Dafydd Williams's highlights from 2019

 Freese Trio

 Jasmine

Dafydd Williams: highlights of the year.....

2019 represents a really successful year for Northern-based jazz artists and bands, who participated in a wide variety of artist development programmes and received numerous accolades. Highlights have included:

 Music:Leeds supporting Freese Trio and Jasmine through their Launchpad Artists programme

Those selected for mjf’s hothouse development programme, including Lara Jones, Francine Luce, Thanda Gumede, Faye MacCalam, Sarah Heneghan and Liam DeTar

Sam Healey was recently announced as a recipient of Help Musicians UK’s Peter Whittingham Jazz Award, with Emma Johnson receiving the Development Award as part of the same programme

Yaatri were selected for this year’s Jazz North Introduces scheme

A fantastic line-up for Round 7 of Jazz North’s Northern Line programme, including SogoRock, Rafe's Dilemma, Not Now Charlie, Nishla Smith Quintet, John Pope Quintet, Freese trio and Beyond Albedo 

Zoe Gilby won "Jazz Vocalist of the Year" at this year's Parliamentary Jazz Awards.

Jamil Sheriff was nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz Award for the ‘Jazz Education Award’ and Marsden Jazz Festival nominated for ‘Jazz Venue of the Year’

James Hamilton was awarded an Ivors Composers Award for his sound art composition ‘Aurora’

Family Band were selected for the latest edition of the 12 Points Showcase and performing at Bimhuis in Amsterdam

There was also strong representation at this year’s London Jazz Festival from those who are either based, are from, or have previously studied in the North of England. An extremely diverse set of Northern-based jazz on the line-up included  J Frisco, Roller Trio, Space F!ght and Tetes de Pois

For me, one of the stand-out performances was by former LCoM student Ashley Henry in his sold-out show at EartH Hackney. Ashley has also done a series of workshops for Ronnie Scotts and appeared on a number of radio shows. His latest album "Beautiful Vinyl Hunter" was selected by BBC 6 Music’s Cerys Matthews as an ‘album of the year’.

Special mention should go to Ronnie Bottomley’s 90th big band gig, which took place at LCoM as part of the JazzLeeds Festival. It was a fantastic celebration of his career, with welcome appearances from the likes of Nicki Allan and others. Ultimately, individuals like Ronnie have helped lay the foundations for today’s rich jazz ecology across West Yorkshire and further afield.

Dafydd Williams is a Board Member of Jazz North and Development and Alumni manager at Leeds Collge of Music

 

Lance's Liddle's live jazz highlights 2019

Greg Abate with Paul Edis

Once again facing an impossible task of picking just three so....

1) Greg Abate with Paul Edis Trio at the Black Swan Arts Centre in Newcastle.

2) Strictly Smokin' Big Band: with Claire Martin at Hoochie Coochie, or with Mark Nightingale at Sage Gateshead.

3) Vasilis Xenopoulos or Simon Spillett with Paul Edis Trio - both at Ushaw College, Durham.

By limiting myself to 3 (ok 5) then I'm doing a disservice to Binker Golding Quartet and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra both at Middlesbrough Town Hall and, by limiting my choice to gigs in the northeast, I'm bypassing Leo Richardson at Pizza Express.

Also, the twice monthly jam sessions at the Black Swan Newcastle should be mentioned where emerging talents learn from the masters (and vice versa!)

However, impossible as the task is I'd rather have it that way. If the choice was simple then the outlook would indeed be bleak!

Lance Liddle
Bebop Spoken Here
Winner of the Jazz Media Category of the 2018 APPJAG awards

New Year Honours - Sue Bradley, Steve Mead, Mike Gordon and Russell Corbett

 Adrian Cox

 Baptiste Herbin

Francine Luce with Andy Champion

Marius Neset

It's that time of year again! Like we do every year we've asked jazz organisers and regular Northern Jazz Live contributors what they remember as their three jazz highlights of 2019 - our light hearted New Years honours list. Here are the views of Sue Bradley, Steve Mead, Russell Corbett and Mike Gordon -watch out for others to follow...

Sue Bradley, Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues Club and Festival 
Three special moments from 2019 for me - two Ribble Valley Jazz Festival 2019 highlights: The Marius Neset Quintet, all spectacular musicians, and stunning compositions and the Saturday Street Fest stars, the Elm Street Choir – a group of young people who have real challenges in life but blew the audience away with their vitality with their songs. And lastly ... just days ago, Gordon Vernick on his mini tour of the North, kindly arranged by Wigan Jazz, with and beautiful arrangement and breakdown of Joe Henderson’s Recordame.

Steve Mead - Artistic Director Manchester Jazz Festival
One of my personal highlights from mjf back in May was the premiere of Both Sides of Africa, commissioned from the wonderful Ladino singer-composer-pianist-trombonist Nani, and featuring the charismatic cellist Abel Selaocoe. It was such an uplifting international collaboration and a celebration of cultures and histories, and left us and our audiences in joyful spirit.

I was lucky enough to be present at the recent announcement by HMUK of the Peter Whittingham Award, which this year has gone to saxophonist Sam Healey and Skeltr, with Emma Johnson receiving a well-deserved second place. A great achievement and national recognition for two of our cherished northern jazz artists.

You may have made it to Yes! in Manchester last month to witness the 6 northern artists currently on the mjf hothouse programme bringing their new work to life. After three months of intensive mentoring, workshopping and personal development to overcome barriers, they shared the results in front of our peers. Our northern artists still need support from all of us as much as ever, and seeing how much difference it can make was one of the most rewarding and humbling experiences of the year. A huge well done to Lara Jones, Sarah Heneghan, Liam deTar, Thanda Gumede, Faye MacCalman and Francine Luce (did you catch Francine’s charismatic gig with Andy Champion at this year’s Marsden Jazz Festival?)

Russell Corbett - regular contributor to this blog with news from the North East
The three (of many) favourite gigs of 2019 for me: Adrian Cox - Watchtower Gallery, Berwick (January), Dan Garel Quartet - Holy GrAle, Durham, Claire Martin w Strictly Smokin' Big Band - Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle (October).

Mike Gordon, Festival Director, Scarborough Jazz Festival and Jazz at the Cask
The big one for me has to be our 35th Anniversary Jazz Party down at the Spa on the 21 July. We had seven hours of jazz which included the New York Brass Band (who marched and played from the harbour to the Spa Sun Court), AC3, Vibeology, Kate Peters and Ian Chalk with the Mike Gordon Trio, Social Oven (a great youth band) and Dennis Rollins. We had a huge audience and it was a fantastic day. We think 50 nights a year for all those years is something to be proud of and worth celebrating.

On 27 March we had Baptiste Herbin a gig organised by Leeds saxman Jim Corry. Jim - a great saxophonist himself - reckons Baptiste is the best alto player in the world. He was certainly exceptional.

And then in November we had another world class player, American trumpeter Gordon Vernick, who has an amazing technique. His comments between numbers about various aspects of jazz were really interesting and informative. He has great charisma!! Scarborough Jazz is grateful to Ian Darrington for organising this gig. I hope I’m allowed a fourth ‘moment’. Many people have said this year’s Scarborough Jazz Festival, our 17th, was the best yet. Almost 99% of our evaluation forms said the programme was excellent or very good!