Ilkley Jazz Festival 2017

                                             Ian Shaw (Photo  Credit: Gerhard Richter)


Ilkley Jazz Festival will get underway again this August for the 4th time, run by the very hard-working Beverley Beirne and Mark Beirne-Smith. This year, it will take place between 16th and 20th August and is looking to be bigger and better than ever.

Renowned vocalist Ian Shaw will headline, with a special performance at the Winter Gardens on August 18th performing material from his latest album, Theory of Joy. Shaw is internationally regarded as one of the leading jazz voices and is also recognised for his humanitarian work supporting refugees.

Fans of vocal jazz won't just have Ian to keep them satisfied; Zoe Gilby opens the festival on 16th August Beverley Beirne sings Carmichael on 19th August and Julie Edwards performs on 17th.

There's a whole host of other performances including pop-up sets from Backchat Brass, the wonderfully inventive Treppenwitz at Friends of Ham, a new quartet led by James Mainwaring and the Jamie Brownfield Quintet plus lots more.

To find out more about the schedule as well as the educational events on offer, visit the Ilkley Jazz Festival website.

Gig Preview: Fluid Orchestra, Black Swan Newcastle December 13th

                                                              Fluid Orchestra's Zoe Gilby

It's been a big year for Jazz North East as they celebrate an extraordinary 50 years of promoting live music. Their energy hasn't waned in those 50 years and 2016 has been another jam-packed year of performances for the organisation.

As their 50th birthday year draws to a close, they have set up a very special gig to round it off which takes place on December 13th at the Black Swan in Newcastle.

Who'd have believed it? Started back in 1966 with a concert by Earl 'Fatha' Hines, this year Jazz North East has been celebrating its 50th birthday.

And we couldn't let our special year come to a close without putting on something really extra special. Early in the year we decided that we wanted to create an entirely new band drawing on some of the most imaginative improvising musicians across the North, and we came up with a 12-piece line-up that must surely be unique in its composition, with theremin, violin and vibes sitting alongside the more conventional horns and rhythm section. Add Zoë Gilby's amazing vocal talents, and we have an orchestra with extraordinary creative potential.

Then, to make the best of that potential, we commissioned music from Graham Hardy, Corey Mwamba, Roller Trio's James Mainwaring, and the collaborative pairings of Faye MacCalman & Graeme Wilson, and Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion, giving us five new compositions reflecting the five decades of our existence. The orchestra have been rehearsing and refining the music since September, and now, for the very last concert of our anniversary year, everything will be revealed in all its remarkable glory!

But why the 'Fluid' Orchestra? Well, in part because we believe that the instrumental combination allows for an unprecedented flexibility, fluidity, in approach. But also we're so excited by the project that we hope to keep this going in future years, although probably with evolving changes in personnel to stimulate new creative challenges. It's a fluid concept, and it starts right here at the Black Swan.

The Fluid Orchestra are -

• Zoe Gilby
• Steve Hanley
• Mark Williams
• Johnny Richards
• James Mainwaring
• Graham Hardy
• Graeme Wilson
• Faye MacCalman
• Corey Mwamba
• Beatrix Ward-Fernandez
• Andy Champion
• Aby Vulliamy

For more information, visit the Jazz North East website.

Sean Foran - Album Launch and UK Tour

Australian pianist Sean Foran is a familar name to many jazz listeners in the UK. Foran studied his Masters degree at Leeds College of Music and has toured many times in the UK as part of Trichotomy.

Sean's latest album, Frame of Reference, features a group of musicians he 'really admires' and the tracks on the album were written specifically with the players in mind. Foran describes the music as being different from his usual output, focusing on textures and coming more from a chamber music angle. The album features Julian Arguelles, Ben Davis, Stuart McCallum and Joost Hendrickx.

In October, Foran will tour the UK performing music from the album. For these dates, he will be joined by the band with one alternation; James Mainwaring takes the saxophone chair.

Frame of Reference is launched on September 2nd on Jazzhead.

For more information, visit Sean Foran's website.

Tour Dates - October 2016

3rd October - Pizza Express, London
4th October - Watermill, Dorking
5th October - Lakeside, Nottingham
6th October - Future Inns, Bristol
7th October - Turner Sims, Southampton
9th October - Newcastle Jazz Steps (Sean Foran/Stuart McCallum duo)
11th October - Capstone Theatre, Liverpool

Gig Preview:: Tipping Point in Morecambe, July 2nd

More Music in Morecambe will host cutting edge quartet Tipping Point on July 2nd, the opening gig of their UK tour.

Led by saxophonist James Mainwaring, this group turned heads with their debut album The Earth Worm's Eye View toward the end of 2015. Described as playful, dark, skilful and spontaneous (John Fordham, The Guardian), each of the four musicians are well recognised as strong voices in the world of improvised music.

Tipping Point features James Mainwaring on saxophone and effects alongside British improvised music legend Matthew Bourne Fender Rhodes and two of the UK’s most individual instrumentalists; Michael Bardon double bass and Joost Hendrickx drums. Members of the band have previously collaborated on projects such as; Dave Kane’s Rabbit Project, the Fusebox Orchestra, Shatners Bassoon and Mainwaring/Bardon/Horne amongst many others. It was whilst studying at Leeds College of Music 2007 – 2010 when Mainwaring, Bardon and Hendrickx met and were tutored by Bourne, a pianist whose innovative approach to improvisation and teaching proved to be a great influence on them that the genesis for Tipping Point was born.

The gig at More Music is in association with Lancaster Jazz and North and starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £8, bookable through the More Music website. To find out more about Tipping Point, visit James Mainwaring's website.

Tipping Point Tour Dates

2nd July - More Music, Morecambe
3rd July - Kazimier Garden, Liverpool
4th July - The Oxford, London
6th July - Walton Community Library, Wakefield
20th July - The Lescar, Sheffield
21st July - Broomhill Art Hotel, Barnstaple
22nd July - Fusebox at the Fox and Newt, Leeds

Wave Folder Records Launch Party Tonight

Verve, Leeds
29th May, 9pm

Wave Folder Records are holding a launch party tonight at Verve in Leeds featuring some of the shining lights in the world of electronic/improvised music.

Two groups will play sets during the evening; RPE Duo (Matt Postle & Radek Rudnicki) and Space F!ght (James Mainwaring, Radek Rudnicki, Tom Adams and Jakub Hader). In addition to that, James Mainwaring (sax), EDIE (vocals) and Enrico Bertelli will perform solo sets.

This event coincides with the release of RPE Duo's new album, Playground which can be bought at the Wave Folder Records Bandcamp store.

North well represented in Emerging Excellence Awards

  

Saxophonist James Mainwaring, trumpeter Kim Macari and pianist John Escreet have been announced as recipients of Musicians Benevolent Fund's Emerging Excellence Awards. Twenty-five top young musicians from all genres of music received awards, with all 3 jazz musicians hailing from The North.

MBF (soon be rebranded as Help Musicians UK) describe the scheme as

supporting emerging artists who demonstrate musical excellence and are already achieving significant impact in their field to fund an important development opportunity, project or programme that has lasting impact on their career.

Saxophonist James Mainwaring plans to use his Award to enable him to host a creative residency for his quartet, while Kim will travel to New York to study with Ingrid Jensen, record original material at an NYC studio and start work on setting up US/UK gig exchanges through Apollo Jazz Network.

For full details of the Awards, see the Musicians Benevolent Fund Press Release.