Changes to Sheffield Jazz Programme

Recently, we wrote about the upcoming changes to Sheffield Jazz's venues and the introduction of Crookes Social Club as one of their main venues. Sheffield Jazz have been in touch to announce some changes to their scheduled gigs -

Because of the closure of the social club at Millennium Hall, we regret that the gig on 20 May by the Allison Neale Quintet has been postponed to Spring 2017 (we will update you on this when we circulate details of the Spring 2017 programme) and the Vein Trio + Greg Osby gig on 6 May is being transferred to Crookes Social Club, Mulehouse Road, Sheffield S10 1TD,  which will be our new home from Autumn 2016. The 6 May gig however will have to take place in the smaller room at Crookes so it is almost certain to sell out. Those wanting to see this great combination are therefore recommended to buy tickets in advance online at www.sivtickets.com/event/sheffieldjazz .

 

 

MALIJA come to the North in March & April

UK jazz supergroup MALIJA are scheduled to play a number of Northern dates in the coming week, playing material from their newest album, The Day I Had Everything (out on Edition Records). The album has been very well received since it was released in late 2015.

Mark Lockheart, Liam Noble and Jasper Hoiby are all hugely respected in their own right, and this trio which formed in 2014 after an invitation to perform at Rochester Jazz Festival in New York, is fast becoming one of the country's best loved ensembles.

From the Edition Records website...

Featuring original material by all three members, the trio’s diverse influences include bluegrass, tango and old-fashion jungle grooves. It’s hard to describe this music but perhaps Jasper put it brilliantly when he described the trio’s music as “weird, simple, complicated, free, tight, floaty, ugly, beautiful and heartfelt depending on your mood”.

MALIJA will perform at Seven Jazz in Leeds on Thursday 31st March, at the Crucible Studio as part of the Sheffield Jazz programme on Friday 1st April, at NCEM in York on Sunday April 3rd and finally at the Gateshead International Jazz Festival on Sunday 17th April.

For more information, visit the Edition Records website.

A new venue for Sheffield Jazz

Sheffield Jazz have announced that they will be using a new venue as host for the majority of their programming starting in Autumn.

Crookes Social Club will replace Millennium Hall as their main venue and they will continue to use the Crucible Studio for certain gigs in connection with Music in the Round.

The final gig that will run in Millennium Hall will be Allison Neale's Quintet (ft. Nathaniel Steele, Leon Greening, Steve Brown and Julian Bury) on Friday May 20th.

After a summer break, Sheffield Jazz will kick off their Autumn programme with the Benn Clatworthy Quartet on September 30th at the new venue, Crookes.

For full information about upcoming gigs for Sheffield Jazz, visit their website. We wish them every success in their new home!

NJ Advent Calendar - Community Jazz Projects & Workshops Pt. 1 (December 10th)

The North is lucky to be home to a large number of passionate jazz educators and there are initiatives across the region that provide high quality music education both to young musicians and adult learners. Behind door number 10 is the first of two parts where we look at some of these projects...

Dales Jam - Yorkshire Dales

Dales Jam was formed in 2003 by a group of people of all ages and musical abilities, who wanted a time and a place to meet up and play music. Since then, under the guidance of a professional music director (Richard Ormrod) the band has grown in numbers and meets at Ermysteds School in Skipton.  Dales Jam are a community Jazz Band based in Skipton and rehearse on a Monday night between 7 and 9.30 pm, as many as 35 people gather for a weekly workshop to learn and have fun.

BlueJam Arts - Cumbria

BlueJam Arts is based in Cumbria and run by a team headed up by Jilly Jarman. Their goal is to promote the creation, performance and sharing of new music and new ways of making music in an accessible, multi media environment. Their jazz provision includes Jazz Talk workshops led by trumpeter Geoff Bartholomew and an Improv Choir. 

Jazz at Heart Workshops -  Leeds

Jazz at Heart has been running jams, workshops and gigs since early 2011. Their weekly Monday workshops were until recently run by saxophonist Matt Anderson before his move to London. Now, two musicians have taken the helm - guitarist Sam Dunn and saxophonist Ben Lowman. Often the workshops have a composer/stylistic theme per term and there is also an annual summer jazz course run by Matt Roberts.


Sheffield Jazz Workshops

Sheffield Jazz has been running music education events for 35 years and there is a loyal following of young musicians and adult learners at their weekly Saturday workshops. The numbers for these workshops have grown in size over the years and now there are streamed classes for different abilities. Tutors include Pete Lyons, Seth Bennett, Hannah Taylor, Chris Walker and Nick Fletcher.

Gig Preview: Sheffield University Jazz Orchestra, February 20th

Friday 20th February
Sheffield University Jazz Orchestra
Millennium Hall
8.30pm
£8/5


Sheffield Jazz hosts a performance by SUJO on Friday, with a programme which includes big band classics by Duke Ellington and Basie to more contemporary works by likes of Dave Holland and Maynard Ferguson.

The orchestra has existed for the last 15 years and is made up of current and former students of the university. Their versatility as a band has earned them many fans and they regularly gig in Sheffield. Their performance on Friday is sure to be well-attended.

For more information on this gig and the other gigs coming up as part of Sheffield Jazz, visit their website.

Enrico Pieranunzi comes to the North

Piano heavyweight Enrico Pieranunzi is to play in the North this week, with performances and workshops scheduled in Leeds and Sheffield.

Italian pianist Pieranunzi has an impressive CV including recordings and performances with Chris Potter, Joey Baron, Chet Baker and Lee Konitz amongst many others. His compositional talents have been showcased by the inclusion of his work in Real Books as part of the jazz canon and he remains one of the most highly regarded pianists in jazz today.

Leeds College of Music will host a masterclass led by Enrico (alongside a trio including drummer Steve Hanley and bassist Angus Milne) on Thursday 16th October between 2pm and 4pm. Later that evening, Enrico will perform at Seven Arts in Leeds with drummer Dave Walsh and bassist Pete Turner. On Friday October 17th, the trio will perform at The Crucible (Sheffield Jazz).

For more information, visit The Seven Jazz website, Sheffield Jazz website and Enrico Pieranunzi website.