Gig Preview: Dennis Rollins & Durham Alumni Big Band at Darlington Jazz Club, 2nd July

Darlington Jazz Club are hosting a Summer Gala Concert this Saturday, 2nd July, featuring the incomparable Dennis Rollins with the Durham Alumni Big Band.

Dennis teamed up with the big band for the Darlington Jazz Festival and went down a storm to a sell out crowd so this one is sure to be a concert to remember. The band will perform a selection of big band material spanning from the 1950s to the present day.

Raised in Doncaster, Rollins was a member of the Doncaster Youth Jazz Association before moving to London. Now based back in the North, he is a core member of the DYJA team and the North is lucky to be able to hear him perform regularly.

Venue: Hummersknott Academy, Edinburgh Drive, Darlington 
Date Sun 2 July 

Doors open at 5:45, music from 6:30. Tickets are £6 on the door. Audiences are advised to get there early to ensure they get a ticket!

DJAZZ: Durham City Jazz Festival, June 2nd - 4th

A brand new festival is running in Durham next month and tickets are now on-sale. DJAZZ will host over 25 events in multiple venues and will be programming everything from big bands to club nights.

A number of artists have already been announced to whet your appetite and a full line-up is expected in the coming days. Artists already announced include - Triptych, Durham Uni Big Band, Mark Williams, Taupe, Swing Manouche and more.

The events will be hosted in 'Durham's most intriguing music venues' including Empty Shop HQ, The Miners Hall, The Old Cinema Laundrette and more.

To keep up to date with the coming announcements, check out their DJAZZ facebook page. You can also grab £10 festival passes for a limited time only and these can be purchased on the Tickettailor website.

First acts announced for Ushaw Jazz Festival

The first acts for this year's Ushaw Jazz Festival in Durham have been announced this week. The festival will take place between 25th - 27th August and further acts will be announced shortly.


The three events announced so far show a large ensemble theme and it's shaping up to a showcase of Northern jazz talent.

25th August - Early Bird Band & Paul Edis Sextet

26th August - Buck Clayton Legacy Big Band & Lady J

27th August - Tom Sharp Jazz Orchestra

Keep an eye out for further information on the Ushaw website and make a note in your diary!

Ushaw Jazz Festival, August 26th - 28th

Pianist Paul Edis is working as hard as ever in the North East, this time turning his hand to festival directing as the first ever Ushaw Durham Jazz Festival takes place in Durham between August 26th and 28th.

A weekend of events that celebrate the vibrant North East scene and beyond, the festival will feature discussions, workshops and jam sessions alongside the performances.

Day tickets are available for each day (Firday - £8, Saturday - £25, Sunday - £20) as well as tickets for individual events.

The schedule is listed below but for more information on all the acts involved, visit the Ushaw College website.

Ushaw Durham Jazz Festival Programme

Friday 26th  -  6.00pm -  Northern Monkey Brass Band - in the theatre - £5
Friday 26th - 8.15pm - Zoe Gilby - £5

Saturday 27th - Early Bird Band - in the bar - FREE
Saturday 27th - 1.00pm - 2.15pm - Durham Alumni Big Band  - £7
Saturday 27th - 2.30-3.30pm - Workshop / Talk led by Paul Edis
Saturday 27th - 4.00 - 5.30pm - Alyn Shipton & Alan Barnes - "What is Jazz?" - £5
Saturday 27th  - 6.00 - 7.00pm - Mark Williams and Joel McCulloch Duo - £5
Saturday 27th - 8.00 - 10.00pm - Alan Barnes & Bruce Adams with the Paul Edis Trio - £10
Saturday 27th - 10.00pm - Jam session in the Francis Thompson Room with the Peter Gilligan Trio

Sunday 28th - 1.00 - 2.00pm Square One - £5
Sunday 28th - 4pm - New Century Ragtime Orchestra - £10
Sunday 28th - 8pm - Nigel Price Trio - £7

Empty Shops filled with music and art in Durham

There isn't a single town or city in the North of England (or anywhere else for that matter) that doesn't have at least one or two shops standing empty. These buildings can often go for years unused. Empty Shop is an organisation set up in Durham that utilises these spaces for art, theatre and live music.

Running for the past 6 years, they've put on over 300 events and with a volunteer team of 135, they continue to host a full programme of events in space around Durham.

On October 15th, jazz vocalist Lindsay Hannon will bring her band to one of these spaces as part of a regular jazz night hosted by the organisation.

Lindsay Hannon has a wild musical spirt. Her singing is gutsy and bluesy with a heightend sense of drama - Christine Tobin

The gig takes place at Empty Shop HQ (35C Framwellgate Bridge) on 15th October from 8.30pm. Tickets cost £5.

Visit their website to find out more about the work they do and to view the full calendar of events. Food for thought for jazz promoters looking for new venues in other cities perhaps?

Durham University Big Band at Pizza Express, February 15th

Durham University Big Band are set to appear at London's Pizza Express on February 15th following a successful appearance there earlier this year.

This event will also feature the winning composition of the Durham Distillery Composition Prize, which was judged by Pete Churchill and Stan Sulzmann.

The band has produced many professional jazz musicians, many of whom have gone on to study and work on the London jazz scene.

The band are -

Tenor: Duncan Walker, Matt McKernan
Alto: Dan Garel, Felicity Evans
Bari: Naomi Tansey
Trombone: Chris Jones, Nat Jackson, Josh Harper, Luke Bentley
Trumpet: Sam Clark, Noah Lawrence, Rasmus Borowski, Charles Price
Keys: Matthew Jacobs
Guitar: Ollie Farley
Bass: Jonathan Berry
Drums: Tristan Bacon
Percussion: Maddie Ridout
Vocals: Will Lavelle, Laura Paul

For more information and details on how to book tickets to the event, see the Pizza Express website.

Jon Faddis & Andy Champion Quintet at Durham Brass Festival

Tuesday 15th July
7.30pm
Gala Theatre, Durham
£12

American trumpeter Jon Faddis appears at the Durham International Brass Festival with North East bassist Andy Champion's Quintet on Tuesday 15th July.

The event, which is a commission event in partnership with Wigan Jazz Festival and Jazz North, also features Adrian Tilbrook, Graeme Wilson, Chris Hibbard and Paul Edis.