All Change at Seven Jazz

Seven Jazz organiser Steve Crocker has been in touch with news of the changes taking place at Seven Jazz and a glimpse at their upcoming programme...

Lots of change in Leeds this autumn as Seven Jazz spread their wings to include three new venues. The main gigs will continue to be Seven Arts in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, but the club has now agreed new partnerships with the University of Leeds for the Clothworkers Hall and with Leeds Mind for a series of “new shoots” young bands at Inkwell Arts in Potternewton Lane, Chapel Allerton. Their other new venue is the Leeds Irish Centre - the venue for the former “Leeds Jazz” organisation. 

 

So will Seven Jazz now move into the Leeds Jazz’s old shoes? “No” says organiser Steve Crocker “our roots are still more local and community based, but I guess we are now a club covering Leeds7 rather than just Seven Arts. These changes have been borne out of necessity – Seven Arts management want us to do less jazz as part of their overall programme so we had a choice of either contracting there or expanding elsewhere. We’ve chosen the latter” 

Seven Jazz will be promoting the Sunday afternoon of the Chapel Allerton Arts Festival (1/9) with Katie Patterson’s Steely Dan Big Band, Tessa Smith’s Quintet, Las Camaradas, Nic Svarc’s Trio with Russell Van Den Berg and the James O’Hara Blues Band 

International evening concert at Seven Arts highlights include “Beats and Pieces” (28/9), Alan Barnes/Bruce Adams Quintet (10/10) , “The Impossible Gentlemen” (19/10), Jerry Bergonzi’s Quartet featuring Gareth Williams (2/11), the premiere of Louise Gibbs “Seven Deadly Sings” with Neil Yates and Tim Whitehead (7/11), Art Theman/Dave Newton duo(21/11), and singer Lee Gibson with Ronnie Bottomley’s Jazz Orchestra (at Leeds Irish Centre** nb) (12/12) 

Seven Arts Sunday afternoon jazz showcases feature the Kit Downes Trio (22/9), “Taba Time” (6/10), Liverpool band “The Weave” (27/10), Richard Iles “Microscopic”(24/11), Si Beddoe’s tribute to Donald Byrd (8/12), Nikki Allen’s Quintet and calypso jazz from Pan Jumby (22/12)

The “new shoots” Sunday afternoon series at Inkwell has Steve Hanley Quartet (8/9), Eirik Svela’s Organ Trio (15/9), Derrick Harris trio (13/10), Matt Anderson’s “Standard Deviation” Quartet (10/11),  and Sunniva Brynnel/Aubin Vanns (15/12)

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The first jointly marketed gig with the University of Leeds will be the Zoe Rahman Quartet (20/10).

The club also continue in the autumn with their popular jazz workshops and the “Seven Voices” jazz choir 

More details at the Seven Jazz website.