Tour Preview: Mike Gibbs 80th Birthday Tour, September 2017

Renowned composer Mike Gibbs is to undertake a large ensemble tour in September to celebrate his 80th birthday.

"Gibbs music is full of intriguing inner detail that does not deflect from the ultimate destiny of his pieces." – BBC Music Magazine

From the cuneiform records website...

Brit-jazz composer and arranger Michael Gibbs was born in 1937 in Zimbabwe. Starting in 1959, he studied in Boston at the Berklee College of Music, the Boston Conservatory , Tanglewood and the Lenox School of Music, where he studied with a who's who of contemporary jazz and modern composition: George Russell, Gunther Schuller, Iannis Xenakis, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss and others. In 1964 he moved to the UK, where he engaged himself in the rapidly emerging contemporary UK jazz scene. Starting in the late 60s and continuing into the mid 70s, he recorded a number of highly acclaimed and influential albums featuring many of the most prominent British-based jazz players who, like Michael, were beginning to flirt with jazz/rock. Since the mid 70s he has worked as a educator as well as a free-lance arranger, doing arrangements and orchestrations for major names such as Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Peter Gabriel among many others, while too infrequently recording his own music.

Mike will be joined by an all-star jazz orchestra - 

Trumpets: Ryan Quigley, Henry Lowther, Percy Pursglove, Nick Smart
Trombones: Mark Bassey, Jeremy Price, Trevor Mires, Richard Henry (bass trombone)
Saxophones: Jason Yarde (alto/soprano), John O'Gallagher (alto), Julian Siegel (tenor/bass clarinet), Alex Garnett (tenor/baritone)
French horn & accordion: Jim Rattigan
Guitar: Mike Walker
Bass: Michael Janisch
Piano: Hans Koller
Drums: Andrew Bain
Percussion: Paul Clarvis​​

The first of the tour dates in the UK will take place in the North as part of the Scarborough Jazz Festival on September 24th, followed by the Vortex (25th and 27th), The Watermill in Dorking (26th September), CBSO Centre in Birmingham (28th) and Turner Sims (29th September).

Scarborough Jazz Festival this weekend

Mike Gordon and his team have been working hard and are almost ready to open the doors to the 2016 Scarborough Jazz Festival. Kicking off on Friday 23rs September and running until Sunday 25th, festival-goers will be treated to a jam-packed programme.

Mike Gordon says...

After the incredible complimentary evaluations we received for the 2015 festival I knew it was going to be a tough challenge to do better this year.  But I think we might have done it with an impressive, balanced, entertaining line-up.

Rousing big bands: Abstract Truth Band, SJ Jazz Orchestra.
Superb vocalists: Liane Carroll, Georgia Mancio, Nicola Farnon, Vimala.
Rhythmic variations: Pan Jumby, Vula Viel, Adam Glasser.
Swinging modern jazz: Sax Section, Benn Clatworthy, Brandon Allen, ARQ, Waterman/Nightingale/Barnes, Williams & Clowes,
Something different: ‘Charlie Parker On Dial’, Malija.
Rising stars: Artephis

And a wonderful venue! All strung together by our compere Alan Barnes.

(A special mention goes to Artephis, who appear at the festival through the Jazz North Introduces scheme. The band have performed at 7 jazz festivals during the scheme and what better way to end their time than at the Scarborough Jazz Festival!)

For more information, visit the Scarborough Jazz Festival website.

Vula Viel, Liane Carroll, SK2 and more set for Scarborough Jazz Festival

The 2016 Scarborough Jazz Festival takes place between 23rd and 25th September and the programme is as varied and exciting as ever.

Fans of vocal jazz will not be disappointed as there will be performances from Liane Carroll (7pm, Sunday) and Georgia Mancio's new project with Alan Broadbent (8.45pm, Friday). If it's world music you prefer, you'll be in for a treat with the joyous Vula Viel (12.30pm, Sunday), Pan Jumby (4pm, Friday) and Adam Glasser's South Africa & Beyond (2.15pm, Sunday). Brit jazz fanatics will be delighted to be see Brandon Allen (Sunday 8.45pm, Sunday), Alan Barnes & Dave O'Higgins (2.15pm, Saturday) and Gareth Williams & Trish Clowes (7pm, Friday).

All of this only scratches the surface of course, and you can find details on the entire programme can be found on the Scarborough Jazz Festival website.

NJ Advent Calendar - Summer Jazz Festival part 2 (December 22nd)

Here's part two of our look at summer jazz festivals in the North...

Hull Jazz Festival (late July)

J-Night, the organisation behind jazz in Hull, programmes a summer jazz festival at the end of July each year. It takes place at the Hull Truck Theatre and the programme is mixture of established UK acts and emerging artists. The line up for the festival in 2016 has already been announced with YolanDa Brown's reggae love songs, Helen Watson, Jean Toussaint and Northern Line's Manjula.

Manchester Jazz Festival (late July - early August)

2016 marks the 21st year of Manchester's Jazz Festival. MJF is one of the biggest in the country and pulls in thousands of people annually to the North. There's a huge programme with a mixture of local, national and international artists at venues across the North. There is a commission fund each year, lots of support for emerging artists and a specially brewed beer!

Chapel Allerton Jazz Sunday (early September)

The Chapel Allerton Arts Festival takes place each year and is a local festival which contains arts, theatre and community projects. At the end of each festival, Steve Crocker and his team at Seven Jazz programme a full day festival of live jazz. There's a focus on Northern artists and audiences can attend for the whole day for £3 - what a bargain!

Lancaster Jazz Festival (early September)

Lancaster Jazz Festival is growing year on year and is run by LCoM graduate Matt Robinson. This festival is populated by emerging artists playing original music. They programme at venues across in Lancaster and almost every gig is sold out at each festival!

Scarborough Jazz Festival (late September)

This highly popular festival just sneaks into the summer list in late September. Tickets are already on sale for the 2016 edition and ticket holders will be treated to performances by Nathaniel Facey, Trish Clowes and The Abstract Big Band.

Vote for Scarborough Jazz Festival in the Scarborough UK Awards

The finalists have been announced for the second annual Scarborough UK Awards to celebrate the work of Scarborough's venues, restaurants and cultural institutions.

There are a number of categories including best local attraction, best bar and best entertainment venue and Scarborough Jazz Festival has been announced as a finalist in two categories - Best Cultural Attraction and Best Event.

Voting is open until September 6th and winners will be selected solely on public vote. The voting form is available on the Scarborough UK website and is very easy to fill out (if you don't wish to vote in every category, you can click categories by selecting 'continue' at the bottom of the voting form).

Good luck to Scarborough Jazz Festival! (This year's festival runs between 25th-27th September, by the way...)