Thursday 27 September 2018

JazzLeeds celebrates jazz from around the world

Continuing the JazzLeeds tradition of putting on great jazz music from around the globe, this autumn JazzLeeds have five evening concerts with Los Angeles based tenorman Benn Clatworthy, Jazz Messenger Jean Toussaint, rising star Freddie Gavita and Kate Peters Big Band with the music of Ella Fitzgerald. First up though in on Thursday October 11th is one of the most powerful jazz guitarists in Europe, Mike Walker appearing with Tria Lingvo from Cologne .


"North by North West" - Mike Walker meets Tria Lingvo 
Thursday evening 11 Oct @Seven Arts – 8pm- £16/14
Mike Walker - guitar, Johannes Lemke - sax  André Nendza – bass Christoph Hillmann- drums
Guitarist Mike Walker is one of the most prolific British musicians of his generation with his talent widely acknowledged among notable international Jazz peers. Mike has built a distinguished performing, composing and teaching career in the UK and Europe spanning almost forty years, featuring international touring and many highly recognised collaborations. Tria Lingvo are winners of the 2014 New German Jazzprize, offer an innovative and highly creative approach to the traditional trio format, at home with exploring the endlessly fascinating ground found between Modern Jazz, energy-laden improvisation and ethnic music. After four highly successful albums they are one of the well established ensembles on the German scene. Over the years they have given many concerts all over Germany ranging from clubs, to concerthalls, churches, to some famous festivals like “Leverkusener Jazztage”, “Enjoy Jazz” and “Vive le Jazz”. Support is from the Dan Coulthurst quartet 8-8.30pm  See and hear their music here! https://vimeo.com/204349091

Benn Clatworthy Quartet 
Thursday evening 25 October @Seven Arts 8pm start £16/14 conc
Benn Clatworthy- saxes, Cecilia Coleman -piano Simon Thorpe- bass and Matt Home -drums 
From storming post-Coltrane energy to beautiful ballad playing, Los Angeles-based Benn Clatworthy has matured into a truly great tenor player. A favourite with jazz audiences for many years for his emotional playing and his dry sense of humour. He is supported by a top-class rhythm section featuring New York composer and big band leader Cecelia Coleman “Clatworthy proves practice makes perfect” – LA Times “A master player” – LA Weekly “Some of the most emotive and creative jazz this side of Sonny Rollins” –Edinburgh Evening News Web http:// www.bennclatworthy.com/
See/hear their music here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm90Ff-_e7E. Support 8-8.30pm Dimitris Tsiotas trio  

Jean Toussaint all star quintet – "Brother Raymond"  
Seven Arts - Thursday 15 Nov 8pm £18/16
Jean Toussaint - Tenor Saxophone, Jay Phelps – Trumpet, Andrew McCormack – Piano,  Daniel Casimir – Bass, Shane Forbes – Drums
The return of a very special band led by former Jazz Messenger Jean Toussaint. Grammy-winning saxophonist Jean Toussaint first came to prominence when he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1982, after studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Since moving to London in 1987, he has released ten critically-acclaimed CDs as a leader. Tonight he presents his 11th album, ‘Brother Raymond’, as part of a UK tour with a truly all-star sextet.  To commemorate, the twenty-fifth year of, the passing of the great Art Blakey in 2015 Toussaint organised a project which (borrowed from the Messengers Blue Note record of the same name) he called “Roots and Herbs/The Blakey Project” which was hugely successful when it visited Seven Arts - this time will be even better! The music of "Brother Raymond" builds on the legacy of Blakey but above all confirms Toussaint’s place as an accomplished composer at the forefront of modern jazz. Stand-out tracks include the opening ‘Amabo’, an African groove dedicated to Barack Obama. The title track draws upon the influences of Toussaint’s favourite composers, “Duke” Ellington and Wayne Shorter. Music here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-t7E7TgRNY Support 8-8.30pm -Nico Widdowson Trio


Freddie Gavita Quartet  
Seven Arts – Thursday 29 Nov 8pm £16/14
Freddie trumpet/flugelhorn; Tom Cawley: piano; Calum Gourlay: bass; Joshua Blackmore: drums

Rising star Freddie Gavita won the British Jazz Award for best trumpeter of 2017 and his 2017 album Transient was aimed at the heart, not the head, with a highly evocative collection of compositions written for his quartet. The music has global appeal with scintillating grooves, heartfelt ballads and some serious swing. A high-powered line up of top players ensures a night to remember. “There are other, more hyped up, players around but few have the feeling, the technique and the sound that Gavita has. Think of Navarro and Clifford Brown and their fat sound then listen to Miles. Freddie lies, not quite central, more (much more) towards Fats and Clifford and yet, still remains his own man. Ten original compositions and a rhythm section to die for make this as good a trumpet album as you’re likely to hear either side of the Atlantic this year”…Bebop spoken here. youtube.com/watch?v=XTn6B7D59dg — ‘Transient’ Recording Session freddiegavita.com/ .Support from Jack Chandler sextet 8-8.30pm feat Ben Lowman sax, Tom Sharp tpt, Harry Orme guitar, Steve Hanley drums and Sam Quintana bass


Kate Peters Big Band – the songs of Ella Fitzgerald 
Seven Arts Leeds – Thursday 6 Dec 8pm £16/14
Kate Peters is a uniquely talented and versatile vocalist based in Leeds. A graduate of Leeds College of Music, Kate has worked in a wide variety of styles and areas of the music industry. Her versatility as a vocalist has enabled her to perform and record everything from Dance Music to Jazz to Musical Theatre and she has had the pleasure of working alongside some amazing artists, such as Candi Staton, Jaki Graham, Roachford, Katrina Leskanich (Katrina and the Waves) and Angie Brown. For this concert - which is our JazzLeeds Christmas Party- Kate presents an evening of music celebrating the work of jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald, featuring classic arrangements from Ella’s collaborations with Count Basie, Nelson Riddle and others. With her Big Band she will pay tribute to one of the great ladies of song. Music here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_QB-pWojgQ  Support 8-8.30pm is from the John Marley Trio  

Why not buy a bargain Season Ticket for all five autumn evenings? Save 40% off the price and support your local voluntary club JazzLeeds? £65 Full or £55 concessionary price  here  https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/31a-harrogate-road/seven/autumn-jazz-evening-programme-season-ticket

Further information on all events and links to our Facebook and Twitter pages available on our new website www.jazzleeds.org.uk Address: Seven Arts 31A Harrogate Rd, Leeds LS7 3PD  tickets www.ticketsource.co.uk/jazzleeds NUS and Under 25 tickets are half price at all concerts

See you soon as one of these events!

Steve Crocker
JazzLeeds




Friday 21 September 2018

Laura Jurd plays alongside Leeds College of Music Contemporary Jazz Orchestra




Laura Jurd, Trumpet, Steve Fishwick, Conductor and the Leeds College of Music Contemporary Jazz Orchestra

Joined by guest soloist Laura Jurd, Steve Fishwick returns to conduct the LCoM Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. Jurd will feature in her own arrangements of Mary Lou William’s Zodiac Suite.
Laura Jurd is a British award-winning trumpet player, composer, bandleader and BBC New Generation Artist for 2015-2017. Highly active throughout the UK scene, Laura has developed a formidable reputation as one of the most creative young musicians to emerge from the UK in recent years


Monday 10 Dec 2018 7.30pm
The Venue


The 16th Scarborough Jazz Festival is next weekend! (29-30 Sept)


‘Few UK festivals have come anywhere near the calibre of Scarborough in terms of variety of programming, professional organisation and quality of setting'. Brian Payne, Jazz Journal

Hello from Sunny Scarborough!

It’s hard being a promoter!. There’s such an abundance of talent around it’s really tough to make choices for the festival. But as you can see it means we can guarantee a high standard of musicianship and a wide range of formats and jazz approaches.

Big Bands: Gareth Lockrane Big Band, Stan Sulzmann Neon Orchestra. 

Jazz Vocalists: Vimala Rowe sings Billie Holliday with John Etheridge.  Jo Harrop sings Peggie Lee with Tony Kofi on sax.

Something Different: Woody Black 4 (Four clarinet virtuosos from Vienna pictured), Ben Crosland plays the Ray Davies Song Book. 


Combos Galore: All female septet Nerija, Alan Barnes Octet. Atlantic Crossover, Henry Lowther’s ‘Still Waters’, Matt Ridley Quartet. Nigel Price Organ Quartet. Terry Seabrook Quintet - Celebrating Wayne Shorter   

Rising Stars: Andchuck

And an Anniversary! Dave Newton and Alan Barnes celebrate forty years as a duo.

Again we’ll be in Scarborough Spa’s impressive Grand Hall and there will be lots of fringe events to keep you entertained. And of course our compere is the ever popular Alan Barnes. IBook online here https://scarboroughspa.sivtickets.com   Our box office is open daily. Call (01723) 821888

See you for that early morning dip.
Mike Gordon
Festival Director



Thursday 13 September 2018

Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2018 nominees revealed!

The Northern jazz scene has good representation for this year's prestigious  Parliamentary Jazz Awards.  Jazz at the Lescar in Sheffield, run by Jez Matthews, is nominated as Jazz Venue of the Year. Bolton's own jazz clarinet virtuoso Arun Ghosh is up for two of the awards - for jazz instrumentalist and jazz album of the year. Lance Liddle's "Bebop Spoken Here" blog based in Newcastle and the North East is amongst the nominations for the jazz media award section and Gill Wilde, who has recently stepped aside from Cleethorpes Jazz Festival and Grimsby Jazz, has been nominated in the "services to jazz award". Finally Manchester based big band Beats & Pieces are nominated as jazz ensemble of the year

The full nominees for the 2018 award are:

Jazz Vocalist of the Year: Liane Carroll; Georgia Mancio; Zara McFarlane and Ian Shaw

Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year: Rob Luft; Arun Ghosh and Ross Stanley

Jazz Album of the Year: Arun Gosh – "But Where Are You Really From"?; Denys Baptiste – "The Late Trane"; Gareth Lockrane Big Band – "Fistfight At The Barndance"

Jazz Ensemble of the Year: Ezra Collective; Dinosaur; ARQ – Alison Rayner Quartet and Beats & Pieces Big Band

Jazz Newcomer of the Year: Fergus McCreadie; Sarah Tandy; Shirley Tetteh

Jazz Venue of the Year: Jazz Re:Freshed; Jazz At The Lescar, Sheffield and South Coast Jazz Festival

Jazz Media Award: Richard Williams; Kevin Le Gendre and Lance Liddle for "Bebop Spoken Here" website

Jazz Education Award: Pete Churchill; Jean Toussaint and Nikki Illes

Services to Jazz Award: Blow The Fuse – Alison Rayner and Deirdre Cartwright; Jill Rodger – Glasgow Jazz Festival; Gary Crosby and Gill Wilde - Cleethorpes Jazz Festival and Grimsby Jazz .

The nominees were selected via an online public vote for the awards, the shortlist was then voted upon by a selection panel of jazz musicians and music professionals from a variety of backgrounds selected for their passion for, and knowledge of, jazz. The winners will be chosen by members of the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG), and will be announced at the awards ceremony on 16 October at at Pizza Express Live's Holborn jazz club, an event which will include live performances and guest presenters.

Kelvin Hopkins MP, Co-Chair of APPJAG, said: "These shortlists demonstrate the wealth of talent and commitment that exists in the British jazz scene. Now in its 14th year, the Parliamentary Jazz Awards honours the best of British jazz. MPs and Peers in the All Party Group are delighted to host another ceremony at Pizza Express Live and we are extremely grateful to PizzaExpress Live for supporting the event and for Peroni for sponsoring the event."

The Parliamentary Jazz Awards will take place on 16 October at Pizza Express Live's Holborn jazz club. 

For more info visit www.pizzaexpresslive.com/parliamentary-jazz-awards


Friday 7 September 2018

Happy 30th birthday to Huddersfield Jazz

Huddersfield Jazz marks 30 years of bringing top quality jazz to Huddersfield with a concert featuring Claire Martin, Ray Gelato and the Dave Newton Trio.

Claire, seven times British Jazz Awards winner and former Radio3 presenter, is among the top jazz vocalists on the planet, according to Jazz Times.

Ray Gelato, ‘the Godfather of swing’, is a jazz, swing and jump blues saxophonist, singer and bandleader.

Their show, A Swinging Affair, celebrates their album, We’ve Got a World That Swings, and is not to be missed.

Details/tickets https://www.thelbt.org/shows/claire-martin-and-ray-gelato/

Lawrence Batley Theatre
Queen’s Square
Queen Street
Huddersfield
HD1 2SP

Thursday 6 September 2018

Lancaster Jazz festival 12-16 September


 Kit Downes solo Sun evening 16th
Skeltr Sat evening 15th 

It's the Lancaster Jazz Festival taking place this weekend taking place at venues throughout the city.

Here's a listing of the gigs...

Fri 14 10.30am 4pm Artist Development Day Lancaster Brewery Free
Fri 14 5.30pm 11pm Quay Fringe Lancaster Quay Free
Fri 14 7.45pm 8.35pm Juggenaught Lancaster Brewery Free
Fri 14 8.50pm 9.40pm Taupe Lancaster Brewery Free
Fri 14 9.55pm 10.45pm Roller Trio Lancaster Brewery Free

Sat 15 9am 10pm Festival Hub Printroom Free
Sat 15 9am 10.30am Jazz Breakfast Printroom Free
Sat 15 10.30am 12pm James Mainwairing Workshop Printroom Free
Sat 15 12pm 12.45pm Jazz North Introduces Sun Square Free
Sat 15 12.30pm 1.30pm Tom Ridout (2018 Youth Jazz Commission) The Storey Auditorium Free
Sat 15 1.10pm 2.10pm Yiasena Sun Square Free
Sat 15 2pm 2.30pm James Mainwairing Solo Printroom Free
Sat 15 2.30pm 3.30pm Let Spin Sun Square Free
Sat 15 3pm 4pm Archipelago / J Frisco The Storey Auditorium Free
Sat 15 3.50pm 4.50pm Charlie Pyne Quartet Sun Square Free
Sat 15 4.30pm 5.30pm Satori Printroom Free
Sat 15 5.10pm 6.10pm Slow Loris Sun Square Free
Sat 15 6.30pm 7.30pm World Service Project Sun Square Free
Sat 15 7pm 10pm Nu Jazz Collective Printroom Free
Sat 15 7.30pm 10pm Skeltr (2018 Headline Commission) The Round, The Dukes £12 - £5
Sat 15 8pm 10pm Joy Ellis The Hall Free
Sat 15 10pm 11pm Beyond Albedo The Yorkshire Taps Free
Sat 15 10pm 12am Open Jam Session / Luca Brasi Four ft. Paul Palmer The Golden Lion Free

Sun 16 10am 5pm Festival Hub Printroom Free
Sun 16 10am 11.30am Jazz Breakfast Printroom Free
Sun 16 11.30am 1pm Kathy Dyson Masterclass Printroom Free
Sun 16 12.30pm 1.30pm Bablefish Sun Square Free
Sun 16 1.15pm 2.15pm Mosaic The Storey Auditorium Free
Sun 16 1.50pm 2.50pm John Pope Quintet Sun Square Free
Sun 16 3pm 4pm Inside Outside The Hall Free
Sun 16 3.10pm 4.10pm Ubunye Sun Square Free
Sun 16 5pm 6pm Rachael & The Red Socks The Hall Free
Sun 16 6.30pm 7.15pm Täpp Ashton Hall £10 (Kit Downes Ticket)
Sun 16 7.35pm 8.35pm Kit Downes Solo (2018 Headline) Ashton Hall £10

Details and tickets https://www.lancasterjazz.com/


Wednesday 5 September 2018

Marsden Jazz Festival workshops and fun!

Can you believe it’s September? And that means it’s nearly October…so it’s time for us to tell you about the range of workshops and other fun events we have happening throughout (and before) Marsden Jazz Festival 2018.

Beats & Pieces Big Band creativity and improvisation workshop

Beats & Pieces Big Band is, arguably, the pre-eminent progressive big band in the UK. And you can join it! Over the course of Sun 7 October (10am-4pm), you’ll get the chance to work with Beats & Pieces director Ben Cottrell, guitarist Anton Hunter and saxophonist Anthony Brown to create brand new music to be showcased in the final session, which will be open to the public. We’ll look at possibilities for coming up with initial musical ideas and how we might develop them, and explore improvisational methods.

Street music parade

It wouldn’t be Marsden Jazz Festival without our street music parade (Sat 13 October). Starting at the top of Peel Street by The New Inn and ending at the village green behind Wessen Court, the parade features the usual suspects, including the Hurly Burly: a mobile sound sculpture, sonic amusement, twittering machine and junkyard delirium – packed with a tumultuous array of bells, sirens, alarms, whistles and mechanical percussion. The Incredible Plastic Street Band – a brass marching band for young musicians age 5-12 – will also be playing on their colourful plastic instruments.

Minifest

Minifest (Sun 14 October) is a fun musical experience for children aged 3-8 (but you’re welcome to tag along too if you promise to smile). The event features original songs to stimulate young imaginations and encourage physical activity, played by the brilliant Artful Playground Band, in a wide variety of styles ranging from rock and roll, to gypsy jazz, to rap.

We’ll also be running parade workshops (keep checking the website to find out more about these) the weekend before the festival, coming together to form the Marsden Mob, a community band playing homemade instruments. Keep checking the website and our social media channels to find out times and locations.

As ever, we’re seeking volunteers to help out this year. Volunteering is a brilliant way to learn about organising a music event and immerse yourself in new and beloved music.

More details www.marsdenjazzfestival.com/


Tobie Carpenter Organ Trio at Malton

The Tobie Carpenter Trio, a London-based contemporary Organ Trio, will appear at the Milton Rooms, Malton, on Saturday, September 15. They will be playing Carpenter’s originals, celebrating the music of 1920s New Orleans, 1950s New York and new millennium Europe. 

Melodic, swinging compositions full of fun and passionate improvisation from three of the UK’s most exciting young Jazz musicians. The group’s debut EP, Dead Pan Party, was released in 2017 reaching No.1 in the iTunes Jazz Album Chart. Paul Pace, of Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, said of the trio: "The Tobie Carpenter Organ Trio really kept the audience engaged throughout. A wonderful ensemble sound and fantastic solos."

Tickets: http://www.themiltonrooms.com/events/tobie-carpenter-trio/

The Tobie Carpenter Trio
The Milton Rooms, Malton
Saturday, September 15, 2018