Chapel Allerton Village Jazz Festival - September 1st - 3rd

Steve Crocker and the team at Seven Jazz are gearing up for the 2nd annual Chapel Allerton Village Jazz Festival, catching the late summer sun between 1st - 3rd September. This is their second festival of the year no less, following on from the highly successful event in Millenium Square in Leeds earlier this month.

From the press release...

The Chapel Allerton Village Jazz Festival in Leeds gets underway in a couple of weeks starting Friday 1st September  and running to Sunday 3rd September. Dazzling jazz sax player Dave O'Higgins will headline, with a special performance with material from his latest album, It's Always 9.30 in Zog at Seven Arts on Saturday 2nd September. 

He plays with quite exceptional fluency and his fund of ideas never runs out - Observer. 

His band will also be giving a masterclass before the concert. There is a definite funky feel to the bands on offer at this second Village Jazz Festival . Dave Kane's amazing Magic Ya Ya band open the festival on Friday 1st September, then there are performances on Saturday by bluesy songstress Terry Shaltiel with guitarist Esmond Selwyn and on Sunday afternoon on the main festival Regent Street stage by rising stars Nag Champa, Dan Goldman's Elec-trio, Hyde Park Brass plus a final set from the popular James O'Hara Blues Band.

There are a whole host of other performances over the weekend as well including pop-up sets from
the Washboard Resonators in  the cafes of Chapel Allerton village, a set from community big band,
Mojo 78, popular vocalist Marlena Rose with Canadian guitarist Jeff Hewer and the latin rhythms of
Tempo Feliz.

All in all 4 venues with 14 different bands - plus the rest of the Chapel Allerton Arts Festival to enjoy
too.

For more information, including links to purchase tickets, visit the Seven Jazz website. 

Jazz At The Mill Announces Autumn Programme

Jazz audiences in and around Bradford take note - Jazz at the Mill at Black Dyke Mills returns for another season of weekly jazz starting September 11th.

Run by the great team team of Kathy and John Dyson, Jazz at the Mill will host jazz every Monday (please note the change of day; it's on a MONDAY now) featuring some of the finest musicians the North has to offer.

Entry costs just £5 and tea, coffee, homemade soup and cake are available. If you fancy something a little stronger, it's BYOB. All events run from 7.30 until 10pm.

Below is the full schedule of gigs from now until the end of October. For more information, keep an eye on the very useful Live Jazz in Bradford facebook page.

Sept 11th - Nicki Allan Project feat. Rod Mason 
Sept 18th - Wendy Kirkland Quartet
Sept 25th - The Jazz Dawgs feat. Adrian Ingrams
Oct 2nd   - Kate Peters Quartet
Oct 9th    - Jeff Hewer Quartet
Oct 16th  - Inside Outside Quartet
Oct 23rd  - Beverley Beirne Quartet
Oct 30th  - Soul2Jazz

Gig Preview: Nikki Iles at Grimsby Jazz, September 6th

We may have just stepped into August, but a jazz promoter's work is never done and venues across the North are spreading the word about their new Autumn programme of live events. Over in Grimsby, Gill Wilde is planning to kick off proceedings with a bang as she hosts the Nikki Iles Trio at the Old Clee Club on September 6th.

Nikki is a musician familiar and well loved by many, but just in case you need reminding...

Playing highlights in the last couple of years have included The Julian Arguelles Octet, The Kenny Wheeler Big Band, Tony Coe and Tina May, , ‘Renga’ with Rufus Reid . The Anglo / Canadian Quartet with Martin Speake,  Anthony Michelli and Duncan Hopkins., trio with Jeff Williams, The Stan Sulzmann Big Band, Joe Locke and Neil Pursey , Claire Martin and Dave Holland in the tribute to Kenny Wheeler at this years London Jazz Festival .  . This year  looks to be a very busy year. Following the success of her trio CD, Hush., recorded  in New York with Rufus Reid and Jeff Williams, she has recently recorded with Norma Winstone and Kenny Wheeler and the London Vocal Project, “Mirrors” on Edition and most recently has seen the release  of the long awaited Printmakers CD “Westerly “ on Basho records with Norma Winstone, Mark Lockheart, Mike Walker , Steve Watts and James Maddren  and “Stardust ‘ (Jellymould) with long–time friend , saxophonist, Stan Sulzmann.

She brings with her to Grimsby Dave Green on double bass and Geoff Simkins on alto saxophone. 

For more information on the rest of the programme and details on how to buy tickets, visit the Grimsby Jazz website.

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!

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band in Manchester, 25th & 26th June

In collaboration with Wigan Music Service, the RNCM in Manchester will host two performances by LA-based and internationally renowned jazz orchestra, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band.

An additional date was added due to popular demand so there are now two opportunities to see the band - at 4pm on Sunday 25th June and then at 7.30pm on Monday 26th June.

From the RNCM website...

Even for a successful composer and arranger in Hollywood, Gordon Goodwin’s numbers are impressive: A 2006 Grammy Award for his instrumental arrangement of Incredits from the Pixar film The Incredibles, three Emmy Awards, and thirteen Grammy nominations.

There are eighteen musicians in Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, one of the most exciting large jazz ensembles on the planet. Populated by L.A.’s finest players, the Big Phat Band takes the big band tradition into the new millennium with a contemporary, highly original sound featuring Goodwin’s witty, intricate, and hard-swinging compositions in a veritable grab bag of styles: swing, Latin, blues, classical, rock and more.

Established in 2000, the Big Phat Band’s debut recording, Swingin’ For The Fences (Silverline Records), featured guest artists Arturo Sandoval and Eddie Daniels. It made history as the first commercially available DVD-Audio title ever released and the first DVD-Audio title to receive two Grammy nominations.

Tickets cost £32 and these gigs are sure to be well attended, so audiences are advised to book soon. For more information and book tickets, visit the RNCM website.

Tunde Jegede's Testimony Tour comes to Newcastle, 12th & 13th July

The Jazz Cafe in Newcastle, in collaboration with Waka Waka Africa, will present a solo concert by Kora player Tunde Jegede on 12th July as well as two workshops, all as part of Jegende's Testimony Tour: 21 concerts in 21 cities.

Known throughout the world, Tunde Jegede has built a career exploring both Western and African music, performing in a huge range of contexts - from working in film and TV, recording in the pop and RnB world and working with numerous classical orchestras.

In addition to his solo performance, Tunde will also run two workshops.

Wednesday 12th at Black Swan (6-7pm) - An Introduction to the Kora and the Griot Tradition, this will be a workshop and talk open to students, musicians and audience members. Cost - £10.

Thursday 13th at The Jazz Cafe (10.30am - 12pm) - A creative music workshop for students and musicians exploring composition from an African perspective. Cost £15.

Tickets for the concert and workshops are available from the Jazz Cafe website. For more information on Tunde, visit his website.

Happy Birthday, Noise Upstairs! June 8th

To host any kind of regular event for 10 years is an extraordinary feat. In the world of improvised music, it's even more extraordinary! The Noise Upstairs, an improvised music night that runs in Manchester, celebrates its 10th birthday on June 8th at Fuel Cafe Bar and it's set to be a big one.

From the event information...

IT'S OUR TENTH BIRTHDAY YEAH!! We’re preparing some special presents for those of you who turn up this week (not telling you what though, but it will be limited edition and exclusive and awesome). We’re starting at the earlier time of 8pm to fit in a series of short guest sets throughout the night, in addition to the evening’s special guest Luigi Marino. And the usual hat jams of course.

Guest sets from:

findlay_hunter_rennie (Kate Mroczkowski Tul Lis Anton Hunter)

Constanzo/Tremblay (Rodrigo Constanzo, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, (plus a special guest?))

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Luigi Marino is a musician native to Rome. His recent work has focused on interactive systems able to create interactions between an extemporary performer-driven source and a computer, with particular attention to how intuitive decisions can profoundly affect predetermined structures. He is also an active improvisor performing on both electronic media and percussion, especially zarb and bowed custom cymbals.
He holds a BA in arts and philosophy from University of Rome Tor Vergata, and an MFA in electronic music from Mills College, where he studied with Roscoe Mitchell, John Bischoff, and Chris Brown. He studied zarb with Mohssen Kasirossafar.
He is the recipent of many awards such as the full teaching assistantship at the Center of Contemporary Music at Mills College, the Paul Merritt Henry Prize, and the doctoral grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK).
His music has been presented at festivals such as the San Francisco Tape Music Festival, Intonal Festival (Malmö), Seoul International Computer Music Festival, Acousmatic for the People (Malmö), ICMC (Athens), Sincronie (Milan). As a performer, he played at venues such as Rainforest World Music Festival (Kuching, Malaysia), Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna (Rome), Offene Ohren (Munich), WIM (Zurich), ImprovvisaMente (Lodi), Teatro Ca’ Foscari (Venice), Spektrum (Berlin), Blutopia (Rome), Spazio O’ (Milan).
He currently lives in the UK, pursuing a joint PhD at University of Birmingham and De Montfort University.

http://www.luigimarino.net/

Come down for eight! We anticipate it being busy and we want everyone to get a chance to perform! 

For more information, visit the Noise Upstairs website. Happy Birthday!

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!

Draw By Four FRAMEWORK Tour, April to July 2017

Described by Chris Cheek as "dynamic and evocative adventures from soulful and skillful players - a refreshing and groovy band", saxophonist Jon Shenoy's band includes organist Will Bartlett, drummer Chris Draper and one of the North's premiere guitarists, Sam Dunn.

2017 is a busy year for Draw By Four, having secured a 24-date UK tour in the lead up to recording and releasing their first album, FRAMEWORK.

With a line-up steeped in tradition, Draw By Four take the classic 60s organ quartet into brand new territory where the compositions from leader Jon Shenoy (Ivo Neame Large Ensemble) mix contrapuntal bass lines and rhythmic hooks with thoughtful lyricism. Mixing stark ethereal voices with gritty Hammond boogaloo, organist Will Bartlett (Jim Mullen, Salena Jones) draws on a wide palette of sounds that build the foundation for an infectious mix of groove-based original compositions, enchanting ballads and unique arrangements of avant-pop songs.

The FRAMEWORK tour also includes a suite of compositions written in response to paintings by three British painters: Winifred Knights, JMW Turner & Gill Holloway. In the spirit of jazz and innovation Draw By Four will encourage the audience to enjoy an enhanced visual experience – marrying the works of the above artists with the music.

The band are performing up and down the country from now until July and there are a number of chances to catch them in the North - 

April 18th - Parr Jazz, Liverpool

April 19th - Matt & Phreds, Manchester

April 20th - Davenham Theatre, Nortwich

For full tour dates, check out Jon Shenoy's website.

Hebden Bridge Piano Festival - Marc Cary & Matthew Aplin, April

The annual Hebden Bridge Piano Festival takes place between April 21st and 23rd. As ever, there is a diverse programme built by director Dave Nelson. This year, there are a number of jazz events including the opening event on Friday 21st featuring LCoM alumnus Matt Aplin.

Friday 21st April, 6.30pm - Matt Aplin

Matthew Aplin is a Leeds-based jazz pianist, composer and arranger whose performances draw from a wide range of other traditional and contemporary styles, including classical, blues and pop.

He is involved in a number of projects , including Treppenwitz, an improvising trio who recently released their debut album on New Jazz Records, Short and Long Ditties.

Sunday April 23rd, 4pm - Marc Cary

One of the leading lights of contemporary jazz, New York pianist, keyboardist and composer Marc Cary is the master of a futuristic jazz-funk that ranks him among the most innovative and creative figures on the jazz scene. He holds tight to his roots in Washington DC’s go-go music scene, but Cary’s interests also include everything from Indian classical to Malian music to hip-hop. 

Sunday April 23rd, 6.30pm - Dave Nelson: Jazz Excursions

Featuring some of his compositions for solo piano as well as a few well-chosen jazz “greats”, Dave’s eclectic take on jazz mixes it all up with other styles including pop, classical, folk and world music.

For full information on the festival, visit the Hebden Bridge Piano Festival website.

An Evening with Pat Metheny in Hull, 11th November

Tickets are now on sale for a very special performance by 20 time GRAMMY winner Pat Metheny in Hull as part of the 25th Hull Jazz Festival.

Metheny will open the Winter edition of the Hull Jazz Festival on November 11th with a performance at Hull City Hall. He will be joined by his current quartet which features Linda Oh, Gwilym Simcock and Antonio Sanchez, as well as performing musical highlights of his extensive career in jazz.

In this brand new quartet, his unmistakeable guitar style is matched with two stellar talents from a new generation, with UK pianist Gwilym Simcock joining the brilliant bassist Linda Oh and long-time Metheny sidekick, drummer Antonio Sanchez, in a band that positively exudes class.

With the release of his first album, Bright Size Life, in 1975, he reinvented the traditional jazz guitar sound for a new generation of players. Over the years, he’s performed with artists as diverse as Steve Reich to Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock to David Bowie. Recently inducted into the Downbeat Hall of Fame as its youngest member, and only the fourth guitarist (joining Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery), Metheny will present a range of music from throughout his career.

This concert is part of a year long programme of events to celebrate Hull as the UK City of Culture 2017.

This will sell out so book quickly to ensure you get a ticket. Tickets cost from £25 to £35 and there is a limit of 6 tickets to be bought by each person.

For more details and book tickets, see this event page and the Hull Jazz Festival website.

Misha Gray's Prehistoric Jazz Quintet at Ribble Valley, April 7th

Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues Club continue their varied and exciting monthly gig programme on Friday 7th April with Misha Gray and his Prehistoric Jazz Quintet.

The Manchester jazz scene is teeming with exciting musicians and ensembles at the moment!

Line-up: Nick Walters - trumpet, Kyran Matthews - saxophone, Misha Gray - piano, Hugo Harrison - bass, Johnny Hunter - drums.

The Prehistoric Jazz Quintet is a group of well-established young jazz musicians, led by composer and pianist Misha Gray, whose original compositions explore these origins of music. Their style relies heavily on the musicians’ spontaneity and improvising skills, and the result is a lively combination of intense, intriguing and unique textures. Expect tracks from their new album, “Origin of the Species”

For more information on the band and Misha's other groups, visit the Misha Gray website. Head to the Ribble Valley Jazz Club website for more information on their monthly programme and festival.

Gig Preview: First Ladies of Swing with Clare Teal & Guy Barker, GIJF March 31st

2017 seems to be filled with important jazz dates, not least the centenary of vocalist and civil rights activist Lena Horne.

As part of the Gateshead International Jazz Festival, vocalist & BBC Radio 2 presenter Clare Teal will celebrate Lena's life as part of her First Ladies of Swing concert.

Joined by her Hollywood Orchestra led by Guy Barker, Teal will perform songs from the Great American Songbook made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone, Peggy Lee and of course, Lena Horne.

Trumpeter guy Barker played with Horne for 3 months in 1985 at the Adelphi Theatre in London.

At the heart of this programme are three specially commissioned pieces. Guy Barker has been asked to re-imagine three classics associated with Lena Horne to be performed for the first time at Gateshead International Jazz Festival.  The chosen songs are Stormy Weather, which was Lena Horne’s signature tune, Something to Live For, written by Billy Strayhorn and which Lena often performed, and the ever popular Singin’ in the Rain, which Clare Teal will interpret in her own unique style.

For more information on this, and the rest of the GIJF programme visit the Sage Gateshead website.

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

Award winning international vocalist comes to Holmfirth, 15th April

Supporters of Holmfirth Arts Festival have announced a very special performance by the award winning Canadian vocalist Maureen Washington to raise funds for future festivals.

From the press release...

Jazz supremo Maureen Washington, from British Columbia in Canada, will be singing at Choppard’s Mission in Holmfirth on Saturday 15th April at 7.30pm, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Jez Platt.
Maureen’s  appearance in Holmfirth will be part of a debut tour in the UK to promote her new CD, entitled Harvest Moon.    Her vocals have been described as slipping easily from sassy to sexy, at times echoing the haunting tones of Etta James and Carmen McRae. She has also been compared with Jann Arden and Holly Cole but with her very own musical style.
Steve Sykes, a volunteer with Holmfirth Arts Festival, who is organising the event, said:
“We are just so delighted that she has agreed to perform in Holmfirth.  It is such an honour and she is also helping us to raise funds for future festivals.”

Tickets for the event cost £12.50 and can be bought from the Imagine Toyshop in Holmfirth or by emailing Steve Sykes on  s.l.sykes@btinternet.com

More on the artists...

Maureen Washington:  (www.maureenwashington.ca)
With nine albums to her credit, Maureen began her musical career in her home town of Prince George, British Columbia. Her vocal diversity lent itself to performances of blues, swing jazz and funk with BOP, a band widely acclaimed as the best dance band in the Prince George region. Their versatile repertoire, ranging from classics to lively originals, brought them sold out crowds.  Now based in Victoria, British Columbia, Maureen continues to create new musical avenues and has developed  a growing entourage of fans as she performs with duos, sextets, and solo artists, including singing back up on Canadian Folk legend Valdy’s 2011 album, Read Between the Lines.

Jez Platt:
His first solo album, the pop soul (Something About) Blue Skies featured the single Hungry which received airplay across Europe and North America, including the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show.  Musician magazine said it was 'infectious' and 'fabulous.'  He contributed guitar, keyboards and writing to Frank Felix's Tales from the Funky Underground alongside players such as Snake Davis, Eddie M and Jeff Kashiwa.
Jez played guitar, piano and organ on both of Daniel Pearson's albums, co-producing the second.  He has played organ with Jim Mullen and Harry Beckett and has toured with Dennis Rollins and the North Stars Steel Orchestra for whom he was also Musical Director

New Year New Artists at The Sage, January 28th

To start 2017 with a bang, the Sage Gateshead is running a day of concerts on Saturday 28th January that feature emerging talents from a number of genres, inviting audiences to hear the future of music.

Representing jazz is the renowned pianist Elliot Galvin. He performs with his trio at 5pm.

From the Sage Gateshead website -

European Young Jazz Artist of the Year Award 2014 Elliot Galvin’s star continues to ascend.

A superbly gifted composer and pianist, his disparate world of influences has seen him compared to Django Bates.

From de-constructing standards to creating his own mirco-tonal melodica, Galvin’s music is both playful and deadly serious drawing on a wide range of influences from Keith Jarrett to Stravinsky, Ligetti, Deerhof and the Beatles as well as the films of David Lynch, the Dada movement and the literature of James Joyce.

Also performing on Saturday afternoon are winners of the 2015 BBC Radio Young Folk Award Talisk, portuguese clarinettist Horacio Ferreira, Sky Arts award winning sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun and more.

Tickets to see all artists in the afternoon session, running 12 until 6, cost £21.50.

Full details on the entire programme, which runs through both Saturday and Sunday, can be found on the Sage Gateshead website here - http://www.sagegateshead.com/event/new-year-new-artists-afternoon-ticket/

Refujazz Charity Event at HEART, February 11th

Jazz at Heart's Lesley Jeffries and double bassist John Marley have teamed up to run a full day of jazz performances and workshops to raise money for several refugee charities supporting those fleeing from war.

The day runs from midday to 11pm on Saturday 11th February. Tickets for individual events cost £5 and a day pass is available for just £20. Events in the cafe are free entry but all donations are gratefully received.

The timetable of events is below. For more information, visit the Jazz at Heart website here - www.heartcentre.org.uk/jazz-at-heart

12-12.45pm - Al Morrison Trio (Cafe)
1-1.45pm - Joe Boyes Trio (Main Hall)
2.15-3pm - Bassa Bassa (Main Hall)
3-3.30pm - Inside Out Duo (Cafe)
3.30-4.30pm - George Macdonald Trio (Main Hall)
4.30-5pm - The Irrelevance (Cafe)
5-6pm - Louie Mcdonald (Main Hall)
6-6.30pm - Sam Dunn (Cafe)
6.30-7.30pm - York Youth Jazz Orchestra (Main Hall)
7.30-8pm - Aleks Podraza Trio (Cafe)
8-9pm - Leeds Jazz Orchestra (Main Hall)
9-9.30pm - Phil Green's Sky High Jazz Trio (Cafe)
9.30-11pm - Kate Peters Quartet + Jam (Main Hall)

Workshops -
John Marley - Jazz Bass Time TBC
Sam Dunn - Jazz Guitar Time TBC

Preston Jam Music Festival 2017 - 25th March to 1st April

In collaboration with the team at Ribble Valley Jazz & Blues Festival, the University of Central Lancashire are running a five day programme of performances, jam sessions and talks on improvisation. Running between 25th March to April 1st, it acts as a fringe programme leading up to the main Ribble Valley Jazz & Blues Festival which takes place a month later.

There will be two seminar/discussion events - one focused on Django Rheinhardt as the first non-American jazz artist and an artistic symposium featuring a number of keynote speakers as they discuss music and freedom.

There are a number of opportunities to hear the students and staff of the BA music course at UCLAN as they run a showcase of performances as well as a jam.

On April 1st to close the festival there will be a performance featuring not one but three well known acts. Audiences will be treated to performances  by Soweto Kinch, Nerija and Atomic Brass.

To find out more about the full programne of events, visit the UCLAN website here - www.uclan.ac.uk/whatson

Gig Preview: The Cookers in Gateshead & Manchester November 14/15

The Cookers, a supergroup if ever there was one, are only playing 4 UK dates during their European tour and the North is lucky enough to host two of them - Sage Gateshead on November 14th and then at Band on the Wall in Manchester on November 15th.

Collectively, this is a band with over 250 years playing experience and over 1,000 albums released. If that isn't worth braving the cold November nights for, I don't know what is.

From The Cookers website...

Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart all came up in the heady era of the mid ‘60s. It was a period that found the dimensions of hard bop morphing from their original designs, and each of these guys helped facilitate the process as members of some of the most important bands of the era. Hart and Henderson were members of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi group; Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd’s great ’60s quartet alongside Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette; Billy Harper was part of Lee Morgan’s last group, as well as being a member of Max Roach’s Quartet and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers; while George Cables held down the piano chair in numerous bands including groups led by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper.
David Weiss and Donald Harrison, from a more recent generation and the youngest members of the band, are experts in this forthright lingo, having gained experience performing with Art Blakey, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Roy Haynes and Herbie Hancock.

The band have been together for 7 years and these two dates are sure to be unmissable - a band made up of musicians that played integral parts in jazz history coming together to create something new.

For more information, visit The Cookers website.

Gig Preview: White Canvas at Ribble Valley Jazz, November 4th

The team at Ribble Valley Jazz & Blues club work hard all year round, hosting an annual festival, a year long season of club gigs and have recently started hosting a radio show! They've been in touch to tell us about their next gig at the club which takes place on November 4th and features the band White Canvas.

From the Ribble Valley Jazz website...

The band was formed in 2012 by pianist and composer Barry Dallman as an outlet for his original compositions.  Having played and worked in jazz, blues, rock, soul, funk and folk bands throughout his career, Barry’s influences are eclectic and wide-ranging.  His compositions blend the harmony and improvisation of jazz with catchy tunes and head-nodding grooves.  As the author of the popular PlayJazz blog, Barry has often railed against the focus on complexity and technical facility found in some areas of modern jazz and his own music reflects a love of space, melody and dynamic contrast.

Personnel: Barry Dallman (piano), Andrew Hulme (guitar), Grant Russell (bass) and Adam Goldberg (drums).

Tickets cost £10 with a discounted price of £8 for members. Doors open at 7.30pm and there's music from 8pm. For more information on the great music Ribble Valley put on, visit their website.