Jazz and Gin at the Mansion House

The Mansion House used to be a regular jazz gig in Leeds during the 90's and noughties. Now afer a big refurbishment jazz is back with monthly Friday evening events, featuring different jazz duos with a meal at the restaurant. On Friday 30th August they feature jazz vocalist Nicki Allan and saxman Rod Mason. The September concert will be on Sept 26th with guitarist Sam Dunn and sax player Ben Lowman - details here https://forp.org/event/jazz-night-at-the-mansion/ 

The Rounday Mansion
Mansion Lane
Leeds LS8 2EP

Upcoming jazz gigs in Boston Spa

August- September gigs at the Spa

Aug 17^th – Kevin Grenfell’s Jazz Giants – the irrepressible Kevin joins us once again – this time with a new line up of Jeremy Huggett on reeds, Richard West on piano, Simon Smith on bass and Jools Aldridge on drums. A lively evening awaits us.

Aug 24^th – Mr Barnhart and Mr Langham – Jeff and Spats - and what a wonderful combination! Previous sessions have had the audience in raptures as they reflect on the personalities and spontaneously recreate the sounds of the 20s, 30s and 40s. An evening of pure nostalgia brought to you by two of the finest musicians on the circuit. Always a full house for this session – so do come early.

September 2019

7th – Café Society – much requested and here they are again. If you enjoy an evening of “off the wall” cabaret, then the outrageous Anthony Mason in his Noel Coward and George Formby roles will have you “more than amused” with his own special brand of humour and song. Then add the talents of Andy Henderson on cornet, Phil Shotton on reeds and Colin Turner on tuba. It sounds different, - it is different. Entertainment par excellence.

14^th – Maine Street Jazzmen – true professionals all who willingly agreed to move their booking tallow us to accommodate the Storyville Jass Band in June. One of the finest traditional jazz bandsithe North of England. Good time, effervescent non stop music including some wonderful harmonica playing from leader and trombonist, Herbie Hudson.

21^st – John + Jim + Tom + Ed – shame on us! We should have thought about bringing these first class musicians together years ago! Our favourite reeds player John Hallam, guitar maestro Jim Birkett, melodic pianist Tom Kincaid and the superb bass of Ed Harrison. A memorable evening is on the cards.

Thanks for your support – it’s what keeps music live!

Spread the word – JITS is live, fun and friendly – no better way to spend Saturday evening.

Please take your empty bottles home – we have no recycling facilities at the Village 

Jazz in the Spa – Village Hall, High Street Boston Spa, Leeds, LS23 6AA. Weekly Live Saturday Traditional/Mainstream Jazz. 8.00.pm

Situated just off the new section of the A1(M) at Junction 45 signed Wetherby and Otley

August- September line up at Sheffield's Lescar

Rafe's Dilemma Wed 28 Aug

There's so much packed into this batch of gigs, we’re very excited about it. In August we feature two incredible sax/bass/drums trios, the first led by bass talent Huw V Williams, and the second by fiery tenor player Riley Stone-Lonergan. There's a Sheffield link with elegies, led by bass player Seth Bennett, and an unusual line-up taking compositions initially inspired by West African and Afro-Brazilian music into some original and unexpected directions! After that vocalist Nel Begley and pianist Jamil Sheriff return with Rafe's Dilemma playing great original music inspired by the play Spring and Port Wine by Bill Naughton.

Two very different baritone sax players bring us two very different bands in September. The big riffs and free jazz of Sloth Racket (led by Cath Roberts) come round to fire things up in September, followed by the wonderful 11 piece large ensemble Bobtail, led by baritone sax player and composer Alicia Gardner-Trejo, weaving their fresh, intricate and beautiful magic. Forj are next and simply one of the most exciting new bands around right now, featuring an exhilerating 2 tenor sax front-line. Finally we're also delighted to present three incredible and genre defying bands, two of them on the same night! With Archipelago (following an appearance at Latitude festival) and J Frisco merging for a unique gig in later September, and Leeds-based Têtes de Pois bringing their mix of jazz, soul, funk and afro-beat to light up the Lescar back room.

14th August:  Riley Stone-Lonergan Trio / £8
21st August: elegies / £8
28th August: Rafe’s Dilemma / £8
4th September:     Sloth Racket / £8
11th September: Bobtail / £9
18th September: Forj     / £8
25th September: Archipelago x J Frisco / £8
2nd October: Têtes de Pois  / £8

Jez and The Jazz at The Lescar team.
Jazz Promoter of the Year 2018 Parliamentary Jazz Awards
www.jazzatthelescar.com

Tel. 0774 020 1939

Parliamentary Jazz award nominations announced

The nominations have today been announced for this year's 2019 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.

Several northern based contenders are in the frame for an award this year including, in the jazz vocalist category Newcastle's Zoe Gilby, in the jazz venue category Marsden Jazz Festival and in the jazz educator category, from Leeds Co9llege of Music Jamil Sheriff. Detailed listing in the link below

The winners, chosen by judging members of the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG), will be announced at the awards ceremony at PizzaExpress Live, Holborn, London on Tuesday 3^rd  December 2019. Watch this space for future developments!

https://appjag.wordpress.com/2019/08/12/2019-all-party-parliamentary-jazz-awards-nominations-announced/

Village Jazz Festival in Chapel Allerton

Chapel Allerton Arts Festival and Jazz Leeds present three days of jazz blues and soul 29 August- 1 Septenber finishing up with the Sunday afternoon finale on the main stage in Regent Street

Rafe’s Dilemma with Nel Begley and Jamil Sheriff
Thursday evening 29 August 2019 @Seven Arts Leeds £10/8 (£5 for 25 and under) 8pm
Part of a double header concert featuring Festival Commisions, Rafe's Dilemma celebrate the play Spring and Port Wine by Bill Naughton. Rafe’s Dilemma bring a mix of jazz, electronic music and rock to create an intriguing sound. The quartet immerses you in the story of a family on the edge, using spoken word, improvisation, synthesised soundscapes and carefully crafted songs. Expect to live the story through their music, feeling the multitude of emotions we all have towards our families and upbringings with an electric new perspective.
Lineup: Nel Begley vocals / Jamil Sheriff keyboards / Sam Vicary bass / Katie Patterson drums

Phil Green’s Biggish Band
As support to Rafe's Dilemma, we present Phil Green's Biggish Band. Chapel Allerton jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player Phil Green has always written distinctive melodies and compositions. This Festival Commission will give us a chance to hear his music played by a nine piece ensemble drawn from some of the best ensemble musicians in Leeds

Ubunye
Saturday evening 31 August 2019 8pm £10/8 (25 and under £5) @Seven Arts
Lineup: Thanda Gumede, Nokuthula Zondi-Kamudyariwa, Xolani Mbathe vocals / Dave Evans keyboards / Nik Rutherford guitar / Kenny Higgins electric bass / Alex Wibrew drums. (picture Maria Alzamora). Ubunye represents Leeds pianist Dave Evans’ long-lasting interest in South Africa and its music. He combines his jazz quartet with a trio of close harmony vocalists (South Africans from the Huddersfield area). Ubunye (‘one-ness’) unites singers hailing from KwaZulu Natal in South Africa with gospel and R’n’B musicians from Yorkshire, in an inspirational blend of jazz, Isigqi (traditional Zulu music) and Afro-pop. High energy African beats and traditional sounds morph into more contemporary African musical styles. All that and the jazz skills of an established quartet led by Dave

Jazz Blues and Soul Sunday : Soul Surgeons
Sunday afternoon 1 Sept @ Regent Street: 12 midday: payf bucket collection (£3 advised) Address: Regent Street Main Stage, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 4PE
Starting off the Jazz Blues and Soul Sunday we welcome the return of the ever popular Soul Surgeons, a nine piece band of local musicians, who have been performing together for over twenty years. A lively, soulful mix of music is guaranteed to get even the most reluctant dancers up in Regent Street

Rhythm De Luxe
Regent Street Main Stage 1pm Jim Wright guitar, Frank Brooker sax, Andy Henderson tpt, Phil Kampen bass, Paul Smith drums
By popular demand Chapel Allerton’s own banjo maestro Jim Wright leads a group playing the traditional jazz of Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong plus a little bit of country blues

Vibe-ology
Regent Street Main Stage 2pm Led by vibes man John Settle. Vibe-ology puts a groovy spin on the traditional organ quartet form. Leeds vibeist John Settle uses vibes as a frontline instrument in a group inspired by organist “big” John Patton and vibes man Bobby Hutcherson. Jazz, blues, latin and funk modes.

Kyla Brox Blues Band
Regent Street Main Stage 3pm Kyla’s voice remains a stunning example of the soul singer’s art: turning up the heat by degrees, lulling and charming before unleashing emotional catharsis, and blurring the distinction between pleasure and pain like the soul greats of old. Without doubt the most authentic UK blues and soul singer of her generation

New Position
Regent Street Main Stage 4pm Leeds-based nine-pack of funk/jazz slammers featuring Alice Higgins (vocals) and Conal Mulvenna (guitar) with a trio of lead singers. Bitter-sweet switter-beats alongside popcorn-funk that may well get stuck in your teeth. But it’s not bothersome – it tastes good.

Louis Louis Louis
Regent Street Main Stage 5pm Classic rhythm ‘n’ blues, doo-wop and ska with thumpin’ slap bass, honkin’ horns, raucous four-part vocal harmonies and a driving piano boogie to finish off the festival.(pic Mike Powell)

Old Time Rags
Laurence Marshall and Phoebe will be entertaining up in Regent Street bertween the main stage bands. They play a lot of the turn of the century stuff with jug band, folk, jazz and blues and it is based around myself one man banding and phoebe step dancing.

See you at the Chapel Allerton Festival!

Russell Corbett's August North East Round Up

Dan Garel Aug 15 and 18th Holy GrAle and Jazz Co-op

August, it's a quiet month with fewer gigs across the region, right? Wrong! The north east of England offers gigs galore with not one but two festivals to enjoy. The Ushaw Jazz Festival over the bank holiday weekend (August 23-25) is chock full of goodies and, the new kid on the block, a one day festival (Saturday 17) at Newcastle's Tyne Bank Brewery, billed as the Newcastle Jazz Festival, is a welcome newcomer. Add to the mix a number of tasty looking gigs and the month couldn't be busier.

Ushaw College, situated a couple of miles from Durham (Sat Nav DH7 7DW), opens on Friday 23 with a performance by the Early Bird Big Band (an outfit packed with developing teenage talent) and a concert by the immensely popular Hot Club du Nord. Violinist Emma Fisk leads fellow virtuosi James Birkett and Dave Harris (guitars) and bassist Bruce Rollo in a programme of Quintette du Hot Club de France-inspired material. Saturday and Sunday offer top class sessions ranging from Jo Harrop singing with the Paul Edis Trio to the Xhosa Cole/Francis Tulip Quintet (Cole is the current BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year!) to Tony Kofi and the Organisation to the closing event of the weekend, the star-studded Buck Clayton Legacy Band.

Newcastle Jazz Festival recalls the halcyon days of the much-missed Newcastle Jazz Festival. Way back when many of the great names appeared in Newcastle. Looking back it's hard to believe the likes of Art Blakey, Roland Kirk and George Russell played to, unsuprisingly, full houses! On Saturday 17 August at Tyne Bank Brewery a more modest affair will take the form of a one day festival. As the saying goes...from little acorns etc. Six performances from 1:30 'til late beginning with a Zoë Gilby-Andy Champion duo set through to Emma Fisk and James Birkett doing their Joe Venuti-Eddie Lang thing to the festival headliner, winner of the inaugural BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, Alexander Bone to the magnifcent Strictly Smokin' Big Band closing the show, it's shaping up to be a day to remember.

Just time to mention one or two other highlights elsewhere. In 2018 Durham University graduate Dan Garel left the Land of the Prince Bishops to begin the next chapter in his life. The good news is the brilliant alto saxophonist returns to the region to play two gigs, both of them in A-list company. On August 15 in Durham's Holy GrAle bottled beer shop Garel teams up with Mark Williams, John Pope and Russ Morgan to play an umissable gig in one of the tiniest venues imaginable. It's a seven o'clock start, a fiver admission. Four days later (Sunday 18) Garel returns to Newcastle's Jazz Co-op HQ on Railway Street, this time working with Francis Tulip and Matt MacKellar. Happy days! Finally, two gigs on Saturday 24. The good news is one is a lunchtime session, the other an evening session, so, you could go to both! Lunchtime at Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club Mellow Baku sings accompanied by a first rate band which includes John Hallam, reeds, and pianist Tom Kincaid. The other session, at eight o’clock, presents Portraits at a new music venue on Jesmond Road in Newcastle. Bobik’s, above the recently reopened Punch Bowl public house, has announced a series of contemporary jazz gigs. Portraits is the first of them, do get along to show your support. Happy days indeed!

Aug 2019 North East gig list
Lunchtime gig*
Aug 9 Dulcie May Moreno Trio The Vault, Hexham NE46 1XD
Aug 11 Francis Tulip Quartet The Globe, Newcastle NE4 7AD
Aug 15 Dean Stockdale Trio St James’ & St Basil’s Church, Newcastle NE4 9EJ
Aug 15 Dan Garel Quartet Holy GrAle, Durham DH1 4PR
Aug 16 Brass Funkeys Cluny, Newcastle NE1 2PQ
Aug 17 Newcastle Jazz Festival Tyne Bank Brewery, Newcastle NE6 2AB
Aug 18 Dan Garel & Friends The Globe, Newcastle NE4 7AD
Aug 23 Riviera Quartet Bishop Auckland Town Hall DL14 7NP*
Aug 23-25 Ushaw Jazz Festival Ushaw College, Durham DH7 7DW
Aug 24 Mellow Baku St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington DL3 7TG*
Aug 24 Portraits Bobik’s, Newcastle NE2 3JY
Aug 25 The Comet is Coming Georgian Theatre, Stockton TS18 1AT
Aug 29 DB Sound Project The Globe, Newcastle NE4 7AD