Jazz at Progress, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire - Programme for January to July 2026.

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Jazz at Progress has announced its programme for January to July 2026. Events take place at the Progress Theatre, Reading. Fully detailed schedule attached.

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

Jazz at Progress | The Alex Hitchcock Quartet
Friday 2 January 2026 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee
Alex Hitchcock - tenor sax
Will Barry piano
Joe Downard bass
Luke McCarthy drums
‘Ridiculous technique and harmonic proficiency combined with progressive creativity that sees him leading the charge in terms of new jazz music being created in the UK’ – Linley Hamilton, BBC Jazz World
Since his first gig as leader for us at Progress in 2017, Alex Hitchcock is now regarded as one of the UK’s most virtuosic jazz musicians. This will be his third appearance for us, last in 2022. Every gig has been a roaring success. Over the past year or so, Alex has been resident in New York honing his already impressive skills as composer, leader and playing a wide spectrum of jazz. He is also touring extensively in Europe, UK and the USA at major venues and festivals. A busy man!
Will Barry is a regular in the quartet appearing with Alex at Progress in 2017 and also in 2022 with saxophonist Tom Smith and Empirical last February 2025. Once a “young gun” Will is now a much in demand pianist for many fine bands.
Joe Downard is the bedrock of the quartet with perfect accompaniment and solo skills to match. Now a composer and band leader in his own right, Joe has appeared at every gig at Progress with Alex.
Luke McCarthy is new to us, still studying at the Royal Academy of Music and rapidly building a reputation as a drummer going places.
So, bring in the New Year with your first jazz gig of 2026. We guarantee it’ll be a corker.

Jazz at Progress | Josephine Davies’ Satori Quartet
Friday 30 January 2026 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.
Josephine Davies tenor & soprano saxophones
Alcyona Mick piano
Dave Whitford bass
Jay Davies drums
Winner of the 2019 Parliamentary Award ‘Jazz Instrumentalist of the year’, Josephine Davies is a saxophonist, composer and bandleader at the forefront of the UK contemporary music scene. She has four album releases on Whirlwind Recordings with her trio/quartet Satori, and is known for her melodic focus, versatility and unique style as an instrumentalist.
Now becoming equally known as a composer, her unique sound is a blend of jazz, folk and classical music, creating an intensely dynamic sound infused with the Nordic quality of her Shetland roots.
Josephine was resident composer and tenor player for the London Jazz Orchestra from 2012-2018, leaving at that time to form her own 17 piece orchestra, The Enso Ensemble. She was chosen to be one of the South Coast Radar Jazz Composers in 2020 and commissioned at that time by NYJO to write a piece for their album ‘She Said’, featuring music solely by female composers.
Returning to the studio for the much-anticipated 4th album from her band Satori, Josephine Davies has composed an exquisite album of pieces inspired by her Nordic roots in the Shetland Islands. The superb partnership of bassist Dave Whitford and drummer Jay Davies once again creates the perfect bedrock for Josephine’s sinuous saxophone lines. Joining the original trio to become the current quartet is the innovative pianist Alcyona Mick.
The intricate compositions, coupled with the thrilling interplay between these four musicians, evokes the interconnection of Shetland sea, land, sky, and ever-present wind. At times stark and unsettling, and at times light and joyous, their latest album “Weatherwards” is a unique and magical offering from one of the UK’s most dynamic ensembles.
“Satori is among the most engaging young bands on the British scene… Cerebral, nuanced and reflective.” All About Jazz
“Davies weaves a continuous thread of shifting feelings through the set.” London Jazz News
“The powerful combination of fearless free improvisation and melodic empathy from these gifted players creates a powerful and timely statement.” Jazz in Europe
“A terrifying level of proficiency with an insatiable appetite for improvisation.” Rhein Main Magazine

Jazz at Progress | Ben Crosland’s All Star Band Play the Ray Davies Song Book
Friday 20 February 2026 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.
Theo Travis reeds | Ben Crosland bass | Steve Lodder keyboards |  | John Etheridge guitar | Buster Birch drums
Those of us who were growing up at the time of the swinging 60s need no introduction to the music of The Kinks. However, for those not acquainted, the band’s website will tell you all you need to know. Not that the band and leader, composer Ray Davies, stopped developing and influencing rock and popular music in the 60s. Far from it.
Whether Ray ever thought that his tunes would one day be performed and rearranged as jazz band material is possibly unknown, but he has approved in writing Ben Crosland’s and his musician’s treatment of his compositions. See here
Ben was commissioned by Marsden jazz festival in 2014 to write arrangements of Ray Davies tunes, which duly done and performed, in 2015, resulted in an album “The Ray Davies Songbook” followed in 2018 by Volume 2.
Reviewers rated the results highly…
“…the album swings consistently…with this sharp, cogent collection, a dedicated follower of Ray Davies has made him a well-respected jazz composer too.” – The Times
“…a lot of affection, a lot of respect for those unforgettable melodies and a whole lotta damn fine playing…these well respected men have done Mr. Davies proud” – Jazzwise
Whilst the line up has changed from the albums, Ben, John Etheridge and Steve Lodder remain, and with the addition of Theo Travis form the since well-honed core of the band. They have performed many times over several years and never fail to hit the spot.
Just read this review of the band in January 2025 at Fleece Jazz.
Theo Travis and John Etheridge play together in Soft Machine. So, although a different genre, they express a close musical wavelength in Ben’s band. John has been described by the great Pat Metheny as “one of the best guitarists”. Theo is fantastically busy musician, composer, arranger-you name musical tasks and he does it. Two wonderful versatile musicians who have both appeared at Progress and it will be good to have them back.
Ben Crosland has been immersed in Jazz since the 1980s and played with anyone who is anyone on in the UK scene. This is apart from running his own bands, doing jazz promotions and of course arranging, composing. For unknown reasons this his first appearance at Progress.
Buster Birch is again a much in demand musician, composer, arranger, author, educator and much more. He was last with us with Steve Waterman.  An unknown fact; he created his own critically acclaimed show which features the Buster Birch jazz quartet playing live to the screening of different classic Buster Keaton silent movies, for which he has arranged and scored over 4hrs of music to sync. In 2023 it won the Audience Award at The Chichester International Film Festival.
Please join us for another fine night of the music we love.

Jazz at Progress | Small Blue
Friday 27 March 2026 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.
Martin Pyne drums / composition
David Beebee piano
Marianne Windham double bass
Percussionist, composer and improviser Martin Pyne, when not working with contemporary dance or as a silent film accompanist, performs solo sets, leads bands, and collaborates with a range of musicians and other artists.
Formed in 2023, the jazz trio Small Blue is a result of just such a collaboration, with David Beebee on piano, and Marianne Windham on double bass.
Small Blue is a piano trio in the classic modern jazz tradition, featuring material including straight ahead swinging tunes and beautiful ballads , as well as African inspired grooves – but always with a twist.
Martin says that most of the tunes he composes have a back story, often being inspired by novels or poems he’s read, movies or art he’s seen, or places he’s visited.
The result is music that is intimate but ranges far and wide in tempo and mood – by turns lyrical, atmospheric, groovy, and mischievous – and takes in heartfelt ballads, mysterious grooves, evocative atmospheres and melodic swing along the way.
The trio’s second album, Furrow, has – like their debut album, The Stealthy Moon – been received with enthusiastic critical acclaim…
“Superb contemporary jazz” – Jazz Views
“Small Blue might be led by a drummer but this is one of the best ‘piano trio’ albums that I’ve heard in a long time” – THE JAZZMANN
“… high grade Bill Evans Trio territory … each track has its own picture, each track turns its own curve, put all together and Small Blue have themselves a minor masterpiece.” – Steve Day
“Pyne has written twelve exceptional compositions for the new group that immediately gives the trio an identity and repertoire that marks them out as rather something special … a composer of rare talent” – Jazz Views
“In terms of percussion improvisation, try to imagine something that runs from the Zen sound-painting of Frank Perry to the light swing of Billy Higgins. There’s nothing loud, nothing showy, nothing esoteric. Just a delight in the deft touch of a stick, a mallet, a finger or a wire brush on metal, skin or wood, and in the process of transforming sound into a sense of movement.” – Richard Williams, The Blue Moment
Sample the music here: https://tinyurl.com/ua6p5ndm

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

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