Gary Walker – host
Ann Hampton Callaway – judge
Jon Faddis – judge
Nnenna Freelon – judge
Christian McBride – judge
Janis Siegel – judge
Tyreek McDole - vocalist
The divine Sarah Vaughan—Newark’s greatest musical gift to the world—got her start as the winner of a talent contest. NJPAC honors her legacy every year with the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, the only global jazz vocal contest of its kind, open to all genders and nationalities. This event offers outstanding jazz singers a one-of-a-kind platform for embarking on a career in the music business—and offers audience members a chance to discover the jazz stars of tomorrow. For this 14th annual “The SASSY Awards” event, WBGO Radio’s Gary Walker will host and 2023 SVVC winner Tyreek McDole will perform. A panel of all-star judges—Ann Hampton Callaway, Jon Faddis, Nnenna Freelon, Christian McBride, and Janis Siegel—will select the winner. Gifted young contestants from around the world are evaluated on vocal quality, musicality, technique, performance, individuality, artistic interpretation, and ability to swing. The winner receives a $5,000 cash prize. Past winners include Samara Joy, Cyrille Aimée, Jazzmeia Horn, Quiana Lynell, Laurin Talese, and more. For more information or to enter the competition, visit SarahVaughanCompetition.com. Location: NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.

About NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is the most diverse performing arts center in the country, and the anchor cultural institution for both the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey.  It is an artistic, cultural, educational and civic center where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day.  NJPAC brings communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC Arts & Well-Being develops initiatives and programs that amplify the health benefits of the arts and measure the impact of the Arts Center on community health and well-being. NJPAC has attracted more than 12 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.  Visit http://www.njpac.org for more information.       

About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®
For the 14th consecutive year, the Festival is sponsored by the TD Bank is the title sponsor of all jazz programming during NJPAC’s season, including free community performances and educational events, as well as mainstage concerts showcasing jazz superstars. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. by assets, providing over 10 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., offers vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank and its subsidiaries also offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J.
To learn more, visit http://www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/TDBank_US/.
TD Bank is a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, a top 10 North American bank. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit http://www.td.com/us.

Kahil El’Zabar Ethnic Heritage Ensemble at 229, London.

Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble was founded by spiritual jazz multi-percussionist and bandleader Kahil El’Zabar in 1974.

With El’Zabar at the helm, the band’s line-up has featured Light Henry Huff, Kalaparusha Maurice Macintyre, Joseph Bowie, Hamiett Bluiett, and Craig Harris.

The current line-up has been consolidated over two decades — trumpeter Corey Wilkes entered the circle twenty years ago, while baritone sax player Alex Harding joined seven years ago, after having played with El’Zabar since the early 2000s in groups such as Joseph Bowie’s Defunkt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOfq6F6BxSA

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

Tickets;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/kahil-el-zabar-ethnic-heritage-ensemble/229/3462710

229, London W1W 5PN

Tuesday 11 November 2025 at 19:00.
Performing
Kahil El’Zabar Kahil El’Zabar Quartet Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

Remi Harris - Man of the World: The Music of Peter Green, Extra show at The Regal Tenbury Wells, Worcs.

Date: Sunday, November 02, 2025

Featuring: Remi Harris

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Man of the World: The Music of Peter Green – New Date Now on Sale
We’re thrilled to announce that due to overwhelming demand, a second date has been added for Man of the World: The Music of Peter Green with Remi Harris and his band!

Sunday 2 November at 7pm
at The Regal, Tenbury Wells

This powerful show celebrates the life and music of Peter Green, founder of the original Fleetwood Mac. Guitarist Remi Harris is joined by vocalist Dave Small, bassist Tom Moore and drummer Nicky Waters to perform classics from across Peter Green’s career, including Man Of The World, Black Magic Woman, Need Your Love So Bad, Albatross and The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown).

“A highly enjoyable show… The standard of the playing was excellent throughout.” — thejazzmann.com

“This was a band that brought vivid life to the songs and instrumentals written and performed by Peter Green… with taste and accuracy.” — Lichfield Live

Tickets;
https://www.regaltenbury.co.uk/events/man-of-the-world-the-music-of-peter-green-1-xmnde

Regal Tenbury Trust, 49 Teme Street, Tenbury Wells, England, WR15 8AE, United Kingdom

01584 811 442

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

Soothsayers = Red Earth Collective 25th Anniversary Show at The Jazz Cafe, Camden, London.

Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025

Featuring: Soothsayers

More details

Soothsayers - 25th Anniversary
https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/soothsayers-jazz-cafe-tickets/13714154?pl=JC

The Jazz Cafe presents
Soothsayers

Sun Sep 21 2025
7:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Jazz Cafe
5 Parkway Camden Town
London NW1 7PG

£21.19
Ages 18 +

“A truly intoxicating dub experience… featuring a galaxy of reggae and dub stars… like the best jambalaya it’s hot and spicy and will leave you grinning from ear to ear.” - Clash Magazine

Soothsayers are set to celebrate their 25th anniversary with the release of a new album, showcasing their unique blend of afrobeat, dub, reggae and jazz.

The band has been a vital force in the UK’s global music scene since their formation in 2000 and has graced stages at major festivals such as Glastonbury, North Sea Jazz, Shambala, and more,  captivating audiences with their infectious energy, dynamic horn sections and deep grooves.

Over the last two decades, Soothsayers has created a sound that is both timeless and forward-thinking. Their live performances are an immersive experience, drawing crowds into a powerful musical journey through African rhythms, dub textures and jazz improvisations.

Sounds of Denmark Festival 2025 at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London and Turner Sims, Southampton.

Dates: Thursday, September 25, 2025 - Friday, September 26, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

On 25th and 26th September, Sounds of Denmark will bring some of the finest musicians from the vibrant Danish jazz scene to London’s award-winning PizzaExpress Jazz Club and Turner Sims Southampton.

ABOUT SOUNDS OF DENMARK
Sounds of Denmark is an exciting musical partnership between Denmark and the UK. The project was launched in 2016 as a collaboration between JazzDanmark, PizzaExpress Jazz Club and Sue Edwards Management with support from the Royal Danish Embassy in London. Sounds of Denmark is one of many Danish jazz initiatives taking place in the UK, which includes the launch of ‘Dangerous Sounds’ - an English language version of award-winning podcast ‘Farlige Toner’ (covering 100 years of jazz in Denmark), a partnership with One Jazz radio including a special programme on Danish jazz, and a residency programme for Danish bandleaders during the London Jazz Festival.

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW:

CECILIE STRANGE
PizzaExpress Soho 25th September
Turner Sims, Southampton 26th September

ASTRAL CINEMA
PizzaExpress Soho 25th September
Turner Sims, Southampton 26th September

JASPER HØIBY’S 3ELEMENTS
PizzaExpress Soho 26th September

Further information and ticket links at;
https://www.sueedwardsmanagement.com/sounds-of-denmark

Outside Up1 at ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ at Selly Oak Quaker Meeting House, Selly Oak, Birmingham.

Date: Saturday, October 04, 2025

More details

Adrian Litvinoff of Outside UP! writes;

Early in October Outside UP! is taking part in a special event for Quaker Week in Selly Oak, Birmingham.  An evening of jazz, plant based food and presentations, ‘Love Your Neighbour’ will provide an evening of thoughtful fellowship and relaxation, enjoying some of the good things in life while also raising money to help the people of Gaza.

Love Your Neighbour
Saturday
4th October 6.30 pm
Free (donations)

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

Selly Oak Quaker Meeting House
930 Bristol Road
Selly Oak
B29 6NB

SugarDaddies at The Leif Bar, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

Date: Friday, September 19, 2025

More details

Adrian Litvinoff of SugarDaddies writes;

SugarDaddies are back at Leif Bar in Leamington, bringing a fine selection of vintage Blues and Soul.  The band has so many tunes in the book by now it’s a challenge to know what to leave out!  We think this set will delight fans of both genres.

Vintage Blues and Soul
Friday 19th September
8.30pm
Free in

SugarDaddies
Steve Roberts guitar, harmonica, vocals
Adrian Litvinoff bass, keyboards, vocals
Rich Westwood drums, vocals

Leif Bar
116 Warwick Street
Leamington Spa
CV32 4QP
01926 336457

Fred Hersch Trio at The Village Vanguard, New York City, USA.

Dates: Tuesday, October 21, 2025 - Sunday, October 26, 2025

Featuring: Fred Hersch

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this residency;

Pianist Fred Hersch Celebrates His 70th Birthday With a Week-Long Run at The Village Vanguard October 21-26
Shows at 8:00 and 10:00 PM
Featuring Bassist Drew Gress and Drummer Marcus Gilmore
Tickets Available Online
https://vv.squadup.com/artists/fred-hersch

Fred Hersch’s The Surrounding Green, his Third Recording for ECM, is an Essential Entry into the Piano Trio Canon
Featuring Bassist Drew Gress and Drummer Joey Baron
Hersch Tackles a Handful of 20th Century Compositions, Spanning from Standards to Less Frequented Jazz Tunes, as Well as Three Originals
Available Now via ECM
https://ecm.lnk.to/SurroundingGreen

“This offering by Hersch, Gress and Baron is engaging, ardent and otherwise splendid; it’s conceivable Manfred Eicher has found the great piano trio to anchor his catalogue for the foreseeable future.”
— DownBeat (★★★★1/2)

“Everything is elegant here; the trio has achieved mastery of their collective approach, not in raging romps or virtuosic displays, but in the clarity of their communication and their use of space.” — All About Jazz

“Soaked in jazz tradition, but equally driven to pursue his own distinctive vision, Hersch possesses one of the most divine keyboard techniques of anyone currently working. Clearly classically trained, the Cincinnati native is more likely to imply his skill than put it on display, putting the tunes in charge on his latest album The Surrounding Green.” — The Big Takeover

Masterful trio interplay reliant on deeply honed three-way communication and a refined sense of understatement make Fred Hersch’s The Surrounding Green, his third recording for ECM, an essential entry into the piano trio canon. Hersch tackles a handful of 20th century compositions – spanning from standards to less frequented jazz tunes – as well as three originals, with Drew Gress on bass and Joey Baron on drums.

Gress and Baron are longstanding companions of Hersch’s who have played with him on and off since the late ‘80s and early ‘90s respectively – in various combinations Fred was joined by the one or the other on over a dozen recordings. This however marks their first studio recording as a trio, and their exceptional collective approach, shaped by decades of experience, can be heard (and felt) in every song.

“Joey is such a genius with dynamics that it was no problem at all for us to hear each other in the Auditorio,” notes Hersch. “And the way that Drew plays, for example on ‘Plainsong’ and ‘The Surrounding Green’, there’s so much trust in how we get through the harmony, where we pause and where we move on. I feel that on this record you really hear the history! I hope that people can feel the maturity of the interaction, the sonic world and the sensitivity at play.”

As to his approach when writing a new song, Hersch insists that he usually composes within a limit timeframe – 45 minutes, the kitchen timer keeps track. His favourite tune writers, Hersch says, “Monk, Wayne shorter, Duke or Kenny Wheeler – many of their songs don’t look like much on a page, but they have a kind of world to them. Everything Monk wrote fits on 86 pages – everything! I’m a believer in that a good tune needs no more than two essential elements – it has to be memorable, as in it has to stick. And it should be fun to play, leaving room for the player to bring in whatever they bring.”

“This record to me is very concentrated, which always seems to be the case when I work with Manfred,” says Hersch. “It marks my third record with him, all three recorded in Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo – and I can definitely say it’s the perfect condition for kind of playing live, but in a controlled environment.”

Recorded in May 2024, The Surrounding Green was produced by Manfred Eicher.

Fred Hersch · The Surrounding Green
ECM · Release Date: June 27, 2025
For more information on ECM, please visit:
https://ecmrecords.com/

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/raGPWUXEky8

Fred Hersch featured on Jazz Night in America
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/17/nx-s1-5464879/jazz-night-fred-hersch

Village Vanguard 178 7th Avenue South, New York, NY 10014, United States
(212) 255-4037 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.villagevanguard.com

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

Date: Sunday, March 08, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

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

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

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

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

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

229, London W1W 5PN.

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

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

LOT Polish Jazz Festival, various venues, London.

Dates: Monday, September 15, 2025 - Monday, September 29, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Discover the LOT Polish Jazz Festival - London’s freshest celebration of Poland’s vibrant jazz scene

This September, immerse yourself in the rich and dynamic sounds of Poland at the LOT Polish Jazz Festival, a brand-new cultural event showcasing the very best of Polish jazz talent across some of London’s most iconic venues.

From 15–29 September, the city becomes a hub for music lovers eager to explore Poland’s unique contribution to contemporary jazz. The festival launches in style on 15 September at Cadogan Hall with the internationally acclaimed Marcin Wasilewski Trio (with special guest Emma Rawicz). The celebrations continue with multi-award-winning pianist Leszek Możdżer and vocalist Anna Maria Jopek (with special guests Mark Kavuma and Chiminyo) at Cadogan Hall (26 September). Experience the soulful trumpet of Piotr Wojtasik (featuring Leo Richardson) at Kings Place (27 September). Enjoy intimate lunch and evening shows by rising stars such as Alice Zawadzki and Aga Zaryan Trio (featuring guitarist Ant Law) at the renowned PizzaExpress Jazz Club in Soho (28 September). The festival culminates on 29 September with a captivating performance by the charismatic Sławek Uniatowski (featuring Poppy Daniels).

This event is more than just concerts - it’s a cultural bridge connecting jazz enthusiasts with the innovative spirit and rich heritage of Poland’s music scene. Whether you’re a long time fan or new to Polish jazz, the LOT Polish Jazz Festival promises unforgettable performances and a fresh perspective on one of Europe’s most exciting jazz landscapes.

Tickets are on sale now - don’t miss this extraordinary musical journey!

Full line up and tickets here;
https://polishjazzfestival.com/

Andy Sheppard Quartet at The Haymarket, Basingstoke, Hants.

Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Featuring: Andy Sheppard Quartet

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Andy Sheppard Quartet
Wed 24 Sep / 7.30pm - The Haymarket, Basingstoke

Prepare to be transported by the unmistakable sound of one of Europe’s most celebrated jazz musicians, Andy Sheppard.

With his special blend of lyrical improvisation and boundary-pushing compositions, Sheppard has captivated audiences around the world - and now, he’s bringing his spellbinding show to The Haymarket this month.

Andy’s career spans over four decades, during which he has worked alongside jazz giants such as Carla Bley, Gil Evans, and George Russell. Known for his melodic playing and fearless innovation, he is as captivating in intimate solo settings as he is with full ensembles. His music crosses boundaries — fusing classical clarity with the fire and soul of contemporary jazz.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see one of the finest in the business.

Andy Sheppard Saxophones
John Parricelli Guitar
Dudley Phillips Double Bass
Nic France Drums

Tickets here;
https://www.anvilarts.org.uk/events/andy-sheppard-quartets

Sheppard was on fine form, his playing confident and energetic
Jazzwize

Andy Sheppard on saxophone is one of the great sounds in modern jazz
The Irish Examiner

Boy was it a treat… [The band] jousted and wove together throughout, echoing ideas and layering textures with impeccable empathy.
Tony Benjamin, Bristol Beacon

Narrating Structures Videomapping Workshop at 47/49 Tanner Street, London SE1 (Part of the Unpredictable Series).

Dates: Saturday, September 27, 2025 - Sunday, September 28, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Narrating Structures Videomapping Workshop
Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th September - 11 to 4pm
47/49 Tanner Street     SE1 3PL, London
Narrating Structures is a projection mapping seminar facilitated by Dr Blanca Regina supported by MadMapper.
Throughout a hands-on weekend workshop, we introduce projection art, video mapping and multimedia design.
Tickets and more information
https://whiteemotion.bigcartel.com/product/narrating-structures-projection-mapping-workshop

Terry 85 with Terry Day, Mike Figgis, Neil Charles, BeiBei Wang, Blanca Regina and Peter Cusack at Cafe Oto, Dalston, London (Part of the Unpredictable Series).

Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Wednesday   24 September
Terry 85
7.30pm   CAFE OTO London
Terry Day, Mike Figgis, Neil Charles, BeiBei Wang, Blanca Regina and Peter Cusack
Terry 85 is an event dedicated to celebrating Terry Day, a first-generation free improviser and artist born in 1940.
The evening will feature two sets and highlight some of his close peers and newer generations of artists connected to him through music, art, and friendship.
The first set includes a trio consisting of Terry on drums, his long-time friend and collaborator from People Band, filmmaker Mike Figgis, and the talented double bassist and music producer Neil Charles.
The second set will open with “Trouble Times,” a lyric from his book “Love, Sex, and War: Terry Day Lyrics”, published by Unpredictable Series in 2023. This will segue into a trio featuring percussionist BeiBei Wang, interdisciplinary artist Blanca Regina, and Peter Cusack, an artist and musician who uses field recordings, electronics, and guitar. Peter is also a member of the group Alterations, which performed with Terry Day, David Toop, and Steve Beresford from 1977 to 1986 and reunited in 2015, continuing to the present day.
As drummer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, painter, singer and free spirit, Terry has been a source of joy and inspiration to many generations since his pioneering forays into free improvisation in the early 1960s. Cafe Oto and Unpredictable Series are proud to host a celebration of his wit, invention and unstoppable energy.
Set times
7.30 - Doors
8.30 - Terry Day, Mike Figgis, Neil Charles
9:30 - All musicians segway to BeiBei Wang, Blanca Regina and Peter Cusack
Visuals from Terrys artworks +  visuals by Pierre Bouvier Patron
£14 £
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/unpredictable-series-present-terry-8512 Advance £6 MEMBERS

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

Black British Folk Takeover at Cecil Sharp House, London.

Date: Saturday, October 04, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

We have received the following press release;

Black British Folk Takeover at Cecil Sharp House

Song, Music and Storytelling from British Folkies of the African Diaspora

On Saturday 4 October 2025, the English Folk Dance and Song Society and Angeline Morrison will present the Black British Folk Takeover as part of Black History Month. This festival-style all day event is a celebration of Black folk talent on the UK scene – and is the first of its kind.

Curated by Angeline Morrison who performed ‘The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience’ Live at the BBC Proms in July (listen here), the Black British Folk Takeover includes folk music styles from traditional ballad singing to contemporary, experimental folk-inspired music, as well as a live conversation on African diasporic identities and relationships with British folk and a sing-around and music session Folk Club led by the musicians and open to all audience members.

Bringing together some of the most exciting voices in folk music for this special day of music and storytelling, the Black British Folk revival features music from Angeline Morrison & Mataio Austin Dean, Germa Adan, Bethany Weimers, Marie Bashiru, Border Widow, Calliope, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne and Muco, and conversation with Zakia Sewell and Emma Kathryn, interviewed by Angeline.

Angeline Morrison, Guest Curator of Black British Folk Takeover: “I’ve been nurturing the tiny flame of the idea for this event since 2020, so I was thrilled when the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) offered to host it – at the iconic Cecil Sharp House. Myself and my folkie friends and fellow musicians, dancers, magicians and folk lovers will be taking over Cecil Sharp House for an afternoon and evening of folk sounds, songs and stories that shine a long overdue light on the African and Caribbean Diaspora’s love for, and ongoing relationships with, British folk. So whether you’re a hardcore folkie or a curious lover of all music, this event aims to bring you joy, surprises and lifting of the spirits.”

Katy Spicer, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of English Folk Dance and Song Society: “We are delighted to present the first ever Black British Folk Takeover, showcasing some of the country’s outstanding Black folk talent at our atmospheric venue, Cecil Sharp House. We look forward to welcoming audiences with open hearts and minds for a programme showcasing the diverse landscape of folk music from both established and emerging young Black musicians.”

BLACK BRITISH FOLK TAKEOVER LINE-UP

Angeline Morrison
Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Angeline combines a love of traditional song, a respect for the hidden ancestral voices of Old Albion, explorations of diaspora, nation and history, and a belief in enchantment as powerful charms for decoloniality.

Mataio Austin Dean
Artist, poet, musician, and activist, Mataio’s uses Guyanese and English folksong and images to explore Guyana’s largely overlooked anti-colonial and anti-slavery revolutionary history.

Germa Adan
Composer, vocalist, and string musician, Germa’s music traverses Haitian, American, and British folk traditions through the rich sonic languages of the Afro-diaspora, the improvisational spirit of jazz and poetic storytelling.

Bethany Weimers
Folk-influenced alt-pop singer-songwriter, Bethany’s songs are driven by powerful haunting vocals, vivid lyrics and infectious choruses, telling stories inspired by nature, history and the human condition.

Marie Bashiru
Marie’s music resembles a melting pot of folk, soul and indie rock, and lends an earnest familiarity and yet at the same time, points to a new and unique sound that heralds a new generation of singer-songwriters in British music.

Border Widow
Made up of Chardine Taylor-Stone (Big Joanie) and Hatty Carmen (Thigh High), their music is characterised by haunting darkwave pop melodies and atmospheric soundscapes creating an immersive experience that is both eerie and beautiful.

Calliope
The experimental, multi-instrumental folk duo take inspiration from folk traditions of the black diasporic transatlantic world, blending salt-of-the-earth trad tunes, ancestral musical traditions and cosmic modernity.

Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne
Leading his generation of English folk musicians as both a commanding singer and a masterful player of the Anglo concertina and melodeon, Cohen plays traditional songs and tunes along with some self-penned material and a few surprises along the way.

Muco
Singer, songwriter and composer of British-Burundian heritage, Muco’s music is inspired by a love of language and storytelling. He combines lyrics and influences from Old, Middle, and Modern English, as well as French, Swahili, and Kirundi.

Zakia Sewell
Broadcaster, writer and DJ, Zakia hosts Dream Time on BBC 6 Music and has presented podcasts on identity, music, mental health and culture. Her forthcoming book, Finding Albion (Hodder Press, 2026), explores British national identity, folk culture and myth.

Emma Kathryn
Writer and author, Emma is a practising folk witch and Obeah woman, and explores the relationship between history, land, folklore through the lens of her mixed heritage and working-class experience, and particularly in reference to British and Jamaican folklore.

Tickets are available here:
https://www.efdss.org/whats-on/26-gigs/15117-black-british-folk-takeover-2025

LISTINGS

Black British Folk Takeover
Saturday 4 October 2025, 1.15pm - 10.30pm
Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent’s Park Road, London NW1 7AY
Tickets: £35.50 (Under 30s £20.50)
Box Office details:
http://www.cecilsharphouse.org / 020 7485 2206

FULL PROGRAMME SCHEDULE
1.15pm – Doors open
1.35pm – Introduction by Angeline
1.40pm – Angeline Morrison & Mataio Austin Dean
2.20pm – Muco
3.05pm – Germa Adan
3.45pm – Interval
4.15pm – Bethany Weimers
4.50pm – Marie Bashiru
5.25pm – Border Widow
5.55pm – Break

6.15pm – Folk club

7.15pm – Doors re-open
7.30pm – Introduction by Angeline
7.35pm – Angeline Morrison in conversation with Zakia Sewell and Emma Kathryn
8.40pm – Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne
9.40pm – Calliope

THE BLACK ARTISANS
The English Folk Dance and Song Society is hosting The Black Artisans, a striking photography exhibition by visual artist Jo Sealy, as part of its Black British Folk Revival programme.
Through 36 powerful portraits, The Black Artisans celebrates the range of creativity and skill of UK-based Black craftspeople. The exhibition highlights both traditional heritage crafts and wider cultural practices – from weaving and woodturning to steel pan making and calabash artistry – shining a light on makers too often left out of the story of British folk heritage.
Jo Sealy, Photographer: “This exhibition is about making visible the extraordinary contribution of Black artisans to our shared cultural heritage – and inspiring future generations to discover these crafts for themselves.”

About the English Folk Dance and Song Society
The English Folk Dance and Song Society champions the folk arts at the heart of England’s rich and diverse cultural landscape. As the national development agency for the folk arts, it delivers a dynamic national and local education programme, enabling and increasing access to the folk arts. It runs the acclaimed National Youth Folk Ensemble. It supports folk artists through a flourishing artists development programme. It manages the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library – England’s national folk music library and archive. The custom-built headquarters of the English Folk Dance and Song Society is Cecil Sharp House, a busy arts centre situated just north of Regent’s Park in central London. Visit http://www.efdss.org

Booker T. Jones at Koko, Camden, London.

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

More details

We have received the following press release regarding these events;

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

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

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

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

Jammin Juan Jazz Market Place at in Juan-les-Pins, France.

Dates: Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - Friday, October 31, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

Guest contributor Colin May has supplied the following information regarding this event;

The programme has been released for the 8th edition of Jammin Juan, the jazz market place that takes place in Juan-les-Pins from the 29th to 31st of October. The event was started to support emerging artists by bringing them together with programmers from festivals and clubs, and the media. This year 21 groups that have been selected from the many that applied will play either a showcase or a concert.

For details of who is playing and a link to registrations please see https://jammin.jazzajuan.com/en/

Westport Sound, experimental music festival, various venues, Westport, Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

Dates: Friday, October 10, 2025 - Sunday, October 12, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

Guest contributor Colin May has supplied the following information regarding this event;

The second edition of Westport Sound 2025, a festival of experimental new music, takes place on 11th and 12th of October at Westport , Malmsbury. The line up includes Pat Thomas ( solo set), Shifa (Rachel Musson/ Pat Thomas /Mark Sanders), Last Dream of the Morning (John Butcher/John Edwards/Mark Sanders),137 (Adrian Utley/Larry Stabbins/Jim Barr/Seb Rochford), primal rock experimentalists The New Eves, and alt-folk explorers Milkweed.
For details including a link to who is on when please visit https://westportsound.co.uk/

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

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026

Featuring: Bryan Corbett

More details

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

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

The Hive, 5 Belmont, Shrewsbury, SY1 1TE

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

01743 234970

James Allsopp Group at Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.

Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025

More details

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

James Allsopp Group
Nov
15
Sat
19:00
James Allsopp Group
Tickets from £12
Saturday 15th November
NEW JAZZ START TIME - Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start.
£25/£12 U22
Seated gig
James Allsopp (tenor saxophone and mellotron) returns to SJN at the Hive with a new and exciting project featuring some of London’s most in demand musicians. Chris Batchelor (trumpet), Tom Herbert (electric bass), Zands Duggan (percussion) and Dave Storey (drums).
The band is on tour to promote their new album “Stars and Sand”. Expect deep grooves inspired in equal parts by traditional North African music, Soul Jazz and Berlin in the 70s. This is joyous, life affirming music. Deceptively simple, deeply melodic and with a healthy dose of the other worldly.

The Hive, 5 Belmont, Shrewsbury, SY1 1TE

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

01743 234970

Nigel Price Organ Trio at Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.

Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025

Featuring: Nigel Price Organ Trio

More details

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

Oct
11
Sat
19:00
Nigel Price Organ Trio
Tickets from £12
Saturday 11th October
NEW JAZZ START TIME - Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start.
£25/£12 U22
Seated gig
As part of a major UK tour the eloquent Nigel Price (guitar) returns to SJN at the Hive in his favourite trio format with Ross Stanley (Hammond B3 Organ) and Joel Barford (drums). Together they form one of the most hard hitting, dynamic and exciting jazz groups on the scene today. They will be playing selections from their vast back catalogue as well as from the recently released and critically acclaimed album ‘That’s it. Right there.’
Inventiveness, originality and ensemble playing are terrific……The Observer

The Hive, 5 Belmont, Shrewsbury, SY1 1TE

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

01743 234970

Andrea Vicari Trio, afternoon performance at Guildford Jazz, Guildford Institute, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Monday, October 06, 2025

More details

Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz has forwarded the following information regarding this event;

Andrea Vicari Trio
Monday 6 October
A lunchtime (lunch available from mid-day) concert featuring acclaimed pianist and prolific composer Andrea Vicari, described by The Guardian as “a breathtakingly eclectic and sharp post-bop improvisor”. With Matt Fisher on drums and Marianne Windham on bass.
2pm
Guildford Institute
Ward Street GU1 4LH
Visit http://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk to find out more and to book

Lenore Raphael Quartet at Guildford Jazz, University of Surrey Stag Hill, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025

Featuring: Lenore Raphael & Friends

More details

Mick Thomas of Guildford Jazz has forwarded the following information regarding this event;

Lenore Raphael
Thursday 23 October
Internationally renowned jazz pianist and Steinway artist Lenore Raphael plays tribute to two great jazz masters: pianist Oscar Peterson and alto saxophonist Sonny Stitt, famously recorded on the 1959 album “Sonny Stitt Sits in with the Oscar Peterson Trio”. This special performance also features Glen Manby (alto sax), Marianne Windham (bass) and Matt Home (drums).
8pm
University of Surrey
Stag Hill, Guildford GU2 7XH
Visit http://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk to find out more and to book

Nick Smart Quintet at Guildford Jazz, Guildford Pavilion, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025

More details

Mick Thomas has forwarded the following information regarding this event;

Nick Smart Quintet
Wednesday 15 October
Nick Smart, Head of Jazz at the Royal Academy of Music and an internationally renowned trumpeter and musical director, presents a concert to celebrate in words and music the life of legendary trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler. Also featuring Emma Rawicz (Winner of Jazz Newcomer of the Year 2022) on tenor saxophone, and renowned guitarist John Parricelli.
8pm
Guildford Pavilion
Woodbridge Road GU1 4RP
Visit http://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk to find out more and to book

Mark Kavuma’s Sextet at Guildford Jazz, Guildford Pavilion, Guildford, Surrey.

Date: Wednesday, October 01, 2025

Featuring: Mark Kavuma

More details

Mick Thomas has forwarded the following information regarding this event;

Mark Kavuma’s Sextet
Wednesday 1 October
Charismatic and visionary trumpet player and composer Mark Kavuma and his sextet present their new album ‘Magnum Opus’ featuring original compositions, arrangements and performances by leading members of the British jazz scene. Released last Autumn, the album was launched at a sold-out Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre) as part of the London Jazz Festival.
8pm
Guildford Pavilion
Woodbridge Road GU1 4RP
Visit http://www.guildfordjazz.org.uk to find out more and to book

“Songs from the Levant with Sura” at Bishopsgate Institute, Bishopsgate, London.

Date: Friday, September 26, 2025

More details

From;
https://marsm.co.uk/event/sura-songs-from-the-levant/

Sura is a London-based singer and songwriter originally from Lebanon. Trained in opera and having performed as a vocalist in several Beirut bands, she turned to Arabic music after relocating to London – a personal journey to reconnect with her roots.

It was in London that Sura met Egyptian producer and jazz guitarist Ziad Hisham. His style blends Arabic folk traditions with jazz, funk, and soul, reimagining heritage through a modern lens.

Brought together by a shared cultural lineage and a deep musical curiosity, Sura and Ziad’s collaboration began as an informal project and quickly evolved into something more enduring. Their music reflects their personal and artistic journeys: from Cairo and Beirut to London, and explores the space between tradition and reinvention.

The project features reinterpreted Arabic folk tunes alongside original compositions, with arrangements by Ziad Hisham.

Sura and Ziad will present their project at Bishops Gate Institute, performing Songs from the Levant.

Details
Date: September 26, 2025
Venue: Bishops Gate Institute
Address: 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4QH, United Kingdom
Time: 20:00
Organized by: MARSM UK + City of London
Tickets here;
https://marsmuk.ticket-souq.com/events/125312
Age Restriction: 18+

Sura writes;
This performance will feature reimagined Levantine folk songs alongside my own original work. The arrangements are by Egyptian producer and jazz guitarist Ziad Hisham, whose style blends Arabic traditions with jazz, funk, and soul, with contributions from Amro Salah of the Cairo Jazz Festival. Together, we aim to bring a fresh perspective to Levantine music, bridging heritage and modern expression.

Yakir Arbib and Conti Bilong ‘Afro Baroque’ album launch at Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho, London.

Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025

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/yakir-arbib-and-conti-bilong#event-dates

Peter Conway Promotions Present:
Yakir Arbib and Conti Bilong
Afro Baroque
PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

‘Afro Baroque’ is the new exciting multi-cultural duo collaboration between international award winning pianist and composer Yakir Arbib, and Manu Dibango’s Cameroonian virtuoso drummer and vocalist Conti Bilong. Yakir and Conti will previewing music from their forthcoming album ‘Afro Baroque’ to be released in October 2025.
This concert will be filmed by French TV.

18 September 2025 Doors 6:30pm Music 8:00pm PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)
Available
£25.00

Full Biography

Coming from two of the most unrelated musical backgrounds that you could imagine, the two musicians found an instant connection after meeting for the first time in Paris in July, 2023.

“I was looking for a new drummer for my jazz trio” says Yakir. A friend suggested I take a listen to this incredible drummer Conti Bilong. But as soon as I heard the first notes from a video on Youtube, I immediately realised that here was a musician with such a strong and natural force of rhythm and movement such as I’ve never heard anywhere before.”

As soon as the two met in a small rehearsal room in Paris and started playing “Caravan” by Duke Ellington, something inexplicable happened. An instantaneous musical connection resulting from the alchemy of this unlikely encounter.

The two musicians explore traditional rhythms from central Africa and the Middle East, and fuse them together in a unique musical language amalgamating Baroque style counterpoint and dynamic jazz interplay.

We believe that now more than ever, we need connections, bridges, and strands of colour and beauty that connect opposite cultures, traditions, languages and religions together from across the world. Afro Baroque’s music is exactly that! We connect seemingly diametrically opposed worlds: the studious European counterpoint on one side, and the unstoppable force of joy, rhythm and dance coming from Africa on the other.

Band Line-up
Yakir Arbib (piano and synthesiser)
Conti Bilong (drums, percussion, vocals)

Nick Dewhurst / Jim Wynn Duo at St Giles Church, Whittington, Lichfield.

Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025

More details

Nick Dewhurst writes;

I’m playing with pianist Jim Wynn again on Saturday 20th September, at St Giles Church in Whittington, near Lichfield.  This concert is a ticketed gig, and tickets + more info can be found here.  Our theme for this one will be ‘Tunes from the Golden Age of Jazz’.
https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/88179

Nick Dewhurst is a Jazz Trumpeter, Guitarist, Composer & Music Educator, based in Lichfield. He will be joined by Shrewsbury-based jazz pianist, composer, arranger, band leader & teacher, Jim Wynn.
An extremely talented duo in a beautiful setting!
The programme for this event will be based around the Golden Age of Jazz – tunes such as ‘Take the A Train’, ‘Summertime’ and ‘I Got Rhythm’.

Venue: Whittington Church,
Cost: £18 including a glass of wine
Public booking opens 20th July, LFF members from the 8th July.

Date
Saturday 20 September 2025 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Whittington Church
Church St, Whittington, , Nr Lichfield, Staffordshire WS14 9LE

Orchestra Mambo International -A Celebration of Celia Cruz at Cadogan Hall, London.

Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

CELIA CRUZ all-star celebration in London.
A Celebration of Celia Cruz
Cadogan Hall, London. Tuesday 21 October 2025

Celia Cruz (1925–2003) is a global Latin music icon and one of salsa’s most legendary voices. With over 50 albums, multiple Grammy awards, and timeless hits like ‘La Vida es un Carnaval’ and ‘Quimbara’, Celia Cruz captivated audiences worldwide with her powerful voice, magnetic stage presence, and signature cry, “¡Azúcar!”.

After recent London shows celebrating Tito Puente’s centenary (2023) and the 60th anniversary of New York Latin music label Fania Records (2024), AGMP honour another Latin music legend this autumn with a special show celebrating the 100th anniversary of Cuban-born singer, salsa legend, and Latin American icon “La Reina” Celia Cruz.

The top mambo/salsa ensemble, Orchestra Mambo International, will be playing the music of Celia Cruz, from 1960s classics to her salsa anthems of the 1970s, and some of her later catalogue from the 1990s. They have invited three of London’s finest salsa and Cuban music vocalists to join them onstage. They are Juanita Euka (London Afrobeat Collective), Yuri Moreno (Sarabanda) and Nana Clara Aldrin Quaye (Timba Britanica), three top singers well known within the London/UK salsa and Cuban music scene.

Orchestra Mambo International open the night, playing salsa/mambo classics alongside their original music, including their singles, and previewing new music from their forthcoming debut album.

Tickets here;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/a-celebration-of-celia-cruz/cadogan-hall/3411591

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

Alcyona Mick at 1901 Arts Club, Waterloo, London (Part of Mood Indigo Events Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series).

Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2025

More details

From;
https://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk/1901-arts-club.html

An intimate journey into the heart of solo piano

Following the resounding success of our inaugural year, the MIE Jazz Piano Series returns for its second season - this time as the Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series. Set once again in the enchanting surroundings of the 1901 Arts Club in Waterloo, this series invites you to experience the art of solo jazz piano like never before.

Each artist will perform an intimate solo set, exploring the full sonic potential of the Club’s magnificent Steinway Model C grand piano - all within the warm, salon-style ambience of this beautifully restored Edwardian building.

With only a limited number of seats available, every concert promises a deeply personal connection between artist and audience - a rare opportunity to witness these outstanding musicians up close, immersed in their craft. Whether you’re a lifelong jazz enthusiast or a curious newcomer, the Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series offers a spellbinding journey into the soul of the music.

Join us this autumn for an unforgettable celebration of creativity, virtuosity, and the timeless allure of solo piano.

Alcyona Mick - 14th October
Alcyona is a pianist working at the forefront of the London Jazz scene… Recently nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz Instrumentalist Award, she is a member of the London Jazz Orchestra, Tori Freestone/Alcyona Mick Duo, Brigitte Beraha Lucid Dreamers, Casimir Connection, Perfect Stranger, Josephine Davies Enso Ensemble, Randolph Matthews band, Paul Clarvis/Stuart Hall trio and has worked with Anglo/Egyptian artist Natacha Atlas for many years, performing worldwide. She has played on TRT music series in Istanbul with many Turkish artists, and performed with a wide array of other musicians including Yazz Ahmed, Henry Lowther’s Still Waters, Kate Shortt, Ingrid and Christine Jensen/Whirlwind bigband, Nikki Iles bigband, Eddie Parker, Alec Dankworth/Cleo Laine band, Mircan Kaya, Bachar Zarkan, Jerry Dammers Spatial aka Orchestra, Ibrahim Maalouf, Macadi Nahhas, Zoe Rahman and many more.
As a composer, she has a Master’s in Composing music for film from the National Film and Television School. She has written and produced music for many independent short films, documentaries, animation and silent cinema. She won an award for Best Soundtrack at the Anima Mundi International Festival, Brazil.
‘world class ingenuity’  The Guardian
‘Alcyona Mick is an unusual powerhouse of a talent’ - MOJO

Find Us;

1901 Arts Club, 7 Exton Street, Waterloo, London SE1 8UE.

A few minutes’ walk from Waterloo mainline station. Using the BFI IMAX roundabout and St John’s Church that faces it as strong Waterloo landmarks, Exton Street is the small street that runs beside the church yard.

Parking:
A car parking station is available in Cornwall Road and at the National Theatre on Belvedere Road.  Limited meter parking is available in the surrounding streets.  Unfortunately there is no on-site parking at 1901 Arts Club.

Tube:
Waterloo Station
(Jubilee Line, Northern Line, Bakerloo Line, Waterloo & City Line)

Mainline Rail:
Waterloo Station and Waterloo East

Buses:
1, 4, 26, 59, 68, 76, 77, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 211, 243, 341, 381, 507, 521, RV1, X68

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.
https://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk/

Gwilym Simcock at 1901 Arts Club, Waterloo, London ( Part of Mood Indigo Events Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series).

Date: Tuesday, October 07, 2025

Featuring: Gwilym Simcock

More details

From;
From;
https://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk/1901-arts-club.html

An intimate journey into the heart of solo piano

Following the resounding success of our inaugural year, the MIE Jazz Piano Series returns for its second season - this time as the Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series. Set once again in the enchanting surroundings of the 1901 Arts Club in Waterloo, this series invites you to experience the art of solo jazz piano like never before.

Each artist will perform an intimate solo set, exploring the full sonic potential of the Club’s magnificent Steinway Model C grand piano - all within the warm, salon-style ambience of this beautifully restored Edwardian building.

With only a limited number of seats available, every concert promises a deeply personal connection between artist and audience - a rare opportunity to witness these outstanding musicians up close, immersed in their craft. Whether you’re a lifelong jazz enthusiast or a curious newcomer, the Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series offers a spellbinding journey into the soul of the music.

Join us this autumn for an unforgettable celebration of creativity, virtuosity, and the timeless allure of solo piano.

Gwilym Simcock - 7th October
Gwilym Simcock has carved out a career as one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the European scene.  He moves effortlessly between jazz and classical music, with a ‘harmonic sophistication and subtle dovetailing of musical traditions’. Gwilym has been hailed as a pianist of ‘exceptional’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘dazzling’ ability, and his music has been widely acclaimed as ‘engaging, exciting, often unexpected, melodically enthralling, complex yet hugely accessible’, and above all ‘wonderfully optimistic’.
Gwilym’s influences are wide ranging, from jazz legends including Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny, to classical composers including Maurice Ravel, Henri Dutilleux, Béla Bartók and Mark-Anthony Turnage. Although principally a jazz artist, Gwilym has composed numerous works for larger Classical ensemble that combine through-composed elements with improvisation, creating a sound that is distinctive and very much his own.
In the last few years, Gwilym has become renowned for his solo performances, releasing a critically acclaimed album ‘Good Days at Schloss Elmau’ in 2011 and touring throughout Europe and to places as far afield as Australia, the USA, Canada, Korea and China to name but a few.
“Gwilym’s an original. A creative genius” Chick Corea
“Gwilym is one of the most exceptional musicians that I have ever known ..he’s a really significant force in music”  Pat Metheny

Find Us;

1901 Arts Club, 7 Exton Street, Waterloo, London SE1 8UE.

A few minutes’ walk from Waterloo mainline station. Using the BFI IMAX roundabout and St John’s Church that faces it as strong Waterloo landmarks, Exton Street is the small street that runs beside the church yard.

Parking:
A car parking station is available in Cornwall Road and at the National Theatre on Belvedere Road.  Limited meter parking is available in the surrounding streets.  Unfortunately there is no on-site parking at 1901 Arts Club.

Tube:
Waterloo Station
(Jubilee Line, Northern Line, Bakerloo Line, Waterloo & City Line)

Mainline Rail:
Waterloo Station and Waterloo East

Buses:
1, 4, 26, 59, 68, 76, 77, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 211, 243, 341, 381, 507, 521, RV1, X68

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.
https://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk/

Terence Collie at 1901 Arts Club, Waterloo, London (part of Mood Indigo Events Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series).

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Featuring: Terence Collie

More details

From;
https://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk/1901-arts-club.html

An intimate journey into the heart of solo piano

Following the resounding success of our inaugural year, the MIE Jazz Piano Series returns for its second season - this time as the Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series. Set once again in the enchanting surroundings of the 1901 Arts Club in Waterloo, this series invites you to experience the art of solo jazz piano like never before.

Each artist will perform an intimate solo set, exploring the full sonic potential of the Club’s magnificent Steinway Model C grand piano - all within the warm, salon-style ambience of this beautifully restored Edwardian building.

With only a limited number of seats available, every concert promises a deeply personal connection between artist and audience - a rare opportunity to witness these outstanding musicians up close, immersed in their craft. Whether you’re a lifelong jazz enthusiast or a curious newcomer, the Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series offers a spellbinding journey into the soul of the music.

Join us this autumn for an unforgettable celebration of creativity, virtuosity, and the timeless allure of solo piano.

Terence Collie - 30th September
Acclaimed pianist and composer Terence Collie brings his signature blend of lyrical sensitivity, harmonic sophistication and jazz-rooted imagination to a special solo performance at 1901 this September. Known for his dynamic versatility across solo, trio, and larger ensemble settings, Collie’s artistry has earned him a respected place on the UK jazz scene, captivating audiences with both his original works and fresh interpretations of classic standards.
ollowing the recent release of his celebrated album Elements, this solo concert offers a rare opportunity to experience his unaccompanied, intimate musical voice, where every nuance and subtlety is bare.
Beyond his performances, Collie is a vital force in the British jazz community. He is not only a prolific performer but also a mentor, organiser and advocate for the music, frequently curating and supporting jazz events across the country.
At 1901, Collie will present a programme that spans new original compositions, selections from Elements, reinterpretations of pieces from his previous albums Reminiscent and 384,400 and spontaneous improvisations crafted in the moment. The evening promises an immersive journey into the heart of a pianist who continues to shape his own narrative while honouring the great traditions of the art form.
“mesmerising” Jazzwise
“Collie’s art as an instrumentalist lies in his impressive ability to digress without neglecting the melodic dimension of the theme addressed” Paris Move

Find Us;

1901 Arts Club, 7 Exton Street, Waterloo, London SE1 8UE.

A few minutes’ walk from Waterloo mainline station. Using the BFI IMAX roundabout and St John’s Church that faces it as strong Waterloo landmarks, Exton Street is the small street that runs beside the church yard.

Parking:
A car parking station is available in Cornwall Road and at the National Theatre on Belvedere Road.  Limited meter parking is available in the surrounding streets.  Unfortunately there is no on-site parking at 1901 Arts Club.

Tube:
Waterloo Station
(Jubilee Line, Northern Line, Bakerloo Line, Waterloo & City Line)

Mainline Rail:
Waterloo Station and Waterloo East

Buses:
1, 4, 26, 59, 68, 76, 77, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 211, 243, 341, 381, 507, 521, RV1, X68

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.
https://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk/

Edison Herbert / Terence Collie Duo at Jazz on the Plaza Café Yukari, Kew, London.

Date: Sunday, September 28, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Sunday 28 September 7.30pm
Jazz on the Plaza
Café Yukari, Kew

Edison Herbert - Guitar
Terence Collie - Piano
£20 in advance, £25 on the door

This month’s Jazz on the Plaza at Café Yukari features the outstanding guitarist Edison Herbert, performing in an intimate duo with pianist Terence Collie. Edison is one of the UK’s most dynamic and expressive jazz guitarists, celebrated for his warm tone, inventive phrasing and captivating improvisation. Together, Edison and Terence will present a beautifully crafted set that blends jazz standards, jazz classics and a smattering of some of Edison’s original compositions. With Café Yukari’s welcoming atmosphere and relaxed vibe, this promises to be a truly special evening of live music.

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.
https://www.moodindigoevents.co.uk/

Kodo at Royal Festival Hall, London.

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

More details

Serious have forwarded the following information;

Fri 6 & Sat 7 March, Royal Festival Hall
KODO

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

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

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

Mabel Matiz at Royal Festival Hall, London.

Date: Friday, February 13, 2026

More details

Serious have provided the following information regarding this event;

Friday 13 February, Royal Festival Hall
Mabel Matiz

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

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

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

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

Tickets

£30 - £60 + booking fee

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

Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026

More details

Serious have provided the following information regarding this event;

Thursday 12 February, EartH (Theatre)
Yasmine Hamdan

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

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

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

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

Tickets
£25 + booking fee

Aynur at The Barbican Centre, London.

Date: Thursday, April 02, 2026

Venue

Barbican Centre

Silk Street,
London.
EC2Y 8DS

More details

Serious have forwarded the following information regarding this event;

Thursday 2 April 2026, Barbican
Aynur

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

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

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

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

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

Date: Monday, March 30, 2026

Venue

Barbican Centre

Silk Street,
London.
EC2Y 8DS

More details

Serious have forwarded the following information regarding this event;

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

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

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

The Midnite Follies ‘Louis and the Duke in London 1932-33’ at Cadogan Hall, London.

Date: Wednesday, October 22, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Louis and the Duke in London 1932-33
Wednesday 22 October, 7.30pm

In 1932, Louis Armstrong created a sensation when he appeared at the London Palladium. A year later Duke Ellington’s Famous Orchestra became the talk of the town when they topped the bill at the same venue performing such classics as Bugle Call Rag, Black and Tan Fantasy and Mood Indigo.

The Midnite Follies recreate Duke Ellington’s Famous Orchestra in all its majesty with Enrico Tomasso taking the role of Louis. The show, presented by MC Kerry Shale, also includes a number of variety acts which intersperse the music (Duke was 14th on the bill after an evening of juggling, tumbling, magic and novelty items).

Video here;
https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/the-jazz-repertory-company-presents-louis-and-the-duke-the-midnite-follies-orchestra/

Tickets and further information here;
https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/the-jazz-repertory-company-presents-louis-and-the-duke-the-midnite-follies-orchestra/

Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace
London SW1X 9DQ
Box Office: 020 7730 4500

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

Date: Sunday, December 21, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

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

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

Tickets and further information here;

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

Chris Cobbson Quartet - From Dixie to Smooth: The History of Jazz Guitar at Black Mountain Jazz, The Melville Centre, Abergavenny.

Date: Sunday, October 26, 2025

Featuring: Chris Santo Cobbson

More details

From;
https://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk/event-details/chris-cobbson-quartet-from-dixie-to-smooth-the-history-of-jazz-guitar

Chris Cobbson Quartet - From Dixie to Smooth: The History of Jazz Guitar
Sun 26 Oct |  The Melville Theatre

Time & Location
26 Oct 2025, 20:00 – 22:00
The Melville Theatre, 4 Pen-Y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UD, UK

About the event

Chris ‘Santo’ Cobbson is one of the most exciting and in-demand guitarists in the UK. He has performed with Osibisa, Courtney Pine, The JBs (Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley), Monty Alexander, Andy Sheppard, Clifford Jarvis, Jean Toussaint, the Ronnie Scott’s Big Band, Sheila Ferguson, S.E. Rogie, Gasper Lawal, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Jim Mullen, Ray Gelato, David Newton, Omar, Curtis Stigers, Imelda May, the Ebony Steel Band, Jay Rayner, and many other artists across a wide range of musical genres. He is also a prolific composer and arranger.

In this captivating project, Chris traces the history of jazz guitar, from its early roots in Africa to the present day. With a masterful command of guitar styles from every jazz era, he delivers a performance rich in historical insight, musicality, and humour - sure to engage and entertain any audience.

“Swinging”-James Moody

“Wonderful musician, beautiful music”- Russell Malone

“Sweet textures”- Music Republic Magazine

“Intriguing voicings”- Sounds of Surprise

“Beautiful fluid guitar grooves”- Courtney Pine

“Impressive variety of musical styles”- the Jazz Mann

“Wonderful guitar solo”- the Funk and Soul Review

Chris Cobbson (guitar)
Andrew Hooley (saxophone and clarinet)
Paul Jefferies (acoustic and electric bass)
Mike Cypher (drums)

Tickets;
Price
From £9.25 to £18.50

Standard
£18.50

Friends of BMJ
£16.50

Under 18’s
£9.25

Nigel Price Organ Trio at Kidderminster Jazz Club, St. Ambrose Parish Centre, Kidderminster, Worcs.

Date: Friday, November 07, 2025

Featuring: Nigel Price Organ Trio

More details

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

Kidderminster Jazz Club
Fri, Nov 7
Doors 7:00 PM
Performance begins 7.30 PM
Tickets £15.00

The Nigel Price Organ Trio, nominated for the 2021 Parliamentary Jazz Award for ‘Best ensemble’ (they won in 2010) and winners of the 2016 British Jazz Award for ‘Best Small Group’ will be playing selections from their vast back catalogue as well as the recently released and critically acclaimed album ‘It’s On!’

Nigel is known for his clear, no nonsense, driving approach to jazz guitar and has steadily become one of the UK’s foremost exponents of the instrument.

Ross Stanley is not only one of the greatest ever UK musicians, he also plays a real B3 Hammond Organ, often with 2 Leslie speakers.

Joel Barford is the man of the moment and has been causing a stir across the UK and further afield with his incredible drumming ability.

Together they form perhaps the most hard hitting, dynamic and exciting jazz groups on the scene today.

Band:
Nigel Price - Guitar
Ross Stanley - Hammond Organ
Joel Barford - Drums

Venue Address
St Ambrose’s Parish Centre
Leswell St, Kidderminster DY10 1RP
Bring Your Own Bottle/Drinks

Simon Spillett at Kidderminster Jazz Club, St. Ambrose Parish Centre, Kidderminster, Worcs.

Date: Friday, October 03, 2025

Featuring: Simon Spillett

More details

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

Kidderminster Jazz Club
Fri, Oct 3
Doors 7:00PM
Performance begins 7.30 PM
Tickets £15.00

“Straight-ahead, high energy jazz is his line and he does it with aplomb” The Guardian

In a career stretching over twenty-five years multi-award-winning (BBC Jazz Awards, British Jazz Awards, Jazz Journal’s Album of The Year) tenor saxophonist Simon Spillett has cultivated a unique persona within British jazz. Leading both his own quartet and big band, and inspired by the classic Brit-bop of the 1950s and 1960s, his is a powerfully passionate style, its emphasis on straight-ahead jazz delighting audiences who like their music hard swinging, heartfelt and entertaining. Popular across the entire spectrum of the UK scene, from Ronnie Scott’s club to major festivals (the EFG London Jazz Festival), Simon’s communicative performances are a roller-coaster ride encompassing everything from high energy bebop to lyrical balladry, the whole tied together by his signature dryly witty stage presence.

Band
Simon Spillett - Saxophone
Kidderminster House Band
John McDonald - Piano
Plus others to be announced

Venue Address
St Ambrose’s Parish Centre
Leswell St, Kidderminster DY10 1RP
Bring Your Own Bottle/Drinks

Leee John Jazz Quartet at Boisdale Canary Wharf, London.

Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

LEEE JOHN JAZZ QUARTET
(Celebrating 20 years of “Feel My Soul,” the critically acclaimed solo Jazz Soul Fusion album)   
Live at Boisdale of Canary Wharf, London
Wednesday 17th September 2025
With special guest: DJ Calvin Francis (MI – SOUL)

“The charismatic, likable LEEE JOHN has come up with a real winner with some cracking originals as well as well as hip new takes on established standards ”Jazz World”

With an incredible career spanning over 40 + years in the music business the incomparable LEEE JOHN is best known as lead singer/songwriter of 80s soul funk group – IMAGINATION,  who sold millions of records all the around the world with unforgettable timeless classic hits like “Body Talk”, “Just an illusion” “Flashback” “In the Heat of The Night “and many more.

This year, due to popular demand sees the the 20th anniversary re-release of the critically acclaimed solo album “Feel My Soul,”out now on Banquet Records:
Link here: https://www.banquetrecords.com/leee-john/feel-my-soul-%2820th-anniversary%29/CCD79787

Recorded in 2005 in Rochfort, France “Feel My Soul,” https://feelmysoul.co.uk/  became an International critical success, presenting a blend of organic, eclectic harmonic soul and jazz fusion songs presented in that spectacular unequivocal LEEE JOHN vocal style. Showing his ongoing continuous diversity in performing across multi music genres, from contemporary pop, soul, funk to his more classic presentation in the jazz world, with The LEEE JOHN JAZZ QUARTET, a formidable Artist equally comfortable performing sophisticated jazz and urban soul. His tributes to the jazz greats are as heartfelt and individual creating an electrifying performance.

Today, he continues to tour the world and has appeared with many world renowned Artists such as The Jacksons, Earth Wind and Fire, Kool and the Gang, Nile Rogers of Chic, Incognito and Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Recently he was honoured and given a Lifetime achievement award in the UK and a Humanitarian award in France for his continuous ongoing charity work support in aid of SOS children, a world orphan charity.

Join us for an unforgettable evening at Boisdale of Canary Wharf London,  as we present The LEEE JOHN JAZZ QUARTET on Wednesday 17th September 2025, for an exclusive live performance of the phenomenal smooth jazz album “Feel My Soul,” To buy tickets click here: https://boisdaletickets.co.uk/p/11472;jsessionid=02BD40657DD78599D8A1879FAA5F7D35

A limited number of exclusive VIP Meet and Greet experiences are available with LEEE JOHN after the show, including a complimentary glass of champagne for an additional £60, and is only available when purchased alongside Show only or Dinner & show tickets.

We are also delighted to announce that supporting this show will be special guest, Mi-Soul Radio Legend DJ/Producer/Presenter Calvin Francis, who will be on board spinning some all-time classics tunes to set the music in motion.

Singer, Songwriter, Live Performer, Producer & Director LEEE JOHN is an Artist who continues to forever challenge his own unique creativity and driving force in its endless boundaries and remains to delight fans around the globe with his timeless global classic hits and new music releases:- http://www.leeejohn.com

Coming soon, a brand new LEEE JOHN Jazz EP recordings

Videos:

Now is the time video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2I0C-1Mzhc

Sensuality Live in Paris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYk5WqmJxB4&list=PLE1882F640F12E8B7

Embraceable You Live in Paris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItUMHtYXtM

New Single “Double Dilemma” with Bill Sharpe Video Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MSf5ooR2Z8
URL: https://open.spotify.com/album/472M3VBlmPVRCIbBRNvXCH

About Boisdale
Boisdale is an award-winning Scottish restaurant and bar group founded in 1989 specializing in great British food and live music every night. Boisdale of Canary Wharf is a two-floor venue overlooking Cabot Square and the city skyline, comprising the main restaurant with a 25-meter stage and the best sound system in Europe powered by Nexo, four beautiful private dining rooms and the Hine Bar & Garden Terrace. Boisdale of Belgravia is located in a beautiful Georgian townhouse and offers a unique restaurant and bar that offers a truly unforgettable dining experience. With a secret cigar terrace, impressive whisky bar, private dining rooms and live jazz, blues and soul music every night.
Boisdale was awarded Best Spirits List in the World 2022 by The World of Fine Wine and has an award-winning wine list. The venue has been at the forefront of cocktail innovation since the mid-90s and also boasts one of the best cigar selections in the UK with walk in humidors and cigar terraces at both premises.
http://www.boisdale.co.uk

Anat Cohen Quartetinho at Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts, New York City, USA.

Date: Saturday, October 04, 2025

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts
kicks off its 2025-26 Jazz series with
Anat Cohen Quartetinho
The magnetic, prolific Grammy-nominated clarinetist-saxophonist returns to Miller
Saturday, October 4, 7:30PM
Miller Theatre (2960 Broadway at 116th Street)
Tickets starting at $25; Students with valid ID starting at $10

Saturday, October 4, 2025, 7:30PM
Anat Cohen Quartetinho
The charismatic and prolific Grammy-nominated clarinetist-saxophonist Anat Cohen brings her expressive artistry and magnetic stage presence back to Miller. Named “Clarinetist of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association every year since 2007 and a perennial favorite in DownBeat’s critics and readers polls, Cohen and her vibrant quartet perform an evening of music rich with swing, Brazilian rhythms, and adventurous improvisation.

Artists
Anat Cohen, clarinet
Vitor Gonçalves, piano
Tal Mashiach, bass
James Shipp, drums

About the Artists

Anat Cohen, clarinet
http://www.anatcohen.com
Clarinetist-saxophonist Anat Cohen has established a wide-ranging career over the past two and a half decades as a soloist, bandleader, collaborator, and composer. She has been credited as a primary force in re-establishing the clarinet as a solo instrument in the 21st century. Cohen has been named Clarinetist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association every year since 2007, and she has also been the top clarinetist in both the readers and critics polls in DownBeat every year since 2011.
Cohen has performed across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and India, headlining at the Newport and Umbria jazz festivals as well at the Chicago’s Symphony Center and New York’s Village Vanguard. As a collaborator, she has worked with artists ranging from Latin jazz star Paquito D’Rivera and breakout vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant to arthouse pianist Fred Hersch and the all-star, all-woman band Artemis, among others. Coinciding with her solo appearance on the cover of DownBeat’s March 2025 issue, she played four milestone concerts at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
In 2024, Cohen released Bloom, her 21st album as a leader or co-leader and the second with her small group Quartetinho. In March 2025, she released Interaction on Anzic Records, the label she co-founded. The live recording features her family ensemble, The 3 Cohens—alongside her brothers, trumpeter Avishai and saxophonist Yuval Cohen—with Germany’s WDR Big Band. The project was arranged and conducted by Oded Lev-Ari, who also works with her Anat Cohen Tentet. That ensemble has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall and SFJAZZ’s Miner Auditorium. In 2019, the Tentet’s second album Triple Helix was nominated for a Grammy Award. Since 2005, Cohen has recorded and released music on Anzic Records, ranging from small group projects, large ensemble work, and recordings exploring a world of musical styles. Not only have many of her albums as a leader included Brazilian classics and original pieces that Cohen composed under the influence of choro, samba, bossa nova and more; the clarinetist has also devoted multiple albums completely to Brazilian music, including Outra Coisa: The Music of Moacir Santos (with Brazilian guitarist Marcello Gonçalves) and Rosa Dos Ventos (with Trio Brasileiro), both of which were Grammy-nominated.
Cohen teaches at the Stanford University Jazz Workshop, The New School, among other institutions, and has been Jazz Artist-in-Residence at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute.

Vitor Gonçalves, piano
http://www.vitorgoncalvesmusic.com
Vitor Gonçalves is a pianist, accordionist, composer, and arranger from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After an illustrious career in Brazil, playing with such icons as Hermeto Pascoal, Maria Bethânia, Itiberê Zwarg, and many others, Gonçalves moved to New York City in 2012, where he currently resides. In addition to leading his own projects, Gonçalves collaborates with Anat Cohen, Vinícius Cantuária, Anthony Wilson, Cyro Baptista, and Yotam Silberstein, among others. Ensembles that he co-leads include SanfoNYa Brasileira and Regional de NY.
Gonçalves performs regularly at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Standard, and The Jazz Gallery, and has played in jazz festivals and venues around the world, including Newport Jazz, Jazz à Vienne, Umbria Jazz Festival, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and the Coliseum in Lisbon, Portugal. He has been featured in NPR’s Jazz Night in America hosted by Christian McBride and The New York Times as a guest of Spok Frevo Orquestra.
In 2017, Gonçalves released his debut album on Sunnyside Records, Vitor Gonçalves Quartet, featuring Dan Weiss (drums), Thomas Morgan (bass), and Todd Neufeld (guitar). He received two 2020 GRAMMY nominations, for Best Latin Jazz Album with Thalma de Freitas and for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album with Anat Cohen Tentet.

Tal Mashiach, bass
http://www.talmashiach.com
Tal Mashiach is a Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, performer, and composer based in Brooklyn. Born in Israel, he studied classical guitar and double bass, winning first prize at the national guitar competition at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and receiving annual scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation for classical and jazz studies.
In 2015, after receiving a full scholarship from The New School, Mashiach moved to New York. Since then, he has performed and toured with artists including Avishai Cohen, Anat Cohen, Mulatu Astatke, Jeff Ballard, Nasheet Waits, Jason Lindner, Ravi Coltrane, Justin Brown, Shai Maestro, Omer Avital, among many others, at venues and festivals around the world including Carnegie Hall, Blue Note NY, Newport Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center, Pit Inn Tokyo, SFJAZZ, Umbria Jazz, Montreal Jazz Festival. In addition to his work as a sideman, Mashiach leads the TM Street Band and GTO Trio. His most recent project, Tiyul, a solo album featuring his original compositions on classical guitar, was released in 2022.

James Shipp, drums
http://www.jamesshipp.com
James Shipp is a vibraphonist, percussionist, synthesist, and songwriter based in Brooklyn. Over the past 15 years, he has performed, recorded, and toured internationally with many of New York City’s leading artists. Trained as a jazz vibraphonist, he has become a sought-after Brazilian percussionist, a multi-instrumentalist, a composer for experimental theater, and a recording producer. He currently performs with the Anat Cohen Quartetinho and Tentet, Jean Rohe and the End of the World Show, Banda Magda, the Nadje Noordhuis Quintet, and Christina Courtin (Pilot Violet), and is the percussionist for Clube de Choro do Brooklyn. He has also recorded and performed with Paquito D’Rivera, Kurt Elling, Snarky Puppy, Bokanté, Becca Stevens, Sting, the Kronos Quartet, and others. He was nominated for two Grammys in 2020 for his contributions on vibes and percussion to the Anat Cohen Tentet’s Triple Helix and Miho Hazama and M Unit’s Dancer in Nowhere.
As a leader, Shipp writes and performs satirical songs and has released James Shipp Sings His Famous Songs (2022) and Strange Sweethearts in America (2009) with his band Nós Novo. With trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis, he has released Indigo (2017) and Multitudes (2023). He is also a member of the MakeSpeak Ensemble.
For more than a decade, Shipp has worked with Carnegie Hall’s social impact programs, directing and producing the Lullaby Project, the Future Music Project Ensemble, and music programming at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Two of his lullabies appeared on the Universal Music release Hopes and Dreams. In 2016, Shipp was a faculty artist at the Silk Road Ensemble’s Global Musician Workshop. He earned a B.M. and an M.M. from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music.

About Miller Theatre
http://www.millertheatre.com
One of New York City’s most vital music venues, Miller Theatre at Columbia University is a thriving home for contemporary and early music that serves audiences, composers, and musicians. Founded in 1988, Miller’s mission is to develop new audiences; foster enthusiasm for the arts by pioneering new programming approaches; educate the public by presenting specialized programs to a broad audience; discover diverse repertoire and commission new works; and share the University’s intellectual riches with the public. Led by Executive Director Melissa Smey, Miller Theatre sparks engagement and personal connections to music through distinctive live performances and is deeply committed to fostering collaborative relationships with the composers and musicians who make this possible.
Miller Theatre’s 2025-26 Season is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and by the Howard Gilman Foundation.

Jon Lloyd Quartet at Pizza Express Live, The Pheasantry, London.

Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Featuring: Jon Lloyd’s European Quartet

More details

From;
https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/jon-lloyd-quartet

Jon Lloyd Quartet
The European Sound

The Pheasantry (Chelsea)
This UK group are riding high on their million-plus streaming album “Earth Songs”. Featuring tenor and soprano saxophonist Lloyd, virtuoso pianist John Law and the young and gifted rhythm section of drummer Alex Goodyear and bassist Ashley John-Long, they play beautiful, melodic and powerful ECM-style jazz.
£18.00

21 October 2025 6:30pm 8:00pm The Pheasantry (Chelsea)
Available £18.00

Full Biography

“We play great European Contemporary Jazz. The music is both sensitive and exuberant, melodic yet harmonically exciting, and has a persuasive way of reaching an audience which some of the current complex jazz performers have perhaps lost sight of. Notable recent concerts have included Charleville Action Jazz in France, 606 club and PizzaExpress in London, Birmingham Jazz, Fleece Jazz, The Wiltshire Music Centre and Swanage Jazz Festival. Renowned Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen is also a fan!”

The quartet features musicians prominent on the UK jazz scene. Jon Lloyd been part of the UK jazz and improvised music scene for several decades (Jon Lloyd Quartet with Paul Rogers, Mark Sanders, John Law; groups featuring Phil Wachsmann, Marcio Mattos, Stan Adler, Paul Clarvis, Tom Farmer, Asaf Sirkis). The highly experienced virtuoso John Law (Congregation, Re-Creations, Art of Sound Trio with Yuri Golubev, Asaf Sirkis) is on piano, the superbly versatile Ashley John-Long ( Yetii, John Law’s Congregation, Charlotte Keeffe Quartet, Nigel Price) is on double bass and young, gifted Alex Goodyear (Yetii, Simon Spillett, Re-Creations, Jake McMurchie) is on drums.

Band Lineup;
Jon Lloyd (tenor & soprano saxophones)
John Law (piano)
Alex Goodyear (drums)
Ashley John-Long (bass)

His tunes are steeped in the ECM aesthetic, and he and long-time collaborator John Law on piano make it sound like the only music you ever want to hear.”
Jon Turney, London Jazz News

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

https://www.facebook.com/share/tC5SoqwYM9bNQr2Z/

https://www.jonlloydmusic.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Lloyd_(musician)

Jon Lloyd Quartet at The Lighthouse, Poole, Dorset.

Date: Friday, October 17, 2025

Featuring: Jon Lloyd’s European Quartet

More details

From;
https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/studio-jazz-jon-lloyd-quartet/

Studio Jazz: Jon Lloyd Quartet
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Ticket price:
From: £20
Running time:
2 hrs 15 mins (incl interval)
Fri 17 Oct
19:45

This UK based group presents vibrant European Contemporary Jazz, played by a quartet of superb musicians.

Local jazz hero Jon Lloyd has enjoyed a remarkable creative, critical and popular resurgence with this superb ECM/European-influenced quartet. This atmospheric music is popular with jazz and non-jazz audiences alike, and the quartet’s album “Earth Songs”, on the prestigious Ubuntu label, received over a million streams in only ten months. Leader, composer and saxophonist Jon has been part of the UK jazz and creative music scene for several decades (groups with Mark Sanders, Paul Rogers, Phil Wachsmann, Tom Farmer, Asaf Sirkis), and has now turned his attention to European contemporary jazz, writing vibrant, melodic and emotionally engaging compositions. The quartet comprises the virtuosic John Law (Congregation, Art of Sound Trio with Asaf Sirkis and Yuri Golubev, Re-Creations) on piano, Nick Pini (Iain Ballamy Quartet, Laura Marling) on double bass and Alex Goodyear (Yetii, Re-Creations, Simon Spillett) on drums. The band has received critical acclaim for their beautiful music.

Jon Lloyd – soprano , tenor saxophone
John Law – piano
Alex Goodyear – drums
Nick Pini – double bass

“Lloyd’s tunes are steeped in the ECM aesthetic, and he and long-time collaborator John Law on piano make it sound like the only music you ever want to hear.”
Jon Turney, Swanage Jazz Festival concert review, July 2023

“The interplay between the quartet members is magical, instinctive… creating music of often startling beauty.”
  Peter Vacher, Jazzwise magazine, March 2024

” An accomplished album characterised by emotion and beauty… offering inventive textures, dynamics shifts and a touch of magic.”
  Neil Duggan, All About Jazz, 2025

01202 280000
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Lighthouse
Arts and Entertainment
21 Kingland Road
Poole
Dorset BH15 1UG

Phone Ticket Sales:
Mon: 10am – 5pm / Tue-Sat: 10am – 8pm
Bookings can be made online 24/7
Counter Bookings:
Tue-Sat: 10am – 8pm

https://www.facebook.com/share/tC5SoqwYM9bNQr2Z/

https://www.jonlloydmusic.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Lloyd_(musician)

Hudson Jazz Festival, various venues, Hudson, New York State, USA.

Dates: Friday, October 03, 2025 - Sunday, October 05, 2025

More details

For details and line-up please visit Festival website;
https://hudsonhall.org/event/hudson-jazz-festival/

Lady Nade sings Nina Simone at The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, Shropshire.

Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025

More details

From;
https://edgeartscentre.com/

Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone

Renowned for her distinctive and award-winning vocal prowess, Lady Nade possesses one of the most singular voices in the UK music scene.

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

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

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

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

Saturday 11 October 2025
Doors 18.30 Show 19.30
Tickets £23
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/edgeartscentre/lady-nade-sings-nina-simone/2025-10-11/19:30/t-rpvymrg

The Edge Arts Centre
William Brookes School
Farley Road
Much Wenlock
Shropshire TF13 6NB

PHONE NUMBER
01952 728911

Kim Cypher Quintet, at Corn Exchange Jazz Club, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire.

Date: Thursday, October 09, 2025

Featuring: Kim Cypher Quintet

More details

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

Jazz Club with Kim Cypher Catching Moments
Thursday, October 9, 2025
7:30 PM

Kim Cypher - ‘Catching Moments’
Kim Cypher is one of the UK’s most exciting and exuberant saxophonists, vocalists, composers and band leaders. A regular performer on the London and UK jazz circuit and with success of two highly acclaimed albums, award-winning music videos, performance in New York and sell-out performances at world-renowned Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Kim has firmly secured a reputation for delivering the highest quality performance with incredible style, passion, energy, and charisma together with her renowned vivacious stage presence and warm connection with all audiences.

“Hats off to a true heart and soul performer” – Pee Wee Ellis

“An incredibly vibrant musician driven by passion, who is always innovative and surprising” – Nick Lea, Jazz Views

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

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

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025

More details

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

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

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

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

About the event;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doors 7PM
Starts 7:30PM

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

Baka Beyond at Hafan Yr Afon, Newtown, Powys.

Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025

More details

From;
https://www.hafanyrafon.com/event-details/baka-beyond

Baka Beyond
Sat 22 Nov |  Newtown
Bath based Baka Beyond blend African and Celtic music into an electrifying mix that’s got everyone dancing! Their music isn’t just about beats; it’s about bridging cultures and spreading joy.

Time & Location
22 Nov 2025, 20:00 – 22:30
Newtown, Hafan Yr Afon, Car Park, Back Ln, Newtown SY16 2NH

About the event
Please Note this is a standing event, however, there will be chairs around the sides of Hafan for a bit of a rest

Bath based Baka Beyond blend African and Celtic music into an electrifying mix that’s got everyone dancing! Their music isn’t just about beats; it’s about bridging cultures and spreading joy.
Inspired by the Baka Pygmies of Cameroon, Baka Beyond doesn’t just play their music – they live it.

Martin Cradick and Su Hart, the brains behind the band, were so moved by the Baka’s spirit during their first visit to the Cameroon rainforest that they knew they had to share it with the world. Their album “Spirit of the Forest” catapulted them to global fame, but they’ve stayed true to their roots. To ensure the Baka people benefit from their music, they set up the charity “Global Music Exchange” and still visit the same Baka extended family to ensure that they continue to benefit.

From humble beginnings to a multicultural phenomenon, Baka Beyond have travelled the world with stage shows are a testament to the power of music to unite us all. With band members hailing from across the globe, each bringing their own unique flair, Baka Beyond honours the Baka philosophy: “everyone is to be listened to.”

The current touring unit brings the Spirit of the Forest to Hafan Yr Afon. Martin Cradick (guitar), Su Hart (vocals) and drummer Clyde Kramer have all spent time living and playing music with the Baka Pygmies in their rainforest home. Scott (percussion) brings the rhythms and colour of his native Sierra Leone into the mix, while all these elements are grounded by the solid Congolese grooves of Kibisingo (bass) who toured with Kanda Bongo Man for many years. The lineup is completed by Bella Linley (vocals) and fiddle prodigy, Ben Moneypenny bringing a Celtic flair

Join the celebration and let the music take you on a journey around the world!

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/bakabeyond

Website: https://bakabeyond.net

Brigitte Beraha’s Lucid Deamers at Hafan Yr Afon, Newtown, Powys.

Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025

Featuring: Brigitte Beraha

More details

From;
https://www.hafanyrafon.com/event-details/hafan-jazz-brigitte-berahas-lucid-dreamers

HAFAN JAZZ: BRIGITTE BERAHA’S LUCID DREAMERS
Sat 20 Sept |  Newtown
Lucid Dreamers, a collective of cutting-edge players combining jazz, folk, contemporary classical and electronic textures - brilliant jazz artistry with an ECM-vibe!

Time & Location
20 Sept 2025, 19:30 – 22:00
Newtown, Hafan Yr Afon, Car Park, Back Ln, Newtown SY16 2NH

Continuing on the path of bringing you amazing live music of the highest standards presented in a warm and friendly atmosphere, we are super-excited to announce our upcoming album launch performance of the Jazz Quartet Lucid Dreamers!

Spearheaded by internationally renown vocalist Brigitte Beraha, this collective of cutting-edge players hailing from London brings you original compositions drawing from the jazz, folk, contemporary classical, free improv and electronic realms. With a repertoire ranging from poignant songs, atmospheric and open improvisations to exciting grooves and impactful stillness, this music transcends jazz, and melds with electronics in a way that is reminiscent not just of Basil Kirchin and Steve Lacy’s late electronic fusion work, but also of Talk Talk and the solo work of Robert Wyatt, in its oceanic ambience, its plaintiveness, and its periodic gusts of squally wildness.

Since their incarnation in 2019 Lucid Dreamers have extensively toured the UK and   Europe and have so far recorded two albums ‘Lucid Dreamers’ (2020) and ‘Blink’ (2022). We live in anticipation of their 3rd album due for release in autumn 2025 with a UK/European tour to celebrate! Join us here at Hafan for the stellar line-up of improvising vocalist, composer and lyricist Brigitte Beraha, Alcyona Mick on piano/synths, George Crowley on tenor sax/electronics and Tim Giles on drums/electronics!

ARE YOU AN ENTHUSIASTIC SINGER?
Brigitte also holds an afternoon workshop for singers of all levels at Hafan from 2pm to 4pm!

WHAT THE PRESS SAYS:

’Spontaneity, high-class jazz artistry!’ - The Guardian

‘The quietly virtuosic UK-vocalist Brigitte Beraha is at her delicately airborne, rhythmically audacious best with her closely entwined Lucid Dreamers band.’ - The Guardian/John Fordham

‘Lucid Dreamers is forceful, sustained aural theatre, and it demands nothing but your dreams in action in return. Utterly stunning.’ - Liverpool Sound and Vision

‘One of the most creative vocalists on the UK-scene.’ - BBC Radio 3

CHECK OUT LUCID DREAMER’S MUSIC HERE:
http://www.brigitteberaha.com

Doors 7pm
Starts 7.30pm
HELP US PLAN WELL AHEAD AND BOOK EARLY - THERE IS 0% BOOKING FEE ON ADVANCE TICKETS!

Jazz Vocal Workshop with Brigitte Beraha at Hafan Yr Afon, Newtown, Powys.

Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025

Featuring: Brigitte Beraha

More details

From;
https://www.hafanyrafon.com/event-details/jazz-vocal-workshop-with-brigitte-beraha

JAZZ VOCAL WORKSHOP with Brigitte Beraha
Sat 20 Sept |  Newtown

A rare opportunity to enjoy an ‘Introduction to Jazz Singing’ under the guidance of top-class International Jazz vocalist and Professor Of Jazz Voice Brigitte Beraha, one of the leading performers and educators in the field today!

Time & Location
20 Sept 2025, 14:00 – 16:00
Newtown, Hafan Yr Afon, Car Park, Back Ln, Newtown SY16 2NH

Tickets here;
https://www.hafanyrafon.com/event-details/jazz-vocal-workshop-with-brigitte-beraha

Ballaké Sissoko & Piers Faccini at Union Chapel, Islington, London.

Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025

More details

Serious have provided the following information regarding this event;

Thursday 18 September, Union Chapel
Ballaké Sissoko & Piers Faccini

Two decades after their first ever collaboration, British-Italian folk songwriter, Piers Faccini, and Malian kora virtuoso, Ballaké Sissoko, return with a mesmerising album Our Calling, with a UK premiere live at Union Chapel.

https://serious.org.uk/events/ballake-sissoko-piers-faccini

Thu 18 September 2025
Stage time / 7:30pm
Doors / 7:00pm

Union Chapel,
Compton Terrace
Islington
London
N1 2UN

Tickets
£27.50 + booking fee

Two decades after their first ever collaboration, British-Italian folk songwriter, Piers Faccini, and Malian kora virtuoso, Ballaké Sissoko, return with a mesmerising album: Our Calling. Set for release in February 2025, this new and captivating musical dialogue — between a prodigious instrumentalist at the height of his powers and a gifted songwriter and wordsmith — deftly bridges continents and traditions, inventing new song forms.

The seeds of Our Calling were first planted when Sissoko and Faccini met at Label Bleu in the early 2000s. Their friendship grew as they linked and explored uncharted paths between Mandé traditions and folksong forms. Sissoko was a guest on Faccini’s second solo album Tearing Sky in 2005. In 2020, their exchanges found inspiration under the label Nø Førmat!, when Sissoko invited Faccini to sing “Kadidja” in the Bambara language on his acclaimed album Djourou, and later with “The Fire Inside”.

With its ten finely crafted tracks, Our Calling is a sonic and narrative praise song for migration in all its manifestations: seeds borne by the winds; Nightingales flying between West Africa and Europe at the turn of the seasons; humans, across the centuries, and along trade routes, sharing musical practices and rhythms.

The pair join together to premiere their new album Our Calling live at Union Chapel.

Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) at Koko, London.

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Featuring: Christian Scott

More details

Serious have provided the following information regarding this event;

Tuesday 30 September, KOKO
Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott)
Don’t miss the return of the two-time Edison Award-Winning, six-time Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, producer and instrument creator Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) live at KOKO next month. Expect a night of high energy music fusing African rhythms, with jazz, hip hop and rock!

https://serious.org.uk/events/chief-adjuah

Tue 30 September 2025
Stage time / 7:30pm
Doors / 7:00pm

KOKO,
1A Camden High Street
NW1 7JE

Tickets
£27.50 - £32.50 + booking fee

Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah [formerly Christian Scott] is a two-time Edison Award-winning, six-time Grammy Award-nominated, Doris Duke Award in the Arts awardee.

He is a sonic architect, trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, designer of innovative technologies and musical instruments (including The Stretch Music app, Adjuah Trumpet, Siren, Sirenette, Chief Adjuah’s Bow and Chief Adjuah’s N’Goni).

Since 2001, Adjuah has released thirteen critically acclaimed studio recordings, four live albums, and one greatest hits collection. He is widely recognized as the progenitor of the “Stretch Music,” style. A 21st-century approach that asserts genre blindness and an ethnomusicological approach to limitless fusion that heralded NPR to hail him as “Ushering in a new era of Jazz” and JazzTimes Magazine to mark him as “Jazz’s young style God.”

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

Date: Sunday, March 29, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Nearly Dan are the Spirit & Sound of Steely Dan.

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

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

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

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

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

Date: Saturday, December 06, 2025

More details

Chris Taylor of Sy ; Gigs writes;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Down for the Count Swing Orchestra at Cadogan Hall, London.

Date: Saturday, October 04, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

Down for the Count Swing Orchestra
Saturday 4 October, 7pm

The 30-piece Down for the Count Swing Orchestra returns to Cadogan Hall for another ‘big band with strings’ celebration.

You’ll be treated to the music of Nat ‘King’ Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and many more – bought back to life by some of the UK’s top jazz musicians and arrangers.

This ‘big band with strings’ preserves and protects the musical heritage of these great artists – but this is no mere nostalgia trip, as Down for the Count perform each song in their own unmistakeable style, breathing new life into the best vintage music.

ENCORE members: £3 off top-price tickets
Under 16s: £18 off
Full-time Students: £8 off

PROGRAMME INCLUDES:
Ain’t That a Kick in the Head
’S Wonderful
Let There Be Love
The Nearness of You
That’s Life
Theme from New York, New York
and many more

PERFORMERS
Down for the Count Swing Orchestra
Mike Paul-Smith conductor
Lydia Bell vocals
Marvin Muoneké vocals

Tickets;
https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/down-for-the-count-swing-orchestra-2025

Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace
London SW1X 9DQ

Johnathan Blake ‘My Life Matters’ at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Soho, London.

Date: Tuesday, October 07, 2025

Venue

Ronnie Scott’s, London

47 Frith Street
Soho, London
W1D 4HT

More details

From;
https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/johnathan-blake

Johnathan Blake ‘My Life Matters’
7th October 2025

Commissioned by the Jazz Gallery in NYC, Blake’s new album, My Life Matters is a music suite that focuses on the idea of speaking up when we see injustices happening instead of becoming part of the problem.

Ticket prices
£40 – £55

Line-up
JOHNATHAN BLAKE – drums
JOHN ELLIS – sax, ewi
FABIAN ALMAZAN – piano, electronics
JALEN BAKER – vibraphone
BEN STREET – bass

Blake’s band Pentad is a quintet of musicians whose expressions inhabit that mystery of time and space. ‘The name represents us as five individuals coming together for a common cause: trying to make the most honest music as possible,’ says Blake who assembled the band with the intention of composing for a fuller, more explicit chordal sound than his past projects have featured. The result is a wildly intuitive, tight sound that embraces spontaneity and relies on trust.

Heralded by NPR Music as, the ultimate modernist, the Philadelphia-raised artist has collaborated with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Tom Harrell, Hans Glawischnig, Avishai Cohen, Donny McCaslin, Linda May Han Oh, Jaleel Shaw, Chris Potter, Maria Schneider, Alex Sipiagin, Kris Davis and countless other distinctive voices.

It’s a testament to Blake’s abilities that he makes his presence felt in any context.
— DownBeat

Performance times for
Johnathan Blake ‘My Life Matters’

Tuesday 7th October, 2025 17:30
Doors Open
17:30
Show Starts
18:30
Show Finishes
19:50
Doors Close
20:00

Tuesday 7th October, 2025 20:30
Doors Open
20:30
Show Starts
21:15
Show Finishes
22:35
Doors Close
00:00

Priority tickets (£55.00)
Standard tickets (£45.00)
Restricted tickets (£40.00)

Emma Rawicz Quartet - Jazz Coventry, Albany Club, 10 Earlsdon St, Earlsdon, Coventry.

Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025

Featuring: Emma Rawicz

More details

Thurs 25th Sept - The Emma Rawicz Quartet - Jazz Coventry, Albany Club, 10 Earlsdon St, Earlsdon, Coventry.

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

Date: Thursday, December 11, 2025

More details

Dave Fuller, instigator of Music Spoken Here writes;

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

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

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

http://www.musicspokenhere.club

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

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

Elle-J Walters Band at Music Spoken Here’s Sunday Service, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Sunday, September 28, 2025

More details

Music Spoken Here instigator Dave Fuller has supplied the following information;

We’ll also be resuming our Sunday Service in September, featuring soul, gospel, RnB and reggae on the last Sunday of the month. First off the mark on Sunday 28th September is the incredible vocalist Elle-J Walters with her band that includes saxophonist Anne Tinsley who appeared with Urban Soul Family for our very first Sunday Service in May, and bassist Wayne Matthews who appeared with Bryan Corbett’s Instrumental Groove Unit in December last year.

http://www.musicspokenhere.club

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

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

Date: Thursday, November 27, 2025

Featuring: Allexa Nava

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/allexa-nava/

Allexa Nava
November 27 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Fiery saxophonist, flautist and composer from Peru making her mark on the UK scene.

I first saw London-based Peruvian saxophonist, flautist and composer Allexa Nava when she performed with the all-female Latin band Colectiva at the Brick Lane Jazz Festival in 2024. She has since been forging her solo career with the release of her debut EP ‘No Language’ in February this year, appearing on the Future Jazz Showcase program at The Jazz Cafe in London in April and plenty of other live performances in the UK and abroad. She has also been a fixture performing in the band for the “Paradise Under The Stars” Cuban experience show in London and is a regular performing and recording buddy of the young trumpeter Poppy Daniels.

Allexa will be performing with her quartet featuring Emile Hinton on keys, Jai Patel on trombone and Cassius Cobbson on drums.

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

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

Rosie Frater-Taylor at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/replay-session-5-rosie-frater-taylor/

Re:play Session 5 | Rosie Frater-Taylor
November 13 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm

An electrifying force in contemporary British jazz weaves rock, alt-pop, neo-soul, new-school jazz, and folk into her singular sound.

Making her third appearance at The Marr’s Bar, virtuoso guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Rosie Frater-Taylor returns for the final session in our Re:play series featuring artists who performed for us when we were just getting started. Rosie’s trio played the final gig of our first year on 22nd December 2022. She since returned with Steve Taylor’s Fusion Phew in May last year.

Rosie wrote, recorded, produced and released her debut album ‘On My Mind’ in 2018, comprising eight original songs with her playing guitar, ukulele, bass and singing with her dad Steve Taylor on drums. That was followed up by ‘Bloom’ in 2021 that included covers of Stevie Nicks’ Dreams (which has received over 2m streams) and Crazy by Seal.

Her third album ‘Featherweight’, released last year, draws on the legacy of luminaries such as Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny and Steely Dan, while incorporating modern, rock-tinged influences like John Mayer, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Madison Cunningham. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page lauded her exceptional “connection with the guitar” following her performance at the Gibson Garage launch in February last year.

Rosie will be performing in her regular trio with Dave Edwards on bass and Tom Potter (2016 Young Drummer of the Year).

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

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

Resolution 88 at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/replay-session-4-resolution-88/

Re:play Session 4 | Resolution 88
October 23 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Original tunes steeped in 70s jazz-funk of Herbie Hancock featuring lashings of Fender Rhodes

Delighted to welcome Resolution 88 back to The Marr’s Bar for the fourth session in our Re:play series featuring five select bands and artists that played in our 2022/23 season when we were just getting started.

Resolution 88 have established themselves as one of the UK’s leading exponents of funk jazz. Their music fuses the sound of the modern London jazz scene with the inspirational greats of the 70’s such as Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters and the classic Mizell Brothers productions on Blue Note and is synonymous with the beautiful sound of the Fender Rhodes.

The lineup features bandleader Tom O’Grady on keys and sees the return of Tom Smith on sax (Tom was a last minute dep when Tristan Banks played for us in April 2023). The lineup is completed with Tiago Coimbra (bass), Oli Blake (percussion) and Ric Elsworth (drums).

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

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

Emily Masser Quartet at Cheltenham Jazz Club, The Irving Studio,Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, Glos.

Date: Monday, October 27, 2025

Featuring: Emily Masser Quartet

More details

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

THE EMILY MASSER QUARTET
WHEN: 8.00 pm, Monday 27 October 2025
WHERE: The Irving Studio,Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
Tickets: £20.00

Emily Masser – Vocals
Matyas Gayer – Piano
James Owston - Bass
Steve Brown – Drums

Rising star Emily Masser is an astonishing vocalist. She first sang at Cheltenham Jazz Club in January 2024 as a member of the The Clark Tracy Quintet, with the quintet’s debut album, “Introducing Emily Masser”, showcasing her arrangements and vocals. She will be performing tonight with her own quartet. Featuring a mix of modern twists on jazz standards and Emily’s vocal approach to vocalese and bebop.

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

https://emilymasser.co.uk/

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

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

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

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

Robert Castelli & BOOM! at Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester.

Date: Thursday, October 09, 2025

Featuring: Robert Castelli

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/robert-castelli-boom/

Robert Castelli & BOOM!
October 9 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Get carried away into the world of Afro-Cuban music, West African rhythms and jazz-rock of the seventies and eighties
We are delighted to have Robert Castelli return with his BOOM UK band for the third show in our Re:Play series featuring five select bands who performed in the first year of Music Spoken Here at The Marr’s Bar.

Hailing from New York, with Italian heritage and now living in Spain, third-generation drummer Robert named his band BOOM inspired by the short-lived 1979’ Trio of Doom’ (John McLaughlin, Tony Williams and Jaco Pastorius). The concept is based on the energy of the music.

Robert explains: “Sometimes you go to a club and there’s a band playing and you hear people talking and glasses clinking. Then you see another band, they are not louder, but all of a sudden, an electricity goes through the room and everybody is quiet. That’s Boom.”

The UK BOOM lineup features Francesco LoCastro on guitar, Marco Marconi on piano and Jonny Wickham on bass. While this will be the second appearance of BOOM on the Music Spokem Here program, it will be the third appearance for both Francesco who brought his own quartet up in May 2023 and Jonny, who appeared with Steve Taylor’s Fusion Phew in May 2024.

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

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

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

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

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

Boo Hewerdine & Reg Meuross Duo plus Deborah Rose at Red Lion Folk Club, King’s Heath, Birmingham.

Date: Wednesday, November 05, 2025

More details

From;
https://www.redlionfolkclub.uk/

Nov 5th
Boo Hewerdine & Reg Meuross
Plus Deborah Rose
£17

Experience an unforgettable evening with Boo Hewerdine and Reg Meuross as they embark on a co-headline tour that promises to captivate audiences with their exceptional musical talents. Boo Hewerdine, renowned for his work with The Bible and collaborations with artists like Eddi Reader, is celebrated for his poignant lyrics and unforgettable melodies. Reg Meuross, acclaimed for his evocative songs and masterful storytelling, has a rich discography that has earned him both critical praise and a devoted following.

The Red Lion,
Vicarage Road
King’s Heath,
Birmingham B14 7LY.

Wednesday 7.45 pm. Doors open 7.15 pm.
Finish around 10.30 pm.

Caol Ila Islay Jazz Festival, Islay, Scotland.

Dates: Friday, September 19, 2025 - Sunday, September 21, 2025

More details

We have received the following press release;

The Sound of Islay is Jazz: Islay Jazz Festival announces 2025 dates and new partnership with leading distillery, Caol Ila

Jazz Scotland has announced that Caol Ila, which translates in Gaelic to ‘The Sound of Islay’, will be headline sponsor of the 2025 Islay Jazz Festival, one of Scotland’s biggest celebrations of jazz music.

The Caol Ila Islay Jazz Festival will take place between 19-21 September 2025 and boasts a line-up of jazz musicians from across Scotland, and the world, who will play at intimate venues around the island including Caol Ila and Lagavulin distilleries.

Each year the festival draws jazz and Scotch whisky fans from across the globe who are looking to enjoy the compelling combination of music and whisky, with the stunning backdrop of views of the island’s breathtaking landscape and its symphony of iconic whisky distilleries.

Festival visitors to the island will have the exclusive opportunity to savour a special dram of Caol Ila, crafted specifically to celebrate this annual music and culture event. This limited-edition release will be unveiled soon.

This is the first year that Caol Ila will be headline sponsor of the festival which has been supported by its parent company, Diageo, for 15 years, previously having Lagavulin as the title sponsor. Diageo has confirmed it is extending its longstanding collaboration with Jazz Scotland until 2027.

Caol Ila, or “The Sound of Islay”, has more than just a fitting name as a headline sponsor - the distillery is the perfect place for visitors to embrace Islay. With a passionate and knowledgeable team on hand, plus views across to the Paps of Jura, and a liquid with deep roots to the island’s history and culture. The Caol Ila distillery visitor experience, was beautifully reimagined and reopened in 2022 as part of Diageo’s £185 million investment in Scotch whisky tourism, invites guests to explore the distillery’s rich heritage and stunning coastal views.

Jazz Scotland is a non-profit organisation that promotes and supports jazz and related music in Scotland. It will continue the Islay Jazz Festival’s approach of bringing together a wide range of world-class musicians from Scotland and beyond to create exciting and unique collaborations at venues around the island.

The Islay Arts Association is a longstanding partner of the jazz festival as part of its ongoing support for music and culture on Islay.

“The Festival is going from strength to strength, with this sponsorship of Caol Isla being an exciting development” said Stuart Todd, Chairman of the Islay Arts Association. “A particularly varied programme of concerts is well into planning.  We look forward to welcoming fine musicians and dedicated jazz fans to Islay , joining locals at events in the distilleries and other venues across this beautiful island.”

Eleanor Gilles, Brand Home Manager at Caol Ila and Lagavulin, said:
“Jazz Festival brings with it a real buzz to the island, and it’s great to have Caol Ila as the headline sponsor for the first time this year. With a name like ‘The Sound of Islay’, it feels like Caol Ila was destined to host such a brilliant celebration of music. Guests can expect some standout performances from world-leading jazz musicians, drams, cocktails and panoramic views of some of Scotland’s stunning scenery - we can’t wait to welcome visitors new and old.”

“We’re delighted that our friends at Diageo have committed to supporting the festival for the next 3 years,” said John Youngs, Jazz Scotland’s CEO.

“This multi-year support, which matches Creative Scotland’s multi-year funding for the event, ensures that we can continue to deliver a programme of the highest quality for artists and audiences alike over the longer-term. That is exciting!”, Jazz Scotland Chair of the board- Neil GIbbons

Timeline;

From 24 July 2025 Festival Pass will be announced and on sale. The Festival Pass will be valid for a full-suite of concerts at a discounted price, priority booking and more, and is the best way to lock in for an immersive festival experience. There will only be 40 limited festival passes available, so be sure to keep an eye on your emails for an announcement of when sales open to avoid disappointment.
Local Islay residents will also be eligible for priority booking and discounts for the festival. Sign-ups for this will also open from 24 July 2025

The musicians visiting the island will also be gradually announced during this period. As an example, for the musicians who visited in 2024 see here -
https://www.islayarts.org.uk/2024/08/26/lagavulin-islay-jazz-festival/

4 - 10 August 2025 We announce the full programme of concerts and events. The priority booking window opens for festival pass holders and Islay residents.

10 August 2025 Bookings open to the general public.

Tickets are available online only through the Jazz Scotland Website.
https://jazzscotland.com/

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at http://www.ourcreativevoice.scot.

The Festival is promoted by specialist jazz promoters, Jazz Scotland, and The Islay Arts Association, and receives funding from Creative Scotland.

The Festival has been running since 1999. Since then the Festival has promoted musicians from over 25 countries, but has a special place for Scottish jazz musicians and audiences.

Islay Jazz Festival’s website is https://islayjazzfestival.co.uk/

Shez Raja feat Guthrie Govan and Soweto Kinch, two shows at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Soho, London.

Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Featuring: Shez Raja

Venue

Ronnie Scott’s, London

47 Frith Street
Soho, London
W1D 4HT

More details

From;
https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/shez-raja

Shez Raja feat Guthrie Govan and Soweto Kinch
17th September 2025

Voted one of the ‘Hottest Bass Players in the World’ by readers of Bass Player magazine, virtuoso British-Asian bass player Shez Raja is renowned for his high energy live shows, unique Indo-jazz-funk sound and global star collaborations with Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Trilok Gurtu and Wayne Krantz.

Ticket prices
£40 – £55

Line-up
SHEZ RAJA – bass
GUTHRIE GOVAN – guitar
SOWETO KINCH – sax
CHRIS JEROME – keys
SOPHIE ALLOWAY – drums

Times and Tickets
Wednesday 17th September, 2025

17:30
Doors Open
17:30

Show Starts
18:30

Show Finishes
19:50

Doors Close
20:00

Wednesday 17th September, 2025 20:30

Doors Open
20:30

Show Starts
21:15

Show Finishes
22:35

Doors Close
03:00

Inspired by travels with his father to the Punjab region of the Indian sub-continent, Raja immersed himself in the musical culture of his South Asian roots. He now merges his rich musical heritage with a hugely diverse playing experience to create dynamic and passionate music that blends East with West.

Guthrie Govan is hailed as one of the greatest guitarists of his generation, possessing jaw-dropping technical prowess fused with heartfelt emotional expression.

Soweto Kinch, multi-award-winning saxophonist, brings his fearless brand of jazz to the stage, pushing boundaries with every note.

Expect a spellbinding journey through spiritual jazz, fiery funk and cosmic improvisation, performed by a world-class band at the height of their powers.

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

Date: Friday, December 05, 2025

Featuring: Janette Mason

More details

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janette will be joined by:

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

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

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

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

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

The Freddie Gavita Quartet in Homage to Freddie Hubbard at Jazz at Progress, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire.

Date: Friday, November 07, 2025

Featuring: Freddie Gavita

More details

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

Jazz at Progress | The Freddie Gavita Quartet in Homage to Freddie Hubbard | Tickets on sale soon
Friday 7 November 2025 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.

Freddie Gavita trumpet
Tom Cawley keys
Daniel Casimir bass
Mez Clough drums

The Freddie Gavita Quartet in Homage to Freddie Hubbard
Quite a line up to perform music of one of the finest trumpeters in jazz, Freddie Hubbard. He came of age as a soloist in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers from 1961 to 1965. Ten albums for Blue Note and featured on several classic recorded albums with Oliver Nelson, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, to name but a few! Hubbard died in 2008 and deserves to be remembered as being among the jazz greats.
We are therefore delighted to host this gig with wonderful musicians led by 2017 British Jazz Award “Best Trumpeter” Freddie Gavita, who has long been an admirer of Hubbard and will add to our knowledge of his legacy.
Apart from Daniel Casimir, the three other members of the quartet are new to Jazz In Reading. However, there was a livestream quartet performance by Guildford Jazz in Covid afflicted February 2021, a review of which by Trevor Bannister is on our website.
Here is a quote from the review “The spellbinding quality of Freddie’s individual voice was immediately obvious in the opening bars of his own composition ‘Yearning’; understated, flawlessly executed, beautifully articulated and warm in tone. He allows the music space to breathe and to grow in its own way”.  Freddie is a regular member of the house band at Ronnie Scott’s, apart from performing nationwide in various formats.

Tom Cawley (1998 Young Musician of the Year) is a regular in the quartet and a senior member of the UK’s jazz establishment being a composer, arranger, band leader and professor of Jazz piano at the Royal Academy of Music. He has released several acclaimed albums with his “Tom Cawley’s Curios” band.

Daniel Casimir (2021 Instrumentalist Of The Year in the Jazz FM Award) was bassist with Jean Toussaint for a memorable gig at Progress December 2018 – the “Brother Raymond Tour.” Since then, Dan has hit the heights and won awards for his music and playing. Formed his own big band and continues to creatively push the boundaries in jazz.

Finally, drummer and multi-instrumentalist, Mez Clough, has toured and performed with numerous hugely well-known artists from various genres in the music industry. He is also the regular percussionist for Madness.

We believe that an exciting evening of jazz awaits. Please come and enjoy it with us.

Chris Biscoe’s Profiles Quartet at Jazz at Progress, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire.

Date: Friday, October 10, 2025

Featuring: Chris Biscoe

More details

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

Jazz at Progress | Chris Biscoe’s Profiles Quartet
Friday 10 October 2025 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.
Tickets; https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/progresstheatre/t-ojgoroj

Chris Biscoe saxes and alto clarinet
Alcyona Mick piano
Larry Bartley bass
Winston Clifford drums

Chris Biscoe’s Profiles Quartet
Chris Biscoe writes:
“Jazz has always been a music about people and places, the connections, the routes (and roots) between, the meetings and the getting away.
When I recorded some of the repertoire from my band Mingus Moves I realised how many of Charles Mingus’ compositions are dedications to musicians, friends and family, lovers and political enemies, not forgetting one toilet-trained cat. The CD was Profiles of Mingus, and this became the working name for the band.
The Profiles Quartet draws on this tradition, expanding it to include compositions by other jazz greats, and something of the travel which is so significant a part of the life of working musicians.Tunes for the quartet include Thelonious Monk’s Jackie-ing (written for his niece Jackie Smith) and Monk’s Dream, Eric Dolphy’s Miss Ann and his portrait of Monk, Hat and Beard. Teenies’ Blues, another family dedication, was written by Oliver Nelson for his little sister. It’s impossible to leave out Charles Mingus, who is represented by Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (for Lester Young), Pussy Cat Dues (that bemused looking cat perched on a Manhattan apartment toilet seat), and Fables of Faubus, the great satirical composition ‘dedicated’ to Orval Faubus, Governor of Arkansas.
Migration and travel appear too, with Billy Strayhorn’s Take The A Train, and Goin’ to Chicago, not the familiar blues but Mike Westbrook’s multi-faceted composition.”
Chris Biscoe came to prominence in the late 1970’s, with Mike Westbrook’s Brass Band. He has toured and recorded extensively in the USA and France, and in the UK. Chris is a founder member of Way Out West, the west London jazz collective which has presented over 800 concerts since 2004. Chris Biscoe crosses musical boundaries in his playing, from ‘cool’ on baritone sax with Allison Neale, post bop with Tony Kofi, contemporary jazz with Liam Noble, through to free and improv jazz with various bands.

Alcyona Mick is a pianist working at the forefront of the London Jazz scene… Recently nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz Instrumentalist Award, she is a member of the London Jazz Orchestra and many other UK bands. She has toured and performed worldwide. As a composer she has a Master’s in Composing music for film from the National Film and Television school. She has written and produced music for many independent short films, documentaries, animation and silent cinema. She won an award for Best Soundtrack at the Anima Mundi International Festival, Brazil.
‘World class ingenuity’  the Guardian
‘Alcyona Mick is an unusual powerhouse of a talent’ – MOJO

Larry Bartley is a bassist and composer who has been a staple of the London and international jazz scene as a side man and as a leader.
“Excellent bassist – with a distinctive Mingus-like drive to his propulsive bass lines.” Time Out
“Larry taps into a vast pool of different types of music to create a unique project that deserves to be applauded.” Jean Toussaint – Drummer
“You can understand why Bartley is so much in demand on the London jazz scene.” BBC

Drummer Winston Clifford is a powerhouse behind the kit for a wide variety of great bands, led by the likes of Gwilym Simcock, Monty Alexander, Stanley Turrentine, Benny Golson and Courtney Pine.
A master of a huge array of drum techniques, Clifford is constantly inventive, immersed in a stream of consciousness yet with ears wide open to hints, suggestions and prompts from his playing partners. He regularly plays around the kit with his bare hands for softer timbres, another card to play in the constant search for dynamic expression and imaginative phrasing.

Progress Theatre
progress theatre - jazz in reading
http://www.progresstheatre.co.uk | The Mount, Off Christchurch Road, Reading RG1 5HL

Progress Theatre is a self-governing, self-funding theatre group founded in 1947, maintained by volunteers. The Theatre itself is an intimate 95-seat venue. It is the oldest operating theatre in Reading and has a fully licensed bar. There is wheelchair access to the Theatre with a space for disabled patrons. In 2011 Sir Kenneth Branagh became the Patron to Progress Theatre.

Bar at all gigs from 7:00pm. Drinks may be taken into the auditorium during performances.

Carlos Varela and guest Diana Fuentes at New Jersey Performing Arts Centre (NJPAC), Newark, New Jersey, USA.

Date: Friday, November 21, 2025

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Just Announced - Tix On Sale for Cuban Luminaries Carlos Varela and Diana Fuentes in Concert in Newark, Nov 21

Announcing Cuban Musical Sensations, Carlos Varela and Diana Fuentes, to Perform at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Nov 21

NJPAC
One Center Street
Newark, New Jersey 07102
http://www.njpac.org

FRI 11.21 @ 7:30 p.m. CARLOS VARELA with special guest DIANA FUENTES
Carlos Varela – vocals + guitar
Diana Fuentes - vocals

Known as the “Poet of Havana”, the immensely popular Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela has dedicated his 30-year music career to expressing “the problems of my people.” His poetic lyrics speak to the promise and pain of Cuba across generations, with complex emotion and powerful imagery. His message has been banned and censored by Cuban authorities, but his songs, like 2000’s “Una Palabra,” continue to resonate around the world. As Carlos explains: “Words can transform. They can reach your soul and your heart. They can shake your bones. They can change your life, and that can’t be lost.”

Special guest Diana Fuentes is a Cuban singer-songwriter known for her sparkling voice and her fusion of pop, R&B and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. She began as a vocalist in Síntesis and Carlos Varela’s band, earning Latin GRAMMY® nominations. She was the first Cuban female artist signed to Sony Music Latin since Celia Cruz, earning two Gold Records and one Platinum Record.

This performance is part of the TD Jazz Series and Dodge Poetry, and receives additional support from the Gia Maione Prima Foundation.

About NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States.  It is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey — where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day.  As New Jersey’s anchor cultural institution, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State’s and the world’s best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city.  Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts.  NJPAC has attracted more than 11 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.  Visit http://www.njpac.org for more information.

Sponsorship
About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®
For the 14th consecutive year, TD Bank is the title sponsor of all jazz programming during NJPAC’s season, including free community performances and educational events, as well as mainstage concerts showcasing jazz superstars. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. by assets, providing over 10 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., offers vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank and its subsidiaries also offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J.
To learn more, visit http://www.td.com/us. Find TD Bank on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/TDBank_US/. 
TD Bank is a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, a top 10 North American bank. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit http://www.td.com/us.

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

Date: Friday, December 19, 2025

More details

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

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

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

Here’s what you need to know….

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

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

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

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

Thanks all - and back to the summer now! 

All the very best,
Nick

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

New Street Adventure at Scala, London.

Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2025

More details

We have received the following information regarding this event;

NEW STREET ADVENTURE announce London concert.

New Street Adventure are one of the most important Acid Jazz acts of the last decade. Having built up their own loyal following, selling out venues such as the legendary 100 Club, the Jazz Cafe and 229, they have released two albums and a series of singles and EPs on the label.

Having reunited to mark the 10-year anniversary of their debut ‘No Hard Feelings’ and an extensive UK tour, today they return with a new single ‘Get You Back’ which showcases their perennial soul influences and the writing prowess of band-leader Nick Corbin. Recorded in London and mixed in New York City by Colemine Records associate Rafferty Swink, it has a fresh, contemporary soulful sound, with clear late-‘60s/early ‘70s perspective.

https://www.seetickets.com/event/new-street-adventure/scala/3422742

Scala, London N1 9NL

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

Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025

More details

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/tom-ford-2/

Tom Ford
September 25 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Colosseum / Soft Machine double bill at Cadogan Hall, London.

Date: Thursday, November 27, 2025

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.

https://www.seetickets.com/event/colosseum-soft-machine/cadogan-hall/3291562

Cadogan Hall, London SW1X 9DQ
Thursday 27 November 2025 at 18:00.
Performing
Colosseum Soft Machine

Other Voices Festival, various venues, Cardigan, Wales.

Dates: Thursday, October 30, 2025 - Sunday, November 02, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

More details

12/06/2025

We have received the following press release;

First Wave of Music Trail Acts Revealed for Other Voices Cardigan 2025

Advance ticket price of £40 ends 30th June
30 October – 1 November 2025
Live & Online from West Wales
Wristbands are now just £40, rising to £65 from 1st July

Other Voices Cardigan returns to West Wales this autumn, bringing another brilliant weekend of music, story and song to venues throughout the historic town of Cardigan.
This year’s Trail spans more than ten unique venues across town - from pubs and chapels, newly repurposed spaces and many returning favourites - promising yet another unforgettable weekend of live music and buzzing energy. Today, the first wave of artists for the 2025 Music Trail is revealed - a selection of artists spanning genres and sounds from Ireland and Wales.

With many more to be announced, the first wave of artists announced includes:

Baby Brave / Bruna Garcia / Curtisy / Daithí / Danielle Lewis / David Murphy / Ellie O’Neill / God Knows / Gwen Siôn / Joshua Burnside / Kidsmoke / Makeshift Art Bar / Molly Palmer / Morn / Qbanaa / Roís / Salamay / Séamus & Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta / Siula /  Still Blue / Taff Rapids / Talulah / Tessio / The Factory Set / Tokomololo / Tramp / Wrkhouse

Plus changes to St Mary’s Church Entry for 2025, and First Church Acts to be Announced Soon!

As always, St Mary’s Church will host a series of one-of-a-kind, intimate headline performances broadcast live to the world for free via the Other Voices YouTube channel, and streamed to a cinema screen in Mwldan so everyone can share in the experience.

New for 2025, all festival wristband holders will have the opportunity to attend St Mary’s Church performances on a first-come, first-served basis. Each artist will have a designated slot, with the Church cleared between sets to give as many people as possible the chance to attend. No separate tickets are needed - just join the queue for the artists you’d like to see and experience the magic inside St Mary’s.

The Clebran sessions return for 2025, with powerful conversations, thought-provoking interviews and fresh ideas that explore the issues shaping our world today. The full Clebran programme will be revealed soon - keep an eye out.

And following the success of last year, Clebran on the Trail also returns, bringing intimate conversations with this year’s performers to venues across town.

Advance wristbands are available now for just £40, granting access to all Music Trail performances, Clebran sessions and Church performances (subject to capacity). From 1st July, the price will rise to £65. Get yours now at othervoices.ie and join us for another wonderful weekend in Cardigan!

Philip King, founder of Other Voices, says:
“We always look forward to bringing Other Voices to Aberteifi/Cardigan and our 2025 programme will highlight the abundant and diverse range of brilliant new music that is flowing out of Ireland and Wales today. This year’s Clebran series of trilingual conversations will look at big picture issues through the lens of the local, with a perspective that reflects the shared as well as the many distinct identities in Ireland and Wales that we celebrate here through our languages and music. With our partners at Mwldan and Triongl, we are grateful for the opportunity to play our part in deepening and strengthening our Ireland-Wales connections as envisaged by our two Governments in the Ireland-Wales Shared Statement and Joint Action Plan 2021-25. We look forward to seeing Other Voices/Lleisiau Eraill continuing to grow and flourish in the coming years.”

Dilwyn Davies, CEO of Mwldan, says:
“We’re utterly delighted to be able to bring the fifth physical edition of Other Voices to Aberteifi in 2025. Year on year, we’ve seen fantastic growth in audience numbers as the word has spread about what a special festival experience this is. We’re ready to welcome audiences and artists from Ireland, Wales and elsewhere to our gorgeous small town on the westerly edge of Wales to create and share some unforgettable magic. We’re also deeply indebted to our funders for supporting this fantastic event.”

Other Voices Cardigan is produced by South Wind Blows in partnership with Mwldan and Triongl, with support from the Welsh Government, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Ceredigion County Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and BBC Cymru Wales. Other Voices Cardigan will be filmed for future television broadcast on BBC Cymru Wales and RTÉ, and on BBC iPlayer and RTÉ Player.

Stay tuned for more acts and programme details coming soon.

http://www.othervoices.ie

Other Voices
Other Voices started as a one-off music event in a small church in Dingle, a small fishing village in the west of Ireland and over the last 23 years the idea has grown. Other Voices is now an established fixture in the musical calendar – a ‘must attend’ event for performers and audiences alike. It has led to the creation of an international music TV series and, in turn, a global cultural movement celebrating local stories on an international scale. Other Voices has travelled to London, Belfast, New York, Austin, Texas and Berlin.

Mwldan
Mwldan is an independent Arts Centre and cinema based in Cardigan. The venue presents a multi-artform live programme and screens around 3000 films and live broadcasts annually. A major producing venue, Mwldan is behind international collaborations such as Catrin Finch and Aoife Ní Bhriain. In 2017 Mwldan started the record label bendigedig in partnership with ARC Music Productions Ltd, operating a 360-degree model of artist management, agenting, producing, releasing, PR and marketing. A not-for-profit registered charity and social enterprise, the organisation has an annual turnover of £1.7 million (pre-Covid) and employs a staff team of 25.
http://www.mwldan.co.uk | @TheatrMwldan

Triongl
Triongl is a TV and Film production company established in 2017 by Nora Ostler and Alec Spiteri and joined by Gethin Scourfield in 2018. All three are experienced producers with a track record of producing high quality, award-winning content. They will be documenting ‘Other Voices/Lleisiau Eraill’ for an hour’s special edition for later broadcast on S4C and RTÉ.
http://www.triongl.cymru | @triongl_tv

Allexa Nava 4tet at Clun Valley Jazz, SpArC Theatre, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire.

Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025

Featuring: Allexa Nava

More details

From;
https://clunvalleyjazz.com/whats-on/p/allexa-nava-4tet-27th-september-2025-sparc-theatre-bishops-castle

Allexa Nava 4tet - 27th September 2025, SpArC Theatre Bishop’s Castle
£23.00
Doors at 19:15, start at 20:00

Join us in Bishop’s Castle for another incredible act from London youth jazz collective Tomorrow’s Warriors - the Allexa Nava Quartet.

Allexa is a saxophonist, flautist and composer from Peru, and has performed with numerous players in the Tomorrow’s Warriors collective, as well as playing the legendary Texan festival South-by-Southest (SXSW) with the all-female group Collectiva. Here in the UK, she has played Ronnie Scott’s, Jazz in the Round, Wilderness Festival and Glastonbury.

She’ll be playing her own compositions, sourced from an eclectic mix of material that she’s released over the past few years, exploring soundscapes drawing from classic and contemporary jazz alike. To get a sneak peek, check out her debut EP, No Language, which came out earlier this year.

Allexa will be joined by Emile Hinton (piano), Matt May (bass) and Cassius Cobston (drums).

SpArC Theatre, Brampton Rd, Bishops Castle
Box Office: 01588 630321 / 638038
http://www.sparctheatre.co.uk

Keyon Harrold at 229, London.

Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025

More details

We have received the following press release regarding this event;

Direct from the USA, KEYON HARROLD

“Keyon Harrold is the future of the trumpet”
Wynton Marsalis

Award-winning trumpeter, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Keyon Harrold announces an exclusive London concert promoting his GRAMMY nominated album ‘Foreverland’ which guest appearances from Laura Mvula, Malaya, Common, Robert Glasper & PJ Morton.

Keyon Harrold first came into the International spotlight for his work as the trumpet voice behind the GRAMMY winning Don Cheadle film ‘Miles Ahead’, and his critically acclaimed album, ‘The Mugician’, (Sony Legacy/Mass Appeal). As a bandleader, he has created a compelling new statement with a riveting mix of jazz, Afrobeat, soul, spoken word, & hip-hop.

Keyon Harrold has collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Jay Z, Beyonce, Rihanna, Eminem, Maxwell, Anthony Hamilton, Keith Richards, and Jeff Beck.

Tickets;
https://www.seetickets.com/event/keyon-harrold/229/3402557

Tuesday 21 October 2025 at 19:00.

229,
229 Great Portland Street,
London W1W 5PN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipFtGz0_dAg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqKsAdpYh64

Stella Cole at Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden.

Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025

More details

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Saturday 15 November, Saffron Hall

Stella Cole
Join us for an unforgettable evening with Stella Cole — the dazzling vocalist breathing new life into the Great American Songbook with vintage charm, modern flair, and show-stopping style.

Tickets here;
https://serious.org.uk/events/stella-cole-2

SAFFRON WALDEN Saffron Hall,
Audley End Road
CB11 4UH

K-Music Festival 2025, various venues, London.

Dates: Wednesday, October 01, 2025 - Thursday, November 20, 2025

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1 October - 20 November 2025

K-Music Festival 2025

From 1 Oct to 20 Nov, the K-Music Festival returns with its most ambitious line-up, celebrating the richness and innovation of Korean music like never before! Explore bold boundary-pushing sounds, from powerful post-rock and experimental jazz to immersive ritual performances and world-premiere orchestral works. ⁠

Further information and tickets here;
https://serious.org.uk/k-music-2025

Double bill: Karim Saber Quintet + Louis Sheridan Wildi Quintet at World Heart Beat, Embassy Gardens, London,

Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025

Featuring: Karim Saber Quintet

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We have received the following information regarding this event;

Double
bill: Karim Saber Quintet + Louis Sheridan Wildi Quintet, Saturday 20 September 2025 (7:30pm) (jazz)

Born and raised in London, British/Iranian guitarist Karim Saber is steadily building a profile as both a performer and composer to watch. Known for his instrumental prowess and creativity, he established his Quintet, which features four of London’s most virtuosic and in-demand young musicians in 2021.

Drawing inspiration from a blend of players such as Dick Oatts, Keith Jarrett and John Coltrane, Louis’ sound and improvising reflect a deep engagement within both the traditional and conceptual field. Louis and his band will be performing original compositions and standards, shaped in a modern aesthetic, blending spiritual soundscapes with nods to the bebop tradition as well as latin/world influences.

Tickets;
https://worldheartbeat.org/events/double-bill-karim-saber-quintet-louis-sheridan-wildi-quintet/

World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens, 3 Ponton Road, London, SW11 7BD

Les Égarés:  (Ballaké Sissoko, Vincent Segal, Emile Parisien & Vincent Peirani ) at Cadogan Hall, London.

Date: Tuesday, October 07, 2025

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We have received the following press release regarding this event;

SERIOUS PREENTS
Les Égarés: Sissoko, Segal, Parisien & Peirani
Announce Headline Show At Cadogan Hall on 7 October
Tickets available here at 10am on Friday, 4 April
https://serious.org.uk/events/les-egares-sissoko-segal-parisien-peirani

“Les Egarés could be described as jazz as communication, exploration and awareness.” Jazzwise

“Intoxicatingly addictive” - UNCUT

“This is truly fusion music” - The Observer

“If ever there was an argument for jazz being an attitude to music-making rather than a genre, it’s this rare gem” - The Guardian

The stellar quartet featuring Ballaké Sissoko (kora), Vincent Segal (cello), Vincent Peirani (accordion) and Émile Parisien (sax), channel a multitude of influences to irresistible effect. They bring their intoxicating live show to London’s Cadogan Hall on 7 October for a special performance.

Malian musical royalty Ballaké Sissoko is a laureate of the Aga Khan Music Awards 2019 and has spent many years making records with French cellist Vincent Segal that bring together Manding and European chamber traditions. Meanwhile, Émile Parisien and Vincent Peirani have worked together as a saxophone and accordion duo somewhere in the hinterlands of jazz and folk. Their collaborative album, Les Egarés (2023), meaning ‘those who have gone astray’, saw the two pairs combine and recombine in the art of cross-fertilising sounds and transcending genres.

Les Egarés reminds us of the rebelliousness that can be found in a spirit of concord and the extent to which the art of playing together with such fine intelligence can generate an extremely subtle way of lighting a fuse. In Les Egarés, they succeed in reordering the musical landscape to uncover lines of escape of a hitherto unheard beauty.

Serious is one of the UK’s leading producers of live jazz, international and new music through concerts, festivals, tours, digital shows, talent development schemes, learning and participation programmes, and bespoke events for all.

Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ
020 7730 4500
http://www.cadoganhall.co.uk

EFG London Jazz Festival 2025, various venues, London.

Dates: Friday, November 14, 2025 - Sunday, November 23, 2025

Featuring: Various Artists

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26/03/2025

We have received the following press release;

SERIOUS
Announce First Names For
EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2025
Including Tanita Tikaram, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Tune-Yards, Makaya McCraven and Hiromi
14-23 November 2025

Now entering its 33rd year, the global celebration of music, EFG London Jazz Festival, is announcing the first names for its 2025 edition, which takes place from 14-23 November. For 10 days and nights musicians from all over the world will come together in London to perform boundary-pushing music that showcases jazz and its influence across genres and cultures.

Jazz transcends borders, blending various musical traditions around the world and bringing together diverse communities through the shared language of music. EFG London Jazz Festival has always embraced collaborations between musicians from all over the globe with jazz and its surrounding genres’ openness to diversity, creativity and unity, while continuing to evolve and inspire musicians and audiences worldwide.

Grammy and Tony Award-winning Jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater is bringing her WE EXIST! show to the Barbican on Saturday, 15 November. Bridgewater has had a glittering four-decade career reimagining jazz classics, ascending to the upper echelon of vocalists, uniquely spinning standards and taking intrepid leaps of faith.

When she was just 18 years old, Tanita Tikaram achieved worldwide recognition, selling over 4 million of her debut album, ‘Ancient Heart’, defying previous female music stereotypes, and defining her in the eyes of music history. She returns for the first time in 8 years to make a rare performance at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on Saturday, 15 November.

Following the announcement of their new album Better Dreaming, Tune-Yards, the music project of Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner, are performing at the EFG London Jazz Festival on 22 November at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. Known for their vibrant fusion of indie pop, Afrobeat and experimental loops, Tune-Yards gained widespread acclaim with w h o k i l l in 2011, which featured the breakout hit “Bizness” and won the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics’ poll. Tune-Yards’ music is characterised by layered vocals, polyrhythmic beats, and socially conscious lyrics, tackling themes of race, privilege, and politics.

Over more than 20 years as a recording artist, the jazz piano phenomenon Hiromi has shifted seamlessly from one spellbinding project to the next. In the process, she’s earned a reputation as one of the most explosive live performers in jazz history and a global ambassador for the art form. She performs on Friday, 21 November at the Barbican, which follows her 2023 performance at the same venue for the festival for which The Arts Desk enthused: “as breathtaking for its energy as for its brilliant versatility” in their 5-star review.

A midweek highlight will see the return of Makaya McCraven to the festival following his Sold Out show at the Barbican in 2023, which the Financial Times said was “like being immersed in a recording session in which each song was a master take”. This year, the prodigiously talented drummer and composer takes over KOKO in Camden on Wednesday, 19 November.

At the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on Saturday, 15 November is acclaimed Grammy Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter, and composer, Chris Thile. A multifaceted musical talent, described by The Guardian as “that rare being: an all-round musician,” and hailed by NPR as a “genre-defying musical genius,” Thile is a founding member of the highly influential string bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and has collaborated with countless luminaries from Yo-Yo Ma to Fiona Apple to Brad Mehldau.

The following night at Cadogan Hall, Kurt Elling and The Yellowjackets Celebrate Weather Report. Known for his singular combination of robust swing and poetic insight, the two-time Grammy winner brings his one-of-a-kind brand of contemporary lyricism and vocal ingenuity to jazz. This celebration of Weather Report, one of jazz’s great supergroups, will reimagine the fusion band’s iconic songs in addition to new arrangements inspired by their constellation of musicians.

Closing the first weekend on Sunday, 16 November at Village Underground is American Neo Soul star Bilal, who returns to the spotlight following the success of his two album releases in 2024. His latest, Adjust Brightness, is a giant step forward, as Bilal merges his organic, soulful roots with experimental electronic influences inspired by artists like Aphex Twin and Stereolab. Fans can expect an immersive sonic experience that defies genre conventions, as Bilal continues to evolve and refine his unique style.

Trombonist, singer and composer Rita Payés is one of the standout emerging talents of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band, the nucleus from which some of the most promising young musicians on the jazz scene in Spain have emerged in recent years. She performs at the EFG London Jazz Festival for the first time at Union Chapel on Wednesday, 19 November.

At the Union Chapel on Thursday, 20 November is pianist and composer Fergus McCreadie whose music is a unique blend of jazz and Scottish folk inspired by his country’s sublime landscapes. McCreadie’s music captures the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide, with an appeal that extends far beyond the constraints of genre. Also performing that evening is trumpeter and synthesist Laura Jurd whose unique approach to the trumpet is celebrated in the work that she creates. Laura’s love of folk traditions can often be heard in her music, alongside a background in classical composition, taking twists and turns that both invite surprise and evoke the inevitable.

Following their Sold Out show at last year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, GeeJay return with their strong, soulful and emotionally-charged songs to Islington Assembly Hall on Thursday, 20 November. Expect vintage jazzy chords and groovy rhythms, with saxophone adding a further element to the melodic mix.

The festival will once again launch at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall with Jazz Voice, the glittering opening gala featuring star vocalists reimagining timeless songs for the specially-created EFG London Jazz Festival Orchestra and guest conductor. Taking place on Friday, 14 November, this year’s all-star names will be revealed soon.

EFG London Jazz Festival is a place to explore music and to celebrate the legacy and the future of an inspiring musical universe.

EFG London Jazz Festival Director, Pelin Opcin, said:
“The EFG London Jazz Festival 2025 is all about celebrating global talent, with incredible artists from the UK and around the world performing in venues across London this November. We’re excited to announce the first artists in this year’s lineup, from emerging musicians to iconic performers. As ever, the Festival will feature never-before-seen performances, including one-off collaborations and new commissions. A special thank you to the Festival’s title sponsor, EFG Private Bank, for their continued support; our shared values of innovation, collaboration and diversity are so important to the ongoing success of the Festival. We can’t wait to welcome audiences back in November to experience the unforgettable magic of live music.”

Serious would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all of their partners, particularly the extended support of title sponsor EFG, which helps to support the breadth and diversity of the festival. The EFG London Jazz Festival is made possible thanks to the support of many key sponsors and funders, including Arts Council England, Serious Trust, PRSF, BBC Radio 3, Champagne Thienot, Jazzwise Magazine and Jazz FM UK.

EFG London Jazz Festival Shows

14 Nov - Jazz Voice - Royal Festival Hall

15 Nov - We Exist! The Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet - Barbican

15 Nov - Tanita Tikaram - Royal Festival Hall

15 Nov - Chris Thile - Queen Elizabeth Hall

15 Nov - Kurt Elling and The Yellowjackets Celebrate Weather Report - Cadogan Hall

16 Nov - Bilal - Village Underground

19 Nov - Makaya McCraven - KOKO

19 Nov - Rita Payés - Union Chapel

20 Nov - Fergus McCreadie + Laura Jurd - Union Chapel

20 Nov - GeeJay - Islington Assembly Hall

21 Nov - Hiromi’s Sonicwonder - Barbican

22 Nov - Tune-Yards - Royal Festival Hall

Praise for 2024 edition

“beautifully curated” - The Guardian, ★★★★★

“The incredible musical jamboree of the EFG London Jazz Festival is our yearly reminder that the jazz scene has never been more various” - The Telegraph, ★★★★★

“exceptional” - The Times, ★★★★

“November can be a month to hunker down for the onset of winter and its weather, and where better to do that than in one of the myriad venues across the capital” - The Arts Desk, ★★★★

“there’s a noticeable buzz amongst the crowd amassing” - Clash

Serious is one of the UK’s leading producers of live jazz, international and new music through concerts, festivals, tours, digital shows, talent development schemes, learning and participation programmes, and bespoke events for all.
https://serious.org.uk/

EFG International is a global private banking group offering private banking and asset management services and is headquartered in Zurich. EFG International’s group of private banking businesses operates in around 40 locations worldwide. Its registered shares (EFGN) are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
https://www.efginternational.com/uk

Remi Harris, ‘Man of the World ; The Music of Peter Green’, at The Regal, Tenbury Wells, Worcs.

Date: Saturday, November 01, 2025

Featuring: Remi Harris

More details

From;
https://www.regaltenbury.co.uk/events/man-of-the-world-the-music-of-peter-green-1

Man of the World: The Music of Peter Green
Saturday 1 November 2025
7:30 pm 9:30 pm
Regal Tenbury Trust
49 Teme Street, Tenbury Wells, Worcs. , WR15 8AE

Celebrating the life and music of Peter Green, founder of the original Fleetwood Mac. Guitarist Remi Harris will be joined by vocalist Dave Small, bassist Tom Moore and Nicky Waters on drums to perform music from throughout Peter Green’s career. Including such classics as Man Of The World, Black Magic Woman, Need Your Love So Bad, Albatross and The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown).

“A highly enjoyable show that featured some much loved material from the ‘Golden Era’ of the first edition of Fleetwood Mac, alongside some less familiar gems from the Bluesbreakers’ catalogue… The standard of the playing was excellent throughout” thejazzmann.com

“this was a band that brought vivid life to the songs and instrumentals written and performed by Peter Green… The songs were treated with proper respect, but each of the musicians played things with taste and accuracy” Lichfield Live