Johnny Hunter Quartet Tour, March 25th-31st

“The band admirably reflects the independent creativity of the new Manchester scene.” – John Fordham, The Guardian

Drummer Johnny Hunter's quartet made the most of 2016; as well as their normal schedule of gigs ,they also found the time to release their debut album, While We Still Can, on EFPI Records and they were selected to be part of Jazz North's Northern Line scheme.

Starting on Saturday, the group will play a string of dates including Huddersfield, Scarborough, Liverpool and Manchester so there's ample opportunity to catch these exciting musicians live.

From the FB event page...

Johnny Hunter (Blind Monk Trio, Dub Jazz Soundsystem, Nat Birchall Quintet, Marley Chingus) is a drummer, composer and band-leader who performs across the country in many different ensembles. In 2011, he brought together some of the top players from a thriving Manchester scene that is fast becoming UK Jazz’s new centre of gravity; Ben Watte on tenor saxophone, Graham South on trumpet, and Stewart Wilson on double bass. 2016 saw the release of his critically-acclaimed debut album ‘While We Still Can’ on the EFPI label, which also houses all-conquering big band, Beats & Pieces.

Hunter’s music explores the possibilities and challenges afforded by the absence of a harmony instrument, and takes influence from his long-standing interest in the piano-less groups of Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson, through to the more modern ensembles of Dave Douglas, John Zorn and Chris Speed.

Ben Watte – Tenor sax
Graham South – Trumpet
Stewart Wilson – Double Bass
Johnny Hunter – Drums

“Connects authentically with jazz tradition, whilst developing its own voice through original composition – a fabulous advertisement for British jazz.” – Adrian Pallant, London Jazz News

25.03 The Jazz Room HUDDERSFIELD, 8pm
28.03 Kazimier Gardens LIVERPOOL, 7.30pm
29.03 The Cask Inn SCARBOROUGH, 8.45pm
30.03 Matt & Phred's MANCHESTER, 9pm

NJN Jazz Advent Calendar - Jamie Brownfield (Dec 15th)

Behind door number 15 is a trumpeter who is currently featured in the Jazz North Northern Line artist roster.

Check out Jamie and his quartet playing the jazz standard Misty - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMD2LDdAWfw

JBQ consists of British Jazz Awards rising star, Jamie on Trumpet. Tom Kincaid on Piano, Ken Marley on Double Bass, and Jack Cotterill on Drums. This fresh and exciting quartet have a vast  range of experience in different styles of music and have come together to play their own mix of  New Orleans street beat, swing & reggae.

The band are heavily influenced by the likes of Harry Connick Jr, Leroy Jones, Clark Terry,Oscar Peterson & Christian McBride, to name only a few. From the original New Orleans Street Beat tunes such as “The Happy Feet Blues” through to our own compositions you can hear the roots of the music we listen to.

The band members have played with such notables as Bruce Adams, Shakin Stevens, Scott Hamilton, Alan Barnes, Digby Fairweather… Playing all over the world from Europe, to Scandinavia, and as far as the US!

The band have a residency, and perform once a month at Matt & Phreds Jazz Club, Manchester.

http://www.jamiebrownfield.co.uk/jamie-brownfield-quartet

NJN Jazz Advent Calendar - Mike Smith (Dec 6th)

Behind door number 6, we head to Merseyside and to one of the major exponents of jazz from the region, Mike Smith.

It's another highly generous offering today, with a full album available to listen to. Head to youtube to check out Mike Smith's Ginger Tunes Quartet and their latest album, Mersey Mersey Mersey - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYTB7XS9jkaL9YJOoAtsvDh09gDj8VgN1

Mike Smith,musically promiscuous and unfortunately Ginger. I play Saxophones, Flute and Keyboards, specialising in all things groovy! Having started to play at the age of 12 so that I could escape Maths lessons on a Tuesday, I Graduated from LIPA in 2005 with a first class honours degree. It was then that I went on to tour the planet with hundreds of different acts, teaching back at LIPA on my days off. Currently, I'm working as a session musician, playing keys and saxophones for a multitude of bands and artists. So far I've worked with Steve Winwood, Sandy Thom, Ian Paice of Deep Purple, Craig David and Kid Creole to name a just a few. In 2011 I recorded alongside jazz legends Randy Brecker and Scott Henderson. Over the last couple of years I have decided to form a band under my own name - Mike Smth's "Ginger Tunes" Quartet We have been busy playing the jazz venues and festivals across the UK and have a good selection of Ginger flavoured tunes on spotify.

www.gingertunes.co.uk

Twitter @gingertunes

Facebook/gingertunesmusic

Gig Preview: Ivo Neame Quintet at Capstone Theatre, October 20th

The Capstone Theatre in Liverpool has risen to prominence as a jazz venue in recent years, thanks to the hard work of promoter Neil Campbell. As well as running an annual jazz festival in February (more on that soon, keep an eye out for news of the 2017 programme coming soon), Neil also programmes gigs throughout the year. On October 20th, pianist Ivo Neame performs with his quintet.

Featuring some of the UK's best loved improvisers Tori Freestone, Jim Hart, Huw Williams and Dave Hamblett, the quintet will play music from their most recent album, Strata (released on Whirlwind Records in 2015).

Ivo Neame is a forward thinking and innovative pianist, composer and multi-instrumentalist. As a musician of exceptional ability, Neame is developing a reputation as one of the most exciting and original pianists to emerge in some time. Well known as the pianist with Phronesis and with Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset, his most recent release Strata saw him reach new heights as a composer leading a quintet in a set of exuberant and creative originals. With an abundance of ideas, his career is travelling on new trajectory set to emulate the profile achieved by the likes of Django Bates.

"Neame has a restless imagination as an improviser." - 4 Stars Recommended, Marlbank

Tickets cost £11.50 and the gig starts at 7.30pm. 

The following day, Ivo and the band will also run a masterclass at Leeds College of Music. 

For information, visit Ivo Neame's website and the Capstone Theatre website. 

Liverpool Fringe Jazz Festival

The Liverpool International Festival for Business is currently running in Liverpool until July 1st. During the course of this festival, there are around 50 live jazz events spread across pubs, clubs and bars in the city. Groups like Ginger Tunes (pictured above), Blue Magnolia Jazz Band, Trio HLK and more will all perform. Most of the events are free and Jonathan Butters has set up a very handy facebook page which lists every event along with timings, address and websites links.

To find out more, check out the facebook event page for the Liverpool Fringe Jazz Festival.

New Album from Ginger Tunes - Mersey, Mersey, Mersey

This weekend as part of the Liverpool International Jazz Festival, Ginger Tunes Quartet will launch their new album - Mersey, Mersey, Mersey.

The album was produced with support from Liverpool Jazz. (a project which we reported on recently, read the full article here)

The band's leader, saxophonist Mike Smith says

This album is a reflection of Merseyside. It is a celebration of the city that has given me, and so many others a life in music. With its diverse cultural roots and chequered history, Liverpool has retained its defiant humour and will always be the home of artistic mischief. This is a sentiment worth celebrating, and one we hope to have captured in the live recording of this album. Each player brought their sense of fun and good humour to the studio, and you can hear it in every note. 

 

Titles include:

Upton girl

Hitchhiker's guide to Fazakerley 

Tox town

Bossa Scouser

 

Ginger Tunes have been playing together for over a decade and have built up a strong following. They will appear at the jazz festival as part of the Liverpool Jazz showcase at Capstone Theatre on Sunday 28th February at 1pm. Admission is free.

 

You can find out more about the band on their website and the new album can be purchased on iTunes here.

Leroy Jones Announces UK Tour

Renowned New Orleans trumpeter and singer Leroy Jones has announced a 15 date UK tour.

Jones has a career spanning over four decades and have been a long-time member of Harry Connick Jnr's big band. He has worked with people like Dr John and has appeared on US TV shows like David Letterman and Oprah.

I remember Leroy years ago in New Orleans. He was always regarded as the greatest. No one could touch him. For young musicians like me, he was exciting, intimidating. For the older ones, he was the keeper of the flames. But Leroy did more than keep the flame. He started a forest fire... Harry Connick Jr.

Leroy will perform with his quintet and will be joined on many dates by Ian Shaw and Joe Stilgoe.

Full details on the tour can be found on the tour website and dates are listed below.

23rd-27th October - Pizza Express, London

29th October - St Albans Arena

1st November - Harrogate Royal Hall 

2nd November - Rose Theatre, Kingston

3rd November - Malvern Festival Theatre

4th November - The Concorde Club, Southampton

5th November - Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells

7th November - The Lighthouse, Poole

9th November - The Apex, Bury St Edmonds

10th November - Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

11th November - RNCM, Manchester

 

Bennie Maupin at Capstone Theatre, Liverpool (Sunday 16th)

American bass clarinettist Bennie Maupin will appear at Liverpool's Capstone Theatre on Sunday November 16th with his quartet featuring Carl Orr, Larry Bartley and Rod Youngs.

Maupin is perhaps best known for his work on Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, On The Corner and Jack Johnson as well as being a founding member of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. He maintains a busy schedule of performing and teaching in Europe and in the US.

Tickets can be booked on the Capstone Theatre website which also provides full information on this and all of their upcoming concerts.

Bennie Maupin website.

Jazz North in March

Jazz North has a number of events taking place in March for musicians, audiences, promoters and educators.

Liverpool Jazz Festival: February 27th - March 2nd

The second annual Liverpool International Jazz Festival takes place between February 27th and March 2nd this year at the Capstone Theatre. This year's programme features a varied line-up of groups featuring some of the UK's most well-known musicians, free workshops and an after-party.

Festival passes are available at £70 full price, £54 concession and tickets for individual concerts are available too, from £12 to £17.50.

For more information on the festival and links to purchase tickets online, see the Liverpool International Jazz Festival website.