Hristo Vitchev & Jivko Petrov 2025 USA Tour Dates - October 19th to 24th.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

The duo of guitarist Hristo Vitchev and pianist Jivko Petrov will play a short series of dates on the US West Coast during October 2025. Press release and schedule attached.

We have received the following press release;

In this unique duo setting, Vitchev and Petrov seek to explore our modern cross-cultural and dynamic world through their combined artistry and experience, drawing inspiration from the many places that have shaped and influenced them.

An innovative artist drawn to the mix of classical guitar music, modern jazz, folk songs, and the avant-garde, Vitchev was voted to DownBeat’s list of Rising Star guitarists and has released ten critically acclaimed albums as a leader and four releases as a co-leader focused on his ethereal, impressionistic compositions, recalling the classic “ECM sound” while retaining their sharp edges, mesmerizing grooves, and telepathic interplay.

Pianist Petrov and his trio JP3 have been featured at major jazz festivals and clubs in Europe. His compositions have been widely used in film and television, and his trio’s latest Orpheus Music album On the Way received critical accolades and placement in the JazzWeek charts.

TOUR DATES

October 19th - Siskiyou Jazz - Ashland, OR - GET TICKETS https://www.siskiyoumusicproject.com/event/hristo-vitchev-jivko-petrov-duo-project/

October 22nd - Alvas Showroom - Los Angeles, CA - GET TICKETS https://alvasshowroom.com/event/hristo-vitchev-jivko-petrov/

October 23rd - SFJAZZ - San Francisco, CA - GET TICKETS https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/hristo-vitchev-jivko-petrov/

October 24th - Kuumbwa Jazz - Santa Cruz, CA - GET TICKETS https://www.kuumbwajazz.org/calendar/hristo-vitchev-jivko-petrov/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO6NwXeQWRk

Line up announced for Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2025.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Twelve concerts and four workshops will take place at various venues over the course of three weekends in September and October 2025. Press release attached.

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

The Green Note, Camden Town, London, Newsletter 16/09/2025.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

The Green Note has forwarded its latest newsletter with details of forthcoming musical events.

Upcoming Musical Highlights - September part 2

Hello Green Note Music Lovers,

As the nights start to draw in, Green Note has the perfect soundtrack to brighten your September. From intimate songwriting to rich folk traditions and vibrant world rhythms, our stage will be home to a truly exciting line-up this month. Whether you’re looking for soul-stirring lyrics, uplifting melodies, or music that makes you want to dance, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. We also have some very exciting news about Dar Williams - one of our all-time favourite acts and her new tour coming up, so read on!

UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS…

Labelled as “An Irish national treasure. The poet Laureate of Dublin’s dark side” by The Irish Times, SEÁN MILLAR (Wed 17th Sept), brings his quietly powerful presence and sharp lyrical insight to the stage this week. His music blends poetic storytelling with gentle folk and alternative influences, often weaving in themes of love, loss, and social commentary with warmth and wit. Also on Wednesday night, transatlantic singer-songwriter ST CATHERINE’S CHILD with her “softly stunning, mesmerising country-tinged indie” (Weds 17th Sept @ St Pancras Old Church) will be celebrating the launch of her new album. Her live set was one of the true highlights of the AMA Awards Ceremony when we saw her there and this show comes highly recommended!

India Electric CoECHOES AND DREAMS (Mon 22nd Sept) takes audiences on a beautifully immersive journey through Greek musical heritage, combining reimagined classics with original compositions. Their unique instrumentation - bouzouki, cello, guitar, harmonica and more - breathes new life into the works of Tsitsanis, Theodorakis, Hadjidakis and others, while offering a contemporary, expressive twist that bridges tradition and innovation. Later in the week, INDIA ELECTRIC COMPANY (Wed 24th Sept @ Water Rats) showcase their dynamic soundworld, where folk instrumentation meets subtle electronics, jazz flourishes and global rhythms. Their textured, genre-bending approach to songwriting has earned comparisons to everyone from Radiohead to traditional British folk artists—always thoughtful, always inventive and highly recommended!

Closing out the month with joyful energy and musical flair, MARAMA CAFÉ BAND (Fri 26th Sept) serve up a lively and eclectic set of gypsy jazz, East European folk, tango, musette and swing. Expect driving rhythms, vibrant improvisation, and soaring melodies from their rich acoustic line-up of violin, accordion and guitar—this is music that travels across borders and decades, drawing listeners into its irresistible groove.

And finally, a late addition to the calendar but a special one! We’re very much looking forward to a special double bill (Mon 29th Sept) featuring incredible singer LYDIA CLOWES who has worked most of her career as a session singer, providing vocals for films such as The Little Mermaid, and backing vocals for artists including Ellie Goulding and U2, now presenting her own work. Lydia will be sharing the evening with stunning Argentinian artist LOLA COBACH whose style and captivating voice bring together influences from soul and 70s folk-rock with influences including Joni Mitchell, Mercedes Sosa, Rosalía, Lianne La Havas and Laura Marling. This night promises to be very special and we can’t wait!

This is just a selection of the many incredible artists who will be gracing our Green Note stage(s) in the coming weeks, so please do check out our EVENTS PAGE for the full listings. Whether you’re into contemporary folk, soulful alt-pop, foot-stomping blues, or vintage jazz with a twist, Green Note is your home for unforgettable live music! And please note that many of our shows sell out in advance, so we highly recommend grabbing your tickets early to avoid disappointment!

And if you can’t decide what to book for, check out our SPOTIFY PLAYLIST for a taster of what’s coming up in September!
August 2025 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5dAbdENY3nZz7SfaKPRUXK?si=n39W52xBQa—gZ0_MVvyQw&nd=1&dlsi=0bb368786c3f4d2a

MAILING LIST EXCLUSIVE!!
As mentioned above, we’re delighted to have rescheduled dates for the one and only Dar Williams, both for St Pancras Old Church (7th Oct 2026) and Green Note (8th Oct 2026)! These are being offered exclusively this week to our mailing list so grab them quick before they sell out! The access code is GNMAIL.

Hope to see you soon!
Lots of love,
Immy & Risa xx

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS…

TALENTBANQ presents… Dylan and the Moon
Tue 16th September
TALENTBANQ presents… Romantic, cinematic, storytelling rockstar — a timeless songwriter with a voice that knows both the pain you hide and how to set you free
**SOLD OUT**

James Lloyd Smith
Tue 16th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Indie Folk artist from The Garden of England who blends intricate melodies with organic instrumentation

Seán Millar
Wed 17th September
“An Irish National treasure. The poet laureate of Dublin’s dark side” The Irish Times

Filkin’s Drift
Wed 17th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
From delicate Welsh folk-songs to traditional English dance tunes, the pair blend fiddle and guitar with their ‘gorgeous close vocal harmonies’ (Folk Radio UK).
**SOLD OUT**

St. Catherine’s Child
Wed 17th September
ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
“Softly stunning, mesmerising country-tinged indie” Holler

Louella & Anoushka Lucas
Thu 18th September
A special double bill featuring musical sisters Louella Lucas (full band) & Anoushka Lucas (duo show) - ‘[Anoushka Lucas] ...an exceptional voice and a great songwriter’ Jamie Callum, BBC Introducing)

Phil Cooper
Thu 18th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
A contemporary folk-pop troubadour best known as one third of folk/Americana trio The Lost Trades

The Coal Porters
Thu 18th September
THE WATER RATS
The world’s first “alt-bluegrass” act… demonstrating the power of fiddle, mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar and doghouse bass when matched with four-part harmonies and memorable melodies!
**SOLD OUT**

Dom Glynn
& His Sunday Best
Fri 19th September
Singer-songwriter and fingerpicker extraordinaire, combines a style of songwriting influenced by Bob Dylan and Hank Williams Sr., with a guitar style inspired by Mississippi John Hurt and Doc Watson

Irene Serra
Fri 19th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Critically-acclaimed Italian Jazz vocalist with a repertoire of eclectic tunes from straight ahead jazz standards, swinging blues and beautiful Brazilian songs to quirky pop arrangements.

The Mountain Firework Company
Sat 20th September
Irish Mountain Music for City Folk… “They really pack a punch with their full-on rocking acoustic bluegrassy folk” Folk Radio UK
**SOLD OUT**

Dale Storr
Sat 20th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
“If there is a better New Orleans-style pianist in the UK than the outrageously talented Dale Storr, please point me in his or her direction because he or she must be very, very special” ~ Blues In Britain magazine… tonight celebrating the music of Dr.John and James Booker

Open-mic hosted by Rob Thom
Sun 21st September
Well-established, relaxed and friendly open mic…

McDermott & North ‘Anything But’ Single Launch
Sun 21st September
Queensland troubadours known for their harmony-rich songwriting, magnetic live shows, and timeless indie-folk charm

Bossa Nova - Tribute to João Gilberto by Mario Bakuna
Sun 21st September
THE BASEMENT BAR
A concert dedicated to João Gilberto - the “father of Bossa Nova”

Echoes and Dreams
Mon 22nd September
An evening of beautiful Greek music from different eras of great Greek composers including Tsitsanis, Zabetas, Theodorakis, Xarhakos, Hadjidakis, Loizos, as well as original compositions from members of the group

Hawksley Workman
Tue 23rd September
Special 4-date residency! Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose genre-defying music blends indie rock, folk, and alt-pop with a dash of whimsical theatricality.

Ben McElroy
Wed 24th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Ambient/folk musician who combines acoustic instruments with computer processing to create folk inspired soundscapes.

India Electric Co.
Wed 24th September
THE WATER RATS
“One of the truly pioneering acts in folk music” FRUK ****

Georgie Hume
& The Pity Party
Thu 25th September
Trio with a sound that has been described as ’Tropical Jazz’, incorporating a blend of 60’s Jamaican jazz, Cuban inspired rhythms alongside the soul of Stax and twang of Bakersfield country

Mathilde Anne
+ Eve Simpson
Thu 25th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Meeting and writing together in Melbourne earlier this year, Mathilde Anne & Eve Simpson present a night full of heartbreak, hilarity, and hair-raising stories.

Marama Café Band
Fri 26th September
Gypsy jazz, Hungarian czardasz, East European folk styles, dirty tango, French musette and swing!

Phil Doleman
Fri 26th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
“massively entertaining… If you think blues can’t be done on a banjo or ukulele, think again” Blues Matters ​/ “Genuinely good-time music from ukulele stalwart, who also plays a mean banjo” fRoots

Hawksley Workman
Sat 27th September, 2.30pm matinée
Special 4-date residency! Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose genre-defying music blends indie rock, folk, and alt-pop with a dash of whimsical theatricality.
**SOLD OUT**

The Lock Pickers
Sat 27th September
An energetic, foot-stomping four-piece, featuring fiddle, banjo, harmonica and harmonies, all powered by a driving doghouse bass

Trevor Babajack Duo
Sat 27th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Winner of 2023’s UK Blues Federation Award for UK’s Best Acoustic Act… Think Tom Waits meets Sonny Terry, with guitar chops that rival the best in blues, folk, Americana, and beyond.

Worry Dolls
Sun 28th September
2.30pm matinée
Special reunion show for duo known for their signature harmonies and heartfelt songwriting
**SOLD OUT**

Bozard + Pearl Fish
Sun 28th September
Bozard & Pearl Fish embarked on a split expedition, looking for clues. Pearl searched the earth for the bugs and humans and the things they do with their weird little limbs, the trades they lead and their cults. Bozard went to space, travelling the universe, its celestial bodies and gasses, its many solitudes & its chaotic breaths.

Webb City
Sun 28th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Celebrates the early piano trio line up featuring rhythm guitar in place of drums, united by a joint love for the trios of Oscar Peterson, Nat ‘King’ Cole trio and Art Tatum

Lydia Clowes
+ Lola Cobach
Mon 29th September
Double bill featuring stunning singer Lydia Clowes - “[Her] debut single is simply sublime: Rich with sweet vocal harmonies and vibrant, lush guitars, it’s a spellbinding look into a burgeoning artistry with so much more to give.” + talented Argentinian artist Lola Cobach whose style and captivating voice bring together influences from soul and 70s folk-rock with influences including Joni Mitchell, Mercedes Sosa, Rosalía, Lianne La Havas, Laura Marling.

Spy From Moscow
+ Mock Deer
Mon 29th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
An intimate night of atmospheric folk-rock and Americana-tinged indie. For listeners drawn to Jason Molina, Wilco, Neil Young, and R.E.M.

Open-mic hosted by Rob Thom
Tue 30th September
Well-established, relaxed and friendly open mic…

Reid Anderson
Tue 30th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
New Roots presents… Mix of dark and light melodic folk; Americana mixed with flavours of the 50s and 60s. Dark ballads of love, loss and human connection

Green Note, 106 Parkway, London, NW1 7AN

http://www.greennote.co.uk

Jazz in the West Midlands, September 15th - 21st 2025.

Monday, September 15, 2025

A roundup of jazz, funk & soul gigs to check out this week in the West Midlands area. Listings supplied by Dave Fuller of Music Spoken Here, Worcester.

The Week Ahead

A roundup of jazz, funk, blues and soul gigs to check out this week in the West Midlands area.

Monday 15
Pan Pan Jazz Jam *
Pan-Pan, 25D Floodgate St, Birmingham B5 5SL





Tuesday 16

Digbeth Jazz: Hyper Lokal
The Night Owl, 17-18 Lower Trinity Street, Birmingham B9 4AG



Birmingham Jazz: Chris Gumbley - Much Ado About Jazz
1000 Trades, 16 Frederick St, Birmingham B1 3HE





Wednesday 17

Incognito
The Jam House, 3-5 St Pauls Square, Birmingham B3 1Q



Bedford Street Jazz Jam *
Bedford Street Bar, 4 Bedford Street, Leamington Spa CV32 5DY



Sutton Coldfield Trad Jazz Club: The Hot Tamales
Boldmere Sports & Social Club, 323 Boldmere Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 5HQ



Steamin Jazz Club: Harry Diplock Trio
The Steam & Whistle, 247 Gloucester Road Cheltenham GL51 8NW



Henry Newman Jazz Experience
The Trumpet, 58 High Street, Bilston, Wolverhampton WV14 0EP





Thursday 18

TDE: Led Bib + Diddy Sweg
The Hare & Hounds, High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7JZ



Alex Clarke
Alsager Golf & Country Club, Audley Rd, Alsager Stoke-on-Trent ST7 2UR





Friday 19

Birmingham Jazz: Brigitte Beraha Lucid Dreamers
1000 Trades, 16 Frederick St, Birmingham B1 3HE



Detroit Soul Collective
The Jam House, 3-5 St Pauls Square, Birmingham B3 1QU



Tim Amann xTet
The Trumpet, 58 High Street, Bilston, Wolverhampton WV14 0EP



The Wun Yen Chan Band
The Grand Hotel, 1 Church Street, Birmingham B3 2FE





Saturday 20

Variations with LEV & Digbeth Jazz
Artum @ Hockley Social Club, 60 Hampton St, Birmingham B19 3LU



Jazz at Wolverhampton Arts Centre: Misha Mullov-Abbado Group
Wolverhampton Arts Centre, Dunkley Street, Wolverhampton WV1 4AN



A Night To Remember Motown Show
Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, Upper Clifton Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 6DA



Detroit Soul Collective
The Jam House, 3-5 St Pauls Square, Birmingham B3 1QU



Eleanor Mills Jazz Experience
The Trumpet, 58 High Street, Bilston, Wolverhampton WV14 0EP



The Wun Yen Chan Band
The Grand Hotel, 1 Church Street, Birmingham B3 2FE





Sunday 21

Coventry Jazzamatazz: Heavy Beat Brass Band
Ansty Club, Grove Road, Coventry CV7 9JD



Fat Chops Big Band ft. Suzi Woods
Yardley Wood Social Club, 118 School Road, Birmingham B14 4JR



John Evans Jazz Experience
The Trumpet, 58 High Street, Bilston, Wolverhampton WV14 0EP





* Indicates known regular event but no lineup published by the promoter at time of writing. Click the link for latest details.

Have a great week!
Dave Fuller
Instigator, Music Spoken Here
http://www.musicspokenhere.club

New Street Adventure -  UK live dates, September and October 2025.

Friday, September 12, 2025

Acid Jazz act New Street Adventure have announced a short series of UK live dates for September & October 2025 with shows in Manchester, Stroud and London. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

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.

Tickets here;
https://www.seetickets.com/tour/new-street-adventure

TOUR DATES:

Band On The Wall, Manchester. Friday 26 September 2025

Subscription Rooms, Stroud. Saturday 27 September 2025

Scala, London. Tuesday 14 October 2025

New Jersey Performing Arts Center Announces 2025 TD James Moody Jazz Festival, Nov 8th-23rd 2025.

Thursday, September 11, 2025

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has announced details of the 14th annual TD James Moody Festival, taking place November 8-23, 2025. Press release including full line up attached.

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.

Liam Ward - Upcoming gigs and workshops

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Blues harmonica player and vocalist Liam Ward has announced his gig & workshop schedule for September to November 2025 which will feature his playing and singing with a variety of different line ups.

LIAM WARD MUSIC
Upcoming gigs and workshops
(Sep, Oct, Nov 2025)

Here are some upcoming gigs and workshops:
(check my website for the full list)
https://www.liamwardmusic.com/gigs-and-workshops

FRI 12TH SEPTEMBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ Droitwich Jazz Club

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WED 17TH SEPTEMBER Cole & Ward @ Vonnie’s Blues Club Cheltenham (supporting Keith Thompson Band)
TICKETS: contact Dave Jones - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) / 07545 38551

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THU 18TH SEPTEMBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ Ebberston Village Hall (Scarborough)

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SAT 20TH SEPTEMBER Oasis Supernova @ Made in Manchester 2025
TICKETS: http://www.madeinmanchesterfestival.co.uk

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SUN 21ST SEPTEMBER The Story of Skiffle @ Livermead Jazz (Torquay)

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THU 2ND OCTOBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ Pump House Jazz Club (Watford)

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SAT 4TH OCTOBER Cole & Ward @ Leek Blues & Americana Festival
2.00pm @ Den Engel

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THU 9TH OCTOBER Cole & Ward @ Bristol Fringe (Clifton)

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FRI 10TH OCTOBER The Liam Ward Band @ Beer Blues Festival (Devon)
TICKETS: http://www.eventcreate.com/e/beer-blues-festival-2025

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TUE 14TH OCTOBER The Liam Ward Band @ Bletchley Blues Club
TICKETS: http://www.bletchleyblues.com

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SAT 18TH OCTOBER Oasis Supernova @ The Forum Theatre, Romily
TICKETS: http://www.theforumtheatre.co.uk

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FRI 31ST OCTOBER-SUN 2ND NOVEMBER World Harmonica Festival (Trossingen, Germany) - performance and workshop
TICKETS: http://www.world-harmonica-festival.de

​​

THU 6TH NOVEMBER Cole & Ward @ Old Forge Cranford (nr. Kettering)

​

SAT 8TH NOVEMBER The Liam Ward Band @ Diseworth Blues Club
TICKETS: http://www.facebook.com/diseworthblues​

​

SAT 15TH NOVEMBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ Calstock Arts (Cornwall)

​

SUN 23RD NOVEMBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ The Chestnut Tree (Worcester)

I hope to see you at a show soon!
Cheers,
Liam

Daylight Music, London announces Autumn 2025 series.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Promoters Arctic Circle have announced their Daylight Music programme of events for Autumn 2025 plus details of the new Explorer's Club membership scheme.

We have received the following information;

The new term is upon us - we greet and welcome a new generation of music makers from far and wide across Leytonstone & Islington*.

25.09 Freda D’Souza, The Silver Field + Amulet at St John’s Leytonstone http://www.buytickets.at/arcticcircle/1836526

11.10 Saori Miraku, Yukiko Matsukura + Michelle Hromin at St Mary Magdalene Church (Islington) http://www.buytickets.at/arcticcircle/1848236

25.10 Liz Hanks, Ibukun Sunday + Petra Haller at St John’s Leytonstone http://www.buytickets.at/arcticcircle/1848232

15.11 Nightports with Matthew Bourne at St John’s Leytonstone http://www.buytickets.at/arcticcircle/1828487

22.11 Tereza Catarov, Rothko Collective + CHAINES at St John’s Leytonstone https://buytickets.at/arcticcircle/1828496

13.12 The 400th Edition at St Mary Magdalene Church (Islington) http://www.buytickets.at/arcticcircle/1857712

On request we’ve added a Leytonstone Season Ticket this Autumn. Which includes entry to all Leytonstone events plus anew top secret tea towel (arriving end of October). This is available via each relevant event page.

*we are currently focused on our London venues while we await the outcome of our latest major funding application. We hope to return to Kent in 2026

As of September 2025, the series finds itself awaiting the results of a year long funding bid, the process and unpredictable outcome of which could take up to six months to unfold with no guarantee of success.

Support: the crowdfunder remains open if you want to directly support us simply place any amount small, medium or beyond in our crowdfunder.
https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/daylightmusic2025

The Explorer’s Club

In Autumn 2025 we are excited to extend an exclusive invitation to you to become a member of Arctic Circle’s ‘The Explorer’s Club’.

What is the Explorer’s Club? It’s a not-so-secret-society, a cool membership club or just a community of like-minded souls brought together to support and celebrate music in its magnificent multitude of forms.

There are two tiers - ‘The Fan’ and ‘The Regular’. The details are below, the most important being that ‘The Regular’ entitles you to one entry per London show this Autmn.

The Fan
£3.50 Every month
For supporters of Arctic Circle’s live music series or our Arctic Circle Radio shows, anywhere in the world. Money received will go to supporting our production and help the survival of our series to allow us to continue doing what we all love.
✓ Explorer Club Enamel Badge
✓ Monthly Explorer’s Club newsletter
✓ 10% online store discount
✓ A regular treat from the Arctic Circle archives

The Regular
£10.50 Every month
For our most passionate supporters of Arctic Circle’s live music series or our Arctic Circle Radio shows, this also includes a pass for entry to any upcoming London show. Money received will go to supporting our production and help the survival of our series to allow us to continue doing what we all love.
✓ One entry place per London show
✓ Explorer Club Enamel Badge
✓ Monthly Explorer’s Club newsletter
✓ 15% online store discount
✓ A Christmas gift

Further information here;
https://www.daylightmusic.co.uk/explorer

Announcing The Gilmore’s Inaugural Bell Young Jazz Artist Awardees.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

The Gilmore, Kalamazoo, Michigan today announced Tyler Bullock and Esteban Castro as the recipients of The Gilmore’s inaugural 2026 Larry J. Bell Young Jazz Artist Awards for artistic excellence.

We have received the following press release;

ANNOUNCING THE GILMORE’S INAUGURAL 2026 LARRY J. BELL YOUNG JAZZ ARTIST AWARDEES: TYLER BULLOCK AND ESTEBAN CASTRO

A conversation with the Bell Young Artists + acclaimed pianist Bill Charlap now streaming at http://www.thegilmore.org and via The Gilmore’s YouTube channel.

KALAMAZOO, MI (09.10.25) — Dr. Pierre van der Westhuizen, Executive and Artistic Director of The Gilmore, today announced Tyler Bullock and Esteban Castro as the recipients of The Gilmore’s inaugural 2026 Larry J. Bell Young Jazz Artist Awards, recognizing artistic excellence. Each winner receives a $25,000 stipend to further their musical career and educational development. Master pianist Bill Charlap honoured Tyler and Esteban in a virtual award presentation, now streaming at http://www.thegilmore.org and via The Gilmore’s YouTube channel.

“It has long been a dream of The Gilmore’s to support the next generation of exceptional jazz pianists. We are happy to celebrate and recognize these two bright young stars who are transforming the soundtrack of tomorrow. I hope this gift gives them the courage to create, be bold, and build bridges between jazz’s history and possibility.”     
LARRY J. BELL, Past President of The Gilmore’s Board of Trustees

“We are thrilled to welcome Tyler and Esteban to the family of Gilmore young artist award winners. Each of these young men reflect the extraordinary diversity of voices shaping the future of jazz music. We are excited to support their development and honored to help further their ascending careers.”
SETH ABRAMSON, Director of The Gilmore’s Jazz Awards

Founded along with The Gilmore’s inaugural Bell Jazz Artist Award (to be presented in October 2025), the Bell Young Jazz Artists Awards are bestowed every four years to spotlight the most promising of the new generation of pianists living in the United States, age 24 and younger. The Awards provide the artists an inimitable platform for embarking on a career and offering audiences and listeners a chance to discover emerging jazz artists.

Candidates for the Award are nominated by music professionals from around the world. Those nominated are evaluated over an extended period of time for their pianism and musical promise by the Jazz Awards Artistic Advisory Committee. The process is carried out anonymously, and candidates are unaware of their own consideration.
       

Tyler and Esteban will perform solo recitals during the 2026 Gilmore Piano Festival, April 30 – May 10, 2026, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

About Tyler Bullock  
Tyler Bullock II is a dynamic pianist and composer located in New York City. Since moving from Nashville to attend the Juilliard School (BM 2025), Tyler has already established himself as one of the most promising pianists of his generation, having worked with Samara Joy, Sean Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, The Baylor Project, Herlin Riley, Willie Jones III, Sherman Irby, Ulysses Owens Jr., Bruce Williams, Curtis Lundy, Roy Hargrove Crisol and The Roy Hargrove Big Band – where he has been the regular pianist since 2022. In 2023, Tyler recorded an album with Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Gen Y Band at Rudy Van Gelder studio that spent eight weeks at #1 on the Jazz Radio Charts. Most recently, he recorded with Sean Jones for an upcoming album.
Tyler has toured internationally and played at top festivals and venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, The Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Caramoor Jazz Festival, The Vancouver Jazz Festival, Blue Note NYC, Dizzy’s Club NYC, and The Cotton Club in Tokyo. In 2022, Tyler was honored at the National Young Arts top winner in jazz piano. He was also chosen for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra Jazz in 2021 and for the NYO Jazz All-Stars in 2023. In 2024, he was selected to participate in the acclaimed Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at The Kennedy Center.
https://tylerbullock2.com/

About Esteban Castro
Esteban Castro is a Brooklyn-based pianist and composer born in 2002. Esteban started playing piano at age three, and quickly started improvising and composing at a young age. Esteban furthered their studies in both jazz and classical music privately with teachers including Fred Hersch and Phillip Kawin, and by participating in many high school programs such as the Manhattan School of Music Precollege and Jazz House Kids. In 2020, Esteban started studies at the Juilliard School on a full tuition scholarship, and graduated with their Bachelor of Music in 2024.
Since moving to New York, Esteban Castro has performed nationally and internationally as a leader, and as a sideman for bands led by artists such as Ambrose Akinmusire, Billy Drummond, Francesco Cafiso, Peter Evans, Joe Farnsworth, Giveton Gelin, Russell Hall, Harish Raghavan, and Ben Solomon, among others. In 2016, Esteban was the youngest-ever first prize winner of the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition. Later, they were selected as a finalist for the 2023 American Piano Awards and is a winner of the 2025 Gilmore Festival Bell Young Jazz Award.       
https://www.estebanjazz.com/

About Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Awards      
Mirroring the internationally renowned Gilmore Artist Awards for classical pianists, the Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Awards provides some of the most generous financial support given in the musical arts. The Jazz Awards program was established in 2022 with an $8.8 million gift to The Gilmore’s endowment and is named for Kalamazoo businessman and Past President of the Gilmore International Piano Festival Board of Trustees, Larry J. Bell, who founded Bell’s Brewery in 1985. The Larry J. Bell Young Jazz Artist Awards are presented every four years. The Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award will be conferred every four years to a jazz pianist with the inaugural recipient to be announced in October 2025.

About The Gilmore  
Created in 1989 to honour the legacy of businessman and philanthropist Irving S. Gilmore, The Gilmore is the premier institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing and awarding extraordinary piano artistry. The Gilmore has presented 16 piano festivals, commissioned over 40 new works for piano, and awarded over $3 million as part of its internationally renowned Gilmore Artists Awards for classical pianists. The Gilmore will present its annual (previously biennial) Gilmore Piano Festival April 30-May 10 in 2026. Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, The Gilmore continues to impact the lives of thousands of area children and adults through its year-round community engagement and music education programs including summer camps, music therapy, and much more.

Ladbroke Hall, London, Autumn Jazz Programme 2025.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Ladbroke Hall has announced its jazz programme for September, October and November 2025. Schedule attached.

From;
https://ladbrokehall.com/live-programme/jazz/

Ladbroke Hall is a beautifully renovated car factory built in 1903 and a thriving creative hub, home to Carpenters Workshop Gallery, an events studio, an award-winning Italian restaurant and a theatre which hosts our Jazz nights in an intimate, cabaret style set up.

Friday 12 September - 8:00pm
Nicola Emmanuelle

Friday 19 September - 8:00pm
Gareth Lockrane New Quintet

Friday 26 September - 8:00pm
Nick Ramm Ensemble

Friday 03 October - 8:00pm
Jean Toussaint Quintet

Friday 10 October - 8:00pm
Will Vinson

Friday 17 October - 8:00pm
Elaine Delmar

Friday 24 October - 8:00pm
Giacomo Smith & The Hot Five

Tuesday 28 October - 8:00pm
Jeremy Pelt Quintet

Friday 07 November - 8:00pm
Zhenya Strigalev Quartet feat Annie Majin

Friday 14 November - 8:00pm
Femi Temowo
EFG London Jazz Festival

Saturday 15 November - Two Performances 7:00pm & 9:10pm
Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Hamilton de Holanda DUO – “COLLAB”
EFG London Jazz Festival

Thursday 20 November - 8:00pm
Emma Smith presents “Bitter Orange”
EFG London Jazz Festival

Friday 21 November - 8:00pm
“By All Means” feat Dayna Stephens, Ben Street, Billy Hart
EFG London Jazz Festival

Saturday 22 November - 8:00pm
Jany Mc Pherson
EFG London Jazz Festival

Further information and ticket links at;
https://ladbrokehall.com/live-programme/jazz/

Ladbroke Hall
79 Barlby Rd
London
W10 6AZ

Sheffield Jazz -  Autumn 2025 Season

Monday, September 08, 2025

Roy Saxby of Sheffield Jazz has forwarded details of the organisation's programme for October and November 2025. Events take place at various venues around the city. Fully detailed listings attached.

Roy Saxby writes;

Our first gig of the season at the Crookes Social Club features James Allsopp’s Quartet playing the music of the legendary Stan Getz. We follow this with a double bill at the Crucible Theatre with The Pocket Ellington, a 7 piece band featuring Alan Barnes & Dave Green, followed by vocalist Vimala Rowe’s quartet. The next three gigs are at Crookes Social Club & feature saxophone led bands; Josephine Davies’ Satori, Harben Kay’s quartet and Allexa Nava’s quartet.  Laura Jurd’s quintet is at Firth Hall in November and we return to Crookes for our final three gigs; Sam Newboud’s Quintet; the Doncaster Jazz Alumni band and Ribbons Quartet. Full details are on our website http://www.sheffieldjazz.org.uk.

Sheffield Jazz Autumn 2025 Season

Crookes Social Club, Mulehouse Road, Sheffield, S10 1TD Tel: 0114 266 0114 Doors open at 19.20, music starts at 20.00, finish time 22.45. Prices: Full £17; over 60s, disabled, unemployed £15; students with NUS card £10; 15–17 year olds £5; under 15s Free. Advance tickets from http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/sheffield-jazz.

Crucible Theatre, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 1DA Tel 0114 249 6000 (in association with Music in the Round) Doors open 19.00 music starts 19.30, finish time 22.00. Prices: Full £20; over 60s, disabled, unemployed £18; students with NUS card £10; 15–17 year olds £5; Under 15s Free. Advance tickets (no additional booking fee) from Crucible Box Office http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

Firth Hall, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN Tel 0114 222 8888 (in association with University of Sheffield) Doors open at 19.00, music starts at 19.30, finish time 22.00. Prices: Full £18; over 60s, disabled, unemployed £16; students with NUS card £10; 15–17 year olds £5 Under 15s Free. Advance tickets from http://www.ticketsource.co.uk/sheffield-jazz.

For details visit http://www.sheffieldjazz.org.uk

Thursday 2 October
at 20.00
Crookes Social Club
James Allsopp Quartet
plays Stan Getz
James Allsopp: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Colin Oxley: guitar
Oli Hayhurst: double bass
Dave Storey: drums and percussion
Award winning saxophonist James Allsopp pays tribute to the legendary Stan Getz, one of the most influential tenor sax players, known for his warm, lyrical style. Stan played bop and cool jazz and in the 1960s popularised the bossa nova sounds of Brazil, often working with many legendary guitarists. James’ top notch band will present an interpretation of some highlights from Stan’s rich back catalogue over a remarkable 45-year career, playing music from their new album “Ballads and Bossas”.  Expect lush ballads, lilting bossa novas, swinging standards and motoring bop compositions played by some of London’s most in demand musicians.

Wednesday 8 October
at 19.15
Crucible Theatre
The Pocket Ellington - feat. Alan Barnes and Dave Green / Vimala Rowe Quartet
Alan Barnes: baritone &alto sax, clarinet
Robert Fowler: tenor sax,
Simon Finch: trumpet
David Lalljee: trombone
Alex Webb: piano/MD,
Dave Green: bass,
Alfonso Vitale: drums
Vimala Rowe Quartet
Vimala Rowe: vocals
Charlie Flint: piano
Mikele Montolli: bass
Darren Beckett: drums
Born out of a love of the music of the great Duke Ellington, The Pocket Ellington manages what ought to be impossible. But with Alan Barnes, Robert Fowler, Simon Finch and David Lalljee on hand, anything is possible. Veteran bassist Dave Green and powerhouse drummer Alfonso Vitale provide the swing. Great charts are presented
in clever new arrangements which evoke the period but also offer solo space to these top-flight musicians. Their repertoire also includes pieces from artists and arrangers who were influenced by the Duke - Mingus, Monk and Gil Evans. It’s a big sound from a pocket band.
From her training in Hindustani classical music in India, to world music, soul and effortlessly swinging jazz, award winning singer Vimala Rowe has rapidly become recognised as a major talent on the British jazz scene. Sell out performances at Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Jazz Club, 606 Club, London Jazz Festival and countrywide,
she delights and enchants her audiences with her naturally passionate and emotive range of expression. Her phenomenal accolades include a highly successful duo with guitar legend John Etheridge, culminating in an acclaimed eclectic album of their own work and performing with flamenco legend Paco Pena at Sadler’s Wells.

Thursday 16 October
at 20.00
Crookes Social Club.
Josephine Davies’ Satori
Josephine Davies: tenor & soprano saxophones
Alcyona Mick: piano
Dave Whitford: bass
Jay Davis: drums
Acclaimed saxophonist & composer Josephine Davies brings her exciting, dynamic ensemble Satori to Sheffield to celebrate the launch of ‘Weatherwards’, their fourth album on Whirlwind Recordings. The music is inspired by her Nordic roots in the Shetland Islands and beautifully weaves together the band’s contemporary jazz background with a hauntingly evocative folk influence. Josephine is a musician at the forefront of the UK contemporary music scene. With three albums under their belt as a sax/bass/drums trio, the addition of pianist Alcyona Mick allows them to stretch her compositional vision further, creating a colourful and complex harmonic palette.

Friday 24 October
at 20.00
Crookes Social Club
Harben Kay Quartet
Harben Kay: tenor saxophone
Peter Johnstone: piano
Calum Gourlay: bass
Alyn Cosker: drums
A Sheffield Jazz debut for award-winning tenor saxophonist Harben Kay with a stellar Scottish rhythm section. Harben is fast becoming renowned as one of the UK’s most creative and virtuosic jazz artists,following two acclaimed albums and performances at venues including Ronnie Scott’s, The Royal Albert Hall and The Vortex. Their
latest album ‘Golden Sands,’ released on Kay’s own label, Sulis Records, features original compositions reflective of Kay’s experiences in their homeland of Scotland and time spent living in London and New York. Their upcoming third album “The World I Live In”, is about identity, change and how change inspires creativity.

Friday 7 November
at 20.00
Allexa Nava Quartet
finish time 22.15
Allexa Nava - alto sax
Jai Patel: trombone
Emile Hinton: keyboards
Cassius Cobbson: drums
Hailing from Peru saxophonist, flautist, and composer Allexa Nava has been making waves on the UK jazz scene for the last few years. But it is her reputation as a bandleader and composer that is set to soar following the release of her highly anticipated debut EP No Language on the influential Jazz Re:freshed label. An award-winning participant on the Tomorrow’s Warriors Emerging Artists Programme, there is no denying that Allexa has already gone on an incredible journey of exploration and growth as a musician and jazz audiences can feel justifiably excited to see where this journey leads next!

Thursday 13 November
at 19.30
Firth Hall
Laura Jurd Quintet
Laura Jurd: trumpet
Ultan O’Brien: violin/viola
Martin Green: accordion
Ruth Goller: bass
Corrie Dick: drums
One of the most distinctive voices in jazz and improvised music, Laura Jurd presents music from her forthcoming new album, ‘Rites & Revelations’. Laura’s approach to the trumpet and her love of folk traditions can be heard in her music, alongside a background in classical composition. Her love of traditional music has deepened having played alongside Ultan O’Brien and Martin Green, who appear on the album. Propelled by this world-class rhythm section, the music takes the listener on a journey of ritual and catharsis to a melodic world full of compelling twists and turns, whilst retaining a grounded sense of familiarity.

Friday 21 November
at 20.00
Crookes Social Club
Sam Newbould Quintet
Sam Newbould: alto saxophone & compositions
Bernard van Rossum: tenor sax
Xavi Torres: piano
Ton Felices: double bass
Guy Salamon: drums
A rare chance to see an internationally celebrated band as Yorkshire- born saxophonist & composer Sam Newbould leads his award- winning line-up from the vibrant Amsterdam jazz scene. Their music combines virtuosity with driving grooves and playful melodies that stick in your head. The quintet has performed on major stages
including Jazzahead 2025, North Sea Jazz Festival, Love Supreme and BIMHUIS (NL). Sam says, “There’s an energy and joy in our performances that we hope everyone can enjoy – whether they’re jazz fans or not. The songs are catchy, foot-tapping, but also sometimes dark and emotional”. Expect spectacular solos and a few unexpected
twists.

Sunday 23 November
At 13.30
Crookes Social Club
Doncaster Jazz Alumni
Trumpets: Tom Tait, Damian Bell, Gareth Smith, James Hamilton, Mike King, Reuben Fowler
Saxes: Mark Ellis, Cat Miles, Myvanwy Smith, Nadim Teimoori, Sarah Potts, Mark Sabin
Trombones: Lee Hallam, Rory Ingham, Richard Potts, Jonathan Read
Rhythm: Matt Robinson, Martin Longhawn (p) Paul Baxter, Sean Hodgson (b) Joe Sykes (d)
Another chance to see the Doncaster Jazz Alumni, a really great big band whose local name belies the national prominence of its members. They are professional musicians who were past members of the Doncaster Youth Jazz Association (DYJA). Some - including Reuben Fowler, Rory Ingham, Matt Robinson and Nadim Teimoori -
have jazz recording credits as contributors or key members of leading bands. Check out all the star names with whom they have collaborated. Everything they do and sell is ‘not for profit’. Expect a stylistically diverse programme with all the proceeds from the performance going towards keeping DYJA alive for future generations.

Thursday 27 November
at 20.00
Crookes Social Club
Ribbons Quartet
Rebecca Nash: piano
Sara Colman: vocals
Henrik Jensen: bass
Jonathan Silk: drums
Singer Sara Colman and pianist Rebecca Nash are two musicians whose beautiful and intimate music celebrates the joy of musical partnership, friendship and collaboration. Their long-standing relationship, centred around a song they wrote together called Ribbons, has honed a musical intuition that produces the misleadingly
easy sounding but musically adventurous story telling of all good singer-musician relationships. Built on a foundation of jazz, the creativity of the duo comes to the fore in their collection of songs which straddle singer-songwriter, folk and classical music with glimpses of early influences such as Joni Mitchell and British jazz pianist John Taylor.

Peter Slavid - ‘European Modern Jazz’ on the radio playlist,  first broadcast 07/09/2025.

Monday, September 08, 2025

Broadcaster & journalist Peter Slavid has forwarded details of the music played on his UK & European Jazz radio show on 07/09/2025, which is available via a number of UK & international radio stations

Radio playlist from Sept 7th 2025

Biguine Extension
Pa Oubliye
Biguine Extension
Bizon Art

Johnny Richards & Dave King
Sleepless in Settle
The New Awkward
False Door

Aki Rissanen
High Expectations
Imaginary Mountains
Edition

Brigitte Beraha
What does it mean (to be)
Teasing Reflections
Let me out records

David Helbock & Julia Hofer
Woman’s Dance Version 1
Faces of Night
ACT

Ban, Surman,Manieri
Transylvanian Folk Dance
Cantica Profana
Sunnyside

Hugh Pascall
No Dice
Viewfinder
Self Aware records

Vitaly Burtsev
Konfusion
Past Tension
Unit Records

Prolex
MAS
Prolex (EP)
Auand

Fosterchild
First Stasimon
Order at Agan
Boomslang

Liv Andrea Hauge Trio
Natt natt natt
Døgnville
Hubro

Harald Lassen
Lite Sted
RIK
Jazzland

David Helbock & Julia Hofer
Woman’s Dance Version 2
Faces of Night
ACT

Nils Pettar Molvaer
Kakonita
KHMER Live in Bergen
Edition

European Modern Jazz on the radio;

At any time:
http://www.mixcloud.com/ukjazz.

Weekly:

http://www.hayesfm.org.uk 91.8 FM – West London Community Radio Sundays 12.00

http://www.purebeatradio.co.uk Sundays 10am

http://www.listen.camp/ Sundays 7pm onward

Also as “Peter’s Eurojazz Podcast” on Apple, Amazon, Deezer and other podcast sites.

Weirdshire, Hereford - Programme for September and October 2025.

Sunday, September 07, 2025

Herefordshire promoters Weirdshire have announced their programme for September and October 2025.

Friday 26th September, upstairs at the Jam Factory 40 Widemarsh St Hereford Herefordshire
HR4 9EP
We’ve got our good friend Ben McElroy coming again - he is going from strength to strength and has been working on all kinds of fascinating projects. His new album Elkwort is out now and available from all good record shops and he’ll have them with him. Here’s a clip of Ben getting up to no good in the woods: Widdershins and Deosil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdj-jlWQnBc
And here’s Ben playing live: Metronome Folk Session
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvRfbegCCvg
And as though that itself wouldn’t already be a fantastic evening, we also have the artist known as U, presenting his new album which is coming out on Lex Records in October: Archenfield. This is the result of a 10 year research project based on Herefordshire and the Forest of Dean, and is an incredible piece of multi-media art. It’s well worth a quick look at his page on the Lex website which is here
https://lexrecords.com/artists/u/
And to make it even easier - here’s a direct link to one of his short films
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9-bWU8U7LA
Honestly, I don’t how we’re going to get all this into the little room at the Jam Factory. My advice is to buy ahead, and arrive early.
Ticket link for Ben and U
https://wegottickets.com/event/667054

Tuesday 30th September, De Koffie Pot
Bob Drake is coming to Hereford - this is an EVENT, and everyone should ignore the fact that it is a school night and be there, rather than regret their poor judgement later…. Where to begin to describe Bob’s musical life? Born and raised in the American Midwest, and now living in the South of France, he has been playing a lot of instruments with - and recording - all sorts of, bands since the early 1970’s. He was an important part of Denver’s underground music scene from 1978-1989. In the early 1990’s in Los Angeles, he engineered for a wide variety of artists from Ice Cube to Shirley MacLaine. After moving to Europe he joined fellow expatriate Dave Kerman to become part of the 5UU’s. In 1994 he started making a series of extraordinary solo albums – of which his latest, L’Isola dei Lupi is the tenth. He lives at his studio in Southern France, where he has engineered and mastered an awful lot of albums. He is also known for his definitive re-mastering of classic albums by Art Bears, Cassiber, Henry Cow and others. Expect individual, avant garde, but always melodic tales of anthropomorphic animals, hauntings, geology, holy wells, astronomy…
Here’s some film of Bob
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAMUkeJzjGc
And we have some special plans for a local artist for this one too, can’t be revealed yet though…
Tickets for Bob Drake at De Koffie Pot
https://wegottickets.com/event/667068
De Koffie Pot
Left Bank
Bridge Street
Hereford
HR4 9DG
theleftbankvillage.co.uk/de-koffie-pot
01432 353552

8th October, also at De Koffie Pot
Another precious opportunity - this one is a new artist, based in Edinburgh, but originally from Minneapolis - Faith Elliot. They have an absolutely sublime album out this year on the Lost Map record label, which I’ve found hard to stop listening to ever since it came out. Rather than me wittering on any more - go take a look at this lovely video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYtORc2xf5U Those lyrics!
Or this brilliant film of Faith playing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSlwgo6zGuo
And, honestly I can’t believe we’re able to bring all this wonderful stuff to you, but the same show will also feature MG Boulter - stalwart of the Southend on Sea scene, with a long association with the Felice Brothers, playing mandolin and lap steel. His song-writing brings to life the characters found in seaside towns such as his own, and explore the psychogeography of the coastal landscape. Andy Kershaw described him as “...a major talent. One of the most important songwriters, I think, to come out in the last twenty years”.
Here’s MG singing a song to whet your appetite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLJWv1t3rjY
Tickets for Faith and MG
https://wegottickets.com/event/669463
De Koffie Pot
Left Bank
Bridge Street
Hereford
HR4 9DG
theleftbankvillage.co.uk/de-koffie-pot
01432 353552

See you all soon!
The Weirdshire crew

Weirdshire website for all details and ticket links
https://weirdshire.com/

Black British Folk Takeover at Cecil Sharp House, London -  Line up announced.

Friday, September 05, 2025

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. Press release attached.

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

Jammin’ Colours - Concert schedule, September to December 2025.

Friday, September 05, 2025

The Belgian music agency Jammin' ColorS has announced a series of concerts by its artists during the Autumn of 2025. Events take place in numerous European countries, including the UK.

We have received the following press release;

Jammin’colorS is happy to share with you the Fall concerts 2025 !

These artists are some of the best nowadays !
Listen, discover & feel.

SEPTEMBER 2025

11 Sep 2025 - Grégory Privat Trio “Phoenix” - Théâtre Marni - Brussels - Belgium

13 Sep 2025 - Fabrice Alleman « Coltrane ballads and around » - Music Village - Brussels - Belgium

OCTOBER 2025

1 Oct 2025 - Seamus Blake 4tet - Blue Note Milano - Milan - Italy

22 Oct 2025 - Jeremy Pelt Quintet - Zig Zag - Berlin - Germany

23 & 24 Oct 2025 - Jeremy Pelt Quintet - Duc Des Lombards - Paris - France

25 Oct 2025 - Jeremy Pelt Quintet - Nica Jazz Club - Hamburg - Germany

26 Oct 2025 - Jeremy Pelt Quintet - Dom Kultury Kadr - Warsaw - Poland

28 Oct 2025 - Jeremy Pelt Quintet - Ladbroke Hall - London - UK

29 Oct 2025 - Jeremy Pelt Quintet - Alexander Platz Jazz - Roma - Italy

NOVEMBER 2025

1 Nov 2025 - Jeremy Pelt Quintet - iDee Jazz - Tartu - Estonia

2 Nov 2025 - Jeremy Pelt Quintet - iDee Jazz - Tallinn - Estonia

4 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Jure Pukl & Jeff Ballard - Roma Jazz - Roma - Italy

8 Nov 2025 - Reggie Washington feat. Pierrick Pédron & Stéphane Galland - Espace Sorano - Vincennes - France

12 Nov 2025 - Black Lives - Teatro Metropolitan - Catania - Italy

13 Nov 2025 - Black Lives - Teatro Golden - Palermo - Italy

13 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Jimmy Glass - Valencia - Spain

14 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Asse Jazz - Sevilla - Spain

15 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Clarence Jazz - Torremolinos - Málaga - Spain

15 Nov 2025 - Raul Midón - Nefertiti - Gothenburg - Sweden

19 & 20 Nov 2025 - Raul Midón - Le Pédiluve - Châtenay-Malabry - France

19 Nov 2025 - Christie Dashiell - Fasching - Stockholm - Sweden

20 Nov 2025 - Christie Dashiell - Dokkhuset Scene - Trondheim - Norway

21 Nov 2025 - Christie Dashiell - Bergen Jazz Forum - Bergen - Norway

23 Nov 2025 - Christie Dashiel - Éclats d’Émail - Limoges - France

21 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Nica Jazz Club - Hamburg - Germany

22 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Zig Zag - Berlin - Germany

23 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Moods - Zurich - Switzerland

25 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Cankarjev Dom - Ljubljana - Slovenia

25 Nov 2025 - E.J. Strickland feat. Soweto Kinch & Reggie Washington - Bayerischer Hof - Munich - Germany

26 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Cultural Centre Čakovec - Čakovec - Croatia

27 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richadson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Narodni Dom - Maribor - Slovenia

28 Nov 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Cultural Center Krško - Krško - Slovenia

29 Nov 2025 - Gene Lake Project - Paradox - Tilburg - Netherlands

30 Nov 2025 - Gene Lake Project - Music Im Pflegidach - Muri - Switzerland

DECEMBER 2025

Reggie Washington feat. Ravi Coltrane, David Gilmore & Gene Lake

2 & 3 Dec 2025 - Reggie Washington feat. Ravi Coltrane, David Gilmore & Gene Lake - Sunset - Paris - France

5, 6, 7, 8 Dec 2025 - Reggie Washington feat. Ravi Coltrane, David Gilmore & Gene Lake - Half Note - Athens - Greece

10 Dec 2025 - Reggie Washington feat. Ravi Coltrane, David Gilmore & Gene Lake - La Smac - Anonnay - France

Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Greg Hutchinson

5 Dec 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Le Jam - Montpellier - France

6 Dec 2025 - Joe Sanders feat. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Kendrick Scott - Charlie Jazz - Vitrolles - France

Ticket links at https://www.jammincolors.com/tour-dates

Unpredictable Series - September 2025 - London & Madrid - Line up announced.

Friday, September 05, 2025

The international series Unpredictable will present a number of performances and workshops in Madrid and London during September 2025. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Unpredictable Series - September - London & Madrid

London & Madrid September Concerts and workshops

10-21 Sep
Jornadas y performances en Proyector 2025, Madrid
Recomendaciones unpredictable:
Taller de video en. directo y videomapping con Blanca Regina and Cruce 15.10.2025 de 10am a 2pm apoyado por Madmapper https://madmapper.com/
Performance con LAC Domingo 21 en Cruce a las 12 am
Sigue el mayor festival de videoarte España
https://proyector.info/

Jueves 18 Septiembre
7 pm CRUCE MADRID
ESCUCHA!
Blanca Regina, Victor Saiz & Luis Lamadrid
CIA Adi Schwarz Dance Project
¡Escucha! presenta una sesión en dos actos el jueves 18 de septiembre de 2025 desde las 19h.
Un primer encuentro de Blanca Regina, Victor Saiz y Luis Lamadrid, con improvisación sonora y visuales donde usarán samplers, modular synths, voz, objetos, computer, visuales y performance.
Y un segundo acto que nos ofrece un extracto de la obra Boys In The Sand que la compañía Adi Schwarz Dance Project estrenará el 25 de septiembre en Teatros del Canal con música de Victor Saiz.
Contribución 10€

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 £12 Advance £6 MEMBERS
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/unpredictable-series-present-terry-85

Narrating Structures Videomapping Workshop
Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th - 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

K-Music Festival, London, full line up announced.

Thursday, September 04, 2025

London’s annual Korean Music Festival K-Music will take place at various venues around the capital from October 1st – November 20th 2025. Press release and schedule attached.

We have received the following press release;

London’s Annual Korean Music Festival K-Music Set To Return In Four Weeks

Korean stars from across the musical spectrum will descend on the capital for the festival’s 12th edition

Special performances from post-rock innovators JAMBINAI with the London Contemporary Orchestra, Won Il’s Dionysus Robot featuring drag artist Jimin Mo, acclaimed composer/multi-instrumentalist Park Jiha, cellist and composer Okkyung Lee & UK-based electronic artist Mark Fell, the world premiere of a new concerto written for virtuosic pianist Seong-Jin Cho and much more

October 1st – November 20th 2025

“Korean music isn’t just about K-pop, and the return of K-Music Festival will help you discover a whole range of the country’s diverse aural culture.”
Timeout

London’s celebrated Korean music festival K-Music is set to return to the capital next month, bringing a world-class line-up of artists from across Korea’s vibrant and diverse music scene. Running from October 1st to November 20th, the festival is organised by the Korean Cultural Centre UK, in partnership with Serious (producers of the EFG London Jazz Festival), and will take over major venues including the Barbican, Southbank Centre, Royal Albert Hall, and Kings Place.

The festival opens on October 1st at Kings Place with an exciting collaboration between Korean cellist-composer Okkyung Lee and UK electronic artist Mark Fell. Renowned for her experimental approach and fearless exploration of sound, Lee fuses noise, Korean traditional music, and avant-garde composition. Her past collaborators include Arca, Swans and Christian Marclay, and her work has been showcased atMoMA, the Serpentine, and Donaueschinger Musiktage. In this special performance, she teams up with Fell—an innovator in digital and experimental music—for a set defined by extended instrumental techniques, abstract rhythms, immersive improvisation and intricate electronic textures.

On October 5th, acclaimed post-rock band JAMBINAI performs with the London Contemporary Orchestra at the Barbican, conducted by Robert Ames. This groundbreaking concert marks the first time a Korean traditional music ensemble headlines the Barbican. Since forming in Seoul in 2009, JAMBINAI have blended traditional Korean instruments—such as haegeum, geomungo, and piri—with the dramatic intensity of post-rock and their orchestral collaboration introduces a new dimension to their sound, combining sweeping cinematic arrangements with Korean folk elements. Returning to the K-Music Festival after a sold-out performance in 2023, JAMBINAI previously captured global attention at the 2018 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony.

On October 18th, the Korean string trio Hilgeum make their London debut at the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, alongside British vocalist and composer Alice Zawadzki. Featuring Yoin Cho (gayageum), Yerim Kim (geomungo) and Somin Park (haegeum), Hilgeum blends mastery of traditional Korean strings with a modern sonic palette. Their recent EP WASTELAND (2024) builds on the cinematic atmosphere of their debut album Utopia. Partnering with Zawadzki—known for her genre-blending artistry—this performance promises an intimate and poetic meeting of musical traditions.

Celebrated composer and multi-instrumentalist Park Jiha returns to the festival with her latest album All Living Things (★★★★, The Guardian), which showcases her powerful command of Korean traditional instruments. Her music bridges minimalism, ambient textures, and cinematic sound design to craft deeply resonant and innovative works. She headlines at the Elgar Room, Royal Albert Hall, on Sunday October 25th.

On November 14th, original K-Music Festival alumnus Won Il returns with a bold interdisciplinary piece, Dionysus Robot, co-presented by the EFG London Jazz Festival at Queen Elizabeth Hall. This work combines Korean shamanic traditions, contemporary electronics, and theatrical performance in a ritualistic reflection on instinct, transformation, and control. Featuring drag performer Jimin Mo, the piece draws inspiration from Dionysian philosophy and the avant-garde legacy of Nam June Paik, creating a multisensory experience where music, movement, and visual art intersect.

The following night, November 15th, sees Gray by Silver perform at the Elgar Room as part of the Late Night Jazz series. Led by pianist-composer HanBin Lee, the quartet weaves jazz, Korean traditional motifs, and classical influences into a reflective, improvisation-rich soundscape. Their album Eternal Gray won Best Jazz Album at the 2024 Seoul Music Awards, and their international performances span venues including Lincoln Center, Jodhpur RIFF and Colours of Ostrava.

The festival concludes with a landmark performance on November 20th at Barbican Hall; the world premiere of a new concerto by composer Dong-hoon Shin, written for renowned pianist Seong-Jin Choand performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. Presented as part of the LSO Futures series, this commission represents a major collaboration between two leading Korean voices in classical music. A Chopin Competition winner and Berlin Philharmonic Artist-in-Residence, Cho returns to the Barbican after a sold-out recital in 2023.

Tickets are on sale now and available from http://www.serious.org.uk/k-music-2025.

K-Music Festival 2025

Okkyung Lee with Mark Fell
Wednesday October 1st
Kings Place (Hall One)
https://serious.org.uk/events/k-music-festival-2025-okkyung-lee-mark-fell

JAMBINAI with London Contemporary Orchestra
Sunday October 5th
Barbican Hall
https://serious.org.uk/events/k-music-festival-2025-jambinai-with-london-contemporary-orchestra

Hilgeum with Alice Zawadzki
Saturday October 18th
Southbank Centre (Purcell Room)
https://serious.org.uk/events/k-music-festival-2025-hilgeum-alice-zawadzki

Park Jiha
Sunday October 25th
Royal Albert Hall (Elgar Room)
https://serious.org.uk/events/k-music-festival-2025-park-jiha

Won Il’s Dionysus Robot
Friday November 14th
Southbank Centre (Queen Elizabeth Hall)
https://serious.org.uk/events/k-music-festival-won-ils-dionysus-robot

Gray by Silver
Saturday November 15th
Royal Albert Hall (Elgar Room)
https://serious.org.uk/events/k-music-festival-2025-gray-by-silver

Seong-Jin Cho: Artist Portrait
Thursday November 20th
Barbican Hall
https://serious.org.uk/events/seong-jin-cho-lso-futures-with-london-symphony-orchestra

Shrewsbury Jazz Network - Programme for October 2025 - January 2026.

Thursday, September 04, 2025

Shrewsbury Jazz Network has announced its next three events. Performances take place at The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury.

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

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.

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

John Law and Jon Lloyd to present new PPianissimo Series at Bristol Music Club, Clifton, Bristol.

Thursday, September 04, 2025

The ‘PPianissimo Series’ is the brainchild of two musicians operating in the area between jazz and classical music: pianist John Law and saxophonist Jon Lloyd. Press release and schedule attached.

John Law has forwarded the following press release plus additional information;

PPianissimo Series at Bristol Music Club

There’s a new music series starting up at a beautiful, tucked-away secret of a concert venue in Bristol: Bristol Music Club in Clifton. Entitled ‘PPianissimo Series’ it’s the brainchild of two of the UK’s best-known musicians operating in the area between jazz and classical music: pianist John Law and saxophonist Jon Lloyd.

John and Jon, who have been playing, touring and recording together for 35 years now, will be presenting new music, combining both written compositions and open, inspirational improvisations, bringing together many different creative UK musicians, but no drums. Instead, on the first Friday of every month - generally at the early time of 6pm, between people finishing work and later in the evening when they might like to go out for dinner - the series will be presenting music of a more delicate, ambient nature, often contemplative and concentrating on Sound, Space and Silence.

So is it jazz? A bit.
Is it classical? Yes quite a bit.
Can I hear the blues in there somewhere? Yes you can! But more as a sort of European folk scale version of it.
Ah is there folk music in there somewhere? Yes! That too!
Key genres: European, contemporary, jazz, classical, minimalism, ambient, ECM.
Key subjective, descriptive words might be: atmosphere, beauty, space, silence, sometimes hypnotic/minimalist repeating rhythms.

Music exploring Sound, Space…and Silence

A series of early evening concerts on the first Friday of the month. Jazz/ambient music meets contemporary classical/Minimalism. Music exploring atmosphere, colour, space and silence. Music of freedom, contemplation and immersion…

“Whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must remain silent.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein

Friday September 5 at 6pm (doors 5:30pm)
Naissance Jon Lloyd saxophones, John Law piano/samples

Friday October 3 at 6pm (doors 5:30pm)
Naissance Plus Laura Jurd, trumpet with Jon Lloyd, John Law
Highly atmospheric sax/piano duo with rising star trumpeter

Friday November 7 at 7:30pm (doors 7pm)
ThoughtFox - Rob Palmer, guitar, Paul Chauncy, electronics, Jon Lloyd, saxophones
Ambient, electronic trio of guitar, sax and electronics

Friday December 5 at 7:30pm (doors 7pm)
PPianissimo David Gordon/John Law, two pianos
Two piano duo featuring virtuoso pianist David Gordon

Ticket price: £16 + booking fee
Subscribe to all 4 concerts: £52

Tickets available online from http://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk or on the door

Bristol Music Club, 76 St. Paul’s Rd. Clifton, Bristol BS8
Tel:01373 859044

The PPianissimo Series is very kindly supported by Arts Council England and the National Lottery, as well as local SW Music Shop All Instruments in Westbury.

Persian and Middle Eastern music in London, York and Canterbury - September 2025 - April 2026.

Wednesday, September 03, 2025

Artstage, one of the world’s leading promoters of Persian & Middle Eastern music will present a series of performances in the UK including several events forming part of the EFG London Jazz Festival.

We have received the following press release;

Artstage is one of the world’s leading promoters of Persian and Middle Eastern music – and they have a series of concerts coming up in London, including numerous shows as part of this year’s London Jazz Festival in November.

The concerts will feature some of the most celebrated artists from across the region including legendary composer and virtuoso instrumentalist Hossein Alizadeh, one of the leading forces in Persian jazz Arshid Azarine, and a unique collaboration between Armenian and Iranian musicians Arsen Petrosyan, Adib Rostami and Mehdi Rostami.

LISTINGS:

GRASS: A NATION’S BATTLE FOR LIFE (1925) – CENTENARY SCREENING + LIVE MUSIC BY PEYMAN YAZDANIAN
Friday 19th September – Kings Place­, London
This year marks the centenary of Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life - one of the most culturally significant films of the silent era. Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack (who would later go on to make King Kong), Grass documents the epic seasonal migration of Iran’s Bakhtiari nomads. It remains a cornerstone of ethnographic cinema and a vital record of a disappearing way of life. A newly restored version of the film - courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art - will be screened at Kings Place in London on September 19th, accompanied by a live score from acclaimed Iranian composer and pianist Peyman Yazdanian. Yazdanian’s blend of Persian and Western classical traditions brings a new emotional depth to this landmark work. He’ll be joined by Adib Rostami on traditional instruments for a performance that reimagines Grass for a modern audience.
https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/classical/screening-of-the-silent-masterpiece-grass-1925-with-live-music-by-peyman-yazdanian/

BOMRANI ENSEMBLE
Friday 17th October – Rich Mix, London
After a sold-out show in 2024, Bomrani, one of Iran’s most acclaimed alternative bands, return to London for two exclusive performances at Rich Mix. Emerging from Tehran’s underground scene, the band has gained international recognition for its unique fusion of rock, folk, and jazz.
https://richmix.org.uk/music/bomrani/

ARSHID AZARINE TRIO
Thursday 23rd October – Elgar Room Royal Albert Hall, London
Known for their unique fusion of Persian roots and contemporary jazz, the trio features Arshid Azarine on piano, Habib Meftah on percussion and vocals, and Hervé de Ratuld on bass.
Their acclaimed albums 7 Djan and Sing Me a Song showcased collaborations with Iranian and international artists, blending Persian poetry with global jazz influences. Now, with their latest release Vorticity, the trio embarks on a new musical journey inspired by both the turbulence of recent events in Iran and Azarine’s background in cardiovascular research. Vorticity explores themes of chaos, love, and renewal through intricate rhythms and evocative melodies.
https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2025/late-night-jazz-arshid-azarine-trio

HOSSEIN ALIZADEH AND REMBRANDT TRIO
Friday 14th November – Cadogan Hall, London (PART OF LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL)
An evening of musical fusion as Hossein Alizadeh, Iran’s legendary composer and virtuoso of the tar and setar, joins forces with the acclaimed Dutch ensemble Rembrandt Trio. This unique collaboration brings together the soul of Persian classical music with the refined improvisational language of European jazz.
Alizadeh’s deeply expressive melodies and centuries-old traditions intertwine seamlessly with the Trio’s rich textures and contemporary sensibility, led by Rembrandt Frerichs on piano, Tony Overwater on double bass and Vinsent Planjer on drums and percussion. Together, they create a genre-defying soundscape - at once intimate, adventurous, and timeless.
https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/ljf25-hossein-alizadeh-and-rembrandt-trio/

L’ANTIDOTE TRIO
Saturday 15th November – Kings Place, London (PART OF LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL)
Making their UK debut this autumn at the London Jazz Festival, L’Antidote Trio are a group consisting of Iranian zarb and Persian percussionist Bijan Chemirani, Albanian cellist Redi Hasa and Lebanese pianist Rami Khalifé (Robert Plant, Maria Mazzotta and Ludovico Einaudi) blurring the boundaries between classical and electronic sounds from the Middle East. 
https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/jazz/lantidote-trio/

FAARJAM SAIDI
Sunday 16th November – Kings Place, London (PART OF LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL)
Faarjam Saidi is an Iranian musician and producer whose sound blends indie pop and fusion with rich Middle Eastern influences. Drawing inspiration from contemporary Iranian poetry, his music is marked by emotional depth, poetic lyricism, and a unique cross-cultural sensibility. Tracks like “Fathe Bagh,” “Sabze Lajani,” and “Amsterdam” showcase his ability to fuse reflective storytelling with memorable melodies. As part of the London Jazz Festival, Faarjam and his full band will perform at King’s Place in London on 16 November. Expect an atmospheric and intimate live set shaped by vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and drums, bridging tradition and modernity through deeply personal songs and poetic narratives.
https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/contemporary/faarjam-saidi-2025/

ARSEN PETROSYAN, MEHDI ROSTAMI AND ADIB ROSTAMI
Monday 17th November – National Centre for Early Music, York
Tuesday 18th November – Rich Mix, London (PART OF LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL)
Bringing together the rich musical traditions of Armenia and Iran, this is an evening of music with an exceptional trio performance by Arsen Petrosyan (duduk), Adib Rostami (kamancheh), and Mehdi Rostami (setar). The trio weaves a tapestry of sound that is both deeply rooted and beautifully contemporary with haunting melodies and intricate improvisations.
https://richmix.org.uk/music/arsen-petrosyan-mehdi-rostami-and-adib-rostami/

OH VOYAGE
Thursday 20th November – Rich Mix, London (PART OF LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL)
Rotterdam-based duo Oh Voyage grew up in Istanbul and blend psychedelic Anatolian folk music with analogue synthesisers to create a sound that pays homage to the nomadic spirit of their ancestors.
https://richmix.org.uk/music/oh-voyage/

BEHDAD BABAEI & NAVID AFGHAH
Saturday 22nd November – Rich Mix, London (PART OF LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL)
A powerful musical journey through the life and mind of renowned Iranian musician Behdad Babaei, joined by Navid Afghah and Vahid Taremi as part of this year’s London Jazz Festival. This is a story of unravelling and revelation, of an artist shaped by cultural memory, personal struggle and the enduring search for meaning. Through music, Babaei traces a path from inner turmoil to creative clarity, from collective pain to silent longing, weaving a deeply emotional narrative that resonates far beyond borders.
https://richmix.org.uk/music/insanity-route-behdad-babaei-navid-afghah-vahid-taremi/

PERSIAN JAZZ NIGHT: ARIN KESHISHI QUINTET & KOUROSH KANANI DUO
Saturday 22nd November 2025 – Rich Mix, London (PART OF LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL)
Drawing inspiration from Kourosh’s Iranian-Azeri heritage and his deep command of South Indian rhythm, the duo crafts a soundscape rooted in tradition, yet forward-looking. Presenting music from their forthcoming third album, Gisu, featuring a bold interplay between virtuosic guitar and electronically infused drums, this is a truly unmissable act.
Led by bassist and composer Arin Keshishi, an Armenian musician from Iran now based in Amsterdam, Arin blends the rich musical traditions of Armenia and Iran while creating something entirely new. His debut album, Self-Reflection, is a compelling portrait of his personal and cultural journey. The quintet also features world-class musicians from Europe and Iran, all of whom share Arin’s vision and bring their own mastery to the ensemble.
https://richmix.org.uk/music/persian-jazz-night-arin-keshishi-quintet-kourosh-kanani-duo/

PEYMAN YAZDANIAN
Sunday 23rd November 2025 – World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens, London (PART OF LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL)
Peyman Yazdanian is an acclaimed Iranian pianist and composer known for his unique fusion of Persian musical sensibilities with Western classical traditions. Trained from a young age in Tehran and later in Europe, Yazdanian has composed over 40 solo piano pieces and numerous orchestral works, earning international recognition for both his concert music and film scores. Yazdanian returns to the capital this November to perform at World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens as part of the London Jazz Festival.
https://worldheartbeat.org/events/jazz-improvisation-with-peyman-yazdanian/

KAYHAN KALHOR
Friday 24th April 2026 – Colyer-Fergusson Hall, Kent
A creative force in today’s global music scene, Kayhan Kalhor is an internationally acclaimed virtuoso of the kamancheh (spiked fiddle). Renowned for his evocative performances of traditional Persian music and his groundbreaking collaborations across cultures, Kalhor has played a vital role in bringing Persian music to international prominence. His artistry continues to captivate audiences worldwide, bridging musical traditions with remarkable depth and sensitivity.
https://thegulbenkian.co.uk/events/kayhan-kalhor/

The Green Note, Camden Town, London - Newsletter, 03/09/2025.

Wednesday, September 03, 2025

The Green Note has forwarded its latest newsletter with details of forthcoming musical events.

Upcoming Musical Highlights - September part 1

Hello Green Note Music Lovers,

As summer gives way to autumn, we’re keeping the energy alive at Green Note with a packed programme of outstanding live music to kick off September. Whether you’re a longtime Green Note regular or joining us for the first time, this month promises intimate performances, rich storytelling, and world-class musicianship from some truly exciting artists.

UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS…

This week (TONIGHT in fact!) we look forward to welcoming vibrant American trio STUART, SPENCE & SHEBISH (Weds 3rd Sep) playing hard-driving Old-Time music. Also this week, unique jazz-blues duo STRUM & BLOW are back (Fri 5th Sep), with their swinging vocals, humour, and high-energy harmonica and ukulele-driven performances that channel the spirit of New Orleans, swinging blues band BIG MAMA’S DOOR and country blues and hokum duo VERONICA SBERGIA & MAX BERNARDI (both Sat 6th Sep) - let the good times roll!

If delicate folk is more your thing, come check out ANNA LING and her band (Thurs 4th Sept) - hauntingly beautiful harmonies, richly textured instrumentation, and songs that linger long after the last note fades. Or British-Americana five piece FORTY ELEPHANT GANG who combine folk and American Blues with classic songwriting (Fri 5th Sept) - both highly recommended!

Next weekend we have a debut from HUNZZ (Fri 12th Sept) - a five-piece funk/jazz/pop outfit who deliver powerful vocals and an emotionally resonant set. Then THE RIGMAROLLERS are back (Fri 13th Sept), who’ll have the whole room moving with their upbeat fusion of blues, ragtime, and early jazz played on washboards, banjos, and harmonicas. Also next weekend, the stunning BROOKE SHARKEY (Sun 14th Sept) returns with her evocative voice and cinematic songwriting, weaving together French and English lyrics with haunting melodies—this time joined by special guests for a show that promises to be both intimate and unforgettable.

T Back taking after a break in August, our “Green Note Hits The Road” shows are back in full force this month! This Sunday (7th Sept, @ Water Rats), THE RABBITTS bring their “ethereal and understated” ambient folk sound to the stage, combining acoustic guitar, harmonies, and heartfelt songwriting that evokes warmth and nostalgia. We’re also excited to celebrate two album launches this month at the stunning St Pancras Old Church - transatlantic singer-songwriter ST CATHERINE’S CHILD with her “softly stunning, mesmerising country-tinged indie” (Weds 17th Sept) and TONIGHT (Weds 3rd Sept), Grammy Award-winning Scottish-American artist DAISY CHUTE - both with full bands. Highly recommended! 

This is just a selection of the many incredible artists who will be gracing our Green Note stage(s) in the coming weeks, so please do check out our EVENTS PAGE for the full listings. Whether you’re into contemporary folk, soulful alt-pop, foot-stomping blues, or vintage jazz with a twist, Green Note is your home for unforgettable live music! And please note that many of our shows sell out in advance, so we highly recommend grabbing your tickets early to avoid disappointment!

And if you can’t decide what to book for, check out our SPOTIFY PLAYLIST for a taster of what’s coming up in September!
August 2025 Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5dAbdENY3nZz7SfaKPRUXK?si=n39W52xBQa—gZ0_MVvyQw&nd=1&dlsi=a1a616a843104801

Hope to see you soon!
Lots of love,
Immy & Risa xx

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS…

Stuart, Spence & Shebish
Wed 3rd September
Hard driving Old-Time Music from the USA

Joe Webb Trio
Wed 3rd September
THE BASEMENT BAR
With a performance CV that includes collaborations with Wynton Marsalis, Jamie Cullum and Jools Holland, Joe is now making a name for himself as a band leader and as one of the UK’s most captivating young pianists
**SOLD OUT**

Daisy Chute
- Album Launch
Wed 3rd September
ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
Grammy-winning American-Scottish folk singer-songwriter celebrates the release of her album ‘Throne’

Anna Ling
Thu 4th September
“Delicate acoustic instrumentals provide the backdrop against which Anna’s expressive vocals are sung. What stands out most, though, is the lyrics.” York Calling

Ormella presents…
Folk Rising
Thu 4th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
An intimate, curated and community-based night of folk music aiming to celebrate the best upcoming folk artists London has to offer

Forty Elephant Gang
Fri 5th September
A five-piece from East London that blend elements of Folk, Americana and American Blues with classic songwriting

Strum & Blow
Fri 5th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Tight vocal harmonies and blistering trombone and vocal solos over classic New Orleans jazz and blues songs

Matinée Show: Alex Hart
Sat 6th September
Described by BBC Radio 2 presenter Mark Radcliffe as “the Stevie Nicks of Folk”

Veronica Sbergia & Max De Bernardi - The Red Wine Serenaders
Sat 6th September
Country blues and ragtime, hokum, jug band and rural music from the 20’s and 30’s

Big Mama’s Door
Sat 6th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
An eclectic mix of swinging blues from the 20s-50s… “Excellent band…her smoky/laid-back voice does the risqué blues-with-soul stuff with a vengeance.” (Blues in the South)

Matinée Show:
Steve Ashley
Sun 7th September
Long regarded as one of British folk’s finest singer-songwriters.

Mariia Petrovska
Sun 7th September
A charismatic bandura player and singer, and one of the rising stars of Ukrainian music.

Harry Diplock Sessions
Sun 7th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
The music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli… Joined monthly by some of the best gypsy jazz musicians from across Europe, come for an evening of improvisation and surprises!

The Rabbitts
Sun 7th September
THE WATER RATS
“Ethereal and understated” - Tom Robinson BBC Radio 6 Music / “a glorious display of ambient folk” - Glide Magazine

Grace Elizabeth Harvey
+ Jessica Dives
Mon 8th September
Both captivating, up and coming Folk singer-songwriters in their own right, Jessica Dives and Grace Elizabeth Harvey are joining forces in a unique collaboration

PEY PEY & JËVA
Mon 8th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Two best friends. One mic each. Reunited on stage for a night of music, mess, and radical honesty.

Iris & Steel
- EP Launch Show
Tue 9th September
British indie folk group with a timeless and original sound. Songs which are intimate and uplifting, carried by soulful strings, sophisticated songwriting and three-part harmonies
**SOLD OUT**

Marcus Bonfanti
Tue 9th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
“Utterly spellbinding” The Times / “The next British blues guitar hero” The Guardian

Igloo Hearts + Humm
Wed 10th September
Two talented duos share the stage in this intimate double bill

The Vimala Rowe Quartet
Wed 10th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
World Jazz vocalist debuts her new show created from eclectic influences of music from Jazz and Blues to African and Indian folk, UK Indie and Soul. ‘A singer of quite astonishing versatility and adaptability’  London Jazz News / ‘A stunning performance’  Jazzwise

George Boomsma
Thu 11th September
Singer-songwriter known for his emotive vocals and soulful guitar playing; captivating listeners with a sound that blends both warmth and melancholy

Lydia Bell Presents…
The Greatest Female Jazz Singers
Thu 11th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
From the swinging Ella Fitzgerald to the soul and warmth of Sarah Vaughan, from Anita O’Day’s playful interpretations to Carmen McRae’s ultimate swing…

Hunzz
Fri 12th September
Pairing unique vocal harmonies with smooth basslines, dynamic drum beats, funky guitar riffs, sweet keyboard melodies and floaty saxophone/flute

Dulcie May Moreno
Fri 12th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
UK based Jazz Artist Dulcie May Moreno’s music, blurs the lines between jazz, blues, latin, folk and rock to create her unique sound that is distinctive and instantly recognisable.

The Rigmarollers
Sat 13th September
The vintage sounds of America with deep Sousaphone Brass grooves, intricate string picking and virtuosic harmonica & washboard.

Dom Pipkin
Sat 13th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
“One of the worlds’s finest exponents of the music of New Orleans…. a true piano talent” Blues In Britain magazine

Matinée Show: Rebet Asker-Greek Roots Series
Sun 14th September
Greek Rebetiko… a series of songs from a selection of the greatest Greek composers…

Brooke Sharkey + special guests Hannah Moulette + Blythe Pepino
Sun 14th September
‘’… This is mature, refined songwriting of the highest calibre.’’ Loud & Quiet Magazine

Joseph Leighton Trio
Sun 14th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
One of Ireland’s brightest new jazz talents

Odette Michell
+ Craig Joiner
Mon 15th September
FolkAndRoots presents a double bill featuring 2 award-winning British folk artists… Mitchell: ★★★★ “Warm and rustic…Graceful and mysterious” Maverick + Joiner: “His personal based songs are very accessible, with all the foibles of life that we can relate to.” FATEA

TALENTBANQ presents… Dylan and the Moon
Tue 16th September
TALENTBANQ presents… Romantic, cinematic, storytelling rockstar — a timeless songwriter with a voice that knows both the pain you hide and how to set you free
**SOLD OUT**

James Lloyd Smith
Tue 16th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Indie Folk artist from The Garden of England who blends intricate melodies with organic instrumentation

Seán Millar
Wed 17th September
“An Irish National treasure. The poet laureate of Dublin’s dark side” The Irish Times

Filkin’s Drift
Wed 17th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
From delicate Welsh folk-songs to traditional English dance tunes, the pair blend fiddle and guitar with their ‘gorgeous close vocal harmonies’ (Folk Radio UK).

St. Catherine’s Child
Wed 17th September
ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH
“Softly stunning, mesmerising country-tinged indie” Holler

Louella & Anoushka Lucas
Thu 18th September
A special double bill featuring musical sisters Louella Lucas (full band) & Anoushka Lucas (duo show) - ‘[Anoushka Lucas] ...an exceptional voice and a great songwriter’ Jamie Callum, BBC Introducing)

Phil Cooper
Thu 18th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
A contemporary folk-pop troubadour best known as one third of folk/Americana trio The Lost Trades

The Coal Porters
Thu 18th September
THE WATER RATS
The world’s first “alt-bluegrass” act… demonstrating the power of fiddle, mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar and doghouse bass when matched with four-part harmonies and memorable melodies!

Dom Glynn
& His Sunday Best
Fri 19th September
Singer-songwriter and fingerpicker extraordinaire, combines a style of songwriting influenced by Bob Dylan and Hank Williams Sr., with a guitar style inspired by Mississippi John Hurt and Doc Watson

Irene Serra
Fri 19th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
Critically-acclaimed Italian Jazz vocalist with a repertoire of eclectic tunes from straight ahead jazz standards, swinging blues and beautiful Brazilian songs to quirky pop arrangements.

The Mountain Firework Company
Sat 20th September
Irish Mountain Music for City Folk… “They really pack a punch with their full-on rocking acoustic bluegrassy folk” Folk Radio UK

Dale Storr
Sat 20th September
THE BASEMENT BAR
“If there is a better New Orleans-style pianist in the UK than the outrageously talented Dale Storr, please point me in his or her direction because he or she must be very, very special” ~ Blues In Britain magazine… tonight celebrating the music of Dr.John and James Booker

Open-mic hosted by Rob Thom
Sun 21st September
Well-established, relaxed and friendly open mic…

McDermott & North ‘Anything But’ Single Launch
Sun 21st September
Queensland troubadours known for their harmony-rich songwriting, magnetic live shows, and timeless indie-folk charm

Bossa Nova - Tribute to João Gilberto by Mario Bakuna
Sun 21st September
THE BASEMENT BAR
A concert dedicated to João Gilberto - the “father of Bossa Nova”

Green Note, 106 Parkway, London, NW1 7AN

http://www.greennote.co.uk

Guildford Jazz - Programme for October 2025.

Tuesday, September 02, 2025

Mick Thomas has forwarded details of forthcoming events at Guildford Jazz.

GUILDFORD JAZZ - OCTOBER EVENTS

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

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

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

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

Guido Spannocchi - Forward Motion Tour Autumn 2025.

Tuesday, September 02, 2025

Alto saxophonist & composer Guido Spannocchi has announced tour dates in the UK, Europe and South Africa. Details attached.

Guido Spannocchi writes;

Forward Motion Tour Autumn 2025

Throughout summer I had the privilege of running regular shows in various parks across London as well as playing at the wonderful Bloomsbury Club which has become a fixture on the scene. These concerts enabled my to write new music and work with a number of exquisite musicians, now the time has come to showcase this in a club near you!

As often before this tour is a high risk operation entirely based on trust, ticket sales and turnout at gigs therefore success of the tour depends on you, the audience!
Please find all dates and personnel below, let me know if you have questions, I cannot wait to share the stage with these master musicians and play for you, feel free to tell friends and family, this new sound is extra special, I am incredibly excited to see you and hear what you have to say!

9.Sept 8pm B-Flat Berlin
with Dudu Kouate percussion (Art Ensemble of Chicago), Daigo Nakai bass, Yanimal synth/piano

16.Sept 8pm Jamboree Barcelona
with Joel Gonzalez piano, Pau Ligstas bass, Emiliano Franco drums

18.Sept 8pm Vinoteq Dover
with Aleph Aguiar guitar, Andrea DiBiase bass

20.Sept 9pm Bloomsbury Club London
with Steve Ashworth organ, Kai McRae drums

21.Sept 1pm Chelsea Arts Festival at Newforms

21.Sept 8pm Southampton Modern Jazz Club
with Aleph Aguiar guitar, Andrea Di Biase bass, Pete Hill drums

24.Sept 8pm Twickenham Jazz Club
with Aleph Aguiar guitar, Andrea Di Biase bass, Pete Hill drums

27.Sept 9pm Bloomsbury Club London
with Pete Whittaker organ, Joel Prime percussion

30.Sept 8pm Porgy & Bess Vienna
with Danny Keane cello, James Larter vibraphone, Andrea Di Biase bass (this will also be streamed on porgy.at should be unable to attend in person)

3.Oct Scott’s Jazzclub Belfast
with Scott Flanigan piano and his rhythm section

4.Oct Bloomsbury Club London

8-28.Oct South Africa Tour,
details available on my homepage soon

28.Oct-1.Nov Global Connection Festival Guernsey
with Danny Keane piano, Jay Darwish bass, Billy Pod drums

Please double check with venues as timings might change. Should you plan to come to one or several of the shows please book tickets in advance to secure your spot!
Thank you for supporting independent music and my journey! As always I strive to deliver the best possible performances in reverence to the magic of making music and you, the audience!

Regular updates and information via my social media channels. Albums available on all streaming platforms as well as on vinyl LPs & CDs via bandcamp or personal message.

https://audioguido.com/

https://audioguido.bandcamp.com/music

Jazz North announces the latest recipients of its promoter support scheme, New Northern.

Tuesday, September 02, 2025

Jazz North has announced the seven promoters awarded bursaries to present emerging artists in their programmes through its support scheme, New Northern. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Meet the promoters making a difference to emerging talent across the North of England

Jazz North announces the latest recipients of its promoter support scheme, New Northern

The bursaries will support fees and costs for northern emerging artists and support acts

Today, Jazz North announces the seven promoters awarded bursaries to present emerging artists in their programmes through its support scheme, New Northern.

Bursaries up to £1000 were awarded to -

Ann Harding - Settle Victoria Hall (North Yorkshire)

Dave Shooter - Lancaster Jazz Festival

John Diver - Brume (Manchester)

Paul Hartley - Stockport Jazz

Natalie Sharp - The Badness Centre (Todmorden)

Dave Ellis - Hulljazz

Jason Holcomb - North East Music Opportunities (Sunderland)

Chris Bye, Jazz North CEO, says:
“Jazz North is proud to announce the latest round of New Northern promoters. This programme continues to provide support to those keeping grassroots music alive.
Jazz North stands alongside the vital people who facilitate our local scenes, promote new talent and make up an essential part of the northern night time economy.”

The 25/26 New Northern recipients will be using their bursaries in a range of ways to promote emerging talent across the north of England.

Brume
Brume is proud to use this bursary to connect with more jazz musicians across the north west and support the careers of those who are underrepresented or face additional barriers in Manchester and beyond.

Hulljazz
Support from New Northern will help Hulljazz secure opportunities for local and regional musicians alongside touring British and overseas artists seeking additional dates in the Yorkshire region.

Lancaster Jazz Festival
The New Northern bursary will enable Lancaster Jazz Festival to select two emerging bands from their open call to play a gig at partner venue The Gregson Centre showcasing the local jazz scene.

North East Music Opportunities CIC
North East Music Opportunities CIC are collaborating with Sunderland Music City and The Fire Station music venue to create a new regional Jazz Festival in Sunderland. Their bursary will be used to support diverse artists performing Music of Black Origin.

Settle Victoria Hall
Settle Victoria Hall will use their bursary to support a new generation of artists through a concert series designed to give fresh talent a footing on the professional ladder and providing new listening experiences for their rural Dales audience.

Stockport Jazz
Stockport Jazz supports new and established jazz musicians through the promotion of weekly gigs held at the Moor Club. It is delighted to be able to assist the development of emerging jazz talent from the North of England with support from New Northern and Jazz North.

The Badness Centre
Badness Centre, realised by Nat Sharp, is an accessible, immersive rebellion against consumerist wellness, celebrating chaotic-ecological connection. Showcasing emerging Northern artists in experimental jazz, electronic, and avant-garde music, it combines concerts and sensory-rich installations in rural spaces like Rochdale and Todmorden, creating fully accessible events informed by local disability action groups.

Nanette Brimble (YardFest, Saltaire), Recipient of 24/25 New Northern bursary says:
“New Northern is a fantastic scheme that gave me the chance to reach out to a wider range of artists. We were able to present a month of emerging artists which we couldn’t have done without the support from Jazz North. We were all (bands, venue, audiences and me) delighted with the results.”

For more information on upcoming events supported by New Northern, sign up to Jazz North’s mailing list: https://www.jazznorth.org/sendmemail

About Jazz North
Jazz North is the Strategic Development Agency for jazz in the North of England.
Supported since its inception in 2012 by Arts Council England, Jazz North has a national and international reputation in Artist Development, Sector Support and Learning & Participation.
A registered charity that has developed and supported hundreds of artists, managers, venues, festivals and promoters over the years - Jazz North has a proud record of working with and on behalf of the northern jazz scene.

About New Northern
New Northern is Jazz North’s promoter bursary to support live emerging talent. It supports promoters to programme emerging northern artists by underwriting risk and helping pay essential costs.
Designed both to support emerging artists in the north and give an injection of cash to promoters who need it, this easy-access scheme offers a quick intervention to northern grassroots promoters facing difficult financial circumstances.

http://www.jazznorth.org

Derby Jazz - Jam Sessions and Workshops, Autumn 2025.

Monday, September 01, 2025

Derby Jazz is offering three different sets of playing and learning opportunities this season. Details attached.

We have received the following information;

WANT TO PLAY JAZZ AND MEET OTHER JAZZ PLAYERS?

Derby Jazz is offering three different sets of playing and learning opportunities this season.

DERBY JAZZ COLLECTIVE JAM SESSIONS Second Wednesday of every month at DUBREK. These self directed sessions are Ideal for competent players and singers with some experience of jazz.

THE FEELING OF JAZZ - SEVEN WORKSHOPS EXPLORING IMPROVISATION THROUGH THE MUSIC OF DUKE ELLINGTON. This monthly series of Sunday afternoon structured workshops are lead by Matt Ratcliffe. They start on September 14th and we still have places available for most intruments.

PLAY JAZZ WORKSHOPS. Held on the first Tuesday of every month these workshops, directed by Matt Ratcliffe, are designed to improve your jazz skills. If you’re a competent musician who wants to try playing jazz or an experienced jazz player who wants to improve these workshops are for you

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS AND TICKETS FOR THESE SESSIONS
https://mjazz.co.uk/derby-jazz-whats-on/

Nigel Price Organ Trio - UK & Ireland Tour, September - December 2025.

Friday, August 29, 2025

Guitarist Nigel Price will lead his Organ Trio featuring Ross Stanley (Hammond) and Joel Barford (drums) on an extensive tour of the UK & Ireland throughout the Autumn of 2025. Schedule attached.

From;
https://nigethejazzer.com/tour

Nigel Price Organ Trio tour dates

MONDAY 15 SEPTEMBER7:00 PM
Crediton, UK
Crediton Arts Centre

TUESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER6:30 PM
St. Ives, UK
St Ives Jazz Club

WEDNESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER
Torquay, UK
Livermead Cliff Hotel

THURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER
Ashburton, UK
Ashburton Arts Centre

FRIDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 7:00 PM
Lyme Regis, UK
Jazz Jurassica

FRIDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 6:30 PM
Stevenage, UK
Unknown venue

SUNDAY 28 SEPTEMBER   4:00 PM
Newport, UK
Apollo Theatre

SATURDAY 4 OCTOBER11:00 AM
Swindon, UK
Unknown venue

SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER7:00 PM
London, UK
Pizza Express Live

TUESDAY 7 OCTOBER7:00 PM
Swindon, UK
The Royal Oak Swindon

WEDNESDAY 8 OCTOBER
Swansea, UK
Swansea Jazz Club

THURSDAY 9 OCTOBER6:30 PM
Cardiff, UK
Palladino’s Jazz Bar

FRIDAY 10 OCTOBER7:00 PM
Bristol, UK
Tobacco Factory

SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER6:30 PM
Shrewsbury, UK
The Hive

SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER6:00 PM
Norwich, UK
Norwich Jazz Club

SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER 7:00 PM
Oxford, UK
The Spin

TUESDAY 28 OCTOBER7:30 PM
Dorking, UK
Watermill Jazz

THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER 7:00 PM
Leeds, UK
Seven Arts

FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER 7:00 PM
Wakefield, UK
Wakefield Jazz Club

SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2:00 PM
Northampton, UK
Garibaldi Hotel

FRIDAY 7 NOVEMBER 7:00 PM
Kidderminster, UK
Kidderminster Jazz Club

SATURDAY 8 NOVEMBER 6:00 PM
Nottingham, UK
Peggy’s Skylight

FRIDAY 21 NOVEMBER
Royston, UK
Unknown venue

SATURDAY 22 NOVEMBER
Brighton, UK
The Verdict

SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER
Dublin, Ireland
Magy’s Farm

SUNDAY 30 NOVEMBER3:30 PM
Dublin, Ireland
Arthur’s Jazz and Blues Club

SUNDAY 7 DECEMBER
Lowestoft, UK
Milestones Jazz Club

WEDNESDAY 10 DECEMBER
Southend, UK
Jazz 825

THURSDAY 11 DECEMBER
St. Neots, UK
Art & Soul Cafe

Tickets links at;
https://nigethejazzer.com/tour

Ben Shankland Trio - UK Tour, September 2025.

Friday, August 29, 2025

Pianist and composer Ben Shankland will lead his trio on a tour of the UK in September 2025. Schedule attached.

Jazz at the Lescar
UK trio tour with Ewan Hastie and Jonathan Silk
03/09/25, 20:30
The Lescar, Sharrow Vale Road, Sharrow, Sheffield, UK

Jazz at the Priestly
UK trio tour with James Ostwon and Jonathan Silk
05/09/25, 20:00
Latvian Welfare Fund & Club, Clifton Villas, Bradford, UK

The Globe
UK trio tour with Ewan Hastie and Jonathan Silk
07/09/25, 20:00
The Globe, Railway Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Jazz at the Flute and Tankard
UK trio tour with Ewan Hastie and Jonathan Silk
09/09/25, 20:30
Flute & Tankard, Windsor Place, Cardiff, UK

Swansea Jazz Club
UK trio tour with Ewan Hastie and Jonathan Silk
10/09/25, 20:00
Swansea Jazz Club, Cu Mumbles, Newton Road, Langland, Newton, Swansea, UK

Birmingham Jazz, 1000 Trades
UK trio tour with Ewan Hastie and Jonathan Silk
12/09/25, 19:45
1000 Trades Jewellery Quarter, Frederick Street, Birmingham, UK

Ashburton Arts
UK trio tour with Ewan Hastie and Jonathan Silk
16/09/25, 19:30
Ashburton Arts Centre, West Street, Ashburton, Newton Abbot, UK

Jazz at the Blue Lamp
UK trio tour with Ewan Hastie and Chun-Wei Kang
25/09/25, 20:00
The Blue Lamp, Gallowgate, Aberdeen, UK

The Jazz Bar
UK trio tour with Ewan Hastie and Chun-Wei Kang
26/09/25, 18:30
The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, UK

Basement Jazz Cafe
UK trio tour with Ali Watson and Chun-Wei Kang
27/09/25, 20:00
Basement Jazz Cafe, Bath Lane, Glasgow, UK

Ticket links to all shows at;
https://www.benshankland.co.uk/gigs

606 Jazz Club, Chelsea, London, Programme for September 2025.

Friday, August 29, 2025

Laura Thorne of the 606 Club has forwarded details of the venue's live music programme for September 2025. Fully detailed schedule attached.

Laura Thorne writes;

Hello all you connoisseurs of culture and lovers of live music – greetings from the 606 in Chelsea, known for presenting the best jazz, soul, Latin, groove, R&B & blues musicians in the UK bar none.

This mail provides information about our live performances from the 1st to the 30th of September. Information about all of these events, along with photos, video clips etc are on the website now for your consumption: https://www.606club.co.uk/events/

606 CLUB – SEPTEMBER 2025 GIG GUIDE

Mon 1st   8:00pm   HARRY WHITTY’S FLAMING ALLIGATORS  
Inspired by the likes of iconic New Orleans jazz & blues musicians such as Allen Toussaint & Professor Longhair, The Flaming Alligators are a welcome addition to the European blues/Americana circuit. Fronted by multi-instrumentalist & singer Harry Whitty, the band features a standout lineup of Rob Updegraff-guitar, Tom Waters- sax/piano, Johnny Mayers-bass and Jack Thomas-drums who collectively have worked with Dana Gillespie, Mark Kavuma/Banger Factory, Ronnie Wood, Chicago, Sister Act & more. Boasting some of the finest instrumental playing in the UK mixed with a deep love of the blues and vocal harmony seasoned with flavours of New Orleans, Texas and Chicago, this promises to be a terrific show.
“The musician who stood out was…Harry Whitty” Broadway Baby

Tue 2nd   8:00pm         SOPHIE ALLOWAY’S BIRTHDAY GIG  
Drummer Sophie Alloway has for some years been the musician of choice for a wide variety of high-profile artists. She includes Later with Jools Holland, the Mercury Music Prize, Glastonbury Festival and King Charles III on a vast cv and her featured tracks on ‘Abbey Road Masters: The Drum Sessions’ have been used on radio and TV across the world. Tonight Sophie will be celebrating her birthday with an outstanding show including Mornington Lockett-sax, Paul Stacey (Royal Scammers, Oasis)-guitar & Laurence Cottle-bass. And watch out for some Special Guests! Promises to be a lot of fun!
“Goddess of groove…Sophie Alloway” Jazz FM;
“Lockett must be one of the most complete masters of the instrument alive today” Observer;
“Stacey’s ...brilliant guitar work” Concertlivewire;
“[Cottle]… is simply one of the most incredible bassists I’ve ever heard” Global Bass  

Wed 3rd   8:00pm   GIULIO ROMANO
After extensive studies in his native Italy guitarist Giulio Romano came to London in 2011…and never left. He quickly gained work as a studio player, live performer and composer in an eclectic variety of styles and settings, including work with the likes of Award-winning guitarist Antonio Forcione, world harmonica champion Greg Miller and Grammy award-winning producer/musician Phil Ramacon. He has released four albums under his own name and is also well established in the Gypsy Jazz world with his swing band “Gypsy Dynamite”. For this show, Giulio has chosen a selection of jazz and groove tunes by the likes of Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton, George Duke and Quincy Jones, along with his original compositions from his latest album ‘Adriatic Soul’. Also featuring Chris Jerome (Courtney Pine, Shez Raja)-piano & Nicholas Py (Yolanda Charles, Second Brain)-drums.
“...a skilled player of jazz, funk and fusion…Romano displays an impressive fluency…and his…playing is of a remarkably high standard” The Jazz Mann

Thu 4th   8:00pm     JAMES PEARSON TRIO
James Pearson is probably best known for his association with Ronnie Scott’s, where he has been the house pianist and artistic director for over 15 years. His powerful, swinging playing has been heard in an astonishing variety of settings and his ‘musical portraits’ of pianists Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, Erroll Garner and Dudley Moore, all of whom have influenced James’s own style, are legendary. Appearing with his classic piano trio this evening you can expect to hear swinging rearrangements of jazz standards alongside a few original compositions, all fused together with brilliant anecdotes about life as a jazz pianist. Also featuring Jeremy Brown-bass & Shane Forbes-drums.
“…outstanding players…they’re a joy to listen to” Guardian;
“James’ dazzling playing…driving hard, yet sensitive” London Jazz News

Fri 5th     9:00pm   PETE HORSFALL
Singer, trumpet player, songwriter and producer Pete Horsfall is a wonderful musician, probably best known for his work with Kansas Smitty’s, of which he is a founding member. He has performed at most major UK jazz venues and festivals and has made numerous international appearances, including Paris’ Duc Des Lombards and a week in New York for Jazz at Lincoln Center. His album, ‘Nighthawks’, was acclaimed by the Guardian as ‘ravishing’, and he’s also worked with artists including DJ Shadow, De La Soul, Kurt Elling, Jamie Cullum & Guy Barker. Tonight he returns to the 606 with his outstanding ensemble featuring Fraser Urquhart-piano, Will Sach-bass & Jack Thomas-drums to “explore new material from their deep and eclectic engagement with the jazz tradition”.
“A bittersweet beautiful voice and timeless trumpet” BBC Radio 2;
“Truly a unique new voice” Jazz FM;
“...individual and refreshing” Jazz in Europe *****

Sat 6th     9:00pm   TOM SMITH
Renowned virtuoso London saxophonist Tom Smith has established himself as a performer of flair and passion, working with the likes of Grammy Award-winner Maria Schneider, Donny McCaslin (David Bowie) and more. As well as his fluent and impressive playing Tom is also a well-respected composer and arranger, most notably with his own Tom Smith Big Band. In addition, he’s released two critically acclaimed albums, “Gecko,” produced by Tim Garland and his latest, “A Year In The Life” with the big band. For this show Tom brings his hard swinging quartet to the 606, featuring Tom Cawley-piano, Dan Casimir-bass and Justin Tambini-drums, to perform a mix of Tom’s original music from his recent album and some of his favourite songs from jazz history. He describes the set as “drawing inspiration from films and stories to take you on a journey filled with soaring melodies, heavy swing and edge-of-your seat improvisation”.
“Smith…something really special…great writing, terrific playing” UK Jazz News;
“Tom Smith…a gifted…artist.” John Fordham, Jazzwise
     

Sun 7th   1:30pm   SUNDAY LUNCH: ZOE FRANCIS FT. JIM MULLEN  
Zoe Francis started singing jazz while living and working in New York, and soon became a regular fixture on the scene. Her first three albums showcasing her beautiful voice as well as her exquisite choice of material were all received with much praise and today Zoe will be performing a mix of classic standards alongside material from her latest album, ‘Somewhere in the Night’. Zoe’s knack for capturing the nature of these songs brings them to life and elevates her performances to the exceptional. Also featuring iconic guitarist Jim Mullen (Morrissey/Mullen), Gareth Williams-piano, Calum Gourlay-bass and Steve Brown-drums.
“Great interpreter of the Great American Songbook” Jazz Journal;
“a classy, poised singer” London Jazz News

Sun 7th     8:00pm   NATALIE DUNCAN
Singer/songwriter/pianist Natalie Duncan came to wider attention following her appearance on the BBC programme “Goldie’s Band by Royal Appointment”, with the Guardian declaring “An incandescent star is born”. Shortly thereafter she featured on “Later with Jools Holland” and released “Free”, which received a five-star review. Most recently she has been a featured singer with ground-breaking jazz/groove outfit Incognito. Tonight she will be celebrating some of the greatest singer/songwriter/pianists of all time, including Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone alongside a mix of her own music and some of the songs that have inspired her. Making up the rest of the trio will be Alan Mian-bass & Dave Browning-drums.
“She…has developed her own soulfully compelling style as well as a voice whose honeyed, silky caresses are to die for” MOJO

Mon 8th   8:00pm   REMEMBERING MARTIN HUMMEL
Tonight we honour the life and legacy of Martin Hummel, the much-loved founder of Ubuntu Music, who passed away earlier this year. A passionate champion of jazz in all its forms Martin’s influence reached far and wide, from nurturing rising stars to giving seasoned greats the platform they deserve. His unwavering commitment to musical excellence and inclusivity helped make Ubuntu Music one of the UK’s most respected jazz labels, with a roster that has included Tim Garland, Joe Webb, Elaine Delmar, Andrew McCormack and many more. Martin’s friends, trumpeter Quentin Collins and vocalist Noemi Nuti, have gathered together a stellar line-up of artists wanting to pay tribute to Martin’s vision, generosity and spirit. Confirmed performers include Paul Booth, Luca Boscagin, Darius Brubeck, Alina Bzhezhinska, Camilla George, Mark Kavuma, Tony Kofi, Rob Luft, Dave O’Higgins, Leo Richardson and Vasilis Xenopoulos, with more to be announced. Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are”, was more than just a name, it was the philosophy that shaped his life and career. He brought people together through music and this celebration will reflect that unity, joy and the enduring power of jazz to connect us all.
Music Charge - £25/person which will be donated to Royal Trinity Hospice in Clapham, whose outstanding care supported Martin and his family in his final months.

Tue 9th   8:00pm   DAN REINSTEIN  
American-born saxophonist Dan Reinstein first began playing at the old 606 Club when a medical student in the 1980’s. He returned to the US in the early 90s to become one of the world’s leading laser eye surgeons (he’s now Professor Reinstein). But when he returned to London, it was great to hear his fluent, classic hard-bop, muscular sax playing again and the rest, as they say, is history-Dan & his quartet have performed here for the last 20+ years and still going!
”...impressive hard-bop saxophonist” Time Out

Wed 10th   8:00pm   JONATHAN GEE QUINTET FT DENYS BAPTISTE & JARI PERKIÖMÄKI
The award-winning pianist/singer Jonathan Gee is a long established and respected bandleader and sought-after sideman who includes work with the likes of Joe Lovano, Mark Murphy & Benny Golson. Tonight he is appearing with his quintet featuring multi-Award-winning saxophonist Denys Baptiste (McCoy Tyner, Courtney Pine) alongside their special Award-winning guest from Finland, the alto sax star Jari Perkiomaki (Reggie Workman, Billy Cobham). The first Finnish Doctor of Music in the field of jazz he is now the Rector of the University of the Arts, Helsinki and in 2005 received the biggest jazz award in Finland, the Yrjö Award. Tonight the band will be playing selections from Wayne Shorter, Spandau Ballet and Thelonious Monk, plus originals from Jonathan and Jari. And if all that wasn’t enough Jonathan will also be singing selections from his latest vocal album, “The Lions Revisited”!
“Gee…his breathlessly sparkling originality shines through” Jazzwise;
“Denys Baptiste…icon of British jazz” Time Magazine;
“Perkiomaki…his experience, talent and continuous curiosity…make him a true influencer in jazz” Jazz Finland

Thu 11th   8:00pm   JACQUI HICKS – ALBUM LAUNCH
Jacqui Hicks took the scene by storm in the early 90’s with a fruitful and acclaimed partnership with beloved UK pianist John Critchinson that led to two acclaimed jazz albums. At the same time she also started working with the iconic Brit funk band Shakatak, a musical relationship that has endured to this day. And, an established studio singer she has sung on a host of tracks from film scores to jingles. During the pandemic Jacqui joined an online songwriting group led by the highly regarded bassist/producer Geoff Gascoyne (Jamie Cullum), and “Song Club” was born! Jacqui’s first album of totally original material, it traces its lineage to greats such as Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Carole King and Al Jarreau. For the launch tonight Jacqui has put together a very special band: Graham Harvey-piano; Malcolm MacFarlane-guitar; Geoff Gascoyne-bass; Jack Pollitt-drums alongside a horn section of Andy Greenwood, Mike Lovatt, Adrian Revell & Pat Hartley plus Alison Jiear, Simon Foster-backing vocals. Promises to be a lot of fun!
“A singer of warmth, poise and intelligence, whose smoky voice is a pleasure to listen to” Yorkshire Post;
“Jacqui Hicks is…one of the most soulful singers in Britain” MU Magazine

Fri 12th   9:00pm   BEVERLEY SKEETE
Beverley Skeete’s career in the music industry is the stuff that dreams are made of. A first call singer for numerous high-profile artists including Robbie Williams, Tina Turner and Elton John she was also a pivotal member of ex-Rolling Stones’ bassist Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings. Her talent and versatility have put her in a class that few can equal. And watch out for her Special Guests: Frankie Connolly-vocals/guitar & Marizia Pyzer-Skeete-vocals.
“Skeete…came into her own with a perfectly paced version of James Brown’s ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s World’” London Jazz News

Sat 13th   9:00pm   MORNINGTON LOCKETT QUINTET FT MARTIN SHAW
Saxophonist, composer and teacher Mornington Lockett first came to prominence with the Ronnie Scott Quintet in the 1990’s before releasing four critically acclaimed albums of his own, winning the 2002 British Jazz Award for Best Small Group. One of the UK’s great sax players Mornington’s Special Guest tonight is trumpeter Martin Shaw. Widely regarded as one of the finest jazz trumpet players in Europe Martin’s powerful yet wonderfully fluent playing has been heard with the likes of Sting & Natalie Cole. A featured soloist with the BBC Big Band his melodic improvisations and warm, fluid, sound are universally admired.
“Lockett…one of the most complete masters of the instrument alive today” The Observer;
“Shaw …impressive….one of Europe’s top trumpeters” Jazz Times

Sun 14th   1:30pm   SUNDAY LUNCH: GOSPEL WITH BRENDA EMMANUEL  
This month we are pleased to present one of the soloists from our own 606 Gospel Group, the wonderful UK-born, Jamaica-raised Brenda ‘Silverfox’ Emmanuel.  A powerful and highly respected performer on the UK Gospel scene, today, she’ll be featuring music from her latest album, “Wait for The Day.” Featuring five original tracks across reggae, jazz, and praise & worship, it promises to be an afternoon of soul-stirring music, delicious food, and warm atmosphere—perfect for the whole family!

Sun 14th     8:00pm   GABRIELLE STRAVELLI    
Praised by The New York Times for her “phenomenal voice” US vocalist & songwriter Gabrielle Stravelli brings soulful swing, sharp lyricism, and a deep connection to the Great American Songbook. Her CV is vast, including touring the U.S. with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and work as a U.S. State Department “Jazz Ambassador”, with performances and educational seminars throughout Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South America. This year alone Gabrielle has made her first headlining appearance at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, made her Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Pops Orchestra and released her fifth album, “Beautiful Moons Ago”, songs from which she will be performing tonight. Joined by legendary US bassist Pat O’Leary (Lionel Hampton, Diana Krall, Bob Dorough), Fraser Urquhart-piano and Steve Brown-drums this promises to be an unparalleled evening of sophistication and style.
“…the voice of Gabrielle Stravelli cuts through like a lighthouse of emotional integrity” Downbeat;
“Listening to…Gabrielle Stravelli is like imbibing a potent cocktail…that recalled Ella Fitzgerald in her prime” The New York Times

Mon 15th     8:00pm   PHIL MULFORD’S THUNDERTHUMBS
Join us to celebrate the great Soul and Funk songs from the likes of George Benson and Michael Jackson with “Thunderthumbs”, the 10-piece band led by bassist Phil Mulford. Inspired by the great US bassist Louis Johnson’s work the set runs from Louis’ time with Billy Preston in 1972 through to his own band The Brothers Johnson and the Quincy Jones hits on which he played. The gig features 3 brilliant singers, Jacqui Hicks (see 11th), Debbie Bracknell (Shakatak) & Simon Foster (Flying Pickets), a deeply grooving rhythm section and powerhouse horns. The music tonight will feature a tribute to the late, great, Quincy Jones.
“Hicks…a singer of warmth, poise and intelligence” Yorkshire Post;
“Take Stevie Wonder, Joe Cocker, that dude from The Commitments, Michael McDonald…and roll them up into one and you get something resembling the virtuosity that Simon Foster shows” RARB.org

Tue 16th   8:00pm   TIM LAPTHORN TRIO  
Best-known at the Club as the pianist with Dan Reinstein’s quartet, Tim Lapthorn is a brilliant musician who has performed with the likes of John McLaughlin, Branford Marsalis, Chris Potter, and Ron Carter. Tonight we are pleased to welcome Tim with his latest trio featuring two superb UK musicians, Conor Chaplin-bass and Darren Beckett-drums. In addition to a selection of new originals they will be featuring reworkings of classics by the likes of Thelonious Monk and Ray Noble, the theme tune from ‘Cheers’ and a track from a Gene Wilder film (yet to be revealed!). Tim’s lyrical, quirky and harmonically adventurous style has won him much critical acclaim - promises to be a delight.
“Lapthorn blends witty invention with deep swing and unerring reassuring balance.” MOJO;
“Beautifully executed” Jazzwise;
“Amazing piano playing” Ed Sheeran

Wed 17th   8:00pm     BRYAN CORBETT’s INSTRUMENTAL GROOVE UNIT
An experienced and highly regarded trumpet player the Award-winning Bryan Corbett includes work with the likes of Us3, The Brand New Heavies, Mica Paris and Jocelyn Brown on an impressive cv.  A featured soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra he was the recipient of the ‘Jerwood Rising Star’ at Cheltenham International Festival. Tonight Bryan is bringing to the Club his latest project, “Instrumental Groove Unit”, which features his thoughtful, beautifully melodic, flowing, trumpet playing and which he describes as “An original project full of improvisation, hip grooves, beautiful melodies, unique musicianship, interplay and virtuosity, with emphasis on the ‘pocket’ of groove and freedom of improvisation”. Also featuring Luke Harris (The Brand New Heavies)-drums, Paul Deats-kybds & Wayne Matthews-bass this promises to be an exciting but highly musical take on the jazz/groove idiom.
“I’d heard a lot of good things about IGU and…the band didn’t disappoint.  Corbett’s trumpet soloing…was…fluent, his tone warm and rounded” Jazz Mann;
“Corbett…shows he’s able to rise above the naffness of much contemporary jazz fusion” Jazzwise

Thu 18th   8:00pm   RAY GELATO/SIMON SPILLETT – TWO TENORS  
Ray Gelato and Simon Spillett are both well-loved cornerstones of the UK jazz scene, Ray with his hugely popular Giants, Simon with his big band and quartet and tonight they come together to celebrate a shared passion for the tenor saxophone. Expect an exciting night of music drawing in blues, ballads and bop, delivered with refreshingly contrasting styles but always with the emphasis on swing. Admirers of the rich tradition of jazz tenor, their repertoire focuses upon the core elements of great songs and a hard swinging rhythm section. If you love the classic, melodic, swinging sax sounds of US masters such as Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins & Gene Ammons then you’ll love this!
“Britain’s “Godfather of Swing”, singer and saxophonist Ray Gelato” Observer;
“Spillett’s playing was rhapsodic, open and rich” UK Jazz News  

Fri 19th   9:00pm   RUMBAND FT MICHAEL BAILEY & AMA LIA
Featuring an array of brilliant and highly experienced musicians from the likes of Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Greece, Dominica, Nigeria, Australia and the UK the Rumband is not named after the alcoholic beverage(!), it actually stands for “Rhythmic Underground Movement”, and rhythmic it certainly is! Led by singer Ama Lia and bassist Michael Bailey the band effortlessly deliver a compelling array of musical styles, from Groove & Latin to Blues & Soul. Collectively the band include work with the likes of Bob Marley, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Pete Townsend, Chaka Khan, Lionel Richie & Beyonce and Ama Lia describes it as “a unique family of musicians with an immense wealth of experience, music and stories”.
“Ama Lia has a…rich and strong story telling sassy voice which commands…attention” Soul Survivors Magazine

Sat 20th   9:00pm   JAMES DAVISON QUARTET
Recipient of the Worshipful Company of Musicians Young Jazz Musician of the Year Award, trumpeter James Davison works with premier ensembles across both jazz and classical music, including the BBC Big Band, Royal Philharmonic Orchestras and popular West End shows. James is a powerful force on the UK scene and this evening he will be performing material associated with some of his favourite trumpet players, including Chet Baker, Louis Armstrong, Clark Terry and Freddie Hubbard. Also featuring the ace rhythm section of Sam Watts-piano, Adam King-bass & Steve Brown-drums.
“Davison…in particularly fine form… effervescent…thrilling” The Jazz Mann

Sun 21st   1:30pm   SUNDAY LUNCH: ERIKO ISHIHARA
A fine singer and an excellent jazz pianist Eriko has established an enviable reputation on the UK jazz scene, as well as major concert halls in Hong Kong and Korea. With four albums to her name, the latest featuring the iconic US sax legend Scott Hamilton, her intimate programme of jazz standards and bossa novas is the perfect way to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Also featuring Colin Oxley (Stacey Kent)-guitar.
“immaculate…stylish…passionate” New World;
“Classy!” Swing Journal Japan

Sun 21st   8:00pm       MO PLEASURE  
One of the great multi-instrumentalists of his generation bass player/pianist/trumpeter Morris “Mo” Pleasure has been at the forefront of US popular music for more than 30 years. He began his professional career with Ray Charles before moving to work with the likes of Natalie Cole, Dianne Reeves and Chaka Khan. In 1994 he became musical director for the legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire, then toured with Janet Jackson, was on the ill-fated Michael Jackson tour and most recently MD’d for Bette Midler. Tonight’s line-up also features the wonderful vocalist Kedma.
“Pleasure proves that jazz can still be made which is smooth yet textured…varied and interesting… Superb” Soul Express

Mon 22nd   8:00pm   DINO BAPTISTE
Best known here at the Club as the pianist/singer with the iconic Blues singer Dana Gillespie, Dino’s influences include the likes of Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Louis Prima. A busy and successful musician he includes work with the likes of Donald Fagen, Leo Sayer and Jeff Beck and his debut CD “Two Timing Lover” was received with considerable acclaim. It is music from this album plus as Dino puts it “an exclusive selection of old hits from my idols Ray Charles and Nat King Cole” that he will be performing tonight.
“Dino Baptiste…impressive…among the best of the…British blues keyboard players” Blues on Stage  

Tue 23rd   8:00pm     DAVID PRESTON    
A finalist at the Montreux International Guitar competition, David Preston includes work with the likes of Melody Gardot, Curtis Stigers, David Binney, Gary Husband, Eska & Goldie on an impressive cv. He released his debut album ‘Purple / Black’ to significant acclaim (“Editor’s Choice” Jazzwise) and tonight he will be appearing with his quintet, performing his impressive, melodic and evocative originals alongside the occasional jazz standard. Joining David in this collaboration will be top UK musicians including Emma Rawicz-sax, Freddie Jensen-bass & Marc Michel-drums. 
“Rich in intensity…spellbinding” UK Vibe;
“A superb modern jazz guitarist” Time Out;
“Reimagining jazz-with modern invention and creative innovation” Jazz Journal;
“UK’s hottest jazz guitarist” Musica Terra Magazine (Japan)

Wed 24th   8:00pm   LUCY PICKERING’S COURT AND SPARK – ALBUM LAUNCH
Lucy Pickering has been a professional singer for over 20 years, working with a variety of projects including the Chris Coull Big Band and Terry Pack’s Trees and has appeared at both the South Coast and Love Supreme Jazz Festivals. Tonight, she brings her own project ‘Court and Spark’ to the Club for the release of their album, “Mermaid Café”. A jazz tribute to Laurel Canyon songwriters, it offers fresh jazz interpretations of songs by Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Rickie Lee Jones, and James Taylor. As Lucy says the album is “a collection that balances familiarity with originality, blending lyrical storytelling and jazz harmony in a distinctive and accessible way.” Also featuring Beccy Rork-sax, Andy Williams-guitar, Terry Pack-bass and Milo Fell-drums.
“Lucy’s voice, her capacity for storytelling in song, her fine enunciation…and skilled piano accompaniment… a classy, ego-less performance…we…loved it” Sussex Jazz

Thu 25th   8:00pm   MEL GAYNOR’s JAZZ FUSION PROJECT  
A powerhouse drummer, Mel Gaynor has been a driving force in global pop and rock for over four decades, boasting over 109 million albums sold across his storied career. Best known as the longtime drummer for Simple Minds, his session and live credits span a remarkable range of music royalty, including Gary Moore, Brian May, Peter Gabriel, Elton John, Tina Turner and The Pretenders. In 2006, he released a jazz fusion album, described at the time as “a mix between progressive rock and jazz-fusion”, with Mel citing the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra as his primary influences. The show tonight will showcase these roots, with intricate rhythms, searing grooves, and boundary-pushing interplay. Joining Mel will be outstanding keyboard player John Watson (Sister Sledge, Mica Paris) and bass phenomenon Issy Brown for an electrifying evening of world-class musicianship.
“I have worked with Mel for nearly twenty-five years and that alone has been one of the major highlights from my life time…apart from being one of the finest drummers…Simple Minds became a different beast from the moment of his arrival!”  Jim Kerr
 

Fri 26th   9:00pm   SAMARA FT. CAROLINA LELIS    
Tonight we present an evening celebrating the joyous, rhythmic, delights of classic Brazilian MPB with the 606 Club’s outstanding Brazilian band “Samara”. Featuring the brilliant Brazilian vocalist Carolina Lelis alongside the sophisticated piano of Sam Watts (Jason Marsalis) and the swinging flute of our “Gov’nor” Steve Rubie the band take you on a road trip around Brazil, with music from the South, the North, the North East and beyond. Hear the stories behind some of Brazil’s classic songs and join the band as they perform an infectious blend of Brazilian Samba, Baião, jazz & Latin.
“Cracking Latin-jazz quintet…explores…[Brazilian]…classics in great rhythmic style” Time Out

Sat 27th   9:00pm     QUENTIN COLLINS  
For almost two decades Quentin Collins has had an enviable reputation as a lyrical and melodic trumpet player with a powerful sound and approach. His first album was received to great critical acclaim - “intensely impressive”, “brass virtuoso” - and he has continued to forge an impressive reputation on the UK scene ever since. He includes the likes of Jeff Beck, Omar, Prince and Roy Ayres on a lengthy and impressive cv, but these days is probably best known for his work with the internationally acclaimed Kyle Eastwood Band. Tonight Quentin will be joined by his cracking trio: Deschanel Gordon-piano; Daniel Casimir-bass and Shane Forbes-drums.
“Collins…impressively intense” Jazzwise;
“Collins…England’s top…trumpet master…breathtaking” HMV Magazine

Sun 28th     1:30pm   SUNDAY LUNCH: SARAH JANE EVELEIGH  
Jazz vocalist/songwriter Sarah Jane Eveleigh is respected for her passionate delivery and engaging interpretations of jazz standards. A gifted storyteller who brings a level of style, accuracy and class to her performances, she is building a strong reputation as a sought-after vocalist. This afternoon, in the company of her trio, Sarah will be showcasing some of her favourite standards alongside some of her own excellent compositions.
“A fantastic performance…by Sarah Jane Eveleigh… quite superb” Lemonrock.com

Sun 28th     8:00pm   THE WONDER OF STEVIE FT NOEL MCCALLA & DEREK NASH
Well, this is pretty special, two of the UK’s finest musicians, saxophonist Derek Nash (Jools Holland) and singer Noel McCalla (Manfred Mann), come together to celebrate the music of one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time, Stevie Wonder. Accompanying these two remarkable musicians will be their stellar band, including Tim Cansfield (the Bee Gees)-guitar. Unique and powerful.
“Nash…breathtaking” Sunday Times; “
McCalla…spine tingling” Guardian

Mon 29th   8:00pm   MONSTEROSA FT GRAEME WILSON & REBECCA HOLLWEG (+ EXHIBITION)
Monsterosa emerged from a lockdown project by Edinburgh saxophonist Graeme Wilson to write new songs for five jazz musicians based on iconic Italian author Italo Calvino’s Marcovaldo collection. The stories follow a man trying to recapture country life in an urban setting and the music follows the joy in each moment of possibility he finds. Performed by the wonderful singer Rebecca Hollweg the melodies are rooted in jazz, taking in Wilson’s wider love for soul, folk, and Latin music. The accompanying band itself is indeed All-Star: Mike Outram (Donny McCaslin)-guitar, Andy Hamill (Annie Lennox, Kylie Minogue)-bass and Andres Ticino-drums/percussion.
“The band are terrific: the whole ensemble play with a deftness and sensitivity…a joy to listen to” UK Jazz News;
“Rebecca Hollweg…A great singer who I love very much” Jamie Cullum
EXHIBITION: ALEXANDER HOLLWEG - THE 606 PAINTINGS
This performance will also mark the launch of a very special art exhibition here at the Club, the paintings of Alexander Hollweg, Rebecca’s father. Alexander Hollweg (1936-2020) exhibited internationally during his 60-year career through long relationships with galleries in London, New York and Italy, achieving both commercial and critical success. The New York Times described his works as “witty, intelligent and serious investigations of a middle ground that lies somewhere between painting and sculpture.” His large mural at the Charlotte Street Hotel has become a London landmark, and he has works in many public collections including Tate and Pallant House as well as private collections across the world. From the late 1990’s onwards he was a frequent visitor to the Club, and produced paintings and drawings based on gigs he saw here. He was a much-loved jazz musician and singer himself and often listened to jazz while painting. It is a selection of these works that we will be displaying at the Club through to the 26th of October.

Tue 30th   8:00pm   KATHERINE TIMONEY
Katharine Timoney is one of Ireland’s most compelling contemporary voices, equally at home with modern jazz or soul. Known for her emotive storytelling she draws her influences from icons such as Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse and Gregory Porter.  A recipient of the BBC Young Musicians Platform Award and a winner of the UK Songwriting Contest, her music has earned critical acclaim and international playlist support, including airplay on BBC Radio 2 with Jamie Cullum, Jazz FM and Swiss Jazz Radio. Her upcoming EP ‘All This Time’ (due out in September) explores contemporary themes with honesty and depth. With recent standout performances at Cheltenham Jazz Festival & Cork Guinness Jazz Festival and a growing international presence, Katharine Timoney is definitely one to watch! Also featuring Chris Bland-piano, Joe Lee-bass & Ally McDougal-drums.
“Timoney is an accomplished jazz and soul singer/songwriter…[with a] raunchy, no nonsense voice…The songs are powerful and yet quirky…[and] Timoney nails them!” Bebop Spoken Here

For additional information about our upcoming performances please go to https://www.606club.co.uk/events/.

606 Club
90 Lots Road
Chelsea
London
SW10 0QD

https://www.606club.co.uk/

020 7352 5953

Fringe Jazz at The Bristol Music Club - Programme for October, November, December 2025.

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Jon Taylor of Fringe Jazz, Bristol has forwarded details of the Autumn 2025 programme. Events take place at Bristol Music Club.

Jon Taylor writes;

The Fringe Jazz sessions at The Bristol Music Club are back from Wednesday 8th October.

Here is the Gig List for the Autumn season up to 17th December.

Fringe Jazz at The BRISTOL MUSIC CLUB
76 St Paul’s Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LP
Wednesdays Doors at 7pm, Performance at 7.30pm
ADVANCE TICKETS at http://fringejazz.com/gig-list.html

8th Oct     COMMOTION feat. LAURA JURD - £19
Laura Jurd - Trumpet, Sam Crockatt - Tenor Sax, Raphael Clarkson - Trombone, Rebecca Nash - Piano, Riaan Vosloo - Double Bass, Matt Stockham Brown - Drums

15th Oct   HENRIK JENSEN TRIO - £18
  Henrik Jensen (Denmark) - Double Bass, Esben Tjalve (Denmark) - Piano, Dave Smith (UK) - Drums

22nd Oct   IAIN BALLAMY - £19
Iain Ballamy - Sax, Gareth Williams - Piano,  Nick Pini - Double Bass

29th Oct   JAMES MORTON GROOVE DEN - £19  
James Morton - Alto Sax, Alex Hutchings - Guitar, Anders Olinder - Organ, Francesco Mendolia - Drums

5th Nov   PAUL DUNMALL / STEVE SWELL QUARTET - £19
Paul Dunmall - Sax, Steve Swell (USA) - Trombone, James Owston - Double Bass, Mark Sanders - Drums

12th Nov   SILVERADO
  Tribute to Horace Silver - £19
  Andy Hague - Trumpet, Ben Waghorn - Tenor Sax, Kevin Figes - Alto Sax, Jim Blomfield - Piano, Riaan Vosloo - Double Bass, Ryan Thrupp - Drums

19th Nov   RACHEL MUSSON QUARTET - £19
Rachel Musson - Sax, Elliott Galvin - Piano,  James Opstad - Double Bass, Mark Sanders - Drums

26th Nov   JIM BLOMFIELD SOACO COLLECTIVE - £19      
Michel Padron - Trumpet, Martin Kern - Tenor sax, Jim Blomfield - Piano , Roshan ’Tosh’ Wijetunge - Bass, Lisa Cherian - Congas, Jon Clark - Drums

3 Dec       YDIVIDE feat. Elliot Galvin - £19
Clemens Kuratle (Swiss) - Drums & Compositions, Dee Byrne (UK) - Alto Sax, Chris Guilfoyle (IRL) - Guitar,  Elliot Galvin (UK) - Piano, Lukas Traxel (Swiss) - Bass
           
 

10th Dec   LARRY STABBINS / PAUL ROGERS / MARK SANDERS -  THE SAROST TRIO - £19
Larry Stabbins - Saxophones & Flute, Paul Rogers - Double Bass, Mark Sanders - Drums

17th Dec TONY ORRELL’S BIG TOP XL - £20
Jake McMurchie - Sax, Raphael Clarkson - Trombone, Dan Moore - Piano,  Riaan Vosloo - Bass,  Matt Stockham Brown & Tony Orrell - Drums
Plus several Special Guests TBA

Harben Kay, “The World I Live In” album tour, October 2025.

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Saxophonist and composer Harben Kay will release their new album on October 3rd 2025 and will be touring extensively in the UK throughout October. Press release and tour schedule attached.

We have received the following press release;

Harben Kay
The World I Live In
(Sulis Records, October 3 rd 2025)

Harben Kay is excited to announce the release of their highly anticipated new album, The World I Live In (Sulis Records, October 3rd 2025). This album represents a deeply
personal exploration of identity, transformation, and the way change influences creativity. Written over the past three years, during a time of frequent moves between London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, The World I Live In reflects the shifts in Harben’s life and the profound impact they had on the music.

Inspired by the work of renowned writer Bernardine Evaristo, particularly her book Manifesto, Harben delves into how the process of moving, both physically and mentally, can shape creativity. “There has been a lot of change in my life over the past few years, and this album reflects that,” says Harben. “It’s about how change shapes who we are and influences the music we create.”

The World I Live In marks Harben’s first collaboration with a producer. They were delighted to work with incredible pianist and old friend Fergus McCreadie, who also had their musical beginnings in the Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra. “Fergus is so good at shaping his own music, I knew he would add so much to the music I’d written. We’ve known each other for such a long time and I trust his judgement completely.”

The three rhythm section players bring a sense of deep connection and synchronicity to the album. “We’ve played together for years in various settings, and they are a dream rhythm section,” Harben reflects.

A significant departure for Harben, this album combines spoken word with music for the first time. The title track, “The World I Live In,” is inspired by a Mary Oliver poem of the same name. While Harben was unable to use Oliver’s words, they wrote their own words to convey similar themes of identity, belonging, and connection to the world around us.

In addition to spoken word, Harben makes their debut playing the flute on the album, further enriching the sound and adding a new dimension to the music. The album explores both the beauty and complexity of change, and how it can unlock new creative possibilities.

Harben Kay | tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute, spoken word
Calum Gourlay | double bass
Peter Johnstone | piano
Alyn Cosker | drums

Artist website: http://www.harbenkay.com

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

Track Listing
1. The World I Live In (prelude) 3:34
2. Laylow 5:01
3. Virago (intro) 1:06
4. Virago 4:08
5. Twinship 2:07
6. Swolf 3:59
7. Blue Beetle 5:41
8. Winter Halo 6:01
9. Turning Tides 5:36
10. Turning Tides (postlude) 1:20
All composed by Harben Kay

Produced by Fergus McCreadie
Executive producer: Harben Kay
Recorded at Solas Sound 6th March 2025
Recorded and mixed by Gus Stirrat
Mastered by Alex Bonney
Artwork and design by Marily Papanastasatou

All compositions and words by Harben Kay
Copyright Sulis Records 2025

Huge thanks to everyone who contributed and
helped me to create this album:
Drake YolanDa Award, Peter Johnstone, Calum Gourlay, Alyn Cosker, Fergus McCreadie, Gus Stirrat, Alex Bonney, Marily Papanastasatou, Stephen Henderson, Sylvie Kay, Merran Kay, Philippa Baylis, William Kay, Mary Kay, Peter Baylis, Olivia Williams, Take Five, Directions in Music, all the venues we played at where this music was developed, and the audiences who came and connected with us. I am ever grateful for your support.

I will not be bound by the ropes of convention
I am too expansive to be tied down
Who needs an anchor when you have wings?
Let the winds of uncertainty blow you astray
To the most beautiful place within

Some things will come and go
Some will always remain
The waves of change come crashing in
Shifting the landscape once again
It turns you upside down
Where everything looks new
From there the ideas will grow
Starting from within you

TOUR DATES:

October

8 Mareel, Lerwick

9 The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen

16 The Queens Hall, Edinburgh

17 Perth Theatre, Perth

20 NQ Jazz, Manchester

21 The Glad Cafe, Glasgow

23 Peggy’s Skylight, Nottingham

24 Sheffield Jazz, Crookes Social Club

25 The Verdict, Brighton

26 The Vortex, London

Ticket links at;
https://www.harbenkay.com/tour-1

Jerome Sabbagh - new album and US and European tour dates.

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Saxophonist and composer Jerome Sabbagh will release his new album "Stand Up!" on October 17th 2025. He will also be performing a series of live dates in the US and France from September to December.

We have received the following press release;

Saxophonist and composer Jerome Sabbagh has always prided himself on being an artist who stands up strongly for the qualities and principles that he believes in – artistic integrity, bold individuality, social consciousness, and a distinctive personal vision. His vibrant new album, Stand Up!, asserts those values in a number of ways, wedding memorable compositions to fervent playing by Sabbagh’s longtime quartet. Stand Up! was recorded live to analog tape and released on the saxophonist’s own newly-founded label, Analog Tone Factory.

With Stand Up!, due out October 17, 2025, Sabbagh celebrates more than 20 years with his outstanding quartet – guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Joe Martin, and, making his recorded debut with the band, drummer Nasheet Waits. The album marks the group’s first release in over a decade, a period in which Sabbagh has focused on fruitful collaborations with jazz elders including pianist Kenny Barron (Vintage) and the late drummer Al Foster (Heart).

Throughout that time, the quartet has never lost its prominent place among Sabbagh’s priorities. “A lot of my favorite music in jazz has been created by working bands,” the saxophonist states. “Miles Davis’ first and second quintets, the John Coltrane quartet, the Bill Evans Trio, Lovano / Frisell / Motian – those are real bands. Part of what made them so great is the fact that they played together with a certain frequency, even if they didn’t stay together for so many years.”

The centrality of the core idea behind Stand Up! to Sabbagh’s artistic thinking is reflected by the fact that the album shares its title with a composition that the quartet recorded on its second album, 2007’s Pogo. It felt all the more relevant as a cri de cœur today, both as the band’s debut on Sabbagh’s new independent imprint and in regards to the larger backdrop of political turmoil against which it was created.

“I believe that the title captures the feel of the moment,” Sabbagh explains. “I feel both a desire and a sense of urgency to be myself artistically, to try to write music I believe in and play it with the people that I have a strong connection with. It’s also time to stand up for what you believe in, whether that means making an artistic statement or finding a way to affect our political reality in a positive way.”

As far-reaching as that concept may be, the pieces that Sabbagh wrote for Stand Up! are also intimate and deeply personal, each one dedicated to a person (or people) who has impacted the path of his music – some of them friends and colleagues, most of them influences and inspirations.

The rollicking country blues feel of opener “Lone Jack,” for instance, is a tribute to R&B icon Ray Charles, in particular his country-influenced classics like Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. The title is the name of the Missouri hometown of pianist and producer Pete Rende, also Sabbagh’s partner in Analog Tone Factory and the song’s co-dedicatee. Both “Michelle’s Song” and “High Falls” were written for personal acquaintances of Sabbagh’s, the former a tender ballad buoyed by Martin’s elegant bass, the latter a Brazilian-flavored tune evoking memories of a scenic waterfall in Upstate New York and of seeing João Gilberto perform at Carnegie Hall.

“Lunar Cycle” is a play on Sam Rivers’ “Cyclic Episode,” from the saxophonist’s 1965 debut Fuchsia Swing Song. The piece also shares genetic material with Rivers’ work in its ability to straddle the line between edge-walking audacity and indelible melody. This stems in large part from the heavy influence that Sabbagh draws from singers, which emerges through the warm vocal quality in his own playing. That aspect is also showcased on “The Break Song,” dedicated to Stevie Wonder, a soulful tune that serves as an ideal set-closer for the quartet.

Waits’ gift for explosivity and Monder’s mastery of noise-metal extremes come to fore on the blistering “Mosh Pit,” dedicated to Trent Reznor of the pioneering industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails (and now an acclaimed, Oscar-winning soundtrack composer). “[Nine Inch Nails’] Downward Spiral and The Fragile were both important records for me,” Sabbagh says. “I listened to them a lot, and I found their energy, their creativity, and their unique mix of rawness and sophistication really appealing.”

Another formative experience for Sabbagh was seeing the great drummer Paul Motian play at the Village Vanguard. Even more crucially, Sabbagh and Monder were called to form a new trio with Motian that played a week on that venerated stage shortly before the drummer passed away in 2011. Those experiences, and the singular floating yet grounded sensation generated by Motian’s airy-sculptural approach to the drums, are captured on “Vanguard.” The album closes with “Unbowed,” an homage to the indefatigable Kenny Barron.

As always, Sabbagh has a strong sense of matching artwork with content on his releases, choosing impactful imagery that echoes the album’s themes in oblique yet poetic fashion. The pictures that grace the front and back covers of Stand Up! are both the work of Italian photographer Michele Palazzo, who also provided the cover shot for Heart. The front cover’s play of light, reflection and distortion suggest a Blade Runner sci-fi dystopia; the reverse is a stark black and white image of a lone human figure dwarfed by a looming, oppressive concrete wall. Both conjure the threat of cold, anti-human forces and the desire for escape.

A return to a more human-centered approach is key to Sabbagh’s efforts with Analog Tone Factory, which aims to capture the live sound of bands as effectively and as beautifully as possible, and eschews digital manipulation to do so. On each of the label’s releases, the band records together in one room to analog tape. For ultimate fidelity, Stand Up!, the third release on Analog Tone Factory following Heart and Chris Cheek’s album featuring Bill Frisell, Keepers of the Eastern Door, was recorded live to two track on 1/2 inch tape at 30 ips on a custom tube Ampex 351 tape recorder by famed engineer James Farber. It was mastered in the analog domain by the legendary Bernie Grundman.

Humanity converging to create something of beauty – that is the spirit summoned by Stand Up! “It’s so important to me that this band is still together after all these years,” Sabbagh says. “If you’re going to go out on a limb and take chances to try to come up with something you’ve never played before, you need trust, and we have that in this band. Jazz is social music. We come up with ideas when playing with other people that we wouldn’t necessarily discover by ourselves. That’s one of the great beauties of this music, and a big part of what attracts me to it.”

About Jerome Sabbagh
Paris-born, Brooklyn-based saxophonist and composer Jerome Sabbagh is a prolific and forward-thinking composer, as well as a musician with a deep connection to the well of the jazz tradition. Sabbagh has recorded 12 albums as a leader, the most recent of which are Heart (Analog Tone Factory, 2024), a trio record with Joe Martin and master drummer Al Foster; and Vintage (Sunnyside, 2023), an album of original compositions and standards which features legendary pianist and NEA jazz master Kenny Barron in intimate duets, as well as in a quartet setting with Joe Martin and Johnathan Blake.
Prior to Nasheet Waits joining the band for Stand Up!, Sabbagh’s longstanding quartet with Ben Monder, Joe Martin and Ted Poor released three albums since forming in 2004. The saxophonist also co-leads the Jerome Sabbagh/Greg Tuohey Group, which recorded No Filter with Joe Martin on bass and Kush Abadey on drums, and performs as part of the collective trio Lean with Simon Jermyn and Allison Miller. As a sideman, Sabbagh was one of Paul Motian’s last saxophone players and has been involved with pianist Laurent Coq’s quartet, Guillermo Klein’s Los Guachos and the Marta Sanchez Quintet.

About Analog Tone Factory
Analog Tone Factory is a new label that records exclusively to analog tape. Founded by saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh, and pianist and recording engineer Pete Rende, Analog Tone Factory uses the best of the technologies of today and yesterday alike to make great sounding records with some of the best musicians alive. Albums are available on all analog vinyl and reel-to-reel tapes, as well as CD and digital formats, including streaming. All AAA vinyl albums come with a download card for an uncompressed hi resolution 192/24 download.
Analog Tone Factory aims to record with fewer manipulations and more directness, with all musicians playing live together in the same room, so as to capture the music in a way that draws the listener in.
Like Chris Cheek’s Keepers of the Eastern Door, Stand Up! will be available as a special One Step pressing, as well as a standard pressing. Both pressings are AAA 180g.

2025 Tour Dates

September 5th, 2025,  Bar Bayeux, Brooklyn, New York
Sets at 8 and 9:30PM
Featuring Bassist Peter Washington and Drummer Otis Brown III

- Oct. 2: Bar Lunatico, Brooklyn > Jerome Sabbagh, Melissa Aldana, Joe Martin, Joe Dyson

- Oct. 9: Smalls, New York > Jerome Sabbagh Quartet (Ben Monder, Joe Martin, Nasheet Waits)

- Oct. 29: Bar Bayeux, Brooklyn > Album release show for Stand Up! > Jerome Sabbagh Quartet (Ben Monder, Joe Martin, Otis Brown)

- Dec 3: Close-Up, New York > Jerome Sabbagh Quartet (Ben Monder, Joe Martin, drums TBA)

- Dec 18, 19: le Son de la Terre, Paris, France

For more information on Jerome Sabbagh, please visit:
http://www.jeromesabbagh.com

For more information on Analog Tone Factory, please visit:
http://www.analogtonefactory.com

The Jerome Sabbagh Quartet performing “Lone Jack” at the Jazz Gallery on Feb 5, 2025.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8XG2wXU59c

Fergus McCreadie scores Spike Lee’s new film and announces UK live dates for November 2025.

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Scottish jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie has scored Spike Lee's latest project, "Highest to Lowest". McCreadie's trio are on tour this November with new album "The Sheiling".

Serious have forwarded the following press release;

Fergus McCreadie Scores Spike Lee’s New Film

Scottish jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie scores Spike Lee’s latest project, Highest to Lowest, following an an unexpected encounter when Lee personally contacted him to contribute to the soundtrack. Fergus McCreadie’s trio are back on tour this November across Leeds, Birmingham, London and Bristol with new album The Sheiling.

Book Tickets
https://serious.org.uk/events/fergus-mccreadie

Fergus McCreadie Trio
Sun 16 Nov 2025–Fri 21 Nov 2025

With a unique blend of Jazz and Scottish folk inspired by his country’s sublime landscapes, pianist Fergus McCreadie’s music captures the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide, with an appeal that extends far beyond the constraints of genre.

Released to instant critical acclaim, Fergus’s 2022 album Forest Floor catapulted him into the international spotlight. The album topped the UK Jazz & Blues charts, prompted sold-out performances across the UK, praise from BBC 6Music, The Times, NME and earned him a 2022 Mercury Prize shortlist nomination, the 2022 Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year Award as well as the 2022 Scottish Album of the Year Award - the first jazz artist ever to be awarded the prize.

Following the success of his three albums – Cairn, Forest Floor and Stream – pianist Fergus McCreadie returns in 2025 with The Shieling, an album that marks a change in process for him and his longstanding trio. The Shieling reflects a deeper sense of space, rootedness, and stillness, recorded in a remote cottage studio on North Uist in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, and produced by celebrated musician Laura Jurd.

The Shieling is released on 24th October 2025, followed by a European and UK tour.

Sun 16 November
Stage time / 7:30pm
LEEDS Howard Assembly Room,
32 New Briggate
Leeds
LS1 6NU
Visit Website https://www.operanorth.co.uk/howard-assembly-room/
Tickets https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/fergus-mccreadie/
£20 + booking fee

Tue 18 November
Stage time / 8:30pm
Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space,
Symphony Hall, 8 Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EA
Visit Website https://bmusic.co.uk/b-intimate
Book Tickets https://bmusic.co.uk/events/fergus-mccreadie
£18.50 + booking fee

Thu 20 November
Stage time / 7:30pm
Union Chapel,
Compton Terrace,
Islington,
London,
N1 2UN
Visit Website https://unionchapel.org.uk/
Book tickets https://serious.org.uk/events/fergus-mccreadie
£22.50 + booking fee

The above dates are promoted by Serious. Other UK and European tour dates can be found at https://www.fergusmccreadie.co.uk/events-2-1

Peter Slavid - ‘European Modern Jazz’ on the radio playlist,  first broadcast 24/08/2025.

Monday, August 25, 2025

Broadcaster & journalist Peter Slavid has forwarded details of the music played on his UK & European Jazz radio show on 24/08/2025, which is available via a number of UK & international radio stations

Peter Slavid writes;

Radio Playlist from August 24th 2025

Jesper Zeuthen Trio
Pitu Tulee
Blackout
Moserobie

Daniel Erdmann’s Organic Soulfood
Tegucigalpa Touchdown
Into the Sweet Unknown
BMC

Mulatu Astatke
Kulun
Single
Strut

Harben Kaye
Virago
Single
Sulis Records

Sol Sol
Oscillations For Hilma
Single
Sail Cabin

Lightning Trio
McQueen’s disco
Lightning Trio
Bandcamp

Jim Black & The Schrimps
The Sheila
Better you don’t
Intakt

Esmerelda Sella
Il giardino delle delizie
Single
Auand

Maurice Storrer
Vast Highlands Part II
Foureign Language
Unit Records

daoud
l’oeil de jules
ok
ACT

Christian Wallumrød
Marrowing
Percolation
SOFA

European Modern Jazz on the radio;

At any time:
http://www.mixcloud.com/ukjazz.

Weekly:

http://www.hayesfm.org.uk 91.8 FM – West London Community Radio Sundays 12.00

http://www.purebeatradio.co.uk Sundays 10am

http://www.listen.camp/ Sundays 7pm onward

Later as “Peter’s Eurojazz Podcast” on Apple, Amazon, Deezer and other podcast sites.

Other Voices Cardigan Announces Second Wave of Artists for 2025.

Sunday, August 24, 2025

Other Voices Cardigan has revealed the second wave of artists joining the line-up for its much-anticipated 6th edition, taking place from 30th October to 1st November 2025.

We have received the following press release;

Westside Cowboy, Gruff Rhys and Ye Vagabonds to play St Mary’s Church at Other Voices Cardigan 2025

…and a thrilling Second Wave of Music Trail Acts is announced today!

30 October – 1 November 2025
Live & Online from West Wales
Wristbands just £65 for 100+ performances over three days

Other Voices Cardigan has today revealed the second wave of artists joining the lineup for its much-anticipated 6th edition, taking place from 30th October to 1st November 2025.

The festival will feature an incredible array of established and emerging talent from Wales and Ireland performing at various venues in Cardigan in an immersive, town-wide celebration. Across the weekend, everything from cafés to chapels, bars to bakeries and community spaces come alive with over 100 live performances spanning every genre.

The first Church headliners are revealed as Glastonbury Emerging Talent winners Westside Cowboy, six-time RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Award winners Ye Vagabonds, and the legendary Gruff Rhys, celebrating his recent album ‘Sadness Sets Me Free’. These special performances will also be streamed live online via the Other Voices YouTube channel.

As the festival expands its line-up, over 50 acts will this year perform over the course of the weekend, with BBC’s Huw Stephens returning as host.

Music Trail artists announced today include:
Afrocluster / Annie-Dog / Basht / Carys Eleri / Clare Sands / Dewin / Dionne Bennett / Internet Fatigue / George Houston / Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver / Lullahush / Meabh McKenna /  Meryl Streak / Nancy Williams / Piaras O’Lorcain / Súil Amhain / Sexy Tadhg / Sustinere / VRï

They join the artists previously announced for the Music Trail:
Baby Brave / Bruna Garcia / Curtisy / Daithí / Danielle Lewis / David Murphy / Ellie O’Neill / God Knows / Gwen Sion / Joshua Burnside / Kidsmoke / Makeshift Art Bar / Molly Palmer / Morn / Qbanaa / RÓIS / Salamay / Séamus & Caoimhe Uí Fhlatharta / Siula / Still Blue / Taff Rapids / Talulah / Tessio / Factory Set / Tokomololo / Tramp / Wrkhouse

Other Voices Cardigan offers a unique blend of intimate performances and vibrant musical discovery, showcasing independent talent from Wales, Ireland and beyond. This year’s carefully curated Music Trail will traverse beautiful chapels, repurposed spaces, and beloved venues, promising an unforgettable weekend filled with energy and connection. Festival goers can look forward to experiencing a diverse range of genres, from traditional folk and contemporary Welsh language music to innovative Irish rock and experimental electronic sounds, celebrating the rich heritage and dynamic creativity shared between these two Celtic nations.

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 wristbands are required - just join the queue for the artists you’d like to see and experience the magic inside St Mary’s.

Festival sets will feature live performances and DJ sets from late afternoon into the early hours, with Mwldan serving as the late-night venue as well as the festival hub for tickets and information. Further details regarding specific artists, venues, and performance schedules will be released in October alongside the Other Voices Live festival app.

The Clebran and Clebran on The Trail sessions return for 2025, with powerful conversations, thought-provoking conversations and fresh ideas that explore the issues shaping our world today. The full Clebran programme will be revealed in early September - keep an eye on our socials.

Wristbands are available for just £65, granting access to all Music Trail performances, Clebran sessions, and Church performances (subject to capacity). A limited number of tickets are available for under-18s at £10.

Tickets are selling fast - get yours now at othervoices.ie and join us for another unforgettable weekend in West Wales!

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 4 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

Jon Lloyd Quartet - October 2025 UK live dares.

Sunday, August 24, 2025

Saxophonist and composer Jon Lloyd will lead his quartet at live shows at The Lighthouse in Poole and The Pheasantry in London during October 2025. Details attached.

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

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!”
We released the album “Earth Songs” on Ubuntu Music in 2024. This has been really well received by critics, and is currently close to 2 million streams worldwide. People like our music!  The following link is to the full album on most platforms:
https://orcd.co/yeqpeq1

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 Line-up;
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)

Listen!, Cambridge announce Autumn 2025 programme.

Saturday, August 23, 2025

Listen!, Cambridge have announced their programme for September, October and early November 2025. Events take place at Unitarian Church, 5 Emmanuel Road, Cambridge. Schedule attached.

From Carol Garrison & Graham Lee @ Listen!

27th September 8pm - Héloise Werner (soprano) & Colin Alexander (cello)

11th October 8pm - Kelvin: the music of Anthony Braxton
Dominic Lash (guitar), Elien De Scryver (violin), Heather Roche (bass clarinet), Huw V Williams (double bass), Andrew Lisle (drums)

18th October 8pm - Living Floors: cello & double bass duo
Louise McMonagle (cello) & Marianne Schofield (double bass)

25th October 8pm - James Allsopp Group
James Allsopp (tenor saxophone & mellotron), Chris Batchelor (trumpet), Tom Herbert (bass), Zands Duggan (percussion), Dave Story (drums)

1st November 6pm & 8.30pm performances - Laura Jurd
Laura Jurd (trumpet), Cori Smith (viola), Ruth Goller (bass), Corrie Dick (drums)

Venue:  Unitarian Church, 5 Emmanuel Road, Cambridge CB1 1JW

Tickets:  http://www.wegottickets.com/listencambridge

Further Information:  http://www.listencambridge.com

Nominations announced for the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2025.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

The nominations have been announced for the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. The recipients of the Awards will be announced on Tuesday 14th October 2025 at World Heart Beat, London. Press release att.

We have received the following press release;

Nominations announced for the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2025

The nominations have today been announced for the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. The Awards, are organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Group (APPJG) and supported by the Musicians’ Union and UK Music. The recipients of the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards will be announced on Tuesday 14th October 2025 at the World Heart Beat. The Parliamentary Awards celebrate and recognise the vibrancy, diversity, breadth and talent of the jazz scene throughout the United Kingdom.

The award categories reflect the ever-increasing scope of talent from within the UK’s jazz scene: Jazz Vocalist of the Year; Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year; Jazz Album of the Year; Jazz Ensemble of the Year; Jazz Newcomer of the Year; Jazz Venue of the Year; Jazz Media Award; Jazz Education Award; and the Services to Jazz Award.

Following the online public vote for the Awards, the shortlist was then voted upon by a selection panel, that represent a broad cross-section of backgrounds united in their passion and knowledge of jazz. The winners, chosen by members of the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Group (APPJG), will be announced on Tuesday 14th October 2025.

Chi Onwurah MP, Chair of APPJG, said:
“These awards are a great opportunity to celebrate the talents and energies of the great musicians, educators, promoters, record labels, jazz organisations, blogs, jazz magazines and journalists who help keep jazz flourishing.  These shortlists demonstrate the wealth of talent and commitment that exists in the British jazz scene. Now in its 20th year, the Parliamentary Jazz Awards honour the best of British jazz. MPs and Peers in the All Party Group are grateful to the Musicians’ Union and UK Music for supporting the event.”

“The Musicians’ Union is proud to support the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards,” said Naomi Pohl, General Secretary of the MU. “This year’s shortlist showcases the phenomenal jazz talent thriving across the UK, as well as the vibrant communities that support them in every nation and region. Congratulations to all the nominees on their well-deserved recognition.”

Tom Kiehl Chief Executive of UK Music said:
“The Parliamentary Jazz Awards have a rich history, with this year promising to deliver another fantastic chapter. UK Music is proud to support the many great achievements from across the jazz community over the past year, and congratulates all those who will be celebrated on 14 October.”

The Awards are supported by the Musicians’ Union who are a community of over 36,000 musicians working to protect their members’ rights and campaign for a fairer music industry. And further support is provided by UK Music which is the collective voice of the UK’s world-leading music industry. They represent all sectors of the UK music industry – bringing them together to collaborate, campaign and champion music.

The full list of nominees is as follows:

Jazz Vocalist of the Year
Zara McFarlane
Brigitte Beraha
Alice Zawadzki

Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year
Janette Mason
Jasper Hoiby
Rob Luft

Jazz Album of the Year
Ezra Collective ‘Dance, No One’s Watching’
John Surman ‘Words Unspoken’
Daniel Casimir ‘Balance’
Billy Marrows ‘Penelope’

Jazz Ensemble of the Year
Ezra Collective
Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band
The Banger Factory

Jazz Newcomer of the Year
Olivia Cuttill
Maddy Coombs
Donovan Haffner
Knats

Jazz Venue of the Year
606
Soul Mama
Marianne Windham, Guildford Jazz
Digbeth Jazz

Jazz Media Award
Richard Williams
‘Round Midnight and Soweto Kinch Folded Wing production for BBC Radio 3
One Jazz

Jazz Education Award
Tomorrows’ Warriors
Doncaster Youth Jazz Orchestra
World Heart Beat

Services to Jazz Award
Marianne Windham
Danielle White
Chris Philips

The awards are organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Group (APPJG), co-chaired ”. by Chi Onwurah MP and Lord Mann.

The All Party Parliamentary Jazz Group (APPJG) currently has over 70 members from the House of Commons and House of Lords across all political parties. Their aim is to encourage wider and deeper enjoyment of jazz, to increase Parliamentarians’ understanding of the jazz industry and issues surrounding it, to promote jazz as a musical form and to raise its profile inside and outside Parliament. The Group’s officers as at the Inaugural Meeting on 23rd July 2024 are the Chair, Chi Onwurah MP and Deputy Chair, Lord Mann. The Officers are Jo White MP and Lord Crathorne with additional elected members, Neil Duncan-Jordan MP, Lord Spellar and Sarah Champion MP.

The Secretary is Chris Hodgkins with the assistance of Simon Jennings and Will Riley-Smith of NorthPoint Strategy and Andrew Lansley. The Secretary operates on a strictly pro bono basis and no expenses of any kind are paid to the Secretary. The contact address is: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and the website is https://appjag.org/

Four pianists to perform in The Gilmore’s Rising Stars Series of fall concerts at The Gilmore, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Announcing The Gilmore’s 2025 Rising Stars Concert Series of Emerging Classical and Jazz Pianists. Press release including performance schedule attached.

We have received the following press release;

Announcing The Gilmore’s 2025 Rising Stars Concert Series of Emerging Classical and Jazz Pianists

Four pianists to perform in The Gilmore’s Rising Stars Series of fall concerts.

Chelsea Guo (Sep 21)
Luther S. Allison Trio (Oct 4)
Giorgi Gigashvili (Oct 5)
Miki Yamanaka Trio (Dec 6)

The Gilmore
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo, MI
Tickets Now on Sale: General $28 / Students $10.
To reserve tickets, visit http://www.thegilmore.org or call 269.359.7311.
Livestream: Free at http://www.youtube.com/TheGilmore.

KALAMAZOO, MI — Dr. Pierre van der Westhuizen, Executive and Artistic Director of The Gilmore, announced its 2025 Rising Stars Series showcasing today’s emerging classical and jazz pianists. With the first performance set for September 21st with Chelsea Guo, The Gilmore welcomes three more pianists with ascending careers: Luther S. Allison, Giorgi Gigashvili, and Miki Yamanaka.

“We are excited to showcase an outstanding lineup of young pianists who are reshaping contemporary music,” van der Westhuizen stated. “Audiences will have the opportunity to experience their exceptional talent and diverse musical styles, offering a glimpse into the future of piano music.”

The Gilmore Rising Stars Series has presented many fine young pianists before their international breakthroughs, offering audiences a chance to hear the leading pianists of the future. Initially presented in 1999 as the Irving S. Gilmore Piano Series, it was renamed the Rising Stars Series the following year. Some may recall that past Gilmore Rising Stars include Lang Lang, Igor Levit, Connie Han, and Emmet Cohen.

Sun 9.21 @ 4:00 p.m. CHELSEA GUO
Chelsea Guo – piano + voice
Born in New York City and raised in Connecticut, Chelsea Guo is finding equal success as a pianist and as a soprano. The winner of the 2020 National Chopin Competition in Miami, Ms. Guo also won the 2022 Young Concert Artists International Auditions as both pianist and vocalist, the double award a first in the institution’s history. Her debut recording, Chelsea Guo: Chopin In My Voice — featuring solo piano repertoire as well as two Chopin songs and a Rossini aria on which Ms. Guo accompanies herself — was named an “Essential New Album” by Gramophone Magazine. She holds a BM in piano from The Juilliard School, where she was a student of Hung-Kuan Chen, and she continues her vocal studies with Jason Ferrante. Gilmore audiences will experience both facets of Ms. Guo’s stellar career in her recital. The program begins with solo piano favorites, including Beethoven’s “Tempest” Sonata and selections from Debussy’s Images, Book I, and concludes with songs by Richard Strauss and Schoenberg, on which Ms. Guo both sings and plays. Location: Cori Terry Theatre.

Sat 10.04 @ 5:00 p.m. + 8:00 p.m. LUTHER S. ALLISON TRIO
Luther Allison – piano
Anwar Marshall – drums
Zwelakhe-Duma F. Bell le Pere – bass
Winner of a 2024 GRAMMY Award for his work with vocalist Samara Joy, Luther S. Allison is one of today’s most in-demand jazz artists. Mr. Allison is a double threat and then some; he has worked with some of the brightest stars in jazz — such as Jazzmeia Horn, Helen Sung, Rodney Whitaker, Etienne Charles, and Ulysses Owens Jr — and been called on by them to perform on piano, drums, or both. He is also carving out his own path as a leader, thanks in part to his critically acclaimed 2024 debut recording I Owe it All To You. Having grown up in the south, Mr. Allison’s unique style is rooted in blues and gospel, with strong influences from bebop and soul music. At The Gilmore, he leads his trio, featuring fellow multi-instrumentalist Anwar Marshall on drums and Zwelakhe-Duma F. Bell le Pere on bass. Later this season, Mr. Allison will arrange and music direct the sacred compositions of Duke Ellington for Jazz at Lincoln Center. Location: Cori Terry Theatre.

Sun 10.05 @ 4:00 p.m. GIORGI GIGASHVILI
Giorgi Gigashvili – piano
25-year-old Giorgi Gigashvili began learning piano with no intention of pursuing a professional career on the instrument. After a win on his home country of Georgia’s edition of “The Voice” at age 13, Mr. Gigashvili entered the Tbilisi State Conservatory to continue his keyboard studies with Revaz Tavadze.
Early successes included First Prize at the Vigo International Piano Competition, with Martha Argerich as president of the jury, and 2nd Prize at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition. In the 2023-24 season, Mr. Gigashvili began studying with Gilmore Artist Kirill Gerstein at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. He was selected as a BBC New Generation Artist 2023-25 and has been nominated as an ECHO Rising Star for 2025-26 season. For his Gilmore recital, Mr. Gigashvili focuses on lyrical Romantic works by Mendelssohn, Chopin, and Schumann. The program also includes Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 8, a masterwork of 20th-century keyboard literature and one of Prokofiev’s most important contributions to the genre.
Location: Cori Terry Theatre.

Sat 12.06 @ 5:00 p.m. + 8:00 p.m. MIKI YAMANAKA TRIO
Miki Yamanaka – piano
Jimmy Macbride – drums
Tyrone Allen – bass
Discover the enchanting world of Miki Yamanaka, Japanese-born pianist lighting up New York since 2012. Through her residencies at mainstay NYC jazz clubs Smalls and Mezzrow, as well as her weekly live-streaming concert series “Miki’s Moods” during the pandemic, audiences have come to love Ms. Yamanaka’s light, expressive playing and bold rhythmic invention, not to mention her infectious personality. In addition to touring as a leader, she also plays with the Mingus Big Band and the Harish Raghavan Quintet. Expect an evening of vibrant energy as she presents her celebrated repertoire — including selections from her latest album, Chance, and fan favorites from 2021’s Stairway to the Stars — alongside imaginative re-interpretations of Great American Songbook and jazz standards. Joining Ms. Yamanaka at The Gilmore is her NYC rhythm section: bassist Tyrone Allen and drummer Jimmy Macbride. Location: Bell’s Eccentric Café at Bell’s Brewery.

The Gilmore  
Created in 1989 to honor the legacy of businessman and philanthropist Irving S. Gilmore, The Gilmore is the premier institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing and awarding extraordinary piano artistry. The Gilmore has presented 16 piano festivals, commissioned over 40 new works for piano, and awarded over $3 million as part of its internationally renowned Gilmore Artists Award for classical pianists. The Gilmore will announce the winners of its inaugural Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Awards in the fall of 2025 and present its annual (previously biennial) Gilmore Piano Festival April 30-May 10 in 2026. Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, The Gilmore continues to impact the lives of thousands of area children and adults through its year-round community engagement and music education programs including summer camps, music therapy, and much more. http://www.thegilmore.org

Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra (SNYJO) announces 2025-26 series of afternoon Big Band Jazz concerts.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

The Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra (SNYJO) is delighted to announce their 2025-26 season with a series of afternoon Big Band Jazz concerts that are suitable for the whole family. Details att.

We have received the following information;

The Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra (SNYJO) is delighted to announce their 2025-26 season with a series of afternoon Big Band Jazz concerts that are suitable for the whole family. This afternoon of music will bring alive the energy of jazz to get your toes tapping and features the future stars of jazz in Scotland, and beyond, who will demonstrate their instrumental skills while paying tribute to some legendary jazz icons including tracks from Ellington to Corea, Basie to Shorter or Miles to Metheny.

More information and tickets at;
https://snjo.co.uk/snyjo/hear-the-snyjo-live-in-2025-26

Sept ‘25 - May ‘26
Hear the SNYJO Live in 2025 / 26
The Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra

The Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra (SNYJO) is delighted to announce their 2025-26 season with a series of afternoon Big Band Jazz concerts that are suitable for the whole family.  This afternoon of music will bring alive the energy of jazz to get your toes tapping and features the future stars of jazz in Scotland, and beyond, who will demonstrate their instrumental skills while paying tribute to some legendary jazz icons including tracks from Ellington to Corea,  Basie to Shorter or Miles to Metheny,.

Formed in 2002, the Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra offers Scotland’s best young jazz talents a grounding in Big band music and the library of jazz masters.  It has advanced the musicianship of over one hundred and thirty young players including winners of the Scottish Album of the Year Award, the BBC Young Jazz Musician title and the Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year competition and have registered successes in the Scottish Jazz Awards and the Jazz FM Awards and nominations in the Mercury Prize. The orchestra’s albums too have won praise internationally and regularly feature in radio programmes across the world.

The class of 25/26 continues to impress audiences with individual and collective prowess, producing performances that guarantee excitement, creativity and grooves to make you move.  So come and enjoy a fantastic afternoon as these young players showcase their endless talents in an extraordinary concert of outstanding music. Please do join and support us and these young players.

NB: Tickets for all afternoon concerts will go on sale in mid August.  Melrose Music Festival tickets are available now, direct from the Festival.

Concert Dates

05
Sep
2025
UK
Melrose
Melrose Music Festival
Corn Exchange, Market Square
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
7:30pm

11
Oct
2025
UK
Stirling
The Tolbooth
Jail Wynd
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
2:00pm 01786 473544

12
Oct
2025
UK
Peebles
Eastgate Theatre
Eastgate
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
2:00pm

08
Nov
2025
Scotland
Edinburgh
St Bride’s Centre
10 Orwell Terrace, Edinburgh EH11 2DZ
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
Tickets available on door
2:00pm 07446 286412

09
Nov
2025
UK
Glasgow
Cottiers
93-95 Hyndland St, Glasgow
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
2:00pm 0141 357 4000

14
Feb
2026
UK
Kilmarnock
Centrestage Theatre
15 Elmbank Drive
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
2:00pm
01563 551505

Scotland
Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld Theatre
Lanternhouse South Kildrum Ring Road Cumbernauld North Lanarkshire G67 2UF
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
2:00pm 01236 732 887

28
Mar
2026
UK
Dollar
Dollar Academy, Gibson Hall
The Gibson Auditorium
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
2:00pm

29
Mar
2026
UK
Giffnock
Eastwood Park Theatre
Rouken Glen Rd
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
2:00pm 0141 577 4956

16
May
2026
Scotland
Greenock
Beacon Arts Centre
Custom House Quay, Greenock, PA15 1HJ
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
2:00pm
01475 723723

17
May
2026
UK
Pitlochry
Pitlochry Theatre
Port na Craig Rd
The SNYJO Live: 2025-26
Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra
2:30pm
01796 484626

Scottish National Jazz orchestra - Autumn 2025 live dates, The Music of Weather Report and Chasin’ the Horizon: The Railway Suite.

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

In September the SNJO will re-ignite the electrifying Music of Weather Report, featuring and directed by Alyn Cosker, and in December present Chasin’ the Horizon: The Railway Suite. Details attached.

We have received the following information;

Following the recent change in artistic leadership, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra is embracing a new era with energy, optimism and a clear focus on the future. We remain committed to championing world-class jazz in Scotland, nurturing the next generation of musicians through the newly named Scottish National Youth Jazz Orchestra (SNYJO), and creating vibrant opportunities for collaboration with leading artists from around the globe. [read more]
https://snjo.co.uk/news/snjo-artistic-director-tommy-smith-resigns

In September we reignite the electrifying Music of Weather Report featuring and directed by Alyn Cosker, and in December present Chasin’ the Horizon: The Railway Suite – celebrating the rhythms, stories and journeys that have inspired some of jazz’s most iconic works, while looking ahead to a greener future.

In the age of jazz fusion, a storm of creativity gathered on the musical horizon. That storm had a name: Weather Report. From the moment they emerged in 1970, they changed the forecast of modern music - electrifying, unpredictable, and utterly transformative.
Weather Report played their final notes in 1986 but their legacy lives on – echoing across time, like thunder that rumbles long after the flash. Scotland’s National Jazz Orchestra, directed by Alyn Cosker, forecasts a rekindling of that electrifying spirit with their concert, not of retrospection but of renewal and reimagining of Weather Report’s favourite tunes – including Birdland, the Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz, and Teen Town.

More info; https://snjo.co.uk/whats-on/weather-report

Friday 26 Sep
7:30pm
Edinburgh
The Queen’s Hall
Tickets
https://www.thequeenshall.net/whats-on/music-weather-report-scottish-national-jazz-orchestra-tickets-edinburgh

Saturday 27 Sep
7:30pm
Aberdeen
The Sanctuary at the Cross
Tickets
https://events.humanitix.com/the-music-of-weather-report

Sunday 28 Sep
7:30pm
Glasgow
Stevenson Hall RCS
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/whats-on/scottish-national-jazz-orchestra-the-music-of-weather-report/

For more than a century, jazz musicians have travelled the world by train, drawing inspiration from the distinctive rhythms, atmosphere, and romance of the rails and led to some iconic jazz works by Coltrane, Williams, Ellington, and others. Trains not only provided transport, but also became a powerful symbol of movement, progress, and musical exploration - connecting cities, cultures, and creative minds.

Today, as climate concerns grow, their legacy gains new relevance. The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra honours this through Chasin’ the Horizon: The Railway Suite, blending musical history with a commitment to sustainable touring. It’s a tribute to jazz’s past and a journey toward a greener future.

More info;
https://snjo.co.uk/whats-on/ellington-the-railway-suites

Friday
05 Dec
4:00pm
Edinburgh
The Queen’s Hall
also feat. the SNYJO
Selling soon

Saturday
06 Dec
2:00pm
St Andrews
Laidlaw Music Centre
Tickets
https://events.humanitix.com/chasin-the-horizon-the-railway-suite

Sunday
07 Dec
7:30pm
Glasgow
Royal Concert Hall (New Auditorium)
also feat. the SNYJO
Selling soon

Ben Creighton-Griffiths, Australian/Asian Tour 2025.

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Cardiff based jazz harpist Ben Creighton-Griffiths is currently on tour in Australia and South East Asia. Schedule attached.

From;
https://www.facebook.com/bencreightongriffithsharpist

Australian/Asian Tour 2025

16/08 - Jazz Workshops - Kew Library, Melbourne, VIC https://events.humanitix.com/ben-creighton-griffiths-jazz...
16/08 - Solo Jazz - JazzLab, Melbourne, VIC https://thejazzlab.com.au/event/ben-creighton-griffiths/
17/08 - Solo Jazz - The Abbey, Raymond Island, VIC https://events.humanitix.com/ben-creighton-griffiths-jazz...
22/08 - Jazz duo - St George’s Anglican Church Battery Point, TAS. With Matt Rushworth on bass.
23/08 - Jazz Workshops - St George’s Battery Point, TAS
24/08 - Jazz Concerto (with Secret Orchestral Society and Student Music Collective) - Stanley Burbury Theatre, Hobart, TAS
27/08 - Jazz Trio - Wheatsheaf Hotel, Thebarton, SA. With Kallan Francis on guitar and James Ho on bass.
30/08 - Jazz Workshops - Kensington Gardens, Adelaide, SA
31/08 - Jazz Trio - Hahndorf Memorial Institute, SA. With Kallan Francis on guitar and James Ho on bass.
10/09 - Workshops - Hong Kong Harp Chamber
11/09 - Concert - Hong Kong Fringe Club 藝穗會,
14/09 - Concert - Star Theatre, Dongguan Cultural Centre, China
21/09 - Workshops - Rave Harps, Singapore
21/09 - Concert - Rave Harps, Singapore

The Australian tour is organised and sponsored by Carter Harps Australia. The concert in Hong Kong is sponsored by Camac Harps. Thanks to both for their support.

“A true virtuoso on the instrument” - The Jazz Mann

“Harp sensation” - Nation Cymru

See also https://www.bjcg.co.uk/

Registration Now Open for NJPAC’s TD JAZZ FOR TEENS 2025-26 Education Program.

Friday, August 15, 2025

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) is offering thousands of high schoolers from Newark and beyond music lessons and performance experiences through its popular TD Jazz for Teens program.

We have received the following press release;

Registration Now Open for NJPAC’s TD JAZZ FOR TEENS 2025-26 Education Program

Impacting Thousands of Young Musicians for the Past 28 Years

When: Fall Semester: Sep 27 – Dec 13, 2025; Spring Semester: Jan 24 - May 16, 2026, 10:00am-5:00pm EST (schedules vary).

Where: Arts High School, 550 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Newark, NJ, 07102.

Who: Student musicians ages 13-18.

Register: $700 per semester. $1,200 for full year. Registration is required. Scholarships and/or financial aid are available. For more information, visit NJPAC.org/education or call 973.353.7058.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the state’s anchor cultural institution, celebrates 28 years of offering thousands of high schoolers from Newark and beyond music lessons and performance experiences through its popular TD Jazz for Teens program. One of the first of many arts education institutions at NJPAC, it has grown into a nationally recognized and revered program producing stellar alumni such as MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Tyshawn Sorey. The 2025-26 school year is about to begin and is now accepting students for both the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. Registration is now open and closes Sep 29.

TD Jazz for Teens is a comprehensive and sequential jazz education program that provides access to top-notch musical training and study with world-class working artists, opportunities for artistic exchange within the community, and college and career exploration. This school year offers classes in jazz history, theory/composition, technique, ensembles, music business, production, and more.

Prospective college students are guided through the application process. Students are given many performance opportunities as members of the James Moody Jazz Orchestra and/or George Wein Scholars Ensemble (performing at the Newport Jazz Festival). All students record their own compositions together in a studio setting. Field trips to Rutgers University-Newark’s remarkable Institute of Jazz Studies, the largest archive of jazz-related materials in the world, are regular treats for students.

Since 2015, TD Jazz for Teens has been at the helm of Mark Gross, the Director of Jazz Instruction for NJPAC. A multiple GRAMMY-winning alto sax player and composer, Gross has performed and recorded with a roster of greats, including Dizzy Gillespie, Buster Williams, Nat Adderley, Dave Holland, Wynton Marsalis, and more. In addition to Gross, a roster of more than a dozen working jazz musicians including saxophonist Wayne Escoffery and guitarist Alex Wintz (himself an alumnus of the program) as well as celebrated percussionist Alvester Garnett and acclaimed, Russian-born trumpeter Valery Ponomarev, a Jazz Messenger, to name a few — make up the TD Jazz for Teens faculty.  Even more bold-faced names, including 9x Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride, the Arts Center’s Jazz Advisor, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and MacArthur “Genius” and Doris Duke Artist award winner Regina Carter offer master classes working directly with students.

About Arts Education @ NJPAC
NJPAC’s Arts Education offerings reach more than 60,000 students and families through live performances, in-school residency programs and arts training classes. These programs bring the joy of dance, music, theater, and poetry directly to the classroom.  Through its innovative residencies, Teaching Artists create stimulating performing arts experiences that engage students’ imaginations and build self-confidence through positive self-expression. Its residencies help students learn to work together and develop their creative independence.
In addition to NJPAC’s innovative In-School Programs, the Arts Center’s comprehensive Arts Education Department offers an Arts Training Program that helps students at every level learn their artistic and technical skills they need to study acting, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, and musical theater.  NJPAC also presents a SchoolTime Performance Series, which introduces students and their families to a world of entertainment and culture.  NJPAC’s Arts Education programs feature professional artists from a wide variety of traditions and performances of music, dance, storytelling, puppetry, and more.

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, 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.

Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra - new album and US tour dates.

Friday, August 15, 2025

The the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra will release the album "Live At Bop Stop" on August 22nd 2025. This will be followed by a series of US tour dates during September, October and November.

We have received the following press release;

Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra: Multiversal – Live at Bop Stop + Upcoming Tour Dates

The SUPCOMING 2025 SPH TOUR DATES:

Sept 19 – Saint Michaels, MD – Golden Hour Residency (SPH+2)

Sept 21 – Salisbury, MD – Maryland Folk Festival (SPH+2)

Oct 17 – Saint Michaels, MD – Golden Hour Residency Performance (SPH+2)

Oct 18 – Salisbury, MD – Roadie Joes (SPH+2)

Oct 22 – Greensburg, PA – Seton Hill University (Lecture)

Oct 23 – Greensburg, PA – Seton Hill University (SPHJO)

Oct 24 – TBD (Lecture)

Oct 24 – Cleveland, OH – Bop Stop (SPHJO)

Oct 25 – Akron, OH – Blu Jazz+ (SPHJO)

Oct 26 – TBD (Lecture)

Oct 27 – Chicago, IL - Fulton Jazz Collective (SPHJO)

Oct 28 – Racine, WI, The Prairie School (Lecture)

Oct 29 – Stevens Point, WI – University of Wisconsin (Lecture)

Oct 30 – TBD

Oct 31 – TBD, Madison, WI (SPHJO)

Nov 1 – University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (Lectures, SPHJO)

Nov 2 – Jazz Central Studios, Minneapolis, MN

Nov 8 – Baltimore, MD – An Die Musik (SPHJO)

“Covert Ops” is the second single from Multiversal: Live at BOP STOP, the explosive sophomore album from the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra and the eighth release from saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Stephen Philip Harvey.

Tenor saxophonist Max Schlenk plays the role of the super spy in this thrilling feature. As you’ll hear, he likes his solos shaken, not stirred, and with a shot of pure adrenaline!

Continuing his genre-bending journey through comic book-inspired soundscapes, Harvey presents a thrilling new collection of compositions, captured live at Cleveland’s iconic BOP STOP. Full album out August 22, 2025, on Hidden Cinema Records.

Saxophonist/Composer/Arranger/Conductor
Stephen Philip Harvey Presents
The Sophomore Album From
The Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra:
Multiversal – Live at Bop Stop
Release date: 8/22/25, Radio add date: 8/18/25, Hidden Cinema Records (HCR 2501), File Under: Jazz

Featuring: Stephen Philip Harvey: Composer, Arranger, Conductor, Bobby Selvaggio, Chris Coles: alto sax, flute, Max Schlenk, Johnny Cochran Jr.: tenor sax, clarinet, Clint Bleil: baritone sax, bass clarinet, JD Chaisson, Tommy Lehman, Jakobe Henry, Garrett Folger: trumpet, Zach Warren, Will Horner, Lauren Rudzinskas: trombone, Amer Forrer: bass trombone, Dan Bruce: guitar, Ben Tweedt: piano, Fender Rhodes, Jordan McBride: acoustic & electric bass, Dustin May: drums

“Stephen is an exceptional musician with a very bright future.”
– Roscoe Mitchell, NEA Jazz Master

“Maryland-based tenor saxophonist Stephen Philip Harvey is a straightahead band room swinger with an ear for making four horns sound like a kicking big band. He has two new live octet albums drawn from the last stop of a 2023 tour . . . The opener, ‘Witch Hunt,’ is a spar-kler, with a quietly secretive intro that gives way to snappy repartee between horns and creamy Rhodes (Ben Tweedt). ‘Jay Tee’ has bedroom eyes, with a sexy tenor solo from Harvey himself.”
– Paul DeBarros, DownBeat Magazine

“Sophisticated accessibility! When I listen to Stephen Harvey’s music, that’s what hear. Thoughtful construction of complex structures and orchestrations that take the listener on a beautiful sonic ride without speaking over their heads. A beautiful pairing of the complex and the elementary.” – Trumpeter Sean Jones

“Harvey’s arrangements emphasize riffs and melodies over improvisation, though he certainly leaves room for his crew to express themselves when called upon. But his focus on tunes keeps the songs effervescent and accessible” – Michael Toland, The Big Takeover

“There’s a fine indiscipline to Harvey’s big band writing. Ominous horror-film riffs sit comfortably alongside soaring album-rock guitar solos, urgent, cop-show horn fanfares and creamy unison sax-section passages straight out of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra’s book. It’s a fridge-raid omelette of sounds held together by the audaciousness of Harvey’s conception and the joy with which his players bring it to life.”
– John Chacona, All About Jazz

The prolific saxophonist/composer/arranger/conductor Stephen Philip Harvey leads various ensembles with a seemingly insatiable drive to explore a vast array of avenues in improvisation and composition, including his wonderful 17-piece Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra, first heard on the album Smash, and now on an explosive performance at Cleveland’s iconic venue, Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop. Recorded live in one take at, the eighth release from Stephen Philip Harvey at the sophomore album from the SPH Jazz Orchestra, this CD/LP continues Harvey’s genre-bending journey through comic book-inspired soundscapes. On Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop you will be treated to epic, super-powered music scored for heroes, villains and everyone in between!

Harvey is an avid fan of comics (as was the late, great Wayne Shorter) and uses the vibrant worlds, superheroes, story arcs, characters, and tropes as inspirations for his pieces, stretching his imagination to sketch in sound the rich concept of the multiverse. Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop, the second journey for the SPH Jazz Orchestra through comic book-inspired music (first heard on their 2022 debut, Smash), redefines the possibilities of America’s original ensemble: the jazz orchestra.

The seventeen musicians (“the Avengers of jazz”) joining forces in this super-powered Jazz Orchestra all hail from the Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania regions. Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop therefore serves as a testament to the vibrant jazz scene in that region. 

In total this action packed release presents over an hour of pseudo-cinematic original music for a modern, contemporary jazz orchestra. It is another gem in Harvey’s extensive catalog of recordings from various ensembles, reinforcing his dedication to pursuing, and contributing to, myriad jazz traditions. Stephen Philip Harvey recordings: Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop (2025), Live at Radio Artifact (2024), Elemental (Live) (2024), Suite Childhood (2016), Smash! (2022), Elemental (2023), Sphinx (2023), and Library Card (2024).

More on the music with Stephen Philip Harvey:

The piece, “Multiversal,” was originally composed and premiered during our first album release tour, and thus began our journey into the multiverse. This piece is meant to pique the listener’s curiosity of the multiverse; Taking a bright theme and changing over the course of composition until the listener hits an unexpected ending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azqqUh5kUpI

The multiverse theme is continued with “Earth-Two.” in comics, This name is usually designated to the first alternate earth that your character encounters. While familiar, this alternate earth contains mysterious perils and unimaginable wonders.

“Covert Ops” takes the listener into the realm of espionage and spy-craft. The harmonic progression nods to the British spy of MI6 while the orchestra adds tension and excitement to this tenor feature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oetUYqBLQLg

“Mind Your Weather, Weather Your Mind” takes the listener away from the action to explore a soundscape inspired by telekinesis and atmokinesis (weather manipulation). The title comes from a joint quote from two comrades/sisters, Jean Grey and Ororo Munroe (Storm), who wield those powers, respectively. These two characters are some of the most powerful in their history and that power is only rivaled by the power of their sisterhood.

“Men of Steel” was originally commissioned by the Bop Stop to celebrate their 10th anniversary at their current location. To loop in the city of Cleveland and comic books, I decided to honor the comic duo of Siegel & Shuster, whose iconic character has become classic of the comic ethos. This piece pays homage to the two creators with two low-voice soloists as these titans of comics.

“Ain’t No Sidekick” was commissioned by the Baltimore School of the Arts back in 2023. When thinking about comics and high school, I wanted to write a tongue in cheek piece about young heroes maturing into their own identity.

“Inner Beast” pays homage to the countless animal-based characters in comics. Heroes & villains alike have a long history of tuning into their inner beast. This piece is meant to embody that ferocity of that wild nature.

The inclusion of “Tectonic Shift” is a tiny cheat on my part. Originally composed for my Elemental suite, I thought including a large ensemble version of this would be a fun nod to the superpower of terrakinesis.

CMA Announces $543,000 in Grants for New Jazz and Classical Compositions
click here to read the official CMA press release
https://chambermusicamerica.org/news/announcing-2025-cc-and-njw-grants/

Stephen Philip Harvey commented, “this incredible support—made possible by CMA and The Doris Duke Foundation— will fund the creation of a brand new work original chamber jazz work, alongside fourteen other works from composers from across the country. Many of my compositional heroes have been part of this program in the past, so it’s a deep honor to join the ranks and continue that legacy.”

Allexa Nava - Three West Midlands Dates, Autumn 2025.

Monday, August 11, 2025

Peruvian born, London based saxophonist, flautist & composer Allexa Nava will play three Midlands dates with her quartet in September, October and November. Details attached.

Dave Fuller of Music Spoken Here, Worcester writes;

Allexa Nava - Three West Midlands Dates

I first encountered saxophonist and flautist Allexa Nava, originally from Peru and now living in London, performing at the Brick Lane Jazz Festival last year in the all-female Latin ensemble Colectiva (check out their performance of ‘How Do You Like Your Ladies’ at Glastonbury, 2023).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECg-in3oWQI

She also performs in the ‘Paradise Under The Stars’ Cuban experience show in London and released her debut EP “No Language” on the Jazz Re:freshed label in February (featured in Music Matters 27 Jan 2025).



I contacted Allexa in March to discuss a booking and I’ve seen her quartet perform in London a few times since, at The Jazz Cafe, Royal Festival Hall (Clore Ballroom) and Ninety-One Living Room.



Mentored by London artist development organisation Tomorrow’s Warriors, Allexa is one of three artists featured on the first run of their Warriors Rise program, along with Maddy Coombs and Donovan Haffner, providing a national touring opportunity for these emerging artists. Allexa will be touring with her quartet in the Autumn with three dates in the West Midlands.

Sat 27 Sep: Clun Valley Jazz at SpArC Centre, Bishops Castle, Shropshire

Fri 10 Oct: B:Music at Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Thu 27 Nov: Music Spoken Here at The Marr’s Bar, Worcester
https://musicspokenhere.club/event/allexa-nava/

The Worcester date with us in November is an independent booking, while the Clun Valley and Birmingham dates are through the Warriors Rise program. I’d highly recommend getting to one of these shows if you can, but in the meantime you can check out her live performance of ‘Recortes’ on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfBCEVNykEw

Peter Slavid - ‘European Modern Jazz’ on the radio playlist,  first broadcast 10/08/2025.

Monday, August 11, 2025

Broadcaster & journalist Peter Slavid has forwarded details of the music played on his UK & European Jazz radio show on10/08/2025, which is available via a number of UK & international radio stations

Peter Slavid writes;

An odd mix this week with several singles, an EP, and a self indulgent look back to two of my favourite tracks from 10 years ago!

Langendorf United
Undercover Beast
single
Sing a Song Fighter

Martin Nodeland
Straight Out The Gate
single
Smeik records

O.N.E
Robespierre
single
April Records

LVDF
Home
EP
Bridge The Gap

Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet
The Art of Joy
Live Spirit 1
No Paper records

Alex Hitchcock
Wishbone
Single
New Soil

Stefan Pasborg Trio
Den Blau Anemone
Dear Alex
Stunt

De Luca & Rosselli
Sparrow
Enrumbado
Dodicilune

Aka Moon
Bulgarian Study
Aka Balkan Moon
OutThere Music

Slang & Purbayan Chatterjee
Run
Pace of Mind
zigzag world

European Modern Jazz on the radio;

At any time:
http://www.mixcloud.com/ukjazz.

Weekly:

http://www.hayesfm.org.uk 91.8 FM – West London Community Radio Sundays 12.00

http://www.purebeatradio.co.uk Sundays 10am

http://www.listen.camp/ Sundays 7pm onward

Later as “Peter’s Eurojazz Podcast” on Apple, Amazon, Deezer and other podcast sites.

Guildford Jazz - Programme August to October 2025.

Thursday, August 07, 2025

Mick Thomas has forwarded details of forthcoming events at Guildford Jazz. Fully detailed schedule attached.

Mick Thomas writes;

Vanessa Hayes presents Aretha Franklin
Date: Saturday 23 August 2025
Vanessa Haynes presents the songs of the undisputed “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, who sold over 75 million records and won 18 Grammys, in a career spanning six decades. Described by The Guardian as “remarkable” Vanessa Hayes is a pianist and vocal powerhouse whose voice was characterised by UK Soul as “combining the sting of Chaka Khan with the resonance of Aretha”.
Vanessa and her stellar band will be covering Aretha Franklin’s greatest hits (including Franklin’s signature song R.E.S.P.E.C.T, which reached number one in both the UK’s R&B and pop charts) plus lesser-known gems, all guaranteed to leave your jaw dropping and your heart pumping.
From 5.30pm to 7.00pm (gates open at 4.30pm) in the grounds of Guildford Castle, Castle St, Guildford GU1 3SX
For more details of the event and to book tickets £22 (Discounts for Members and Students) visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org

‘The Space Between The Notes’: A Jazz Photography Exhibition
Date: Monday 25 August – Monday 6 October 2025
This joint event with the Guildford Festival of Arts is an exhibition of Jazz Photographs at the Art and Grind Café, 165 Guildford High Street. It features works by John Lyons, Winner of the 2022 Abbey Road Studios award for Live Music Photography plus works by Pete Johnson and local photographers.
Entry is FREE and coffee, tea and wonderful cakes can also be purchased. All displayed photographs are available for sale. Please enquire at the cafe desk for details.
Details of opening days and times of the Art & Grind café can be found on the website https://www.guildfordjazz.org N.B. There will also be live jazz Sunday 28th September.

Lunchtime Jazz with Nigel Price & Stacey Dawson
Date: Sunday 31 August 2025
Enjoy a spot of lunch in The Guildford Townhouse with live jazz from the trio of saxophonist Stacey Dawson, multi-award-winning guitarist Nigel Price and Guildford Jazz’s Marianne Windham on double bass.
Live music from 1.00 to 3.00pm at The Guildford Townhouse, 56-62 Guildford High St
For more details of the event and to book a table visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org

Big Swing Showcase
Date: Saturday 13 September 2025
Celebrate Guildford Heritage Open Day with an afternoon of Big Band music on the Guildford Castle Bandstand showcasing two great local bands – ‘Junction 4’ and ‘Rhythm & Groove’. Based on the Hampshire/Surrey border, Junction 4 are a dynamic 18-piece ensemble, brimming with energy and style and performing everything from 1930s swing to modern chart hits including Basie, Caro Emerald, Nirvana and Pharell Williams. Godalming-based Rhythm and Groove are an 18-piece outfit with a wide repertoire ranging from the swing of Benny Goodman to the modern arrangements of Gordon Goodwin, with some Buddy Rich thrown in for those who like high energy tunes. The band is composed mainly of music graduates and professionals, who enjoy making fantastic music together, and sharing their enthusiasm for the music in live performance.
Entry is FREE from 2.00 to 5.00pm in the grounds of Guildford Castle, Castle St, Guildford GU1 3SX
For more details of the event visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org

Matt Skelton’s Blackhawk Quintet
Date: Wednesday 17 September 2025
More details…
The Blackhawk Quintet present an evening of cool jazz in tribute to the legendary drummer Shelley Manne, one of the greats of the 1950s West Coast jazz scene. The centrepiece of the music is inspired by a clutch of golden quintet performances captured live at The Black Hawk Jazz Club in San Francisco between 22 and 24 September 1959. The stellar line-up comprises Jim Davison (trumpet), Mark Crooks (tenor sax), Leon Greening (piano), Conor Chaplin (double bass), and Matt Skelton (drums & leader).
From 19.15 to 22.30 at Guildford Pavilion, Woodbridge Road GU1 4RP
For more details of the event and to book tickets £20 (Discounts for Members and Students) visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org

New Orleans Jazz with The Alvar Tree Frogs
Date: Sunday 21 September 2025
A rare opportunity to step inside Abbott’s Hospital with live jazz in the Courtyard from The Alvar Tree Frogs. The band were formed on Alver Street, New Orleans where one night, tired and happy, its founder members listened to the tree frogs singing their song and decided to form a band that would breathe life into music long forgotten, music that made the streets of New Orleans a place to dance and party in the 20s, 30s and 40s, music that is so hip you’ll want to hop around and dance to it.
Entry is FREE and you’re welcome to call in at any time during the band’s performance.
From 2.15 to 4.00 pm at The Guildhall, 131 High Street, Guildford GU1 3AA
For more details of the event visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org

Janette Mason Trio
Date: Friday 26 September 2025
For her latest album, ‘ReWired’, pianist Janette Mason has selected a wide range of tunes from timeless standards to modern chart classics from the likes of Gary Numan, David Bowie, Kate Bush and Olivia Rodrigo. With Janette’s fierce and inventive arrangements pulling everything together, the original tunes’ irresistible melodic personalities are daringly expanded and reconfigured by the trio so that they delight the listener anew with the depth and sophistication of jazz while retaining the direct appeal of pop.
Mixing deep grooves, gutsy swing, blazing solos and unforgettable melody, this is timeless music re-wired for the present day! With Tom Mason on bass and Eric Ford on drums.
From 20.00 to 22.30 at The Stoke Hotel, 103, Stoke Rd, Guildford GU1 4JN
For more details of the event and to book tickets £18 (Discounts for Members and Students) visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org

Mark Kavuma’s Banger Factory Sextet
Date: Wednesday 1 October 2025
More details…
For their closing event of the 2025 Guildford Jazz and Soul Festival, Guildford Jazz proudly presents Mark Kavuma’s Banger Factory Sextet playing their new album ‘Magnum Opus’.
Magnum Opus presents original compositions, arrangements and performances by veterans of the British jazz scene and is a celebration of music, leadership and community. Released last Autumn, the album was launched at a sold-out Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre) for the London Jazz Festival. Charismatic and
visionary trumpet player and composer Mark Kavuma. Kavuma is dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of jazz whilst inspiring the next generation, showcasing the immense talent of London’s jazz community, championing diversity across genres, genders and borders, and ultimately shaping the future of jazz music.
From 20.00 (doors open at 19.15) at Guildford Pavilion, Woodbridge Road GU1 4RP
For more details of the event and to book tickets £25 (Discounts for Members and Students) visit https://www.guildfordjazz.org

Music Spoken Here, Worcester announces programme for Autumn 2025

Sunday, August 03, 2025

Music Spoken Here has announced its programme for September to December 2025. Events take place fortnightly at The Marr's Bar, Worcester.

From;
https://musicspokenhere.club/events/

Note that from the Autumn 2025, our events will start 30 minutes earlier than previously, with doors at 7:30pm for an 8pm start.

Tom Ford
September 25 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm
A diverse mix of genres with an emphasis on improvisation and elements paying tribute to The Police, The Smiths, Allan Holdsworth and Milton Nascimento
Our Re:play series, featuring five select bands from our 2022/23 season of Music Spoken Here at the Marr’s Bar, continues with Tom Ford. Tom made his first appearance in September 2022, the third event on our nascent program at the time!
Tom Ford has been a steady member of the UK jazz scene for the past 10 years having regularly performed at Ronnie Scotts, Jazz Cafe, 91 living room and more as well as being a regular sideman for Reuben James, Jas Kayser and Jay Phelps. He has also been welcomed into the US and European jazz scenes respectively touring and recording with Chris ‘daddy’ Dave’s Drumhedz, Keyon Harrold, Pet Eldh’s Projekt Drums amongst others. Outside of jazz he also writes and produces for many people in both the jazz and commercial world, having worked across the world in LA, NY, Europe and Brazil.
His return coincides with a new album “Goodbye Forever”, which he sees as a rebirth creatively and artistically, moving away from his past sound and ideas and transitioning to a new version of his creative self. His music is a diverse mix of genres and influences but with a heavy emphasis on improvisation, even though there are elements paying tribute to The Police, The Smiths, Allan Holdsworth and Milton Nascimento.
Tom will be joined by Christos Stylianides on trumpet, Daisy George on bass (who both appeared with Jas Kayser and Chums in January this year) and Nathan Shingler on drums, along with MC Chase Alex from Chicago.

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 line-up 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.

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).

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).

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.

Thursday, December 11, 2025
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).

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 each 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

Brigitte Beraha’s Lucid Dreamers - new album and UK live dates, September 2025.

Saturday, August 02, 2025

Vocalist & songwriter Brigitte Beraha and her band Lucid Dreamers will release their new album "Teasing Reflections" on 12th September 2025, followed by a short series of UK live dates.

We have received the following press release;

Brigitte Beraha’s Lucid Dreamers
TEASING REFLECTIONS
Let Me Out Records – LMOCD004
Album release (CD & digital): Friday 12 September 2025

CONCERT DATES

18 September – Bristol, The Bebop Club

19 September – Birmingham Jazz, 1000 Trades

20 September – Newtown, Hafan Yr Afon

24 September – London, The Vortex (album launch)

Teasing Reflections is the third album by Lucid Dreamers, the ensemble led by vocalist and composer Brigitte Beraha, featuring George Crowley (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, electronics), Alcyona Mick (piano, synth) and Tim Giles (drums, percussion, electronics). All acclaimed bandleaders, the quartet’s deep musical rapport - refined over years of collaboration - is immediately apparent. Each musician contributes to the album’s balance of structure and spontaneity, shaping a sound that is both exploratory and cohesive.

Beraha’s seven original compositions touch on themes of communication, destiny, identity and meaning – exploring both the absurdity and profundity of language, politics and the human experience. Her distinctive compositional voice shines through, combining lyrical beauty, social commentary and free-spirited improvisation.

The opening track ‘Words’ sets the tone with a nonsensical ‘speech’ delivered with confident conviction by all four band members (plus Alex Bonney, who also mixed and mastered the album). The piece satirises political rhetoric before giving way to an honest, emotive and comedic collective improvisation – a bold statement of intent. ‘White Noise’ begins as a spacious, almost rock-inflected ballad. It evokes themes of displacement, conflict and resilience, with a stirring interplay between voice, piano and saxophone underpinned by a heartbeat of pulsing drums. ‘Arnaud’ (Parts I & II) offers a cinematic depiction of a life’s unfolding – from playful childhood to a determined march toward destiny. A combination of improvised textures, melodic motifs and evolving rhythms captures the unpredictability of a personal journey. ‘The Matrix’ poses existential questions in one of the album’s most jazz-inflected moments – a spacious, contemplative ballad where voice, piano and saxophone dance around the question of agency and fate. ‘Moonstruck’, reimagined from Beraha’s solo album By the Cobbled Path (2021), is a hypnotic, atmospheric work. It begins with an intimate voice-and-drums improvisation giving way to a poem which evokes hazy insomniac nights, the impermanence of things and light dancing and shifting, with all its ‘teasing reflections’.  ‘What Does It Mean (to be)’ closes the album with a memorable melody and a quietly profound message – a gentle yet powerful reflection on human purpose and connection.

With Teasing Reflections Beraha and Lucid Dreamers invite listeners on a dreamlike, thought-provoking journey. From the ridiculous to the sublime, the album is both playful and profound, exploring what it means to be human. “This album is deeply personal, reflecting both my own experiences and those of others in relation to this crazy and wonderful world that we live in,” says Beraha. “Playing and improvising with George, Alcyona and Tim is a pure joy, and I am so happy to be able to share what was captured in the studio.”

Teasing Reflections is released on Let Me Out Records in association with ECN Music.

Recorded at Livingston Studios on 3 December 2024, engineered by Marcus Locock and Riley Spencer, mixed and mastered by Alex Bonney and produced by Beraha.

Brigitte Beraha: https://www.brigitteberaha.com/

Let Me Out Records: https://www.letmeoutrecords.com/

Brigitte Beraha is a celebrated British/Turkish jazz vocalist, composer and lyricist, renowned for her adventurous style and use of the voice as an instrument. Her multicultural upbringing informs a sound that blends jazz, Latin, classical and electronic influences. Early albums Prelude to a Kiss (2005) and Flying Dreams (2008) mixed jazz standards with original compositions, while By the Cobbled Path (2021) explored electronic textures. With her ensemble Lucid Dreamers, she released Lucid Dreamers (2020) and Blink (2022), the latter supported by Arts Council England. A frequent collaborator (Babelfish, Solstice) and respected educator, she has earned Jazz FM, Parliamentary Jazz and Ivors Composer Awards nominations.

Distribution via ECN Music/Proper Music: https://propermusic.com/

ECN Music: https://ecnmusic.com/

Julian Joseph OBE awarded Honorary Doctorate by University of Southampton.

Saturday, August 02, 2025

British jazz pianist and composer Julian Joseph OBE was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Music) for his contributions to music, education, and cultural life by the University of Southampton.

We have received the following press release;

Turner Sims Press Release:

University of Southampton awards Honorary Doctorate to celebrated British Jazz Musician Julian Joseph

British jazz pianist and composer Julian Joseph OBE was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Music) for his extraordinary contributions to music, education, and cultural life by the University of Southampton at a Graduation Ceremony on Wednesday 23 July 2025.

One of the finest jazz musicians to emerge this side of the Atlantic, Julian has devoted his distinguished career to championing music across the UK and around the world. His performances, compositions, and broadcasts have inspired audiences globally, while his charitable work and dedication to education have made a lasting impact on Britain’s cultural landscape.

Julian has been a formative presence in jazz education, generously sharing his expertise through a wide range of educational programmes. His commitment to nurturing young talent has helped preserve and promote the heritage of jazz for future generations.

His relationship with Southampton spans over 30 years. His first performance at the University’s music venue Turner Sims was in 1994, and he has delighted our audiences regularly ever since. This autumn, he returns to the concert hall with his latest project, ‘Atmospheres in Audio Theatre’ – a bold and immersive exploration of sound and storytelling.

Turner Sims Concert Hall Manager Kevin Appleby, who nominated Julian said,
“Julian Joseph’s longstanding relationship with Southampton – the city, the University, and Turner Sims – along with his national and international profile and influence made him a perfect artist choice for nomination for an honorary degree.  To be able to celebrate his artistry and inspiration when the concert hall was marking its own 50th  anniversary has added to the sense of a special occasion at the end of a landmark year.”

Julian Joseph said,
“Southampton has been a city of amazing good fortune for me. A city of knowledge, education and performance and a place absolutely about family born of close musical ties. The Solent Youth Jazz Orchestra in the mid 1990s led by brilliant charismatic teenager back then Dan Mar-Molinero fostered a long term engagement with young musicians and an ongoing enduring and soulful friendship and musical collaboration with Dan to this very day. The university’s wonderful venue Turner Sims under the expert guidance and artistic programming of Kevin Appleby has been a haven of encouragement and positivity radiating the highest level of music making, thinking and creation to a very receptive audience in and around Southampton including students and faculty from the university it’s situated in.  To be recognised with an honorary doctorate underlines the interest and care Turner Sims and their wonderful team led by Kevin takes in the wider work of an artist to welcome me back numerous times over decades for me to share my music and I look forward to returning in October to continue the story. Thank you University of Southampton, Turner Sims Concert Hall, The Mar-Molinero family and Kevin Appleby.”

Turner Sims is the University of Southampton’s music venue, welcoming all for the joy of music. Opened at Highfield campus in 1974, the venue plays an influential role in Southampton and the region’s cultural scene. Audiences travel miles to experience music legends and rising stars in Turner Sims’ ‘brilliant acoustics’ and ‘varied and imaginative programme’ (Audience comments).www. turnersims.co.uk  

 The University of Southampton drives original thinking, turns knowledge into action and impact, and creates solutions to the world’s challenges. It is among the top 100 institutions globally (QS World University Rankings 2023). The University’s academics are leaders in their fields, forging links with high-profile international businesses and organisations, and inspiring a 22,000-strong community of exceptional students, from over 135 countries worldwide. Through high-quality education, the University helps students on a journey of discovery to realise their potential and join a global network of over 200,000 alumni.
http://www.southampton.ac.uk  
 

Turner Sims is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means funding thanks to taxpayers plays a huge part in supporting our work.

Black Mountain Jazz, Abergavenny announces main concert headliners for 2025 Wall2Wall Jazz Festival.

Monday, July 28, 2025

Black Mountain Jazz has announced its headline concerts for the 2025 Wall2Wall Jazz Festival which will take place from 26 - 28th September.

From http://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk

The Misha Mullov-Abbado Group
Fri 26 Sept |  The Melville Theatre
Time & Location
26 Sept 2025, 20:00 – 23:00
The Melville Theatre, 4 Pen-Y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UD, UK
About the event
Our wall2wall Jazz Festival weekend starts with an exciting lineup - The Misha Mullov- Abbado Group brings together some of London’s most acclaimed jazz musicians. Blending jazz with classical, folk, and Latin influences, the group performs original music that’s rich in melody, rhythm, and groove.
Led by award-winning bassist and composer Misha Mullov-Abbado, their latest album, Effra (Ubuntu Music 2025), follows three critically acclaimed releases, with previous praise from The Telegraph and BBC Radio 3.
Expect vibrant, genre-crossing sounds from one of the UK’s most exciting jazz ensembles.
Liam Dunachie : Piano / Scott Chapman : Drums / Misha Mullov-Abbado : Double Bass / James Davison : Trumpet / Matthew Herd : Alto Sax / Sam Rapley: Tenor sax
“An unfailing inventive, artfully produced, and delightfully sunny debut.” - The Telegraph on New Ansonia(UK)
“One of the finest young bands in the country” - Jazz FM
“Soul-enhancing jazz” - BBC Radio 3
“A mouthwatering prospect” - Jazzwise
Website http://www.mishamullovabbado.com
Tickets
Ticket type
General Admission
Price
From £14.00 to £28.00
Standard
£28.00
Friends of BMJ
£26.00
Under 18’s
£14.00

The Siglo Section featuring Kat Rees
Sat 27 Sept |  The Melville Theatre
Time & Location
27 Sept 2025, 20:00 – 23:00
The Melville Theatre, 4 Pen-Y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UD, UK
About the event
wall2wall Jazz Festival is proud to welcome The Siglo Section, Cardiff’s hottest young big band, to this year’s festival lineup.
Founded in 2019 by dynamic duo Matt Lush and Loz Collier, The Collective has quickly established itself as one of South Wales’s premier jazz ensembles - bringing a bold, youthful energy to the big band tradition.
This 18-piece powerhouse features the classic big band formation - saxes, trumpets, trombones and a full rhythm section. Their repertoire blends swing-era classics with modern funk, innovative arrangements and original works from within the band.
This vibrant ensemble showcases South Wales’ top emerging talent and features the standout vocalist Kat Rees. Kat is a Welsh bilingual jazz singer celebrated for her soulful voice and innovative blend of traditional and contemporary jazz. Featured on BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio3, she made history with The Siglo Section by releasing the first original Welsh-language big band jazz EP. Praised as the “Welsh Ella Fitzgerald,” Kat continues to captivate audiences both live and on air.
More than just a band, The Siglo Section is a vibrant musical community - a hub for creativity, collaboration and high-calibre live performance. Whether they’re channelling the golden age of jazz or pushing boundaries with contemporary sounds, their performances are electrifying, fresh and not to be missed.
Join us at wall2wall Saturday to experience the energy, skill, and spirit of the next generation of big band jazz.
Tickets
Ticket type
General Admission
Price
From £14.00 to £28.00
Standard
£28.00
Friends of BMJ
£26.00
Under 18’s
£14.00

Ian Shaw Performs the Music of Joni Mitchell and David Bowie
Sun 28 Sept |  The Melville Theatre
Time & Location
28 Sept 2025, 20:00 – 23:00
The Melville Theatre, 4 Pen-Y-Pound, Abergavenny NP7 5UD, UK
About the event
Closing our festival weekend, multi-award-winning singer, Ian Shaw, performs one of his favourite shows, fusing the words and music of two of popular music’s genius giants - Joni Mitchell and David Bowie.
Traversing the mammoth back catalogue of these legendary and influential artists, this solo show draws on stories from the early seventies and our own ideals of love, hope and the endless presence of the darker truths of recent times.
Shaw recorded a critically highly praised album of Joni Mitchell (‘Drawn To All Things’, Linn Records) and has a personal connection to both, which is the core of this exciting show. This promises to be a highly charged evening of tears, laughter and simply great song writing.
“Jazz singer Ian Shaw is almost too talented for his own good…a brilliant vocal chameleon”; The Telegraph
“Great jazz singers, like great comedians, are masters of timing. That Ian Shaw is a virtuoso of both disciplines, balancing stand-up and concert gigs, speaks to the breadth of his genius and to the singularity of his style as a singer”: Jazz Times (USA)
Website http://www.ianshaw.biz
Tickets
Ticket type
General Admission
Price
From £12.00 to £24.00
Standard
£24.00
Friends of BMJ
£22.00
Under 18’s
£12.00

See also;
https://www.facebook.com/BlackMountainJazz/

Peter Slavid - ‘European Modern Jazz’ on the radio playlist,  first broadcast 27/07/2025.

Monday, July 28, 2025

Broadcaster & journalist Peter Slavid has forwarded details of the music played on his UK & European Jazz radio show on 27/07/2025, which is available via a number of UK & international radio stations

Peter Slavid writes;

Radio playlist from Sunday 27th July 2025

This week’s show starts with a quick look back to a couple of favourite tracks from the start of the year from Joachim Kuhn and then from Sergio Armaroli/Giancarlo Schiaffini. After that its back to new releases:

Olivia Moore and Adam Fairhall
Maggie Meade
Triangles
NEWJAIM

Kasper Rietkerk
Tea Lights
The Happy Worrier
ECN

Neil Charles
Children
Dark Days
Jazz Now

Vincent Meissner
Palma Amore
Eigengrau
ACT

Tony Tixier
Magic
Poems Never End
Whirlwind

Rosa Ensemble
Muzak/Muzak3/Stalker
Oddments
Cuneiform

Stefano Ottogalli
R.I. blues
Colors
Caligola

Theon Cross
Candace of Meroe
Affirmations: Live At Blue Note New York
New Soil

European Modern Jazz on the radio;

At any time:
http://www.mixcloud.com/ukjazz.

Weekly:

http://www.hayesfm.org.uk 91.8 FM – West London Community Radio Sundays 12.00

http://www.purebeatradio.co.uk Sundays 10am

http://www.listen.camp/ Sundays 7pm onward

Later as “Peter’s Eurojazz Podcast” on Apple, Amazon, Deezer and other podcast sites.

Alex Hitchcock - new album plus UK, US and European tour dates.

Thursday, July 24, 2025

Saxophonist & composer Alex Hitchcock will release his new album "Letters From Afar" on September 26th 2025. A series of live shows is scheduled in the UK, the US and Europe. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

ALEX HITCHCOCK ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM LETTERS FROM AFAR

UK SAXOPHONIST AND IVOR NOVELLO-NOMINATED COMPOSER RETURNS WITH URGENT TRANSATLANTIC JAZZ SET RECORDED IN NEW YORK OUT SEPTEMBER 26 VIA NEW SOIL

FEATURES HIS QUINTET OF HARISH RAGHAVAN, DAVID ADEWUMI, LEX KORTEN & JONGKUK KIM

Artist: Alex Hitchcock
Album: Letters From Afar
Label: New Soil
Formats: Digital, LP, CD
Release Date: September 26

Today, Alex Hitchcock — the UK saxophonist and Ivor Novello-nominated composer who is known for gripping sonic missives on both sides of the Atlantic — announces his album Letters From Afar, due September 26 via New Soil, with the lead single “Wishbone”. Along with the new music and forthcoming album, he announces a US, UK + EU tour, all dates below.

Recorded in New York with some of the brightest lights on the city’s jazz scene, Letters From Afar is an urgent transatlantic set. Comprised of eight stunning original compositions, the album captures the tenorist’s evolving relationship with the roots of jazz in the US—particularly its creative heart in New York—while reflecting a distinctive musical voice shaped by his British upbringing.

Of lead single ‘Wishbone’, Alex Hitchcock says, “This piece always has at least two layers operating independently of each other simultaneously, but the combinations change. I wanted to move towards introducing more chaos and random chance into the composition as a way of sharing creative control with the musicians - giving them as little prompting with the material as possible, refining the material itself and making it more sparse by removing anything extraneous.”

Of the forthcoming album Letters From Afar, Hitchcock explains: “I wanted to make an album specifically in New York and engage with the music being made here, because as a white British musician playing Black American music, engaging with the context in which that music is made is important… I wanted to make a record that recognises the influence of New York on my music, but that also has the confidence to offer something that’s my own and that I can contribute, which is a product of the UK, where I’ve grown up. The title ‘Letters from Afar’ tries to capture the tension in the push and pull of these different information flows: receiving musical influence from the US… and taking that back to my work in the UK and Europe.”

Letters From Afar documents Hitchcock’s period of working, living, and playing in New York. Over the last few years, he has immersed himself in the intense private sessions and workshops that define the city’s contemporary jazz practice — performing and leading bands at venues like the cult musician-run club Close Up on the Lower East Side. He has played with rising talents including Dabin Ryu, Alexandra Ridout, David Adewumi, and David Sirkis, and has performed with his own band at prestigious festivals such as the Rochester International Jazz Festival.

Written during an intense period of maintaining community across two continents — a time Hitchcock describes as an “ephemeral way of life,” where “the lack of rootedness can create a feeling of possibility but also makes you question identity.” The album’s eight tracks were largely captured in first takes, following extensive road-testing during a European tour that allowed the band to develop an intuitive chemistry with the material.

The result is a collaboration with Harish Raghavan on bass (Ambrose Akinmusire’s quartet), trumpeter David Adewumi (who also appeared on Hitchcock’s 2021 album Dream Band), Lex Korten on piano (frequent collaborator of Tyshawn Sorey), and Jongkuk Kim on drums (Aaron Parks’s 2024 Blue Note date Little Big III).

Together, they shape an album that weaves intricate modal harmonies and dynamic exchanges through shadowy, melodramatic moments and expansive passages of soaring euphoria — with expressive solos from a virtuoso cast serving as emotional bridges throughout. These tunes open compelling spaces for the quintet to explore, with interplay between the five players marked by deep listening and careful response. Drawing on influences from Coleman Hawkins and Wayne Shorter to contemporary voices like Ambrose Akinmusire and Tyshawn Sorey, Hitchcock’s music crackles with inventive freshness and bold imagination.

A fierce commitment to progression and originality defines the musical world Hitchcock has immersed himself in during his time in New York. ‘I don’t know if it’s so much a contrast with the way things are done in the UK or just because I was at a different stage in my career in the UK than I am here,’ he says, ‘but I do notice here that it’s never really questioned why you would bother doing a bar gig for $50 or, like, why you would trek for an hour in the rain to do a session in the middle of the day. It’s just like – well, yeah, of course we do that, because we’re all working on our thing, and we want to make it really good.’

Many jazz players from the UK have visited and played in New York, but precious few have spent long periods of time there and cut music to tape with the best of their American contemporaries (Kenny Wheeler, Dizzy Reece and Dave Holland are some of the few). Letters From Afar marks one the rare occasions when a musical sensibility developed within the British jazz experience has had a chance to reconnect with cutting edge music being made at the source. ‘I also have my own thing as a product of where I’m from, and something that I can contribute as a person that has come from London,’ Hitchcock says. ‘Spending time in New York has made me more confident in that respect.’ Letters From Afar is proof positive that this confidence is well-founded.

Personnel:
Alex Hitchcock - saxophone
Dave Adewumi - trumpet
Lex Korten - piano, fender rhodes
Harish Raghavan - bass
Jongkuk Kim - drums

Letters From Afar Tracklist:
1. Yellow Greens
2. Wishbone
3. EO
4. Invisible Beasts
5. Bright White Light
6. Banshees
7. 41
8. Rio (Live at Bimhuis)*
*DSPs and CD only track

Tour dates:
August 26 - Serravalle Pistoiese, IT – Serravalle Jazz Fest
August 29 – London, UK – Vortex
Sep 26 – South Bend, IN, US – Merriman’s Playhouse
Sep 27 – Madison, WI, US – Audio for the Arts
Sep 28 – New York (NYC), NY, US – Nublu
Oct 2 – London, UK – Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club
Oct 10 – Birmingham, UK – Birmingham Symphony Hall
Nov 15 – Guimarães, Portugal – Guimarães Jazz Festival
Nov 20 – London, UK – World Heartbeat

https://www.alexhitchcock.co.uk/

Barbican and Serious announce Keith Jarrett 80th anniversary celebration, March and April 2026.

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

The Barbican and Serious have announced a celebration of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett in his 80th year and 50 years since The Köln Concert with two special performances and a supporting film screening.

We have received the following press release;

Barbican and Serious announce Keith Jarrett 80th anniversary celebration, fifty years since the iconic Köln Concert

The Barbican and Serious today announce a celebration of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett in his 80th year and fifty years since his iconic The Köln Concert. Across two special performances and a supporting film screening, the Barbican will play host to a showcase of key moments from the revolutionary pianist’s career.

American Quartet - The Bad Plus: Chris Potter and Craig Taborn (30 Mar 2026, 8pm)
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/event/the-bad-plus-chris-potter-and-craig-taborn

Film Screening: Keith Jarrett – The Art of Improvisation (15) (11 Apr 2026, 3.30pm)
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/event/keith-jarrett-the-art-of-improvisation

The Köln Concert - Maki Namekawa and Thomas Enhco (11 Apr 2026, 7.30pm)
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/event/the-koln-concert

Keith Jarrett, one of the most visionary improvisers in jazz history, turns 80 this year - a milestone that coincides with the 50th anniversary of his seminal The Köln Concert (ECM, 1975), an album that reshaped the landscape of solo jazz piano. Keith Jarrett’s ability to fuse lyricism, classical influences, and unbroken improvisational flow has inspired generations of jazz and experimental musicians worldwide. His boundless creativity and spiritual intensity, bridges jazz, classical music, free improvisation, and folk traditions.

Marking the occasion of these two landmark anniversaries, the Barbican and Serious are proud to announce this special focus programme in the Barbican Hall, inviting two new projects to respond, in sound and spirit, to The Köln Concert and the American Quartet era. Through reinterpretation and inspiration, the programme celebrates Jarrett’s immense influence on the evolution of modern jazz.

On Monday 30 March 2026, The Bad Plus with Chris Potter and Craig Taborn reinterpret and celebrate Jarrett’s repertoire from his American Quartet era. The project is not a casual homage, but a continuation of the spirit of Jarrett’s American Quartet - balancing swing, freedom, folk-like melody, structured improvisation, and deep musical dialogue - with fresh perspectives from the contemporary ensemble members, which features Reid Anderson, Dave King, Chris Potter, and Craig Taborn. (Find out more)

On Saturday 11 April 2026, two inspired pianists from very different musical spheres - Maki Namekawa and Thomas Enhco - will together tackle Keith Jarrett’s legendary album and performance: The Köln Concert (ECM Records, 1975). Produced and premiered originally by Philharmonie de Paris, the two artists will take two approaches: Maki Namekawa will play, note for note, the first and last sections, while Thomas Enhco will improvise through the central sections, together rendering the incredible luminance of this iconic music and freely oscillating between jazz and classical. (Find out more)

Alongside the performance on 11 April, Barbican Cinema will also screen Keith Jarrett: The Art of Improvisation (15 - Mike Dibb, 2005) which offers an intimate portrait of the legendary pianist, exploring his groundbreaking career and diverse musical influences - from Bach and Mozart to ethnic music - as well as documenting his creative process through interviews and performances. With full cooperation from Jarrett, the film features rare insights from the man himself, alongside interviews with his collaborators, family, and close associates, offering a deep dive into the contrasting worlds of jazz and classical music. Keith Jarrett: The Art of Improvisation is the first major documentary on the pianist, made in collaboration between director Mike Dibb and Jarrett’s biographer Ian Carr. (Find out more)

UPCOMING BARBICAN JAZZ PERFORMANCES:

Summer Jazz Series: Herbie Hancock (Thu 24 – Sat 26 Jul 2025, Barbican Hall, 8pm)
Quinteto Astor Piazzolla (Sun 27 Jul 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
Hand to Earth & Shabaka – Fragile Earth Series (Fri 12 Sep 2025, St Giles Cripplegate, 7.30pm)
Balimaya Project x Discos Pacífico All Stars (Sat 27 Sep 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
Ustad Noor Bakhsh + Jaubi + Amrit Kaur (Fri 3 Oct 2025, Barbican Hall 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: aja monet with guests (Fri 14 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: We Exist! The Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet (Sat 15 Nov, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo (Sun 16 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Dhamaal (Sun 16 Nov 2025, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Anthony Joseph: Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back (Mon 17 Nov 2025, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: The Evolution of UK Jazz – 20 Years On (Wed 19 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Hiromi’s Sonicwonder (Fri 21 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Tortoise (Sat 22 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
EFG London Jazz Festival: Japanese Jazz (Sun 23 Nov 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
GoGo Penguin + special guest Daudi Matsiko (Wed 3 Dec 2025, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)
NEW - American Quartet - The Bad Plus: Chris Potter and Craig Taborn (Mon 30 Mar 2026, Barbican Hall, 8pm)
NEW - Film Screening: Keith Jarrett – The Art of Improvisation (15) (Sat 11 Apr 2026, Barbican Cinema 3, 3.30pm)
NEW - The Köln Concert - Maki Namekawa and Thomas Enhco (Sat 11 Apr 2026, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm)

About Serious
Serious is an Associate Producer at the Barbican, and 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.
Their mission is to curate and produce an original programme that engages a wide range of audiences and communities and nurtures both emerging artists and the next generation of the creative workforce. Through unique and ambitious projects, they aim to make meaningful music experiences and opportunities for everyone.
http://www.serious.org.uk

About the Barbican
The Barbican is a catalyst for creativity, sparking possibilities for artists, audiences, and communities. We showcase the most exciting art from around the world, pushing traditional artistic boundaries to entertain and inspire millions of people, create connections, provoke debate, and reflect the world we live in.
We are an international arts and events centre rooted firmly in our own neighbourhood, collaborating with local communities and putting the City of London on the map as a destination for everybody. Central to our purpose is supporting emerging talent and shaping opportunities that will accelerate the next generation of creatives.
As a not-for-profit, we rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations, including our principal funder the City of London Corporation. Every ticket purchased, donation made, and pound earned supports our arts and learning programme and enables the widest possible range of people to experience the joy of the arts.
Opened in 1982, the Barbican is a unique and audacious building, recognised globally as an architectural icon. As well as our theatres, galleries, concert halls and cinemas, we have a large conservatory with over 1,500 species of plants and trees, a library, conference facilities, public and community spaces, restaurants, bars, and a picturesque lakeside oasis.
We’re proud to be the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, our Resident Orchestra, and a London base for the Royal Shakespeare Company. We regularly co-commission, produce and showcase the work of our Artistic Associates the Academy of Ancient Music, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Boy Blue, Darbar Arts, Cultural and Heritage Trust, and Serious, who produce the EFG London Jazz Festival, alongside other associates and partners including Doc’n Roll Film Festival, London Palestine Film Festival, and Trafalgar Theatre Productions.
http://www.barbican.org.uk

SMOKE Jazz Club, New York City Announces September 2025 Line-up.

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

SMOKE Jazz Club Announces September Line-Up: Performers include Joe Farnsworth, Kris Davis, George Cables, Marquis Hill, Emmet Cohen, Robert Hurst, Johnathan Blake.

We have received the following press release;

SMOKE Jazz Club Announces September 2025 Line-up Featuring Joe Farnsworth’s Album Release Celebration, a Special Tribute to Women Jazz Pianists Led by Kris Davis, and More.

Joe Farnsworth Quintet featuring Emmet Cohen The Big Room (Sep 3-7)
Kris Davis Trio featuring Robert Hurst & Johnathan Blake (Sep 10-14)
George Cables Quartet (Sep 17-21)
Marquis Hill: Color Theory (Sep 24-28)

Hailed as the “#1 Jazz Club in New York City (SecretNYC),” SMOKE Jazz Club today announced its concert schedule for September 2025. The month begins celebrating the release of Joe Farnsworth’s latest album The Big Room (SMOKE Sessions Records) with “one of the best bands recording today” (WJTU Radio): Sarah Hanahan, Emmet Cohen, Joel Ross, Yasushi Nakamura, and Jeremy Pelt. Making her SMOKE debut as a bandleader is pianist Kris Davis—who was recently named the Pianist of the Year in the 2025 DownBeat Critics Poll— in a special concert series paying tribute to six trailblazing woman pianists, including Geri Allen, Carla Bley, and more. For the complete and most updated September schedule, please visit http://www.smokejazz.com. As always, all Friday night concerts are livestreamed!

September 2025 Concert Schedule (subject to change):

Wed-Sun Sep 3-7: Joe Farnsworth Quintet featuring Emmet Cohen The Big Room record release
Jeremy Pelt – trumpet
Sarah Hanahan – alto saxophone
Emmet Cohen – piano
Yasushi Nakamura – bass
Joe Farnsworth – drums
“This most swinging of percussionists can spark any band with his perfect time and unwavering attention to detail.” – The New Yorker
Renowned drummer (also rapidly gaining a reputation as a preeminent bandleader) Joe Farnsworth celebrates the release of his exciting new album The Big Room (SMOKE Sessions Records 07.25.25) with an energetic and rewarding quintet featuring pianist Emmet Cohen and an all-star lineup with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, and bassist Yasushi Nakamura.
Glide Magazine calls him “one of the premiere straight-ahead drummers of his generation,” while Broadway World adds that he “is known for his blazing speed, precision, and melodic playing.” After 30+ years working alongside such seminal artists as George Coleman, Benny Golson, Pharaoh Sanders, Cedar Walton, Harold Mabern, and McCoy Tyner, Farnsworth steps into the spotlight with The Big Room—aiming for “a place where all of the discipline, rules, and language that a musician spends a lifetime mastering suddenly fade, and pure, transcendent creation can occur.”

Wed-Sun Sep 10-14: Kris Davis Trio featuring Robert Hurst & Johnathan Blake SMOKE debut
Kris Davis – piano
Robert Hurst – bass
Johnathan Blake – drums
“Davis’s music is precisely and unmistakably the sound of today.” – DownBeat
The incredible Kris Davis, a GRAMMY Award-winning pianist and composer, described by The New York Times as a beacon for “deciding where to hear jazz [in New York] on a given night,” makes her SMOKE debut as a leader with a superb trio with bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Johnathan Blake. Davis has released 24 recordings as a leader or co-leader and collaborated with artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Dave Holland, John Zorn, Craig Taborn, Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey, and esperanza spalding. She was named a 2021 Doris Duke Artist, Pianist of the Year by DownBeat magazine in 2025, 2022 and 2020, and Pianist and Composer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2021.
Her latest album, Run the Gauntlet, features this trio with Hurst and Blake and stands as a testament to Davis’s singular voice within the jazz landscape. The program pays homage to six trailblazing women pianists who have left an indelible mark on her journey as a pianist and composer: Geri Allen, Carla Bley, Renee Rosnes, Angelica Sanchez, Marilyn Crispell, and Sylvie Courvoisier. These remarkable women not only navigated the male-dominated field of jazz, but also profoundly influenced Davis’s development as a pianist and composer. By dedicating the album to these extraordinary women, Davis honors their resilience and groundbreaking contributions as leaders in the jazz community.

Wed-Sun Sep 17-21: George Cables Quartet
Craig Handy – saxophone
George Cables – piano
Essiet Essiet – 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
Legendary pianist George Cables leads a quartet featuring three of his favorite collaborators: saxophonist Craig Handy, bassist Essiet Essiet, and drummer Jerome Jennings. A major voice in modern jazz, 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.”

Wed-Sun Sep 24-28: Marquis Hill: Color Theory
Marquis Hill – trumpet
Tivon Pennicott – tenor saxophone
Emmanuel Michel – guitar
Harish Raghavan – bass
Dave King – drums
“An established force in contemporary jazz.” – Financial Times
Marquis Hill, one of the great trumpet artists of our time, leads an exciting and adventurous quintet featuring tenor saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, guitarist Emmanuel Michel, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Dave King. Hill’s promise was recognized early by winning two highly prestigious competitions: the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition (2012) and the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition (2014), which helped launch a career that continues to impress. Originally from the South Side of Chicago, Hill credits many of that city’s great artists for helping foster his development. Players like Von Freeman, Bobby Broom, and Willie Pickens, just to name a few.
The New Yorker says, “his performances and recordings reveal a smart post-bop player who circumvents genre clichés by incorporating elements of hip-hop and contemporary R. & B.” DownBeat adds, “The groove-laden arrangements provide the perfect soundscape for Hill’s fluid improvisational style, which, with its glass-like lucidity, recalls the crisp elegance of hard-bop stalwart Donald Byrd.”

About SMOKE
Located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side at the junction of Broadway and 106th Street (aka Duke Ellington Boulevard), Smoke Jazz Club is one of New York City’s premier live music venues. Renowned for offering top-notch programming of accessible, timeless jazz featuring legendary performers, modern masters, and rising stars, Smoke stands apart with its candlelit dining room, stellar acoustics, and classic American cuisine. Founded in 1999, SMOKE also boasts a GRAMMY-nominated label, Smoke Sessions Records, and a celebrated streaming concert series, Smoke Screens. For everything else, visit http://www.smokejazz.com.

Ticketing + Information:                                                         

When: Wednesday-Sunday @ 7:00 p.m. + 9:00 p.m. and additional 10:30 p.m. (Fri & Sat only). Doors open at 5:00 p.m. (unless otherwise noted).

Where: SMOKE Jazz Club, 2751 Broadway (between 105/106th Streets), New York, NY, Train: 1 to 103rd Street.

Tickets: In-Person $25+. Livestream $15 (Fri only). For more information and to make reservations, please visit http://www.smokejazz.com.

Royal Albert Hall announces autumn series of Late Night Jazz.

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

The Royal Albert Hall’s popular Late Night Jazz series returns for its third season of 2025. The events will all be held in the venue’s 200-capacity Elgar Room. Press release with full schedule att.

We have received the following press release;

Royal Albert Hall announces autumn series of Late Night Jazz
Tickets are available from the Royal Albert Hall website
http://www.royalalberthall.com

Marking its biggest series yet, with nine contemporary jazz artists and groups scheduled, including Roella Oloro, KYRA and Gray By Silver, the Royal Albert Hall’s popular Late Night Jazz series returns for its third season of 2025. With artists of Persian, Middle Eastern, Korean, Nigerian and Jamaican heritage, this autumn Beyond the Main Stage programme promises an eclectic range of culturally infused sub-genres from the jazz scene which will all be held in the venue’s 200-capacity Elgar Room.

Opening the series on Thursday 2 October is post-fusion, nu-jazz ensemble DREAMSCAPES who have become renowned for performances where expansive soundscapes shift from serene, ambient moments to powerful prog-rock grooves. Since releasing their self-titled EP in January 2024, the group have headlined Cheltenham Jazz Festival and completed their debut UK tour. The upcoming Late Night Jazz performance will coincide with the release of their debut full-length album, scheduled for the autumn.

The following week, Blue Lab Beats return for their third edition of their Curate residency (Thursday 9 October) with special guest trumpeter Poppy Daniels following the release of her jazz, Latin and hip-hop inspired debut solo EP, Keep On Goin’. Daniels will be joined by jazz quintet Knats who released their debut self-titled album earlier this year to critical acclaim from the likes of Jazzwise, Rolling Stone Japan and The Guardian.

Known for their unique fusion of Persian roots and contemporary jazz, the Arshid Azarine Trio will perform on Thursday 23 October, in partnership with Vaak Records and ArtStage - Iranian promoters based in London, dedicated to showcasing music from Persian-language communities worldwide. Meanwhile, singer-songwriter KYRA will close out the month on Thursday 30 October. KYRA’s music has received support from various editorial playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, alongside debut live showcase performances at Jazz Re:freshed and SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

Egyptian-born oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros will perform a solo recital in the Elgar Room on Friday 14 November in association with Arts Canteen, while Korean jazz and classical outfit Gray By Silver make their debut at the K-Music Festival the following night (Saturday 15 November). Showcasing brand-new works from their upcoming third album, which is set for release this autumn, the quartet’s recent international appearances include performances in New York, Czech Republic and India, alongside festival appearances in Denmark, Japan, and China. Their 2024 album Eternal Gray received the Best Jazz Album award at the Seoul Music Awards.

The following week, talent development programme Take Five marks its 20th anniversary with a show on Monday 17 November as part of the annual EFG London Jazz Festival where contemporary jazz composer Olivia Murphy, pianist Andrew Woodhead and saxophonist/singer Lewis Daniel will perform on the night. New-York based multi-instrumentalist Roella Oloro returns to the Hall on Thursday 20 November with her trio. The ISJAC winner for Emerging Black Composers sold out her last performance in the Elgar Room in 2022 and is set to be debuting new original material this time around.

Matthew Todd, Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, said,
“We’re delighted to see the Late Night Jazz programme go from strength to strength, as we continue to give a platform to the most diverse and exciting acts from the thriving global jazz scene. It’s also an honour for the Hall to partner with our friends at The EFG London Jazz Festival again this year, as well as host a K-Music Festival event for the very first time. We’re thrilled to be able to host such an array of jazz talent, making new friends whilst welcoming back those who’ve performed at the Hall before.”

Billy Marrows’ Grande Família Sextet will be performing a Relaxed Late Night Jazz show on Thursday 4 December following a successful nine-date UK tour earlier this year in support Billy’s 2024 debut album Penelope. The album was released in memory of Billy’s mother Penny, which led to the album raising over £5,800 for the World Child Cancer charity. Relaxed performances are designed to suit individuals or groups who feel more comfortable attending concerts in an informal environment.

The final event of the series and year sees the return of Jazz at the Movies: A Swinging Christmas on Wednesday 10 December. Fronted by acclaimed singer Joanna Eden and backed by Chris Ingham’s Quartet, Jazz at the Movies has sold out Ronnie Scott’s annually from 2012 to 2023 as the group will perform a set full of festive jazz favourites.

Tickets for the autumn series of Late Night Jazz are now available to buy from the Royal Albert Hall website.

Listings info:

Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore
London SW7 2AP
http://www.royalalberthall.com / 020 7589 8212

Late Night Jazz: DREAMSCAPES
Thursday 2 October 2025, 9:30pm
Tickets £15

Late Night Jazz: Blue Labs Beats Curate: Poppy Daniels & Knats
Thursday 9 October 2025, 8pm
Tickets £15

Late Night Jazz: Arshid Azarine Trio
Thursday 23 October 2025, 9:30pm
Tickets £20

Late Night Jazz: KYRA
Thursday 30 October 2025, 9:30pm
Tickets £15

Late Night Jazz: Joseph Tawadros
Friday 14 November 2025, 9:30pm
Tickets £20

Late Night Jazz: Gray By Silver
Saturday 15 November 2025, 9:30pm
Tickets £16.50

Late Night Jazz: Olivia Murphy, Andrew Woodhead & Lewis Daniel
Monday 17 November 2025, 9:30pm
Tickets £20

Late Night Jazz: Roella Oloro
Thursday 20 November 2025, 9:30pm
Tickets £15

Relaxed Late Night Jazz: Billy Marrows’ Grande Familia
Thursday 4 December 2025, 9:30pm
Tickets £16.50

Late Night Jazz: Jazz at the Movies: A Swinging Christmas!
Wednesday 10 December 2025, 9:30pm
Tickets £27.50

About the Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is the world’s most famous stage. For 153 years, it has played host to legendary artists, from Giuseppe Verdi to Beyonce.

Kings Place, London announces launch of Kings Place Jazz Orchestra and autumn 2025 jazz shows.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Kings Place announces the launch of the newly formed Kings Place Jazz Orchestra, a freshly curated series by Michael Mwenso and an autumn filled with jazz performances. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Kings Place announces the launch of the newly formed Kings Place Jazz Orchestra, a freshly curated series by Michael Mwenso and an autumn filled with jazz performances by Sultan Stevenson, Julian Joseph, Zoe Rahman and more.

  The newly formed Kings Place Jazz Orchestra, directed by award-winning British composer, arranger, and trombonist Callum Au, will perform their inaugural concert in November with guest pianist Rob Barron

Michael Mwenso returns to Kings Place as a Guest Curator with ‘Soul Assembly’, a new series where music meets conversation, and community comes alive: celebrating the music of Miles Davis, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald

Julian Joseph is joined by Zoe Rahman to present The Sounds of our Next Generation spotlighting rising stars of jazz as part of the 10th London Piano Festival

Piotr Wojtasik Quintet and Marcin Wasilewski Trio perform concerts as part of the inaugural Polish Jazz Festival

The autumn jazz series also stars Frank Gambale, Quercus trio (June Tabor, Iain Ballamy, Huw Warren), Jack Jennings and Omar Puente, Terje Isungset Ice Quartet, Ian Shaw and Sultan Stevenson

Kings Place today [17 July] announced the launch of their new resident ensemble, Kings Place Jazz Orchestra (KPJO), directed by award-winning composer, arranger and trombonist Callum Au. KPJO is a handpicked, project-based ensemble, made up of the UK’s finest jazz and big band musicians, alongside rising-star young artists. The ensemble hopes to serve as an inspiration for young musicians, opening its doors throughout the year to experience the ensemble in the surroundings of Kings Place’s Hall One. It is set to become a cornerstone of Kings Place’s commitment to both celebrating the depth of jazz tradition and pushing the boundaries of contemporary large ensemble writing. KPJO’s debut performance on 2 November will celebrate George Gershwin’s music, reimagined through the voices of jazz legends such as Miles Davis, Count Basie and Duke Ellington, culminating in a new arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue by Callum Au.

Callum Au, Creative Director, says:
“I’m tremendously excited to be the Creative Director of the newly formed KPJO. Having a top-flight large jazz ensemble with a dedicated home is an enormous responsibility and privilege. We have a spectacular programme of concerts lined up over the next year, featuring many of the finest musicians I’ve had the privilege of working with, from UK jazz stalwarts to rising stars.’’

Sam McShane, Artistic Director of Kings Place, says:
“This autumn, we’re proud to present a wide-ranging jazz programme that reflects Kings Place’s commitment to artistic excellence, adventurous programming and community building. The debut of the Kings Place Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of the remarkable Callum Au, marks a major milestone for us - a new cornerstone for large ensemble jazz in the UK. We’re also thrilled to welcome back the incomparable Michael Mwenso with his specially curated series, Soul Assembly, a powerful new series that places music, conversation and community at its heart. From Julian Joseph and Zoe Rahman championing the next generation of pianists, to the inaugural Polish Jazz Festival and standout performances by artists including Quercus, Ian Shaw, and Sultan Stevenson, this season shines a light on the rich spectrum of jazz today. We look forward to welcoming audiences old and new to be part of these inspiring musical journeys.”

Kings Place continues its commitment to jazz with 13 jazz shows between September and December. Emmy Award-winning creator, bandleader and creative artist Michael Mwenso returns to Kings Place as a guest curator of Soul Assembly, a new series where music meets conversation, and community comes alive, starting with a celebration of Miles Davis with Jay Phelps and Ammar Kalia who will share the stage to perform, talk, reflect and connect with the audience [3 Oct]. Mwenso then presents a family ancestral listening event, Sisters of Soul, celebrating great women in song, guiding the audience through an interactive listening journey as well as a special performance led by tenor saxophonist and Musical Director Ruben Fox [16 Nov]. This is followed by a Christmas show with Michael Mwenso and the Shakes, Funky Soulful Christmas, featuring thrilling new arrangements of holiday favourites and some original anthemic music [18 Dec].

Kings Place is hosting two performances as part of the inaugural Polish Jazz Festival. The Marcin Wasilewski Trio – considered one of the most important jazz groups from Poland – bring their signature blend of tradition and modernity for their Kings Place debut [15 Sept], and trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik performs an intimate Hall Two show with his Quintet [27 Sept].

Australian jazz guitarist Frank Gambale brings his ‘All-Star’ Group to Kings Place, starring bassist Federico Malaman, Yoann Schmidt on drums and Jerry Leonide on keyboard, who will be joined by pianist and composer Andrew McCormack [5 Oct]. Julian Joseph and Zoe Rahman headline an evening at the London Piano Festival to celebrate the future of jazz, sharing the stage with the talent of tomorrow for performances, collaboration and mentorship [12 Oct].

Other jazz highlights in the autumn include Jack Jennings and Omar Puente launching their new album Allied with Nature [17 Oct], June Tabor, Iain Ballamy and Huw Warren performing together as Quercus, sharing original compositions, traditional folk songs and reclaimed standards [19 Oct] and Sultan Stevenson – one of the most exciting young jazz musicians in London – returning to Kings Place with his trio [31 Oct]. The Terje Isungset Ice Quartet perform with their ensemble of voice, ice harp, ice horn, iceophone, ice percussion and ice bass following their sold-out show in 2021 [23 Nov], and Ian Shaw reimagines Sondheim’s iconic songs through a jazz lens [27 Nov].

Further information and tickets for the full range of jazz shows at Kings Place can be found on the Kings Place website.
https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/jazz/

Concert listings

Mon 15 Sep | Hall One 8pm
MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO
PRESENTED BY POLISH JAZZ FESTIVAL
The Marcin Wasilewski Trio stands among the most important jazz groups to emerge from Poland in the last few decades. Known for their lyrical touch, intuitive interplay, and refined sense of space, the trio has carved out a distinctive voice in the international jazz scene. Performing as part of the Polish Jazz Festival London, the trio brings their signature blend of tradition and modernity to a city rich in jazz heritage.
£30 – £40; Half-price concessions

Sat 27 Sep | Hall Two 8pm
Piotr WojtAsik Quintet
Presented by Polish Jazz Festival
A master of the trumpet and a deeply expressive composer, Piotr Wojtasik has spent over four decades shaping European jazz with his distinctive voice and boundary-pushing creativity. Known for his lyrical tone, fearless improvisation, and collaborations with global jazz greats, Wojtasik brings decades of experience and expressive depth to an unforgettable night of European jazz excellence.
£30; £27 Under-30s

Fri 3 Oct | Hall Two 8pm
a celebration of Miles Davis
With Jay Phelps and Ammar Kalia
Michael Mwenso’s Soul Assembly
Michael Mwenso’s new series kicks off with a night of conversation and music with writer, musician and poet Ammar Kalia and UK’s leading trumpet player Jay Phelps - supported by DJ Jake Milliner.
In this joyful and immersive gathering as part of the Soul Assembly series, musician and educator Michael Mwenso will guide attendees through a communal exploration of recorded music with a focus on the indelible offerings of Miles Davis. Fresh from his recently curated Miles Davis Kind of Blue performances, Jay Phelps brings together an ensemble to perform highlights from this show alongside conversation between Michael Mwenso himself and musician, poet and writer, Ammar Kalia.
£24; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sun 5 Oct | Hall One 7.30pm
FRANK GAMBALE ‘ALL-STAR’ GROUP
Plus Andrew McCormack
The Frank Gambale ‘All-Star’ Group – sizzling with a fantastic variety for guitar enthusiasts to feast on, the group showcases a formidable line-up that includes bassist innovator Federico Malaman, the ever-impressive Yoann Schmidt on drums, and Jerry Leonide, keyboard master from Mauritius via Paris. With support from exceptional pianist and composer Andrew McCormack
£25 – £35; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sun 12 Oct | Hall One 5pm
JULIAN JOSEPH PRESENTS
THE SOUNDS OF OUR NEXT GENERATION
London Piano Festival
Jazz legends Julian Joseph and Zoe Rahman headline an electrifying evening celebrating the future of jazz. From swinging standards to bold new sounds, experience an unforgettable fusion of tradition and innovation, led by two of the UK’s most influential jazz pianists. Witness the talent of tomorrow, in a night filled with dynamic performances, collaboration and inspirational mentorship.
£20 – £30; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Fri 17 Oct | Hall One 7.30pm
Jack Jennings & Omar Puente
‘Allied with Nature’ Album Launch
Earth Unwrapped
Two of the most electrifying virtuosos of the UK scene, Jack Jennings & Omar Puente create new music inspired by the world’s biggest natural sound library. A powerful electric band led by guitar and violin, combining raga themes of Indian classical music, with a jazz/rock rhythm section of Domenico Angarano on bass, Arthur Newell on drums. Bringing nature’s voice to the project is wildlife sound recordist Martyn Stewart and The Listening Planet.
£21 – £36; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sun 19 Oct | Hall One 6pm
JUNE TABOR, IAIN Ballamy and Huw Warren
Quercus
Three of the UK’s most celebrated folk and jazz musicians come together to create mesmerising, lyrical chamber music that forges June’s intensely passionate voice with Iain’s gloriously mellifluous melodies and Huw’s off-kilter musicality, to tell of life’s bitter-sweet tales. Drawing on their life’s work including original compositions, traditional folk songs and reclaimed standards, Quercus subtly colours each song to create a magical atmosphere.
£18 – £30; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Fri 31 Oct | Hall One 8pm
Sultan Stevenson Trio
Sultan Stevenson is one of the most exciting young jazz musicians in London today. He did his first international tour in October 2023 when he was invited to Ireland, a tour that included an appearance at The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival. On March 28th, he released his second album El Roi on Edition Records, launching with a sold-out show at the Southbank Centre. Following this, his trio is set for a European tour at various high-profile jazz clubs and festivals.
£18 – £30; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sun 2 Nov | Hall One 5pm
KINGS PLACE JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Presents: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
Kings Place proudly presents the launch of the newly formed Kings Place Jazz Orchestra. Directed by award-winning composer, arranger and trombonist Callum Au, and featuring acclaimed guest pianist Rob Barron, the Orchestra will perform a dynamic programme of music by George Gershwin – reimagined through the voices of jazz legends such as Miles Davis, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington – culminating in Callum’s epic new arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue.
£25 – £45; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Sun 16 Nov | Hall Two 3pm
Sisters of soul – celebrating BESSIE SMITH, BILLIE HOLIDAY and ELLA FITZGERALD
Family event
Michael Mwenso’s Soul Assembly
Join us for a joyful, family-friendly celebration of music, community and powerful female voices from the past through Michael Mwenso’s Sisters of Soul show. This warm and inclusive session exists to connect with music, stories and the spirit of shared cultural roots through the music of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Through uplifting music, performed by Ruben Fox, playful storytelling and irresistible rhythms, we’ll explore the timeless music and inspiring lives of these legendary artists.
£15; £8 Under-30s

Sun 23 Nov | Hall One 5pm
Terje Isungset Ice Quartet
The extraordinary, beautiful and ethereal sounds of ice
Earth Unwrapped
Terje Isungset’s ice concert is a tribute to the most important thing in the whole world – nature – and is based on music from his albums Winter Songs and Beauty of Winter, alongside new material from their Ice Quartet album released in November 2024. The instruments are made during Isungset’s annual Ice Music Festival in Norway. They are carved and crafted using only natural frozen ice from the lakes.
£20 – £35; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Thu 27 Nov | Hall One 8pm
Ian Shaw sings Stephen Sondheim
Stephensong
With his signature blend of emotional depth, wit, and vocal virtuosity, Ian Shaw reimagines Sondheim’s iconic songs through a jazz lens – infusing them with fresh nuance while honouring their melodic, emotional and theatrical brilliance. From the aching introspection of Children Will Listen and the vocally dexterous Another Hundred People, Shaw’s interpretations are both intimate and grand, capturing the heart of Sondheim’s storytelling.
£30; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

Thu 18 Dec | Hall Two 8pm
MWENSO and The Shakes
funky soulful Christmas
Michael Mwenso’s Soul Assembly
Led by Michael Mwenso, this event promises to bring to life an Afro-Futuristic Winter Wonderland. This show also marks the second year of Michael’s Soulful Funky Christmas show, which premiered last year in London and showcases the work he’s been championing across the U.S. for over a decade. Experience thrilling new arrangements of holiday favourites and some of Mwenso and The Shakes’ original anthemic music. In true Soul Assembly style, the evening of music will be paired with conversation, led by writer, musician and poet Ammar Kalia.
£28; Half-price concessions; £10 Under-30s

ABOUT KINGS PLACE
Kings Place is an adventurous music and arts venue with an ambition to inspire local community and promote the power of the arts in our society.  Its venues enable learning, discovery, debate and experiences that are powerfully intimate, enabling human connection between artists and audiences.
The dedicated and supportive team programmes a series of festivals and events, developing cross-arts collaborations and artistic relationships that deliver unforgettable live experiences.
The award-winning concert series, Unwrapped, is its flagship programme, exploring big ideas and overarching themes across the year. Kings Place is also the UK’s home of live podcasting as creators and hosts of the London Podcast Festival.
As a registered charity Kings Place does not receive regular public funding. Income is generated through ticket sales, donations, grants, and the staging of world-class conferences and events.

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

http://www.kingsplace.co.uk

Laura Jurd - new album and UK & European tour dates.

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Trumpeter & composer Laura Jurd will release her new album "Rites & Revelations" on October 19th 2025. She will be touring in the UK & Europe during November.

We have received the following press release;

LAURA JURD ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM
RITES & REVELATIONS
OUT OCTOBER 17 VIA NEW SOIL

VISIONARY TRUMPETER DELIVERS STRIKING BLEND OF JAZZ AND FOLK ON NEW ALBUM

EXTENSIVE UK & GERMAN TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED FOR NOVEMBER 2025

Artist: Laura Jurd
Album: Rites & Revelations
Label: New Soil
Formats: Digital, LP, CD
Release Date: October 17

Today, New Soil announces Rites & Revelations, a new album from visionary jazz trumpeter and composer Laura Jurd — of the Mercury-nominated group Dinosaur — out October 17, 2025.

Watch the live video for Offering filmed at The Bennett Centre in Frome here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jymMbr6tJ4

Lead single, ‘Offering’ is a brooding, cathartic work, drawing on jazz, folk and European Renaissance influences to build towards an expansive crescendo, an exposition of Jurd’s towering trumpet playing and ambitious compositional approach.

“When I wrote “Offering”, I knew that this was the home for this imagined thing I’d been nurturing,” Jurd explains. “It’s a statement of intent, perhaps one of the clearest I’ve made in my career. This album feels like a grounded return to something essential.”

Rites & Revelations represents a powerful return and creative re-emergence for Jurd, who had stepped away from regular performance and recording for several years to focus on her family. Written with patience and intention over 6 months following a move to Somerset, it concentrates a sense of yearning and pent-up artistic expression in what is a striking and personal album. As she says, “This album has distilled my identity and brought together things I love in a way that feels uniquely me.”

A coming together of her two musical worlds, jazz and folk, Rites & Revelations draws on the traditional instrumentation of Jurd’s English and Scottish heritage, alongside diverse European folk influences, lacing the 10-track album with deep modal harmonies and vibrant rhythmic turns that embrace both light and dark in moments of high drama and staggering beauty.

Making music with Mercury-nominated jazz quartet Dinosaur since 2010, alongside her keyboard-playing partner Elliot Galvin, Jurd has released a trio of acclaimed LPs under her own name, and here joins forces once more with Dinosaur drummer Corrie Dick and bassist Ruth Goller, who together form a muscular rhythm section on which the album’s solid foundations stand.

Jurd is also joined by folk musicians Ultan O’Brien and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Martin Green, whose innate understanding of the details and ornamentations of folk vernacular complement Jurd’s own background in jazz and classical music (writing for the likes of London Sinfonietta, National Youth Orchestra and the Ligeti Quartet). It is a blend heard perhaps most on the album’s one cover version, a soaring rendition of blues standard ‘St James Infirmary’, whose cacophonous, intuitive one-take recording Jurd calls a “big monstrous performance.”

Recorded mostly live with minimal overdubs, Rites & Revelations captures the raw energy of a band that found its collective voice through extensive rehearsals ahead of their Edinburgh Jazz Festival premiere in 2024. Revelling in the textural drones and cultural connotations of violin and accordion, Rites & Revelations, bristles with unique sound in which Jurd pushes her trumpet playing into earthy, drone-like realms.

“I want people to feel something primal, like how old folk tunes can reach something innate in us,” she explains. “That’s what makes me tick—music that stirs you deeply, emotionally, even physically. I love that timeless quality where it feels both ancient and alive.”

On second single, ‘You Again’, the lilting traditional influences come to the fore, deftly merging the ceilidh-like melody with intricate rhythmic sweeps, and finding a new vernacular between jazz and folk in the process. It is a track that will take you by the hand and swing you round and round until sunrise.

Serpentine melodies wind their way through the album’s third single ‘Step Up To The Altar’, whose modal vamp cuts across the heavier, drone-like sound of the accordion, encapsulating the themes of “empowerment, catharsis and release” that define this moment in Jurd’s creative journey and form the beating heart of the album.

With a tour planned for later in the year, performing the album live will allow Jurd to really explore the visceral potential of what she says is her loudest project to date. Rites & Revelations arrives as a statement of intent from one of the UK’s foremost jazz musicians, retrieved from the depths of her being and expressed in a voice singular to her own.

Personnel:
Laura Jurd - trumpet
Ultan O’Brien - violin & viola
Martin Green - accordion
Ruth Goller - electric bass
Corrie Dick - drums

Rites & Revelations Tracklist:
1. Offering
2. Step Up To The Altar
3. Praying Mantis
4.Lighter & Brighter
5. Life’
6. You Again?
7. St James Infirmary
8. Bide Your Time
9. What Are You Running Towards?
10. Back To Life

Tour dates:
01 November – Unitarian Church, CAMBRIDGE, UK
02 November – Turner Sims, SOUTHAMPTON, UK
03 November –Rook Lane Chapel , FROME, UK
04 November – St George’s, BRISTOL, UK
10 November – The Yard, MANCHESTER, UK
11 November – The Cumberland Arms, NEWCASTLE, UK
13 November – Firth Hall, SHEFFIELD, UK
14 November – MAC, BIRMINGHAM, UK
18 November – Unterfahrt, MUNICH, DE
20 November – Union Chapel, LONDON, UK

https://www.laurajurd.com/

https://www.instagram.com/laurajurd/

https://www.facebook.com/laurajurdmusician

https://newsoil.bandcamp.com/

https://x.com/soil_new

Olivia Cuttill - new album and UK and European tour dates, July to October 2025.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Trumpeter & composer Olivia Cuttill will release her new album ...And Writing And Singing And Tunes To Be Swingin' on August 29th 2025 and will be touring in the UK & Europe. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Olivia Cuttill
…AND WRITING AND SINGING AND TUNES TO BE SWINGIN’
Olivia Cuttill Music – OCQ001CD
Album release (CD, digital & vinyl): Friday 29 August 2025

CONCERT DATES;

27 July - Writtle Jazz Festival

5 August - London, PizzaExpress Jazz Club, Soho

9 August - Brecon Jazz Festival

20 August - Sheffield, Jazz at the Lescar

28 August - Leeds, Seven Arts

11 September - London, Alfie’s Soho (album launch)

21 September – Germany, Junkyard Dortmund

6 October – France, Paris, Le Duc des Lombards

Jazz trumpeter, composer and winner of the 2024 Peter Whittingham Jazz Award, Olivia Cuttill, announces the release of her new album – …And Writing And Singing And Tunes To Be Swingin’.

Influenced by the soul of New Orleans and the music of Louis Armstrong, Dr. John, Nina Simone and Randy Newman, Cuttill’s original compositions combine expressive trumpet improvisation with lyrical storytelling that explores themes of love, loss, stardom, hypochondria and gratitude.

…And Writing And Singing And Tunes To Be Swingin’ features a stellar line-up of musicians: Issey Chivers (vocals), Tom Harris (piano), Josh Vadiveloo (bass), Miles Pillinger (drums) and special guest Alex Fisher (tenor saxophone).

As the third generation in a family of musicians – all of whom appear on the album – Cuttill brings a personal, emotive touch to each track. Highlights include the gospel infused ‘Show Biz Casino’, a joyful celebration of life as a musical gamble; a witty vocalese twist on Bobby Timmons’ ‘Moanin’; and the heartwarming ‘There’s A House Down By The Station’, layered with recordings of Cuttill’s late grandfather, jazz pianist Geoff Cuttill. The album closes with a soulful rendition of ‘Cryin’ Time’, paying tribute to Olivia’s love for blues and country crossover, while tracks like ‘I’ve Won The Lottery’ and ‘The Boogie Woogie Bug’ celebrate the magic of family, swing and song.

…And Writing And Singing And Tunes To Be Swinging’ is released on Olivia Cuttill Music in association with ECN Music.

Supported by the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award (Help Musicians). Recorded by Samuel Newham at Green Room Studios, Leeds; mixed and co-produced by Ben Macdonald and mastered by Chris Sharkey. 

Olivia Cuttill: https://oliviacuttillmusic.wixsite.com/oliviacuttill

A Leeds Conservatoire graduate (2023), Cuttill released her acclaimed debut album The Whole Damn Plan in January 2024.  She has performed at major UK venues and festivals including Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Southbank Centre and the EFG London Jazz Festival.  Cuttill is a member of Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band and has collaborated with acclaimed artists such as Nikki Iles, Cleveland Watkiss and Nikki Yeoh.

Distribution via ECN Music/Proper Music: http://www.propermusic.com

Peter Slavid - ‘European Modern Jazz’ on the radio playlist,  first broadcast 13/07/2025.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Broadcaster & journalist Peter Slavid has forwarded details of the music played on his UK & European Jazz radio show on 13/07/2025, which is available via a number of UK & international radio stations

Peter Slavid writes;

Radio Playlist from Sunday 13th July 2025

Jasper Høiby: Fellow Creatures
We Must Fight
We Must Fight
Edition

Smooth Elevator
Urban Modesty
Moving Target
Losen

Indra trio
Mondadeira Alentejana
Brahma
Unit Records

Peter Johnstone
The Four Horsemen
Resistance is Futile
self

Olie Brice Quartet
And We Dance on the Firm Earth
All it Was
West Hill Records

Casimir Liberski ReTRio
Boss Suite II
The Z Suites
WRWTFWW records

Witold
Pastereczka
Witold plays Lutoslawski
Unit

Olga Amelchenko
Walking Shadows
Howling Silence
Edition

Saihs
Second Try
Distopia
Gleam

Snakioplatz
Limitato Avanti
Snakioplatz
Caligola Records

European Modern Jazz on the radio;

At any time:
http://www.mixcloud.com/ukjazz.

Weekly:

http://www.hayesfm.org.uk 91.8 FM – West London Community Radio Sundays 12.00

http://www.purebeatradio.co.uk Sundays 10am

http://www.listen.camp/ Sundays 7pm onward and available from then on

Later as “Peter’s Eurojazz Podcast” on Apple, Amazon, Deezer and other podcast sites.

Jazz FM announces summer schedule for 2025.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Jazz FM celebrates legends of jazz, soul and blues this summer. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Jazz FM set for a ‘legendary’ summer.

Jazz FM celebrates legends of jazz, soul and blues this summer

The Music That Made Me returns for a very special sixth series

Saxophonist Leo Green returns to Jazz FM for new series: Legends of Jazz

Following the celebration of new, up and coming jazz, soul and blues artists this spring at the Jazz FM Awards, the UK’s biggest jazz station celebrates the legends of the genre throughout the summer.  From today’s artists in conversation, to stories of past greats and tales of the legendary labels intrinsic to the promotion of jazz music and musicians, summer weekend evenings will tell the stories of the music in all its guises.

Jazz FM’s acclaimed “The Music That Made Me” returns for a sixth series with more huge names settling down into a deep conversation with host Nigel Williams to share how they were moulded by the music around them to make them the musicians they are today.

From Sunday 20th July for seven weeks, we hear from keyboardist Bob James, drummer Billy Cobham, trumpeter Chris Botti, vocalists Joan Armatrading and Melody Gardot, and jazz’s greatest living legend of today – Herbie Hancock.  Between them they have 62 Grammy® nominations and 17 wins – legends indeed!
Previous GOATs celebrated on this long running series include Sergio Mendez, Marcus Miller, Norah Jones, Nige Rodgers, George Benson and Harry Connick Jnr with all previous episodes available on the Rayo app.

Leo Green returns to the station to present four-part series “Leo Green’s Legends of Jazz” in which he spends time looking at the music from those who were the pioneers of jazz and whose music still resonates today like.  He also celebrates musicians’ who would have turned one hundred in 2025 in his “100 Club” which includes Oscar Peterson, Mel Torme and Zoot Sims.

Sir Van Morrison turns 80 on 31st August and as a member of Sir Van’s carefully selected band, Leo will host a special version of his Legends show with stories of performing with Sir Van.  That weekend listeners will also have the chance to hear again Sir Van’s episode of ‘Music That Made Me’ first broadcast last year.

Finally, ‘Jazz FM’s Guide to Labels’ returns for another series looking at the role labels play in making legends, both from the past and of today.  Every weekend through September, Danielle Perry spends Saturday night playing the music from a guest label and returns to tell their story on Sunday.  This series focus’ on Columbia, International Anthem, Edition and Brownswood.

Jazz FM and Magic Classical Content Director Nick Pitts says:
“We thrive on telling stories about the music and the musicians.  After a vibrant start to the year spotlighting the cutting edge of today’s music community, focusing on the legends will remind us all why these artists and organisations are still in everyone’s music DNA today.”

All programmes will also be available on Rayo for 28 days after initial transmission.
Former series of ‘The Music That Made Me’ and ‘Jazz FM’s Guide to Labels’ will also be available on Rayo in the run up to and throughout the new series.

SUMMER OF LEGENDS – FURTHER PROGRAMME DETAILS

THE MUSIC THAT MADE ME – Series 6 (Sunday 9-10pm)
Presenter: Nigel Williams /  Producer: Chris Gilvear
20th July – BILLY COBHAM (pre-listen to this first episode of the series here)
27th July – HERBIE HANCOCK
3rd August – JOAN ARMATRADING
10th August – CHRIS BOTTI
17th August – MELODY GARDOT
24th August – BOB JAMES

LEO GREEN’S LEGENDS OF JAZZ (Saturday 9-10pm)
Presenter: Leo Green /  Producer: Chris Gilvear
2nd August – Featuring MEL TORME’s induction into the ‘100 Club’
9th August – Sax legend ZOOT SIMS is inducted into the ‘100 Club’
16th August – OSCAR PETERSON joins Leo’s ‘100 Club’
23rd August – Blues icon BB KING is inducted into Leo’s ‘100 Club’

SIR VAN MORRISON AT 80
Saturday 30th August – Leo Green’s Legends of Jazz - Sir Van Morrison Special
Sunday 31st August – Music That Made Me – Sir Van Morrison (rpt from 2024)

JAZZ FM’S GUIDE TO LABELS (Saturday and Sunday 9-10pm)
Presenter: Danielle Perry /  Producer: Heather Wall
6th September – The Music of Columbia
7th September – The Story of Columbia
13th September – The Music of Edition Records
14th September – The Story of Edition Records
20th September – The Music of International Anthem
21st September – The Story of International Anthem
27th September – The Music of Brownswood
28th September – The Story of Brownswood

About Jazz FM:
Jazz FM is the largest commercial jazz station in the world, celebrating the complete spectrum of Jazz in all its colourful forms since 1990. Jazz FM broadcasters, producers and team are true devotees, with a deep love and understanding of their particular jazz shade, their passion is vivid, their enthusiasm infectious, sharing the finest jazz with everyone.
As the UK’s only dedicated Jazz broadcaster, Jazz FM is on a mission to entertain, promote and celebrate all that’s great about Jazz. Involvement with national festivals and holding the annual Jazz FM Awards is part of this - setting the bar high for live performance, recognising outstanding talent and strengthening the Jazz community.
No matter how people tune-in they always listen in colour.

EFG London Jazz Festival announce new artists including Nubya Garcia, Omou Sangaré, Mulatu Astatke, Shabaka Hutchings, Camilla George and many more.

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

EFG London Jazz Festival, has announced the next raft of names for its 33rd edition which takes place from 14-23 November 2025. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

SERIOUS
Announce More Artists For
EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2025
New names include Nubya Garcia, Oumou Sangaré, Mulatu Astatke, The Evolution of UK Jazz – 20 Years On ft. Camilla George and Shabaka Hutchings, Hossein Alizadeh, Bill Laurance and more
14-23 November 2025
https://efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk/

The global celebration of music, EFG London Jazz Festival, is sharing the next raft of names for its 33rd 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 different genres and cultures.

Following his performance at EFG London Jazz Festival in 2023, the ‘Father of Ethio Jazz’, Mulatu Astatke, will bring two shows to the festival this year. The first is at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, 16 November and then the following night at HERE at Outernet. He will perform a celebratory career-spanning set that is sure to be a fitting tribute to his incredible musical journey so far. The shows will also be in support of his first major studio album in over 10 years, Mulatu Plays Mulatu, which is being released ahead of his performance.

On Friday, 21 November Aga Khan Master Musicians & Friends: A Night of Musical Alchemy and Wonder take the stage at Queen Elizabeth Hall. The Aga Khan Master Musicians are a unique ensemble of visionary performers and composers, each devoted to reimagining the musical heritage of their culture through bold, contemporary expression. Experience an unforgettable evening of musical innovation as the Aga Khan Master Musicians join forces with French jazz luminary Vincent Peirani (accordion), Aga Khan Music Awards laureates and extraordinary talents from the tapestry of musical cultures. In this one-of-a-kind concert, boundaries dissolve and traditions intertwine, offering a thrilling musical journey where East meets West, the ancient meets the avant-garde, and new creations are born in the moment.

Continuing at the Southbank Centre, the soul of Wassoulou meets the power of orchestral sound as the BBC Symphony Orchestra are performing alongside Malian singer and 2019 Aga Khan Music 2019 winner, Oumou Sangaré. Opening the concert are winners of the prestigious Aga Khan Music Awards which take place as part of EFG London Jazz Festival over the closing weekend. Soon to be announced, the winners are artists whose work preserves and reimagines musical traditions from across the globe.

These concerts are curated by the Aga Khan Music Awards 2025 in collaboration with the EFG London Jazz Festival and celebrate outstanding musical creativity inspired by cultural heritage across the world.

London-born saxophonist, composer, bandleader and Take Five alumnus, Nubya Garcia melds jazz, classical, dub and R&B into sweeping, adventurous music to stir the senses. Her eclectic music style comes from a place of exploration and self-study, of wanting to experiment across all disciplines. One of the most lauded of her generation in UK jazz, Garcia is closing the festival at HERE at Outernet on Sunday, 23 November with a unique show accompanied by specially-commissioned visuals.

Over at Cadogan Hall, the beautiful concert hall just off Sloane Square, the full lineup is almost in place with Iranian player of the Tar and Shurangiz Hossein Alizadeh performing on Friday, 14 November, presented in collaboration with Artstage and Vaak Records. American vocalist and purveyor of the Great American Songbook, Stella Cole performs on Sunday 16, November. Into the midweek, maverick violinist who moves freely between jazz, classical and pop, Nigel Kennedy will perform on Tuesday, 18 November and pianist Taylor Eigsti ft Becca Stevens will bring some New York flair on Wednesday, 19 November. Classically trained composer, sought after collaborator and 5 times Grammy award-winning pianist Bill Laurance will play music from his new album Lumen, released on ACT Records on 26 September in Cadogan Hall on Saturday, 22 November.

On Wednesday, 19 November at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Adrian Dunbar presents T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land with music by Nick Roth alongside the Guildhall Session Orchestra. Conceived and directed by Dunbar, the Unreal Cities setting of the poem is composed for four actors, film and jazz quintet and is expanded for this performance with a full orchestral treatment in collaboration with the Guildhall Session Orchestra.

UK drummer, composer and producer Tom Skinner has been a vital and central figure in the burgeoning underground music scene in London throughout the last 20 years, and he brings this experience to a special headline show at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday, 21 November. Tom is known, among others, as an original member of award winning band Sons Of Kemet alongside band-leader and frequent collaborator Shabaka Hutchings. He is also the core drummer of The Smile, with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood.

Headlining KOKO on Friday, 21 November, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Younge is performing with an outstanding 10-piece orchestra to present ‘Something About April III’ - the final chapter of his Brazil inspired psychedelic soul trilogy. As the founder of Linear Labs and co-creator of Jazz Is Dead, his work spans collaborations with artists such as Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, and João Donato. Fans can expect a star studded show in keeping with the Jazz is Dead nights, inviting surprise guests for their first ever outing in London.

Following their show at Jazz Cafe earlier this year, the electrifying and genre-crossing Ilhan Ersahin’s Istanbul Sessions return to play the EartH Theatre in Dalston on Sunday, 23 November.

At the Union Chapel, there are two new shows announced. On the opening Saturday, 15 November, childhood friends Sam Amidon and Thomas Bartlett perform in a double bill show for EFG London Jazz Festival. Having grown up together and formed bands as children, they have both gone on to carve out brilliant careers as musicians and collaborators. On the back of his breakthrough album Salt River, Amidon follows his two sold out shows at Stone Nest earlier this year, whilst Bartlett will perform works including his luminous 2020 release Shelter.

Anyone who attended last year’s showstopping Moment’s Notice will be feverishly anticipating the event’s return to Union Chapel. George Nelson’s improv series is one of the hottest tickets on the London jazz scene. Five musicians with little or no history of playing together are invited to spontaneously compose in front of a live audience. Last November, Courtney Pine, Yazz Ahmed, Femi Koleoso, Petter Eldh and Farida Amadou treated a sell-out Union Chapel to three blisteringly brilliant sets, and this year Moment’s Notice returns to the EFG London Jazz Festival for a second time on Tuesday, 18 November with a secret lineup that will be revealed in the coming months.

At Milton Court, Dhamaal and Shri Sriram present a high-energy collaboration of South Asian, jazz and electronic traditions, creating an exhilarating and dynamic celebration of musical diversity on Sunday, 16 November. Created by Indian-born British composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Shri Sriram and commissioned by Serious Trust for the 2025 New Music Biennial, it draws out the up-tempo sounds from the genres to create a celebratory and joyous performance, helped along by a 28 piece brass band.

The following day, Monday, 17 November at Milton Court poet, novelist, musician and academic Anthony Joseph and legendary UK producer Dave Okumu present a live performance of Rowing up River to Get Our Names Back.

Closely mentored by the legendary trumpet player Hugh Masekela, Somi has carved out her own path as an artist, scholar, and activist. Somi offers an Afropolitan sonic travelogue that weaves deeply personal storytelling with modern jazz and African groove and performs at Jazz Cafe on Saturday, 22 November.

Composer, arranger, producer, conceptualist and actor ESKA’s artistry spans genres, disciplines and institutions, from underground improvisation scenes to fashion houses. She can leap from sweet jazz-folk to radical avant-garde improv at the drop of a hat, and performs at The Lower Third on Tuesday, 18 November, as she moves into a bold new chapter.

As was announced last week, Serious’ talent development programme Take Five celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025, and as part of the celebrations they are presenting a show with specially composed music by celebrated alumni Shabaka Hutchings, Camilla George and Jason Yarde at the Barbican on Wednesday, 19 November.

There are also two Take Five performances on the opening weekend from the 2025 cohort with Polish-born London based harpist Marysia Osu and Ghana-born Manchester raised guitarist Rory A. Green performing a matinee show at Purcell Rooms on Saturday, 15 November. Scottish saxophonist Matt Carmichael and percussionist Gloria Yehilevsky do the Take Five matinee showcase on Sunday, 16 November, with pianist Marco Mezquida performing his new project ‘Tornado’ in the evening.

After the flurry of Take Five shows on the opening weekend, there is another taste of the future of UK jazz on Monday at the Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall with Take Five Presents: Olivia Murphy’s Moonrise Ensemble, Andrew Woodhead’s Swing you Sinners & Lewis Daniel. Take Five alumni Bryony Jarman-Pinto performs at Toulouse Lautrec on Thursday, 20 November.

EFG London Jazz Festival have a plethora of other fantastic shows being announced today, including Sarathy Korwar Drum Ensemble at the ICA on Saturday, 15 November, Dark Days: Neil Charles, Mark Sanders and Cleveland Watkiss at Camden Arts Centre on Thursday, 20 November and Rosie Frater-Taylor at The Courtyard on Saturday, 22 November.

EFG London Jazz Festival is a place to explore music and to celebrate the legacy and the future of an inspiring musical universe.

Serious would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all of their partners, particularly the continued 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, BBC Radio 3, Champagne Thienot, Jazzwise Magazine and Jazz FM UK.

Dee Dee Bridgewater’s show at the Barbican is presented in collaboration with Eurostar, celebrating the London to Paris connection for over 30 years.

EFG London Jazz Festival Shows (to date)

12 - 14 Nov - aja monet (Artist in Residence) - Barbican

14 Nov - Hossein Alizadeh - Cadogan Hall

14 Nov - Jazz Voice - Royal Festival Hall

15 Nov - Sam Amidon ‘Salt River’ & Thomas Bartlett - Union Chapel

15 Nov - Marysia Osu + Rory Green (Take Five matinee showcases) - Purcell Room

15 Nov - Sarathy Korwar Drum Ensemble - ICA

15 Nov - Joan As Police Woman - EartH Theatre

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 - Mulatu Astatke - Royal Festival Hall

16 Nov - Stella Cole - Cadogan Hall

16 Nov - Matt Carmichael + Gloria Yehilevsky (Take Five matinee showcases) - Purcell Room

16 Nov - Marco Mezquida: Tornado - Purcell Room

16 Nov - Dhamaal + Shri Sriram - Milton Court

16 Nov - Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo - Barbican

16 Nov - Michael Wollny Trio + Emma Rawicz INKYRA - Queen Elizabeth Hall

16 Nov - Bilal - Village Underground

17 Nov - Mulatu Astatke - HERE at Outernet

17 Nov - Anthony Joseph + Dave Okumu - Milton Court

17 Nov - Take Five Presents: Olivia Murphy’s Moonrise Ensemble, Andrew Woodhead’s Swing You Sinners & Lewis Daniel - Elgar Room

17 Nov - Levitation Orchestra - Islington Assembly Hall

18 Nov - Moments Notice - Union Chapel

18 Nov - Eska - The Lower Third

18 Nov - Nigel Kennedy “Spiritual Connection” - Cadogan Hall

18 Nov - Jasmine Myra with Strings - Hackney Church

19 Nov - The Evolution of UK Jazz – 20 Years On ft. Camilla George and Shabaka - Barbican

19 Nov - Taylor Eigsti Group ft Becca Stevens - Cadogan Hall

19 Nov - Adrian Dunbar presents T.S.Eliot’s The Waste Land Music by Nick Roth with Guildhall Session Orchestra - Queen Elizabeth Hall (6 & 8pm)

19 Nov - Queer Jazz: B.H.A.M w/ Abi Asisa - Vortex

19 Nov - Makaya McCraven - KOKO

19 Nov - Rita Payés - Union Chapel

20 Nov - Bryony Jarman-Pinto - Toulouse Lautrec

20 Nov - Dark Days Neil Charles, Mark Sanders and Cleveland Watkiss - Camden Arts Centre

20 Nov - Ana Carla Maza - Cadogan Hall

20 Nov - Emma-Jean Thackray - KOKO

20 Nov - London Sinfonietta with Marius Neset - Queen Elizabeth Hall

20 Nov - Fergus McCreadie + Laura Jurd - Union Chapel

20 Nov - GeeJay - Islington Assembly Hall

21 Nov - Aga Khan Master Musicians & Friends: A Night of Musical Alchemy and Wonder

21 Nov - Adrian Younge / Jazz is Dead - KOKO

21 Nov - Tom Skinner - Queen Elizabeth Hall

21 Nov - Gary Crosby’s Africa Space Programme featuring Denys Baptiste, Winston Clifford + Guest - Vortex

21 Nov - The Weather Station with Strings - EartH Theatre

21 Nov - Bill Frisell Trio - Cadogan Hall

21 Nov - Hiromi’s Sonicwonder - Barbican

22 Nov - Somi - Jazz Cafe

22 Nov - Bill Laurance - Cadogan Hall

22 Nov - SpiceJazz presents Rosie Frater-Taylor - The Courtyard

22 Nov - Tortoise + Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer - Barbican

22 Nov - Tune-Yards - Royal Festival Hall

23 Nov - Nubya Garcia - HERE at Outernet

23 Nov - Oumou Sangaré with BBC Concert Orchestra - Queen Elizabeth Hall

23 Nov - Ilhan Ersahin Istanbul Sessions - EartH Theatre

23 Nov - Adekunle Gold with Guildhall Session Orchestra - Royal Festival Hall

23 Nov - Japanese Jazz - Barbican

23 Nov - Swingin’ With Strings - Cadogan Hall

23 Nov - Herbert & Momoko - Village Underground

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.

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. 

Black Mountain Jazz - Samba Workshops, September 2025.

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

BMJ are hosting three Samba workshops at The Melville Centre — no experience needed and open to all ages! Followed by a vibrant street busk as part of our Community Sunday at Wall2Wall Jazz Festival.

From;
https://www.facebook.com/BlackMountainJazz/

Join the Beat with Black Mountain Jazz!
Samba Drumming Workshops + Street Busk
Get ready to feel the rhythm and bring the energy! We’re hosting three fun-filled Samba workshops at The Melville Centre — no experience needed and open to all ages!

Workshop Dates:
Thursday 18th Sept | 7:30–9:30pm
Thursday 25th Sept | 7:30–9:30pm
Sunday 28th Sept | 1:00–3:00pm Followed by a vibrant street busk as part of our Community Sunday at wall2wall Jazz Festival!

Instruments provided — just bring yourself!
Includes refreshments at each session
£30 for all three sessions (£20 for under 18s)
Limited to 15 places — you must attend all three
Come drum, laugh, learn, and perform!

Interested? Contact us via the form on our website: http://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
☎️07958612691
https://www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk/

Derby Jazz - Programme for August to December 2025.

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

Derby Jazz has announced its programme for August to December 2025. Events take place at various venues around the city.

We have received the following information;

Derby Jazz news and dates August to December

FIVE BANDS MAKING NEW SOUNDS OF JAZZ RIGHT NOW ALL-DAYER CELEBRATING JAZZ’ CONTINUAL RENEWALL.
SAT AUGUST 2ND ELECTRIC DAISY £10
1.00pm doors
2.00pm ARJUN CHANDRASEKAR QUARTET
3.30pm BLU.PRNT
5.30pm ELLIE’S KATS
7.00pm VIKASATI
8.30pm FLORAL PATTERN
https://mjazz.co.uk/derby-jazz-whats-on/

HEJIRA - CELEBRATING JONI MITCHELL
CHAPEL STREET ARTS CENTRE Studio Theatre
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH 8PM £25
A seven piece band celebrating the great songs and jazz of Joni Mitchell. Expect an evening of ‘great’ songs from Joni’s back catalogue such as ‘Amelia’, ‘Woodstock’, ‘A case of You’, ‘Song for Sharon’, ‘Edith and the Kingpin’ etc.
“Hattie Whitehead’s voice is spine-shiveringly like Mitchell’s, and just as full of delicacy, emotion and intelligence…’ - JAZZWISE August 2024

ROBERT MITCHELL TRIO
LITTLE BLACK BOOK
CHAPEL STREET ARTS CENTRE Studio Theatre
Friday October 17th 8pm £15
ROBERT MITCHELL’S NEW ELECTRIC POWER TRIO. The way the keyboards and guitar continually swap lead and bass roles makes this an exceptional band.
https://mjazz.co.uk/whats-on/8D-little-black-book/

AHMED
CHAPEL STREET ARTS CENTRE Studio Theatre
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 16th 4PM £25
[Ahmed] is an international quartet of Pat Thomas (piano), Joel Grip (double bass), Antonin Gerbal (drums) and Seymour Wright (alto saxophone). Together,Ahmed re-arrange and re-imagine in real time the music of composer, bassist and oud player Ahmed Abdul-Malik (1927-1993). Their 2024 5CD boxed set of live recordings made at Fylkingen in Stockholm has received rave reviews and rankings from jazz journalists and critics across Europe, USA and UK. They’ve played major venues and festivals in; New York, Istanbul, Paris, Berlin, London, Glasgow, Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, Finland and Italy. Their gigs in the UK outside London are rare as hen’s teeth.
“Don’t think I’ve ever heard a more intense hour of music. Unbelievably great.” GEOFF DYER novelist and jazz writer.
https://mjazz.co.uk/whats-on/8F-ahmed/

LEVY / ROBSON INTERNATIONAL QUARTET
DUBREK STUDIOS
FRIDAY DECEMBER 5th 8pm £15
A hugely fruitful music partnership formed in New York City in 2017 between the highly acclaimed US saxophonist Jed Levy (Jaki Byard, Jack McDuff, Mike Clark, Tom Harrell etc.) and multi-award winning Derby born guitarist Phil Robson (Mark Turner, David Liebman, Billy Hart, Partisans, etc.) who was living in NYC at the time.
https://mjazz.co.uk/whats-on/8l-levy-robson-international-quartet/

The Studio Theatre at CHAPEL STREET ARTS CENTRE is our new main venue.
With 124 seats, the same as New York’s legendary Village Vanguard, a superb natural acoustic and excellent sightlines this studio theatre is ideal for jazz. It’s part of Chapel Street Arts Centre in the building that was previously the home of Déda opposite Chapel Street Car Park in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter.
The CUBE bar/cafe serves drinks before the show and during the interval.

Ludovico Einaudi Announces Solo Piano Tour for April and May 2026.

Friday, July 04, 2025

Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi is unveiling Solo Piano, a special series of intimate solo evenings in his favourite concert halls.

We have received the following press release;

Ludovico Einaudi Announces Solo Piano Tour for 2026

April - May 2026

Ludovico Einaudi: Solo Piano

At the end of his six-night record-breaking residency at the Royal Albert Hall, Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi is unveiling Solo Piano, a special series of intimate solo evenings in his favourite concert halls.

Renowned for his ability to captivate audiences with both grandeur and intimacy, Einaudi’s concerts often reach their most profound moments when his accompanying musicians step offstage, leaving him alone at the piano. In those quiet, transcendent interludes, vast venues are transformed into spaces of deep personal connection.

In 2026, he will build this section out into a full show, playing the most loved songs from his catalogue alongside some deep cuts and surprises.

Solo Piano Tour 2026 Dates:

Tue 28 and Wed 29 April London Royal Albert Hall
Fri 01 May Gateshead The Glasshouse
Sat 02 May Birmingham Symphony Hall
Mon 04 May Bristol Beacon

Tickets go on sale next Thursday 10 July at 10am.

http://www.serious.org.uk

Islay Jazz Festival announces 2025 dates and new partnership with leading distillery, Caol Ila.

Thursday, July 03, 2025

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

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/

Nick Dewhurst - forthcoming live appearances.

Wednesday, July 02, 2025

Lichfield based trumpeter / guitarist Nick Dewhurst has forwarded details of some of his forthcoming live appearances.

Nick Dewhurst writes;

I’ve got more live music news to tell you about…so here goes…

Saturday 12th July, 4pm, Party at the Jazz Club live at Fuse Festival, Beacon Park, Lichfield. 
Party at the Jazz Club?? What’s that I hear you say!? Well - it’s a little bit of rebranding in fact! Really it’s the ND Band in disguise…except we’re doing our really funky jazz-pop cover tunes which should be great fun at this fantastic free-entry family friendly festival.  I’m going to be joined by some great musicians including Beth Fisher-Dewhurst on Alto Sax & Vocals, Chris Bowden on Tenor Sax, Sam Craig on Piano & Vocals, Paul Robinson on Bass Guitar, and Tash Buxton on Drums.  Tickets are FREE but please head to the Lichfield Arts website to register for them, and to find out more information about the rest of the festival. 
https://lichfieldarts.org.uk/fuse/

Sunday 14th December, 7pm, Seasonal Swing with the Nick Dewhurst Band
Hot off the press & just released in their new brochure: I’m delighted to be taking my 6-piece ND Band to the Hub at St Mary’s where we’ll be playing our Christmas show ‘Seasonal Swing’ featuring Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Deck the Halls, and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree –  all delivered in a vibrant mix of jazz, blues, New Orleans grooves, and rock’n’roll flair.  For tickets and more information, please head to the Hub at St Mary’s Website
https://thehubstmarys.co.uk/events/seasonal-swing-with-the-nick-dewhurst-band/

Friday 19th December, 7pm, the Lichfield Jazz Big Band Christmas Special
It’s bonkers to be thinking about this in this 20-something degree heat…but…this gig is always such a classic night out, and this year we’ve moved it even closer to Christmas! Come & hear the wonderful Lichfield Jazz Big Band live in the stunning setting which is St Anne’s Church in Burntwood.  Just a reminder, there are early bird tickets on sale for this one (currently priced at £13) until July 23rd, after which they’ll go up to £15.  Tickets are available from my website for this one - please head to the box office page here;
https://nickdewhurst.com/box-office/

There are some additional dates on my website too, which I’ll email you about in due course, but if you want to make a note of them, please head to Upcoming Gigs to find out more! 
https://nickdewhurst.com/

That’s all for now, hopefully see some of you at the Fuse Festival in just over a week’s time!

All the very best,
Nick.

Jazz at Progress - Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire - Programme for Autumn 2025.

Wednesday, July 02, 2025

Jazz at Progress has announced its programme for October to December 2025. 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

Since 2012, Jazz in Reading has been programming fantastic monthly jazz gigs - featuring leading British and international jazz stars - at Progress Theatre here in Reading under the Jazz at Progress brand.

We feature some of the finest soloists, singers and band leaders in the UK and beyond who are supported by a bevy of talented musicians. Expect some great evenings of live modern jazz, right here on your doorstep.

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.

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.

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.

Chris Ingham Quintet - ‘Steely Jazz’, forthcoming album and UK tour dates.

Monday, June 30, 2025

Pianist / vocalist Chris Ingham and his quintet are due to release "Walter / Donald", a series of jazz arrangements of Steely Dan songs. They will be touring estensively from July to November

We have received the following press release;

WALTER · DONALD
A BECKER & FAGEN SONGBOOK Vol. 1
CHRIS INGHAM QUINTET
Chris Ingham vocals, piano
Harry Greene saxophone, guitar
Paul Higgs trumpet, flugelhorn
Geoff Gascoyne bass
George Double drums, harmony
Downhome Records DOHO007
Released: September 2025

“Ingham has a warm and generous way with music…his style is based on rhythmic presence and dynamic propulsion” DOWNBEAT

“Fleet piano…one of Britain’s best jazz singers” JAZZ RAG

The songs of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, aka Steely Dan, stood alone in 1970s rock; cryptic, pungent lyrics and sophisticated, detailed music deeply influenced by, in the writers’ own words, “the best jazz players of the ‘50s and ‘60s”.

Steely Dan’s legend substantially derives from the duo’s increasing obsession with recording perfection featuring a revolving roster of the world’s greatest rock and jazz
musicians (often baffled by Becker and Fagen’s inscrutable standards) playing meticulously crafted arrangements. However, at the heart of Steely Dan is a monumental, idiosyncratic collection of highly cultured songs, often as poignant as they are cynical, though rarely interpreted outside some dedicated and painstaking Dan tribute outfits.

Following his Hoagy Carmichael, Dudley Moore and Stan Getz projects, Chris Ingham concludes his Repertoire Quadrilogy with Walter/Donald, placing Becker and Fagen’s work in a small jazz group context with the aim of re-illuminating some remarkable compositions. Initial qualms that such an exercise would satisfy neither Dan fans nor jazz enthusiasts have recently been assuaged by the rapturous reception given to the quintet’s early Steely Jazz live shows.

Chris Ingham’s Steely Jazz - Live 2025
Sat 5 July LINCOLN Jazz Festival
Sun 27 July WRITTLE Jazz Festival
Sat 23 Aug SOUTHEND Jazz Centre

Wed 17 Sep LONDON Pizza Express, Dean Street Walter/Donald album launch

Thurs 18 Sep DISS Corn Hall
Sat 20 Sep SOUTHWOLD Arts Centre
Wed 24 Sep EASTLEIGH Concorde Club
Thurs 25 Sep CAMBRIDGE Jazz Club
Sat 27 Sep BURY ST EDMUNDS Hunter Club
Sat 18 Oct HADLEIGH Town Hall
Sun 30 Nov WIVENHOE Music Mix

CHRIS INGHAM QUINTET

Chris Ingham piano/vocal/guitar
Rated by the London Evening Standard as “one of Britain’s best singer-pianists’, Chris has performed over 250 festival and club performances of his repertoire shows and has released four acclaimed CDs: Hoagy, Dudley, Stan and Hoagy II. He is musical director of film song quintet Jazz at the Movies and classic modern jazz sextet Rebop. Chris is also a record producer (Ruthie Henshall, Joanna Eden), author (Rough Guides to The Beatles and Frank Sinatra) and TV composer (Wartime Crime, How The Beatles Changed The World). Based in Suffolk, he curates jazz clubs in Diss (Corn Hall) and Bury St Edmunds (Hunter Club).

Harry Greene saxophone/guitar
Multi-instrumentalist Harry Greene was part of the Royal Albert Hall “Ronnie Scott’s at 60” gala and has performed with Cory Wong, Mica Paris, Bernard Purdie, PBUG, Ricky Wilson, Prince’s side-woman Marva King, Jo Harrop, Incognito and Olly Murs. He is musical director and co-leader (with singer Ashton Jones) of Funk Soul Orchestral which has performed sold-out shows at Ronnie Scott’s and venues throughout the UK. As a composer, he has contributed to a host of prime time TV shows.

Paul Higgs trumpet/piano
Arranger and trumpeter for NYJO for many years, Paul has worked as a musical director at the RSC and National Theatre, as a TV and film composer and a record engineer and producer. One of the UK’s most resourceful and expressive jazz trumpeters, Paul has worked with Nancy Wilson, Shorty Rogers and John Dankworth, runs his own successful repertoire shows (A Brief History of Jazz, Shades of Miles) and has released two CDs of his unique jazz/classical crossover group Pavane featuring his own evocative compositions.

Geoff Gascoyne double bass
An arranger, composer, bassist and producer of renown, in a 35-year career Geoff has worked with Michel Legrand, Van Morrison, Georgie Fame, Sir Willard White, US3, Sting, Charlie Watts, Benny Golson, Bill Bruford, Jacqui Dankworth, John Martyn, Dianne Reeves, Guy Barker, Claire Martin, Eartha Kitt and he played a major part in the rise of Jamie Cullum with whom he worked exclusively from 2000 to 2007. He has been central to the development of two highly successful music apps Session Band 1, 2 & 3 and Quartet 1, 2, 3 & 4.

George Double drums/vocal
Drummer with Art Themen’s Organ Trio, John Etheridge’s Blue Spirits and many of Chris Ingham’s projects including Rebop and Jazz at the Movies. He has worked with Dame Shirley Bassey, Grammy Award Winner Jack Jones, Marc Almond, Mica Paris, Ruthie Henshall, Paul Jones and Kym Mazelle and has played on West End shows Wicked, Guys and Dolls, Avenue Q, Sinatra and Anything Goes. A respected published drum educator, notably for Trinity College, London, George also curates East Anglian jazz clubs in Hadleigh, Southwold and Frinton.

WALTER · DONALD tracklist

1. Any Major Dude Will Tell You 4.03
Many Becker/Fagen songs seem to feature disreputable characters doing unspeakable things. By contrast, this is a warm-hearted, optimistic message of encouragement. From Pretzel Logic (1974).

2. I Got The News 5.11
One of the less celebrated cuts from Aja (1977), a glorious, multi-themed romp with carnal undertones - and overtones.

3. What A Shame About Me 4.34
From their Grammy-winning comeback album Two Against Nature (2000), a compelling tale of an ironic underachiever who, confronted with the possibility of a nostalgic erotic tryst, ultimately maintains dignity by exercising his personal code of loserdom.

4. Your Gold Teeth II 4.10
A sardonic, hallucinatory scenario rather belying the gentle jazz-waltz setting. Flavours of Zappa and Dylan plus, in the bridge, the most obscure set of chords in the Dan canon. From Katy Lied (1975).

5. Razor Boy 3:16
In a deceptively seductive Latin soundscape, the narrator regards his subject with a faintly threatening scepticism, though his vulnerability is never far from the surface. From Countdown To Ecstasy (1973).

6. Haitian Divorce 5.17
One of several Becker/Fagen songs alluding to a ménage a trois situation (see also Gaucho, Everything You Did, Rose Darling), this details the goings on of Babs, Clean Willy and the Charlie in the Greasy Chair in a slyly satisfying narrative. From The Royal Scam (1976).

7. The Last Mall 4.06
From Steely Dan’s final studio album Everything Must Go (2003), a wry, bluesy account of a desperate dash to the shops in the face of imminent apocalypse.

8. Only A Fool Would Say That 3.12
A modest gem from their debut album Can’t Buy A Thrill (1972), expressing impatience with media-hyped idealists (who may or may not have been imagining no possessions) on behalf of people doing their best to survive.

9. Green Flower Street 4:32
A vivid teenage fantasy of an exotic, dangerous romance, from Donald Fagen’s solo album The Nightfly (1982)

10. Paging Audrey 6:25
This remarkably touching song of regret for transgressions long past was first heard on Walter Becker’s solo album Circus Money (2008)

11. Black Friday 4.58
A corrupt money man and his journey to being a hippie fugitive in Australia. From Katy Lied (1975).

Press comments for previous Chris Ingham albums:

Hoagy (2014)
“This is just lovely…” SUNDAY TIMES, TOP 10 jazz CD of 2014
“Captures the spirit of a 20th-century giant…a delightful package” **** OBSERVER
“Outstanding quartet…inspired solo forays…nifty and concise arrangements ” LONDON JAZZ NEWS
“Mighty fine piano…perfect underpinnings…[an] outstanding CD” BEBOP SPOKEN HERE
“Hoagy Carmichael was special…Ingham knows and understands” MOJO

Dudley (2016)
“A vibrant and moving homage” DOWNBEAT
“Unfailingly tuneful with gentle harmonic guile…Dudley would have been delighted” OBSERVER
“Swing, humour and poignancy…a jazz joy” MOJO
“An intimate and affectionate tribute that’s very Moore-ish indeed” JAZZ JOURNAL
“The emotional range and depth that this fine ensemble has made playing Dudley’s music has resulted in an intimate and heartfelt pleasure” LONDON JAZZ NEWS

Stan (2018)
“The phenomenally gifted Mark Crooks…the quartet is everything you could wish for – swinging, supple and, most importantly, always appropriate. Ingham’s mastery of
the subtle differences in style is impressive” JAZZ JOURNAL
“Crooks’s tenor rises to the challenge…a performance that strikes a balance between muscle and lyricism” SUNDAY TIMES
“Ingham has chosen well…an excellent collection featuring the superb saxophone sound of Mark Crooks…the band are in fine classic swinging form…extremely expressive…” LONDON JAZZ NEWS
“Another superb album…a musical love potion…recommended - highly” BEBOP SPOKEN HERE

Hoagy II (2023)
“My album of the year, witty, original re-arrangements” JAZZ RAG
“Captures the essence of Carmichael’s catchy, jazz-influenced melodies and their droll, laconic lyrics perfectly ... The performance of all four musicians is superb”
JAZZ JOURNAL
“Engaging and often surprising… the range of songs is quite extraordinary” JAZZWISE
“The performances are all first-class, the arrangements neat and interesting, and the variety beyond reproach” LONDON JAZZ NEWS

Chris Ingham: 07799 650009
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | http://www.chrisingham.co.uk

Peter Slavid - ‘European Modern Jazz’ on the radio playlist,  first broadcast 29/06/2025.

Monday, June 30, 2025

Broadcaster & journalist Peter Slavid has forwarded details of the music played on his UK & European Jazz radio show on 29/06/2025, which is available via a number of UK & international radio stations

Peter Slavid writes;

Radio playlist from June 29th 2025

Shez Raja
Spellbound
Spellbound
Gearbox Records

Carlo Cattano
Marzamemi
Rituals
AUT Records

DalaiQuartet,
Once
Brazzaville
AUT Records

Bastian Menz
Taking a Trip
Everything in between
A.MA Records

plop ensemble
playing after all
Social Bubbles
Unit Records

Vio 3io
Viology
Viology
self

Mark Solberg Tungemal
Cantamos
Confluencia
ILK Music

Gulliver + Roberto Ottaviano.
Nanita Nana
The Billia Session
Dodicilune

Anna Sophia Defant
dill
s:e
Unit Records

Alice Leggatt
Sunflower Song
Birdsong
ZenneZ

Olivier van Niekerk
7.1
U2146x6
Dox records

GoGo Penguin
Umbra
Necessary Fictions
Sony

Available now:

European Modern Jazz on the radio;

At any time:
http://www.mixcloud.com/ukjazz.

Weekly:

http://www.hayesfm.org.uk 91.8 FM – West London Community Radio Sundays 12.00

http://www.purebeatradio.co.uk Sundays 10am

http://www.listen.camp/ Sundays 7pm onward

Also as “Peter’s Eurojazz Podcast” on Apple, Amazon, Deezer and other podcast sites.

Liam Ward - Gig and workshop schedule, June - November 2025.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Blues harmonica player and vocalist Liam Ward has announced his gig schedule for June to November which will feature his playing and singing with a variety of different line ups.

Liam Ward writes;

Upcoming gigs and workshops

It’s a busy time in LiamLand: I’ve been on tour with Oasis Supernova, revamping my harmonica school, and Mark Cole and I have just started recording a new album - watch this space!

Here are some upcoming highlights in terms of gigs and workshops:
(More events to be announced soon, check the website for the full list.)
https://www.liamwardmusic.com/gigs-and-workshops
​​

SAT 28TH JUNE (11am) The Jake Leg Jug Band @ Mogfest ‘25 (Hampshire)

SAT 28TH JUNE (7pm) Oasis Supernova @ Party at the Park (Leicester)

​

SUN 29TH JUNE The Jake Leg Jug Band @ M&J Jazz Weekend (Devon)

THU 24TH JULY London Harmonica School Summer Camp

FRI 25TH JULY Cole & Ward @ Glouc Blues Festival
(Venue: England’s Glory)

SUN 27TH JUL-FRI 1ST AUG EuroBlues Week (Northampton)

​​

SAT 2ND AUGUST Cole & Ward Trio @ Gloucester Blues Festival
(Venue: Cafe Rene)

SUN 3RD AUGUST Oasis Supernova @ Kendal Calling

THU 14TH AUGUST Cole & Ward @ The Roxy London

FRI 15TH AUGUST Cole & Ward @ Ain’t Nothin’ But London

SAT 16TH AUGUST Cole & Ward @ Retro Music Cafe Fulham

​

SAT 6TH SEPTEMBER Oasis Supernova @ Fields of Gold (Manchester)

​​​

FRI 12TH SEPTEMBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ Driotwich Jazz Club

​​

THU 18TH SEPTEMBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ Ebberston Village Hall (Scarborough)

​

SAT 20TH SEPTEMBER Oasis Supernova @ Made in Manchester 2025 (Stockport)

​​

SUN 21ST SEPTEMBER The Story of Skiffle @ Livermead Jazz Weekend (Torquay)

​

THU 2ND OCTOBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ Pump House Jazz Club (Watford)

SAT 4TH OCTOBER Oasis Supernova @ Sin City Swansea

FRI 10TH OCTOBER The Liam Ward Band @ Beer Blues Fest

TUE 14TH OCTOBER The Liam Ward Band @ Bletchley Blues Club

​

SAT 18TH OCTOBER Oasis Supernova @ The Forum Theatre, Romily

FRI 31ST OCTOBER-SUN 2ND NOVEMBER
World Harmonica Festival (Trossingen, Germany)

​

THU 6TH NOVEMBER Cole & Ward @ Old Forge Cranham

SAT 8TH NOVEMBER The Liam Ward Band @ Diseworth Blues Club (Leicestershire)

​

SAT 15TH NOVEMBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ Calstock Arts (Cornwall)

​

SUN 23RD NOVEMBER The Jake Leg Jug Band @ The Chestnut Tree (Worcester)

Cheers,
Liam

Peter Slavid - ‘European Modern Jazz’ on the radio playlist,  first broadcast 15/06/2025.

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Broadcaster & journalist Peter Slavid has forwarded details of the music played on his UK & European Jazz radio show on 15/06/2025, which is available via a number of UK & international radio stations

Peter Slavid writes;

Radio Playlist from 15th June 2025

Tobias Wiklund
Atomic Stringency
Inner Flight Music
Stunt Records

Gary Brunton
Snecklifter
Spacecraft
Juste Une Trace

Chrome Hill
Walk With Me
En Route
Clean Feed

Beiggja
Tuvals
Morning
Hubro

Moanin’ Birds
Birds Suite (1)
Prophets and Profits
Hypnote

Van Herzeele & Galland
Fire
Songshan
Buzz

Bram De Looze
Flagey Blues Edition X
Live at Brussels Jazz Festival
Challenge Records

Luca Gusella
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
Portraits
Caligola Music

Koro Almost Brass
Rhytm-a-ning
Plays Monk
Caligola Music

Antonio Borghini
The Applicant
Resta Chi Va
We Insist

Antoine Fafard
Paraorbital Vision
Quadra Spherium
Code 7

Lorenzo Bellini
Odruis
Source
Gleam

Tom Brunt’s Extended Acoustics
Acoustronic Space
Today
Unit Records

European Modern Jazz on the radio;

At any time:
http://www.mixcloud.com/ukjazz.

Weekly:

http://www.hayesfm.org.uk 91.8 FM – West London Community Radio Sundays 12.00

http://www.purebeatradio.co.uk Sundays 10am

http://www.listen.camp/ Sundays 7pm onward

Also as “Peter’s Eurojazz Podcast” on Apple, Amazon, Deezer and other podcast sites.

Other Voices Cardigan Reveals First Artists for 2025.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

The first wave of artists has been announced for the 2025 Other Voives which will take place in Cardigan from 30th October – 1st November 2025. Press release attached.

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

Mood Indigo Events announce Autumn 2025 Jazz Piano Series at 1901 Arts Club, Waterloo, London.

Saturday, June 07, 2025

The Mood Indigo Events Jazz Piano Series returns for its second season with a series of solo piano performances by Ternce Collie, Gwilym Simcock and Alcyona Mick during September and October 2025.

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.

This year, we welcome the internationally acclaimed virtuoso Gwilym Simcock,  the evocative, genre-defying Alcyona Mick and the richly expressive Terence Collie. 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

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

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/

Beiggja - debut album and European tour dates, June and September 2025.

Wednesday, June 04, 2025

The new Norwegian / Dutch 'jazz supergroup' Beiggja will release its debut album "Morning" on Hubro Records on June 13th 2025 and has also announced a series of European tour dates, including London.

We have received the following press release;

Beiggja Releases Debut Album Morning: A Nordic Jazz Supergroup Emerges

What happens when four talented and creative jazz musicians isolate themselves in a forest studio and let their creativity run free? The answer is the album Morning and the project Beiggja, inviting the listener into their shared musical playground, where we become part of their exploratory interplay.

The album will be released on June 13. 2025

Artist: Beiggja (Sprangers, Mulelid, Eilertsen and Johansen)
Album: Morning
Release Date: June 13, 2025
Catalog No: HUBROCD2671, HUBROLP3671
UPC: 7033662026715

In late winter 2024, pianist Kjetil Mulelid, saxophonist Kika Sprangers, bassist Mats Eilertsen, and drummer Per Oddvar Johansen gathered in Per Oddvar’s homey surroundings in Lommedalen. Everyone brought a few tunes and ideas, then hit “record” and let the music take shape. It turned out to be a beautiful first encounter, leading to the recording of the album Morning.

Kika and Kjetil share:
- No take was the same. A ‘take two’ often tends to refer back to ‘take one,’ especially if take one sounds good. But with Mats and Per Oddvar, each take went in its own unique direction. The interplay was fantastic—it felt completely natural and organic. Even though we didn’t know each other very well yet, we were able to follow each other’s musical cues closely. You can hear that on the album—the spontaneity and curiosity.

Morning is out on Hubro, and the group have many upcoming live dates both Norway and the Netherlands.

Kika Sprangers, Dutch saxophonist and composer, balances delicately between vulnerability and strength in her music. Her vision is to combine the two—musically expressed through a love of unconventional instrumentation and dramatic arcs built for symphonic passages or heavy silence. In the Netherlands, she’s long been recognized as one of the leading young talents in modern jazz, receiving numerous awards as a composer and bandleader for both her quintet and her large ensemble. She received the Rogier van Otterloo Award in 2021 (from Metropole Orkest) as a rising composer, and completed a two-year residency at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. Supported by the Dutch Performing Arts Fund, she recorded new music with her Large Ensemble, and in duo formats with guitarist Mikkel Ploug and pianist Kit Downes. Together, they released the albums Du blomst and Mirage in 2024 on DOX Records. At the end of 2024, she was awarded the Willem Breuker Prize and released Large Ensemble (In)finity to critical acclaim.

Kjetil Mulelid is known for his distinctive playing and compositions, blending jazz, hymns, and improvised music. Since graduating from Trondheim’s renowned Jazz Department in 2014, he has toured extensively across Europe, Canada, and Asia with his own projects. He has released several critically acclaimed albums as a solo artist, with the Kjetil Mulelid Trio, jazz quartet Wako, the duo Kjemilie with vocalist Emilie Storaas, and in collaboration with Siril Malmedal Hauge—as both a band and a piano/vocal duo. The prestigious magazine The Wire described him in 2025 as “one of Norway’s finest contemporary jazz pianists,” and Jazzwise called his latest album “a modern Nordic masterpiece.” He has also collaborated with Arve Henriksen, Trygve Seim, Mathias Eick, and Sissel Vera Pettersen.

Per Oddvar Johansen is one of Norway’s leading drummers. His renowned tasteful playing is featured on over eighty albums, earning him six Spellemann Awards (Norway’s equivalent of the Grammy). He currently works with Christian Wallumrød, Vigleik Storaas, Helge Lien, Ayumi Tanaka, Trygve Seim, Mats Eilertsen, Torben Snekkestad, and many more. Fiona Talkington (BBC) on his latest solo release: “Per Oddvar Johansen has played a major role in Norwegian music for many years, working with groundbreaking figures like Helge Lien, Christian Wallumrød, and Petter Wettre. He brings his imaginative drive to everything he does, and his solo debut album Let’s Dance on Edition Records finally shines a light on a musician long deserving of the spotlight.”

Mats Eilertsen has been a prominent figure on the international jazz scene for over 30 years. He’s contributed to countless recordings and has been central to major ECM releases with Tord Gustavsen, Trygve Seim, Mathias Eick, Nils Økland, Wolfert Brederode, and Jakob Young. He has led several of his own projects, including a trio with drummer Thomas Strønen and Dutch pianist Harmen Fraanje. Their latest album And Then Comes The Night (2019, ECM Records) won a Spellemann Award and was praised worldwide. In 2022, Eilertsen received Norwegian jazz’s highest honor—the prestigious Buddy Award.

Personnel:
Kika Sprangers – saxophone
Kjetil Mulelid – piano
Mats Eilertsen – double bass
Per Oddvar Johansen – drums
Production:
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Per Oddvar Johansen at Sleaskjulet, Lommedalen.

Tour:
June 5: TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (NL)
June 7: BIMHUIS, Amsterdam (NL)
June 8: Jazz in Duketown, Den Bosch (NL)
Sept 15: PizzaExpress, London (UK)
Sept 18: Brebl, Nijmegen (NL)
Sept 19: Stadsgehoorzaal, Leiden (NL)
Sept 20: LantarenVenster, Rotterdam (NL)

Links;

https://www.instagram.com/beiggja/

https://kikasprangers.nl/en/

https://kjetilmulelid.com/about/

https://peroddvar.no/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mats_Eilertsen

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1RBwhYR07uefS25DqynAMy?si=5-L_038KTyyVxFEn1dY2WQ&nd=1&dlsi=cc8d1343c1b14709

https://open.spotify.com/artist/11EaaVhh0XmtZfI4FlBU5d?si=rP4geUDWSFejMVEtVuexBw&nd=1&dlsi=1e3f0fa022e446d6

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1nLQ0q9ZBZkn0hSq0gRAnd?si=VJcnSA6tTd2NCgeD4GyOGQ&nd=1&dlsi=aaddd202bcc44bb3

https://open.spotify.com/artist/66tv0Nc5AOVkeyMGS25rJh?si=KkP7rYsnQJOnAjq9kP6B2w&nd=1&dlsi=5a0028bac3504488

About Grappa Musikkforlag
Grappa Musikkforlag was established in 1983, and is the oldest and largest independent record company in Norway. Home of many prestigious labels including Hubro, Simax Classics, Odin, Blue Mood, Heilo, Barneselskapet and Grappa label. Close collaborations with other strong indies, including Rune Grammofon and Drabant. A wide variety of genres includes jazz, folk, classical, contemporary, pop, rock, blues, singer/songwriter – all from Norwegian artists of the highest quality.

EFG London Jazz Festival reveal more new names for 2025.

Wednesday, June 04, 2025

Promoters Serious have announced more artists for the 2025 EFG London Jazz Festival, among them Bill Frisell, Hermeto Pascoal, Jasmine Myra, Michael Wollny, Marius Neset, Emma-Jean Thackray, Tortoise.

We have received the following press release;

SERIOUS
Announce More Artists For
EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2025

New names include Tortoise, Adekunle Gold, The Weather Station, Joan As Police Woman and Bill Frisell Trio

aja monet announced as 2025 Artist in Residence at the Barbican

14-23 November 2025

The global celebration of music, EFG London Jazz Festival, is sharing the next raft of names for its 33rd 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 different genres and cultures.

EFG London Jazz Festival producers Serious and the Barbican are excited to announce that acclaimed poet, activist and performer aja monet will be the Artist in Residence at the Barbican for the 2025 festival. As part of the residency, aja monet will lead a series of activities, including a live reading and Q&A session, and a workshop with the Barbican Young Poets, offering a unique opportunity for emerging voices to learn from her powerful, politically engaged practice. The residency will culminate in a special performance at the Main Hall on Friday, 14 November, as aja monet will curate a night to perform with special guests to open the festival.

Post-rockers with serious jazz chops, Tortoise recently returned with their first new music in almost a decade via Chicago imprint International Anthem. Formed in 1990 in the Windy City, they were initially hailed as pace-setters of the then-emerging, so-called “post-rock” sound. Releasing just seven albums since then — including classics like 1996’s Millions Now Living Will Never Die, 1998’s TNT, and 2001’s Standards —Tortoise has steadily and intuitively evolved across its life, creating genreless music that is as timeless as it is ahead of the curve. They appear at the Barbican on Saturday, 22 November as part of EFG London Jazz Festival for a rare UK appearance. Opening the night will be LA-based duo of synthesist Jeremiah Chiu and violist Marta Sofia Honer.

Closing the festival at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, 23 November is Adekunle Gold; a Nigerian born and bred singer-songwriter. He gained recognition from his very first single ‘Sade’, a cover of One Direction’s ‘Story Of My Life’  and has now released five albums: ‘Gold’ (debuting at #7 on the Billboard World Albums Chart), ‘About 30’ (shortlisted for the GRAMMY® Best World Album), ‘Afro Pop Vol 1’, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ and ‘Tequila Ever After’ . Adekunle Gold has amassed over 2.5 Billion career streams with hits like ‘Party No Dey Stop’ and ‘High’. For this one-off appearance, Adekunle Gold and his band will be joined by the Guildhall Session Orchestra.

Iconic Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist, Hermeto Pascoal, once dubbed by Miles Davis as “the most impressive musician in the world,” embarks on his final UK show at the age of 88 at the Barbican on Sunday, 16 November. Hermeto Pascoal is globally recognised for pioneering groups like Quarteto Novo and his own Grupo. The current Grupo lineup includes Itiberê Zwarg (bass), Jota P. (saxophones and flutes), Fabio Pascoal (percussion), André Marques (piano), and Ajurinã Zwarg (drums). Alongside bandleader Hermeto Pascoal, their performances are indescribable and unforgettable sensory experiences.

Closing the festival on Sunday, 23 November at the Barbican is a celebration of Japanese Jazz. Akiko Yano will open the event with a solo piano set, followed by a quintet made up of celebrated master musicians rarely seen in the UK; Kosuke Mine (tenor sax), Fumio Itabashi (piano), Takeo Moriyama (drums), Takashi Sugawa (bass) and Miyuki Moriya (alto sax). Expect deep grooves and a musical conversation decades in the making. Much like the vaunted BBE ‘J Jazz’ releases on which many of these artists feature, this is music for serious jazz lovers and curious ears alike.

Saxophonist, composer and band leader, Jasmine Myra, brings an electrifying show to Hackney Church on Tuesday, 18 November as she performs her latest album ‘Rising’ live with strings as a UK exclusive. Elevating, uplifting and beautifully arranged. Jasmine Myra’s sophomore album builds on the success of her breakthrough album ‘Horizons’, released via influential imprint Gondwana, to deliver a major statement from one of UK Jazz’s rising stars.

The Bill Frisell Trio, featuring bassist Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston on drums, is musically nimble enough to go anywhere with Frisell in the most spontaneous manner. They have a command of the sizable oeuvre of Frisell compositions, as well as the popular, folk and standard songs that Bill enjoys interpreting on an ongoing basis. The trio’s method is interactive, conversational and ready to groove at any moment, yielding fresh and surprising performances at every stop along the way. Their next stop is at Cadogan Hall on 21 Friday, November.

Highly acclaimed American songwriter Joan As Police Woman returns to perform music from across her career alongside music from her latest album Lemons, Limes & Orchids, on Saturday, 15 November at EartH Theatre in Dalston. Made with the late Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen and multi-disciplinary artist Dave Okumu, the album sonically spans afrobeat, jazz, trip-hop, pop-rock and funk. Over the course of Joan’s illustrious 3-decade career, she’s made more than considerable strides building her pedigree as a live act performing with luminaries like Lou Reed, Damon Albarn, John Cale, Laurie Anderson, Sufjan Stevens, Anohni, Beck, Toshi Reagon and the late Jeff Buckley.

On Friday, 21 November at EartH Theatre in Dalston is The Weather Station, the project of Toronto based songwriter Tamara Lindeman, who will perform alongside a hand-picked string quartet from London in a one-off performance created exclusively for the festival. It promises to be a very special evening with music from her latest album Humanhood, acclaimed breakthrough Ignorance and much more beyond.

Ana Carla Maza is the new voice of Cuba - an emblem of the excellence and innovation of the emerging Cuban generation. With her unique blend of cello virtuosity, soulful vocals, and magnetic stage presence, she has become one of the most prominent Cuban singer-composers on the international scene. Accompanied by Milly Perez on piano and keyboards and Jay Kalo on drums and percussion, Ana Carla Maza returns to perform at Cadogan Hall as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival on Thursday, 20 November.

Pianist Michael Wollny and his trio with bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Eric Schaefer perform at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on Sunday, 16 November. The three players are united by a musical vocabulary which is more or less inexhaustible, an outstanding sensitivity in their interplay and the ability to create new music of tremendous tension and dynamism in the moment. Opening is multi-award-winning British saxophonist and composer Emma Rawicz’s thrilling new project INKYRA.

After their performance at last year’s festival, Herbert & Momoko are back with their biggest show yet at Village Underground on Sunday, 23 November. A one-off live show from electronic music legend Matthew Herbert and Momoko Gill, it will be the first time to catch them live following their debut album ‘Clay’ which is coming out via Strut in June.

Known for his ecstatic compositional style, Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset takes a defiantly maximalist approach, placing his spontaneous horn playing alongside lush orchestral arrangements that sound like they’ve been written in watercolour. In this special concert for the festival at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on Thursday, 20 November, his relentless improvisations are accompanied by the pulse and precision of the London Sinfonietta.

Yorkshire’s Emma-Jean Thackray is at the forefront of a dance floor-adjacent take on jazz that is both addictive and endlessly inviting. She returned recently with her new album ‘Weirdo’ and will perform at KOKO in Camden on Thursday, 20 November as part of the festival.

EFG London Jazz Festival is a place to explore music and to celebrate the legacy and the future of an inspiring musical universe.

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, BBC Radio 3, Champagne Thienot, Jazzwise Magazine and Jazz FM UK.

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder and Japanese Jazz are presented in partnership with the Japan Foundation. EFG London Jazz Festival would like to extend thanks to the DAIWA Foundation for their additional support to the Japanese Jazz event.

EFG London Jazz Festival Shows

12 - 14 Nov - aja monet (Artist in Residence) - Barbican

14 Nov - Jazz Voice - Royal Festival Hall

15 Nov - Joan As Police Woman - EartH Theatre

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 - Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo - Barbican

16 Nov - Michael Wollny Trio + Emma Rawicz INKYRA - Queen Elizabeth Hall

16 Nov - Bilal - Village Underground

18 Nov - Jasmine Myra with Strings - Hackney Church

19 Nov - Makaya McCraven - KOKO

19 Nov - Rita Payés - Union Chapel

20 Nov - Ana Carla Maza - Cadogan Hall

20 Nov - Emma-Jean Thackray - KOKO

20 Nov - London Sinfonietta with Marius Neset - Queen Elizabeth Hall

20 Nov - Fergus McCreadie + Laura Jurd - Union Chapel

20 Nov - GeeJay - Islington Assembly Hall

21 Nov - The Weather Station with Strings - EartH Theatre

21 Nov - Bill Frisell Trio - Cadogan Hall

21 Nov - Hiromi’s Sonicwonder - Barbican

22 Nov - Tortoise + Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer - Barbican

22 Nov - Tune-Yards - Royal Festival Hall

23 Nov - Adekunle Gold with Guildhall Session Orchestra - Royal Festival Hall

23 Nov - Japanese Jazz - Barbican

23 Nov - Swingin’ With Strings - Cadogan Hall

23 Nov - Herbert & Momoko - Village Underground

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.

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://efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk/

Jazz Scotland announces new CEO.

Wednesday, June 04, 2025

Jazz Scotland has announced jazz musician John Youngs as its new CEO. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Jazz Scotland announces new CEO

Jazz Scotland, the Aberdeen-based organisation which produces festivals and year-round activities in Aberdeen, Dundee and Islay, is delighted to announce jazz musician John Youngs as its new CEO. John will replace Coralie Usmani who stepped down from the post in April 2025.

Neil Gibbons, Chair of the company Board said, “Having secured multi-year funding from various sources, Coralie leaves us in a very strong position, providing a great platform for our new CEO to take over. John Youngs brings a wealth of experience to the organisation from both the music industry as a working professional musician, and from the public sector as a civil servant, so is a perfect fit for the post. We look forward to hearing his ideas for the organisation.”

About Jazz Scotland
Jazz Scotland promotes and supports jazz and related music in Scotland, notably through our flagship jazz festivals in Aberdeen, Islay and Dundee. The Scottish registered charity is run from Aberdeen and is supported by funding from Creative Scotland, Aberdeen City Council and a number of other funders.  The organisation was recently awarded Multi - Year Funding from Creative Scotland which will provide support for its activities over the next three years.

Peter Slavid - ‘European Modern Jazz’ on the radio playlist,  first broadcast 01/06/2025.

Tuesday, June 03, 2025

Broadcaster & journalist Peter Slavid has forwarded details of the music played on his UK & European Jazz radio show on 01/06/2025, which is available via a number of UK & international radio stations

Peter Slavid writes;

I have been moving house this week (actually returning home after a flood) and have only just re-established broadband.  This week’s show was broadcast on the radio as usual, but I haven’t had time yet to put it up on Mixcloud and podcast sites.  However, it is available through the Camp Radio Mixcloud link here:
https://www.mixcloud.com/camp_fr/modern-jazz-from-around-europe-01st-june-2025/

Back to normal soon I hope
Peter

Snowpoet
Host
Heartstrings
Edition

Goodman, Bordenave, Mahall
Four in One
Mostly Monk
Unit Records

Marcus Reuter
Love Theme
Truce <3
Moonjune

Maia & Cate
Senhoras_do_Amazonas
Luck Grows
Mons records

Cosmic Ear
Brown Rice
Traces
We Jazz Records

Angel Shades
Josh’s Trap
Twirler
EFPI

Bliss Quintet
Ida
Live at Nattjazz `24
Jazzland

Naïssam Jalal
Souffle #7
Souffles
Les Couleurs du Son

Hélène Labarrière
Jane
Puzzle
Jazzdor

Potsa Lotsa XL
Orthotactic
Amoeba’s Dance
Trouble In The East

Littorina Saxophone Quartet
Hells Bells
Leaking Pipes
NoBusiness Records

Dave Jones wins award from Prog Magazine.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Pianist & keyboard player Dave Jones won last week's Tracks Of The Week with the complex Trepidation/74 Heist, taken from his new EP, Stratospheric, which is out now.

28/05/2025
Dave Jones writes;

Following my inclusion in Prog magazine’s ‘Tracks of the Week’ , I won it last Friday(!) with my track ‘Trepidation/74 Heist’

Here’s their Fb announcement post below…
Congratulations to British keyboardist Dave Jones, who won last week’s Tracks Of The Week with the complex Trepidation/74 Heist, taken from his new EP, Stratospheric, which is out now.
You can watch Dave’s winning video here: https://youtu.be/LMhhvOjeniI

Delighted, obviously, and particularly because it falls between the cracks, genre-wise and touches on both Prog and Jazz.

The other tracks on the new EP ‘Stratospheric’ touch on folk, jazz, and ambient music.

From;
https://www.davejonesjazz.com/

Dave is again on keyboards for this new release, this time blending Prog Rock with Jazz, Folk, Electro, and Metal, and joined by a larger line-up featuring Ben Waghorn (tenor sax, flute), Elliot Bennett (drums), and the returning Tim Rose (guitars, bass).

Now available from the digital platforms on the link here - https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/davejones1/stratospheric

“A truly cosmic experience … a melange of excellence” (Adam Walton, BBC Introducing).

“Complex” (Prog magazine, re the track ‘Trepidation/74 Heist’)

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, UK tour, October 2025.

Friday, May 23, 2025

American jazz organist Delvon Lamarr will lead his trio on a tour of the UK in October 2025. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Direct from the USA, DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio specialise in the lost art of “feel good music.” The ingredients of this intoxicating cocktail include a big helping of the 1960s organ jazz stylings of Jimmy Smith and Baby Face Willette; a pinch of the snappy soul strut of Booker T. & The M.G.’s and The Meters; and sprinkles Motown Records, Stax Records, blues, and cosmic Jimi Hendrix-style guitar.

Since its humble beginnings in 2015, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio have issued two Billboard-charting albums; toured nationally and internationally, and performed on live at Upstream Music Festival broadcast by KEXP that has garnered over 14 million views.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9LLnhAQJXI

Tickets from;
https://www.seetickets.com/tour/delvon-lamarr-organ-trio

DATES:

Thu, OCT 16
The Voodoo Rooms
Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Fri, OCT 17
Slay Glasgow
Glasgow, United Kingdom

Sat, OCT 18
The Cluny
Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Sun, OCT 19
Band On The Wall
Manchester, United Kingdom

Mon, OCT 20
The Stables
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

Tue, OCT 21
Brudenell Social Club
Leeds, United Kingdom

Fri, OCT 24
Metronome Nottingham
Nottingham, United Kingdom

Sat, OCT 25
Future Yard CIC
Birkenhead, United Kingdom

Miller Theatre at Columbia University, New York City,  announces 2025-26 season.

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Miller Theatre has announced its 2025-26 season, including classical, jazz and early music events and more. Press release attached.

We have received the following press release;

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts announces
The 2025-26 Season
A season of community and commissions

“Melissa Smey, executive director of Columbia University’s Miller Theatre, has made the house one of the most exciting venues for old and new composition.”
— TIME OUT NY

* Subscriptions on sale now *
* Single tickets on sale starting July 14 *

O V E R V I E W

THE ORIGINAL COMPOSER PORTRAITS SERIES
Miller’s “indispensable” signature series since 1999
Each composer to attend their Portrait, except Lachenmann

HELMUT LACHENMANN:
JACK Quartet celebrates the iconic German composer’s 90th birthday with rare performance of his complete string quartets (10/9)

ANTHONY CHEUNG:
Intrepid ensembles JACK Quartet and Yarn/Wire, alongside flutist Claire Chase, join the composer/pianist for a program of recent works (11/13)

ANDREW MCINTOSH:
The mesmerizing composer and violinist joins Yarn/Wire for a
world premiere Miller commission and more (2/5)

LISA BIELAWA:
Contemporaneous (Miller debut) joins forces with the Rome Prize-winning composer/vocalist for a world premiere Miller commission (2/26)

CHINARY UNG:
The Del Sol Quartet performs a program spanning 6 decades by the first American composer to win the Grawemeyer Award, incl. a new Miller co-commission (3/26)

HANNAH KENDALL:
International Contemporary Ensemble premieres a new work
by the exciting, boundary-pushing British composer (4/23)

4 STELLAR JAZZ ENSEMBLES

ANAT COHEN QUARTET (10/4)
The magnetic, prolific Grammy-nominated clarinetist-saxophonist returns to Miller

SEAN MASON QUARTET (11/15)
Miller debut of the sought-after pianist/composer, with original works and timeless jazz from the ‘20s to today

JOHN MEDESKI & KIRK KNUFFKE (2/7)
The masterful duo joins forces for visionary music inspired by the Sun Ra Arkestra

SULLIVAN FORTNER TRIO (3/7)
The Grammy-winning pianist and bandleader performs innovative takes on standards alongside original compositions

4 ESTEEMED EARLY MUSIC GROUPS RETURN TO “SMOKY MARY’S” (145 West 46th Street)
The only NYC recital appearance for all 4 groups next season

THE GESUALDO SIX perform motets & madrigals by Palestrina & Gesualdo (10/18)

STILE ANTICO present quintessential Renaissance works (11/8)

THE TALLIS SCHOLARS sing Tallis, Byrd, Britten & a world premiere Miller commission by Matthew Martin (12/4)

THE MARIAN CONSORT explores vibrant musical culture of 16th c. Rome (2/14)

A SPECIAL EVENT: WILLIAM SCHUMAN AWARD CONCERT
The beloved TANIA LEÓN is honored with the 2025 William Schuman Award given by Columbia University School of the Arts (9/25)

FREE POP-UP CONCERTS RETURN
WITH AUDIENCE ONSTAGE NEXT TO BRILLIANT MUSICIANS
6pm happy hour concerts in a casual, intimate setting
Introducing a 3-day “Pop-Up Concerts Festival” celebrating 20 yrs of YARN/WIRE with guests including Zeena Parkins, Sam Pluta, Tyshawn Sorey (10/27, 28, 29)
Plus monthly Pop-Ups to be announced throughout the season

MORNINGSIDE LIGHTS XIV
Concept/direction by Processional Arts Workshop
Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles, artistic directors
The 14th annual celebration brings the Morningside community together for free workshops and an outdoor procession featuring handmade lanterns (9/20 with workshops beginning 9/13)

From Miller Theatre Executive Director Melissa Smey:
“I am thrilled to announce Miller Theatre’s 2025–26 season, featuring bold new commissions, iconic creative voices, and extraordinary ensembles making their Miller debuts. Each season, my goal is to offer audiences singular musical experiences they won’t find anywhere else—and to give artists a platform to craft meaningful, resonant programs. This season’s lineup reflects this mission in full, with opportunities to encounter brilliance and be transformed by performance. I hope you’ll join us often.”
New York, NY — Miller Theatre, under the exuberant direction of Executive Director Melissa Smey, announces its 2025-26 season—a thrilling combination of new and early music, as seen through its core series Composer Portraits, Early Music, and Jazz, alongside community hits Morningside Lights and Pop-Up Concerts.

The season opens with a special concert in honor of Tania León, the 2025 recipient of the William Schuman Award given by Columbia University School of the Arts, celebrating her transformative contributions to the field with a program showcasing the depth of her body of work. Composer Portraits, Miller’s most famed and influential series, showcases six distinguished composers presenting a characteristically eclectic array of recent works and Miller commissions galore: Helmut Lachenmann, Anthony Cheung, Andrew McIntosh, Lisa Bielawa, Chinary Ung, and Hannah Kendall.

This fall, Miller also mounts a special Pop-Up Concerts Festival celebrating 20 years of the adventurous piano/percussion quartet Yarn/Wire, known for their deep artistic collaborations, vibrant commissions, and exceptional performances. The three-concert series presents incredible new and recent works by groundbreaking artists Zeena Parkins, Sam Pluta, Enno Poppe, Tyshawn Sorey, and Mei‑Fang Lin. Like all Miller’s Pop-Up Concerts, audiences are invited to sit on the stage, inches from the musicians, with drinks in hand, making for a unique, comfortable, and intimate experience. Other monthly Pop-Up Concerts will be announced throughout the year.

In addition to its robust new music programming, Miller is home to world-class Early Music concerts. This year’s program includes preeminent ensembles The Gesualdo Six, The Marian Consort, The Tallis Scholars, and Stile Antico, who each present concerts exploring the rich history of motets, madrigals, and renaissance polyphony. Yet even with Early Music, Miller finds a way to commission: Tallis Scholars will present the world premiere of a new piece by Matthew Martin. Jazz is also a passion of Smey, and this year’s lineup features an incredible array of ensembles: Anat Cohen Quartet, Sean Mason Quartet, John Medeski & Kirk Knuffke, and Sullivan Fortner Trio.

The beloved community event Morningside Lights—by now a bona fide annual tradition—also returns this fall, bringing the people of Morningside Heights together for a beautiful illuminated outdoor procession featuring dozens of handmade lanterns built during free workshops.

The 2025-26 Season
COMPOSER PORTRAITS
Each composer (except Lachenmann) to attend their Portrait
and engage in an onstage conversation
Single tickets from $20
Series tickets from $96 for all six concerts, or from $48 for three concerts

“There are few series as satisfying as the Miller Theatre’s signature dives into one composer.” — The New York Times

Composer Portraits are deep-dive immersions into a living composer’s work. They have been repeatedly hailed as “utterly indispensable,” “covetable,” “essential,” “endlessly important,” and “invaluable” by The New York Times and The New Yorker, among others. After 26 years, the popular series continues to reward curious listeners with concerts that are satisfying and thought-provoking.

Miller Theatre commissions original photography to further its efforts to place creators front and center, and with the goal of connecting listeners to both the creators and their music.

Thursday, October 9, 2025, 7:30PM
Helmut Lachenmann (b. 1935)
Complete String Quartets
Marking the 90th birthday celebration of Helmut Lachenmann—the iconic visionary who has profoundly shaped the landscape of modern classical music—the intrepid JACK Quartet performs his complete string quartets. The last time the complete quartets were performed in New York was over ten years ago. This promises to be an unforgettable performance of one of contemporary music’s most influential voices.
PROGRAM
String Quartet No. 1 Gran Torso (1971/78/88)
String Quartet No. 2 Reigen seliger Geister (1989)
String Quartet No. 3 Grido (2001)
ARTIST
JACK Quartet
    Christopher Otto, violin
    Austin Wulliman, violin
    John Pickford Richards, viola
    Jay Campbell, cello

Thursday, November 13, 2025, 7:30PM
Anthony Cheung (b. 1982)
The captivating music of Anthony Cheung has been described as “gritty, inventive and wonderfully assured” (San Francisco Chronicle). His work reveals an interest in the ambiguity of sound sources and shifting transformations of tuning and timbre. An all-star lineup—flutist Claire Chase, Yarn/Wire, and the JACK Quartet—join the composer for a dynamic program of recent works.
PROGRAM
Improvised Intro (2025) for piano
Twice Removed (2024)
Tactile Values (2023)
The Real Book of Fake Tunes (2015)
ARTISTS
Claire Chase, flute
Anthony Cheung, piano
JACK Quartet
Yarn/Wire

Thursday, February 5, 2026, 7:30PM
Andrew McIntosh (b. 1985)
Known for blending rich textures, intricate rhythms, and a deep connection to natural soundscapes, Andrew McIntosh’s music is both profound and mesmerizing. The individual musical personalities of the performers he writes for are a central consideration in his work, and for this Portrait, he performs alongside his close collaborators Yarn/Wire, in a world premiere Miller Theatre commission.
PROGRAM
new work (2026) world premiere, Miller Theatre commission
Arc (2020)
Little Jimmy, Movement II, Little Jimmy at the End of Winter (2020)
We See the Flying Bird (2015-16)
Hyenas In the Temples of Pleasure (2012-13)
ARTISTS
Andrew McIntosh, violin
Yarn/Wire

Thursday, February 26, 2026, 7:30PM
Lisa Bielawa (b. 1968)
Composer and vocalist Lisa Bielawa—a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow and a Rome Prize winner—creates music that The New York Times has described as “ruminative, pointillistic, and harmonically slightly tart.” She takes inspiration for her work from literary sources and close artistic collaborations, and often incorporates community-making as part of her artistic vision. The dynamic Contemporaneous ensemble makes its Miller debut performing alongside the composer.
PROGRAM
new work (2025), world premiere, Miller Theatre commission
Incessabile Voce (2013)
Graffiti dell’amante (2010)
ARTISTS
Lisa Bielawa, vocalist
Contemporaneous
David Bloom, conductor

Thursday, March 26, 2026, 7:30PM
Chinary Ung (b. 1942)
Chinary Ung—the first American composer to win the highly coveted Grawemeyer Award—is heralded for combining the sounds of Cambodian folk traditions with contemporary classical techniques. The acclaimed Del Sol String Quartet performs works spanning six decades, including the world premiere of a new commission.
PROGRAM
new work (2025) world premiere, co-commissioned by Del Sol Performing Arts and Miller Theatre
Spiral X: In Memoriam (2007)
Spiral III (1990)
Khse Buon (1980)
String Trio (1966)
ARTIST
Del Sol Quartet
    Hyeyung Sol Yoon, violin
    Benjamin Kreith, violin
    Charlton Lee, viola
    Kathryn Bates, cello

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 7:30PM
Hannah Kendall (b. 1984)
Photo by Rob Davidson for Miller Theatre
British composer Hannah Kendall’s music is marked by striking and often polarizing dynamics and features staggeringly intricate details that encourage further listening. Known for her attentive arrangements and immersive world-building, her work pushes the limits of compositional boundaries. The adventurous International Contemporary Ensemble performs several recent pieces, including a world premiere Miller Theatre commission. The month before her Composer Portrait, Hannah’s chamber opera The Knife of Dawn will be presented by the Dutch National Opera.
PROGRAM
new work (2025), world premiere, Miller Theatre commission
when flesh is pressed against the dark (2024)
Even sweetness can catch the throat (2023)
Tuxedo: Diving Bell 2 (2021)
ARTIST
International Contemporary Ensemble

JAZZ
Single tickets from $25
Series tickets from $88 for all four concerts

Saturday, October 4, 2025, 7:30PM
Anat Cohen Quartet
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

Saturday, November 15, 2025, 7:30PM
Sean Mason Quartet
A leading figure in the jazz scene, Sean Mason is known for his expansive musical vision, seamlessly blending classic styles with modern elements to become one of today’s most sought-after pianists, composers, and music directors. He takes the Miller stage for the first time with his Quartet, in a performance featuring original works and timeless jazz from the 1920s to now.
ARTISTS
Sean Mason, piano
Tony Glausi, trumpet
Felix Moseholm, bass
Domo Branch, drums

Saturday, February 7, 2025, 7:30PM
John Medeski & Kirk Knuffke
The Angelic Brothers
Legendary keyboardist John Medeski and acclaimed cornetist Kirk Knuffke join forces as The Angelic Brothers, a masterful collaboration that mixes jazz, experimental sounds, and improvisation—drawing inspiration from the visionary work of the Sun Ra Arkestra. Their first Miller appearance promises an electrifying fusion of craft and invention.
ARTISTS
John Medeski, piano and vocals
Kirk Knuffke, cornet and vocals

Saturday, March 7, 2026, 7:30PM
Sullivan Fortner Trio
Sullivan Fortner Trio by Mark Sheldon
A Grammy winner and recipient of the prestigious Cole Porter Fellowship, pianist and bandleader Sullivan Fortner makes his Miller debut with his incredible trio, recently crowned “Rising Star Jazz Group” in the 2024 DownBeat Critics Poll. Known for his deep musical roots in New Orleans and celebrated collaborations with artists like Cécile McLorin Salvant and Roy Hargrove, Fortner brings a fresh approach to the jazz trio, offering innovative takes on standards alongside striking original compositions.
ARTISTS
Sullivan Fortner, piano
Tyrone Allen, bass
Kayvon Gordon, drums

EARLY MUSIC
Single tickets from $30
Series tickets from $116 for all four concerts
All concerts take place at Church of St. Mary the Virgin
145 West 46th Street, New York, NY

“Columbia University’s performance hub advocates just as vigorously for early music as it does for contemporary work.”
— THE NEW YORKER

Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:30PM
The Gesualdo Six
Motets and Madrigals of
Palestrina and Gesualdo
The acclaimed Gesualdo Six returns with a captivating program highlighting two of the Renaissance’s most famous composers: Palestrina, revered for his clarity and elegance, and the notorious Carlo Gesualdo, with his bold chromaticism and emotional intensity. Experience a captivating tapestry of litanies, madrigals, and Lamentations, showcasing the extraordinary writing and contrasting approaches of these two luminaries.
PROGRAM
Carlo Gesualdo
In te Domine speravi
Peccantem me quotidie
Tenebrae Responsories
O tenebroso giorno
Asciugate i begli occhi
Ancide sol la morte
Moro, lasso, al mio duolo
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
E tu Signor, tu la tua grazia infondi
Queste saranno ben lagrime
Io son ferito, ahi lasso
Quando dal terzo Cielo
Litaniae de Beata Virgine Maria a6
Missa Papae Marcelli, Gloria
Super flumina Babylonis
Lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae
ARTIST
The Gesualdo Six

Saturday, November 8, 2025, 7:30PM
Stile Antico
Golden Renaissance
One of the world’s finest ensembles, Stile Antico selects one piece from each of its sixteen award-winning albums to create a thrilling journey through some of the greatest music of the Renaissance. Works by the era’s quintessential composers, such as Byrd, Gibbons, Tomkins, Taverner, and Tallis, are paired with a recent composition by Huw Watkins, written especially for the group.
PROGRAM
William Byrd                         Exsurge Domine
William Byrd                         Retire my soul
Clemens non Papa                   Ego flos campi
Orlando Gibbons                     Hosanna to the Son of David
Orlando Gibbons                     O clap your hands
Francisco Guerrero                 A un niño llorando
Josquin des Prez                     Salve Regina à 5
Cristóbal de Morales               Jubilate Deo
Michael Praetorius                 Ein Kind geboren
John Sheppard                       I give you a new commandment
Thomas Tallis                       In manus tuas
John Taverner                       Audivi vocem de caelo
Thomas Tomkins                   O Praise the Lord
Tomás Luis de Victoria             Recessit pastor noster
Giaches de Wert                     Gaudete in Domino
Huw Watkins                       The Phoenix and the Turtle (2014)
ARTIST
Stile Antico

Thursday, December 4, 2025, 7:30PM
The Tallis Scholars
Mother and Child
The exquisite Tallis Scholars make their annual appearance on Miller’s series with a holiday program centered around the Virgin Mary, whether celebrating her own divinity (in the Votive Mass written by Byrd), or in the context of the birth of Christ (in Tallis’s epic Missa Puer natus). The program features works by all-English composers, including a world premiere by Matthew Martin, commissioned by Miller Theatre for the occasion. This marks the third Miller commission for The Tallis Scholars, following Michael Nyman and Nico Muhly.
PROGRAM
Benjamin Britten               Hymn to the Virgin
William Byrd                   Votive mass of the Virgin
Matthew Martin                 new work (2025), world premiere,
                                    commissioned by Miller Theatre
John Nesbett                     Magnificat
Thomas Tallis                   Missa Puer natus
ARTISTS
The Tallis Scholars
Peter Phillips, director

Saturday, February 14, 2026, 7:30PM
The Marian Consort
City of Echoes — Rome in the 16th Century
The award-winning Marian Consort returns to explore the vibrant musical landscape of 16th-century Rome. The rich program highlights the interplay of influence and inspiration in works by celebrated figures like Palestrina, Josquin, and Victoria, alongside hidden gems.
PROGRAM
Felice Anerio                                 Ave Regina caelorum
Ghiselin Danckerts                         Laetamini in Domino
Josquin des Prez                             Ave Maria … virgo serena
Jean L’Heritier                               Surrexit pastor bonus
Orlandus Lassus                             Regina caeli laetare a7  
Tomás Luis de Victoria                     Ave regina caelorum a8
Vicente Lusitano                           Regina caeli Laetare
Jean Mouton                               Ave Maria gemma virginum
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina         Missa Benedicta es, Kyrie
Palestrina, arr. Soriano                   Missa in Papae Marcelli, Gloria
Plainchant                                   Benedicta es, caelorum regina
ARTISTS
The Marian Consort
Rory McCleery, director

SPECIAL EVENT:
WILLIAM SCHUMAN AWARD CONCERT
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 7:30PM
Honoring Tania León
William Schuman Award Concert
Single tickets from $20
Single Tickets available July 14 at noon
LISTEN
Tania León is a lauded composer, conductor, educator, arts advocate, and the newest recipient of the William Schuman Award of Columbia University School of the Arts. This concert celebrates her transformative contributions to the field with a program showcasing the vitality and depth of her vibrant body of work. An incredible cast of musicians join together in tribute to this inspirational cultural icon.
PROGRAM
Singsong for flute (2023/25), New York premiere
In the Field for soprano, string quartet, and piano (2022), New York premiere
Esencia for string quartet (2009)
Tumbao for piano (2005)
A La Par for piano and percussion (1986)
ARTISTS
Rachel Doehring Jackson, soprano
Sophie Thompson, soprano
Claire Chase, flute
Han Chen, piano
Camila Cortina Bello, piano
Orion Weiss, piano
Ian Rosenbaum, percussion
Bergamot String Quartet

FREE PROGRAMMING
Miller Theatre has two ongoing series focused on deepening the connection with Miller’s local community and welcoming newcomers into the fold.

POP-UP CONCERTS

“Miller Theatre’s Pop-Up Concerts are a wonderfully informal way to experience bracing contemporary music.”
— THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Some concerts are better shorter. That’s the premise behind this intimate happy-hour pop-up series, in which audience members can fortify themselves with a drink,
sit onstage with the musicians, and listen…”
— NEW YORK MAGAZINE

Miller Theatre’s unique, musician-curated Pop-Up Concerts—free, fun, informal, and intimate—bring audiences right onto the stage, drink in hand. The performers share not only their music but the stories and meaning behind it, in a setting that feels more like a salon than a concert hall. One audience member deemed the series “the greatest hour of culture in New York.” Onstage seating is first-come, first-served.

Monthly Pop-Up Concerts are announced throughout the season. For the first time, launching this year’s series is a special three-concert festival, Celebrating 20 Years of Yarn/Wire, the adventurous piano/percussion quartet.

Check http://www.millertheatre.com for dates and times (typically announced a month or two in advance), and join the Miller Theatre email list for updates and concert announcements.

Special Pop-Up Concerts Festival
Celebrating 20 Years of Yarn/Wire
Laura Barger, piano; Julia Den Boer, piano
Russell Greenberg, percussion; Sae Hashimoto, percussion
The adventurous piano/percussion quartet Yarn/Wire celebrates its 20th anniversary this season with a special three-concert festival, kicking off Miller’s Pop-Up Concerts series. Renowned for their exceptional performances, vibrant commissions, and dynamic education and outreach efforts, the quartet puts special emphasis on artistic collaboration–especially with the composers they work alongside. In this compelling concert series, each program offers a unique exploration of the nuances within the composer-performer relationship.
Monday, October 27, 2025, 6PM

Concert One
PROGRAM
Zeena Parkins                 Lace Action Cards (2025), world premiere, for Yarn/Wire
                                Zeena Parkins and Sam Pluta
Sam Pluta                       Seven Systems (2015) for two pianos, two percussion quartet
                                  with electronic playback and actuated snares
ARTISTS
Zeena Parkins, harp
Sam Pluta, electronics
Yarn/Wire

Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 6PM
Concert Two
PROGRAM
Enno Poppe                         Feld (2007/2017)
new work to be announced
ARTISTS
Yarn/Wire with special guest

Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 6PM
Concert Three
PROGRAM
Tyshawn Sorey                     For Ross Gay (2023)
Mei-Fang Lin                       Yarny/Wiry (2006)
ARTISTS
Tyshawn Sorey, celeste
Yarn/Wire

MORNINGSIDE LIGHTS XIV
http://www.morningside-lights.com
Saturday, September 20, 2025 (workshops start Saturday, Sept 13)
14th Annual Morningside Lights
Concept and Direction by Processional Arts Workshop
Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles, artistic directors
Morningside Lights is co-produced with the Arts Initiative at Columbia University
“It is hard not to be drawn by the magic of Morningside Lights. More than an annual parade, it is a love letter—a tribute to our community. “ — BWOG
“Every fall, Morningside Lights illuminates the night with a procession of awe-inspiring handmade lanterns.” — TIME OUT
The beloved neighborhood tradition Morningside Lights returns for its 14th consecutive year. Starting September 13, Miller opens its doors for a week of free lantern-building workshops, culminating in a magical illuminated procession through Morningside Park.
More details will be announced soon. The public can learn more or sign up to help create lanterns at http://www.morningside-lights.com.

SEASON AT A GLANCE;

Saturday, September 20, 2025 (workshops start Saturday, Sept 13)
14th Annual Morningside Lights

Thursday, September 25, 2025, 7:30PM
Special Event
Honoring Tania León
William Schuman Award Concert
Rachel Doehring Jackson, soprano
Sophie Thompson, soprano
Claire Chase, flute
Han Chen, piano
Camila Cortina Bello, piano
Orion Weiss, piano
Ian Rosenbaum, percussion
Bergamot String Quartet

Saturday, October 4, 2025, 7:30PM
Jazz
Anat Cohen Quartet

Thursday, October 9, 2025, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Helmut Lachenmann
Complete String Quartets
JACK Quartet

Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:30PM
Early Music
The Gesualdo Six
Motets and Madrigals of Palestrina and Gesualdo

Monday, October 27, 2025, 6PM
Special Pop-Up Concerts Festival
Celebrating 20 Years of Yarn/Wire: Concert One
Zeena Parkins, harp
Sam Pluta, electronics
Yarn/Wire

Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 6PM
Special Pop-Up Concerts Festival
Celebrating 20 Years of Yarn/Wire: Concert Two
Yarn/Wire

Wednesday, October 29, 2025, 6PM
Special Pop-Up Concerts Festival
Celebrating 20 Years of Yarn/Wire: Concert Three
Tyshawn Sorey, celeste
Yarn/Wire

Saturday, November 8, 2025, 7:30PM
Early Music
Stile Antico
Golden Renaissance

Thursday, November 13, 2025, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Anthony Cheung
Claire Chase, flute
Anthony Cheung, piano
JACK Quartet
Yarn/Wire

Saturday, November 15, 2025, 7:30PM
Jazz
Sean Mason Quartet

Thursday, December 4, 2025, 7:30PM
Early Music
The Tallis Scholars
Mother and Child

Thursday, February 5, 2026, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Andrew McIntosh
Andrew McIntosh, violin
Yarn/Wire

Saturday, February 7, 2026, 7:30PM
Jazz
John Medeski & Kirk Knuffke
The Angelic Brothers

Saturday, February 14, 2026, 7:30PM
Early Music
The Marian Consort
City of Echoes — Rome in the 16th Century

Thursday, February 26, 2026, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Lisa Bielawa
Lisa Bielawa, vocalist
Contemporaneous
David Bloom, composer

Saturday, March 7, 2026, 7:30PM
Jazz
Sullivan Fortner Trio

Thursday, March 26, 2026, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Chinary Ung
Del Sol Quartet

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Hannah Kendall
International Contemporary Ensemble

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.

Support for contemporary music at Miller Theatre is provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. Additional support is provided by the Amphion Foundation.

Eddie Gripper & Elijah Jeffery - debut album and UK tour, June and July 2025.

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Pianist Eddie Gripper and vocalist Elijah Jeffrey will release their eponymous debut album on June 6th 2025. They will be touring in the UK during June and July.

We have received the following press release;

Eddie Gripper & Elijah Jeffery
UK Album Tour 2025
Released 6th June 2025

A brand-new album by two young titans who have collaborated in a focused project which reflects both their passion for music, and the strong desire to create. Written and recorded within 8 weeks, pianist Eddie Gripper and vocalist Elijah Jeffrey capture stories invented by two young men not afraid to explore themes of darkness and danger, balanced by hope and love in some of its many guises.

This has been achieved with Eddie exploring a mix of conventional and complex chord voicings, unison melody lines, and thrilling improvisations that sparkle in this crossover original repertoire. Elijah demonstrates an authority augmented by an impressive vocal range, controlled vibrato, and an individual voice; the perfect tool to purvey their messages with an authoritative conveyance. Their impressive relationship with dynamics reinforces the intent of their compositions, and the narrative they generate nods to music being more than what they play, rather how they make the listener feel.

I feel enthused after listening to this recording. I am excited for the future of both musicians and their desire to conceive projects that take them beyond the genres they have been brought up in. This is a journey that we are all invited to be a part of… - Dr Linley Hamilton OBE

This self-titled album is the culmination of both musician’s fruitful working relationship and individual passion for songwriting. With seven original songs and one never-before heard adaptation of a 17th century Aria, Elijah Jeffery & Eddie Gripper offer up an “eagerly awaited” (The Jazz Mann) collaboration straddling the genres of progressive pop, indie folk and alternative jazz.

Live Dates:

6th June, Kings Road Yard, Cardiff

11th June, Oxford University Jazz. Society

12th June, Smokey Joe’s, Cheltenham

13th June, Burford Jazz Club, Oxfordshire

16th June, Bexley Jazz Club, London

18th June, Concorde Club, Eastleigh

22nd June, SMJC, Southampton

25th June,  Aberjazz, Fishguard

26th June, The Small Space, Barry

10th July, Hampstead Jaz Club, London

11th July, Cabaret, Cardiff

Elijah Jeffery is a Hampshire-born vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. From an early age, Elijah developed a passion for musical theatre and the Great American Songbook, taking inspiration from many of the great vocalists and lyricists of the 20th Century. A Jazz graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Elijah has established himself as an up-and-coming artist in Wales and the South West, collaborating with the likes of Claire Martin OBE, Ian Shaw, and big bands such as Capital City Jazz Orchestra. Elijah released his debut EP, ‘One of Her Clowns’ in June 2023, marking his first foray into writing original music. Fusing a lifelong love of jazz with singer-songwriter and folk sensibilities, ‘One of Her Clowns’ weaves bittersweet tales of love lost and found through “poetic and intelligent lyricis[m]” (The Jazz Mann).

Having “already garnered comparisons with the greats”(Jazzwise) after the release of his debut album ‘Home’, pianist Eddie Gripper has rapidly established himself as a young contender on the national jazz circuit. He has worked as a performer, promoter and producer alongside top musicians in his field such as Nigel Price, Simon Spillet and Pete Long. Outside of Jazz, he has collaborated with Welsh folk artist Angharad Jenkins, writing and performing music that explores the various aspects of folk, jazz and contemporary classical traditions In 2024, Gripper embarked on a 29-date tour across the four nations of the UK and Republic of Ireland, and remains active on the national and international scene (having played at venues such as Crazy Coqs, Pizza Express and various festivals, both under his own name and with other projects).

“[An] exposed setting revealing Jeffery to be a poetic and intelligent lyricist who has learnt well from the ‘Songbook’ tradition”
– The Jazz Mann

“Gripper’s melodic compositions have an easy charm about them that demand repeated listening.” – Jazz Views

TRACK LIST
(all tracks written by Elijah Jeffery & Eddie Gripper unless otherwise stated)

Shifting Seasons
Good, Honest Men
Close Your Eyes
Because of You
True Love Never Dies
Love Is A Game
Dido’s Lament (When I Am Laid In Earth) - comp. Henry Purcell
Swan Song

Peter Slavid - ‘European Modern Jazz’ on the radio playlist,  first broadcast 18/05/2025.

Monday, May 19, 2025

Broadcaster & journalist Peter Slavid has forwarded details of the music played on his UK & European Jazz radio show on 18/05/2025, which is available via a number of UK & international radio stations

Peter Slavid writes;

Radio Playlist from May 18 2025

Oliver Lutz
Stargazer
Calamari Fantasy
Bandcamp

Álvaro Ocón Ocón
Mama
Life Dissonance
AMP Records

Azmari
Disassembling The Matrix
In Oculis (EP)
SDBan

Sarost
First Lights
Aurora
Jazz Now Records

Alex Hawkins
Song of Infinite Variations
Song Unconditional
Intakt

Hedwig Mollestad trio
Golden Griffin
Bees in The Bonnet
Rune Grammofon

Henriksen-Seim-Jormin-Ounaskari
Nokitpyrt
Arcanum
ECM

Motion and More
White Magic
Gratitude
Phonogram Unit

Trilok Gurtu
Peace is not Peaceful
Mirror
Jazzline

Fernandino Romano
La Torre del Serpe
The Legends of Otranto
Gleam

John Andrew Wilhite
Early Morning
Bristol Silence
Motvind records

Andrew Moreno
Iffa
Axiom
Honolulu Records

Available as always at http://www.mixcloud.com/ukjazz

European Modern Jazz on the radio;

At any time:
http://www.mixcloud.com/ukjazz.

Weekly:

http://www.hayesfm.org.uk 91.8 FM – West London Community Radio Sundays 12.00

http://www.purebeatradio.co.uk Sundays 10am

http://www.listen.camp/ Sundays 7pm onward

Later as “Peter’s Eurojazz Podcast” on Apple, Amazon, Deezer and other podcast sites.

Kim Cypher announces live album and returns to Ronnie Scott’s in July 2025.

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Saxophonist, vocalist & composer Kim Cypher announces her live album ‘LIVE and Smiling’ set for release on July 11th and new single ‘On My Own Again’ on July 26th, plus a series of UK live shows.

We have received the following press release;

KIM CYPHER ANNOUNCES LIVE ALBUM AND NEW ORIGINAL SINGLE, DUE FOR RELEASE IN JULY, TOGETHER WITH A RETURN PERFORMANCE AT RONNIE SCOTT’S JAZZ CLUB ON SUNDAY JULY 13TH

UK saxophonist, vocalist and composer Kim Cypher announces her live album ‘LIVE and Smiling’ set for release on July 11th and new original single ‘On My Own Again’ on July 26th, plus a return date at Ronnie Scott’s (following her sellout performances in 2021 and 2024), and a host of other shows taking place across the UK in 2025.

The first track from the album, an energetic take on the classic ‘Feeling Good’, is available now – watch the video HERE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa_XJXCKVMA

Tickets for Ronnie Scott’s on sale now HERE
https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/find-a-show/kim-cypher

Following huge success as the first ever homegrown artist to play the Cheltenham Jazz Festival’s main Jazz Arena on May 5th (the closing night of the festival), with special guest Ashley Slater (Loose Tubes, Carla Bley, Norman Cook AKA Fatboy Slim), Kim is now set to release a live album ‘LIVE and Smiling’ and a new original single ‘On My Own Again’ - two hugely contrasting projects reflecting different angles of life, particularly working in the music industry.

“An ASTOUNDING performance at Cheltenham Jazz Festival”
Paul Baker – Mayor of Cheltenham

“You blew the roof off the Jazz Arena!”
Spencer Evans – Cheltenham Jazz

The ‘LIVE and Smiling’ album is a joyful collection of vibrant tracks, including originals and some well-known classics and funky grooves. It was recorded earlier this year at Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham as part of two sellout shows from Kim’s ongoing ‘Catching Moments’ tour plus tracks recorded at her recent Cheltenham Jazz Festival performance. The album is an eclectic mix of jazz, Latin, blues, reggae, swing and funk, capturing the positive energy, good vibes and special moments shared together through music and audience connection, something which Kim is renowned for.

“Thank you for bringing such joy to Radio 4!”
Anita Rani – BBC 4