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| © Mark Hussmann |
I've collated the majority of them in
album on flkr under the title - Pete Tanton's Chet Set which
can be viewed HERE. Lance
P.S. Russell's review of the gig can be read HERE.
Across a career that now spans half a century, Pat Metheny has repeatedly reinvented the format of the guitar-led jazz group. The Side-Eye project—launched in 2021 as a rotating platform for exceptional younger musicians—was his latest iteration of that impulse. But Side-Eye III+, his first major studio album in six years and the inaugural release on his new Uniquity Music imprint, may well be the most convincing argument yet for the project’s long-term importance.
*De La Soul announced as Sunday headliners for their only UK full band show of 2026*
*Brit Award and Mercury Prize-winning Ezra Collective confirmed as Friday headliners and will curate “Temple Of Joy”, a celebration of the artists and community that inspire them, bringing together a genre-spanning line-up throughout the day ahead of their headline performance*
** Loyle Carner makes his Love Supreme debut with Saturday headline slot**
March 2026 will mark the release of Realms, the new album by singer, songwriter and charismatic entertainer Rachel Sutton. Apart from Something Cool which is comparable with the iconic version by June Christy, all of the songs are Sutton originals. The lyrics are good and meaningful and the melodies are memorable.
This Sunday Stockport Jazz welcomes Trio JDM to the Moor Club. Led by drummer Dave Walsh, the trio features Jamie Taylor on guitar and Martin Longhawn on Hammond organ.
Drawing inspiration from the legacy of Jimmy Smith and Larry Young, as extended today by acts like Goldings/Bernstein/Stewart, expect a compelling and varied set of contemporary mainstream jazz, with dashes of fusion and funk for good measure.
Sunday 8th March 2026
8-10pm, doors open at 7.30pm
£5 entry on the door, all welcome
The Moor Club, 35 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport SK4 4PB (next to the Elizabethan PH)
This concert closed Liverpool International Jazz Festival (LIJF) 2026 at the Capstone Theatre. To say that this quartet received a rapturous reception from a large audience would be a massive understatement. Norwegian saxophonist and composer Marius Neset is undoubtedly one of Europe’s finest saxophone players. Moving seamlessly between tenor and soprano saxophones he exhibited huge power but also great sensitivity in his playing. This is a very high energy quartet. Comparisons have been drawn to the music of Weather Report and their music references 1980’s fusion. The drummer Anton Eger was worth the ticket fee alone with his energetic style and flamboyant looks. Whilst I had not seen Marius and Anton before I had seen Elliot and Conor several times previously. Most recently I saw Conor play acoustic bass with Emma Smith at Kings Place in London this year. Elliott is known for his work with his trio and the band Dinosaur. Both are extraordinary musicians.
This concert
was billed as “Jazz and Cakes” and was part of the Fringe Festival running
concurrently with the Liverpool International Jazz Festival 2026. This event
took place in the afternoon in between two other concerts at the nearby Capstone
Theatre which hosted the main Festival.
It was my first time to hear Frank Griffith play. As a renowned jazz saxophonist and clarinettist Frank has been performing for over 40 years primarily in New York and London. He has been based in the UK since 1996 but moved to the Liverpool area in 2018. He has received acclaim as a composer, arranger and radio broadcaster.
Buxton International Festival (9-26 July) announces its stand-out 2026 programme with more than 160 events planned across 17 days including six operas, four of them brand new productions; book events with leading opinion-formers of the day; world-class classical concerts; and a bigger than ever jazz programme.
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| © Jeff Pritchard |
This was a gig supported by Jazz North New Northern and in the first half we heard the trio then after the interval Maria Sanderson who played a set.
Max Rosen has played here before and made a big impression on the audience with his high energy approach and formidable technique. This is an exciting trio and the interplay between the musicians was outstanding. During the show Rosen held the attention and announced all the numbers which were a mixture of originals and standards.
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| © John Lyons |
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| © John Lyons |
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| © Russell |
More info when known. Lance
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| © Russell |
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| © Sylvia |
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen.
Playlist
01/03/26 (repeated Tuesday 03/03/26)
Requests: Jeff Barnhart, John Hallam, Blossom Dearie
Rachel Sutton introduces her new album
Nat King Cole
This concert opened Liverpool International Jazz Festival (LIJF) 2026 hosted by the Capstone Theatre although there is a LIJF Fringe running concurrently featuring primarily local jazz musicians at different venues. Both musicians needed little introduction. Tim Garland has been one of the UK’s finest sax players for many decades and a renowned composer. Geoffrey Keezer born in Wisconsin, a Grammy winner and world class pianist, composer and bandleader. This concert was the second of three in three days the first at King's Place in London on 25 February to launch the album Mezzo. The duo played all tracks from the album which has a splendid front cover designed by Tim’s partner.
PHOTOS (scroll to end of photos).
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| © Russell |
A Blue Patch is Joe Steels' new album. The Joe Steels Group is touring it (the album) and Durham's Gala Theatre was on the itinerary. Greeted by an attentive full house, guitarist Steels, who composed all of the material we would hear across the allotted sixty minutes, fronted a stellar quartet, comprising rising star Ben Lawrence (keyboards), the incomparable Andy Champion (bass) and drummer extraordinaire, John Hirst.
Steels himself says his music has an optimistic streak running through it. It certainly has and it is refreshingly melody-laden. A Blue Patch was in the set list, of course it was. Two contrasting numbers - Between the Stars (a majestic, sprawling sweep of the night sky) and Witching Hour* (a searing, bop-inspired workout) were knockout highlights of the afternoon, in an afternoon of highlights.
Returning to KOKO in London on Thursday April 16th, the Awards will celebrate exceptional creativity from emerging voices and internationally acclaimed performers alike.
Nominees:
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| © Sylvia T |
The evening was organised by Jason Holcomb, the affable American Geordie trombonist who is currently the Head of Brass Studies at Newcastle University as well as being the Director of the Newcastle University Music Department Ensemble Programme.
This concert
saw the return to Llandudno of Dean Masser one of the UK’s top saxophone
players and tutor to many of the younger generation of sax players such as Alex
Clarke. Dean and Neil Yates have played together over several decades and their
interplay on several tunes was
particularly rewarding to the audience
All the musicians are well known in Llandudno and further afield. From the Duke Ellington ballad In a Sentimental Mood to the upbeat Triste by one of the fathers of bossa nova Antonio Carlos Jobim the band showed they were comfortable with a wide range of tempos. I had seen Rick Weedon play in Liverpool the previous week in the Latin jazz group Katonga. Joshua is a regular at Llandudno and plays multiple times a week primarily in the north west. Rich is an in demand piano player and teacher based in Knutsford and I have seen him play numerous times in Liverpool and Llandudno.
The music created by Maja
Bugge and Dave Evans enables the listener to immerse themselves fully in the
subject matter of their carefully crafted compositions.
As well as their own
compositions Maya adapts old folk songs from her native Norway into what is an
utterly enchanting performance.
The almost minimalist
approach to their playing leaves the space between the notes as an integral
part in creating an evocative impression of the Norwegian landscape.
Evans’ lyrical piano
perfectly complements Bugge’s imaginative cello and, although not an instrument
you’d associate with jazz, in her hands it can go from delicate orchestral to a
fat sounding funk and all ranges in between.
Wonderfully entertaining music from two masters of their craft – you’ll see, and hear, nothing quite like it. David Gosling
There are few album launches where an artist’s life, location and music fold so neatly into one another, but Tina Carr’s unveiling of Moon Over Mildmay at the Mildmay Club felt like exactly that kind of convergence.
A wet Wednesday night in Islington, a crowded Victorian hall glowing with anticipation, and a singer who has - remarkably - only been making music for seven to eight years..
Carr spoke to the audience between songs, a narrative that gave her music context and cut straight to the marrow of her musical journey.
You can listen to the show anytime HERE.
Plus, you can request music for future programmes, or pass
on news or feedback by emailing Colin at jazz.tyne.hive@gmail.com
or by heading to www.jazzonthetyne.org.
Open mic jazz jam, hosted by the
jazz performance students at Newcastle Uni. ALL jazzheads and musicians
welcome!
Wednesday 25th February
Doors 7:30pm
Minimum age: 18
Tickets: Free Entry
The concert is being co-promoted with Jazz North’s New Northern scheme to support the development of new emerging jazz talent across the region.
Max Rosen is an exciting young pianist based in Manchester. Graduating with a first-class honours degree in Music from the University of Manchester, Max can be found across the North’s jazz scene, performing at venues such as Matt and Phred’s, Band On The Wall, Co-op Live and The Cavern Club. His festival credits include We Out Here Fest, London, Manchester and Cheltenham Jazz festivals and has performed with artists such as Nikki Yeoh, Mark Armstrong, Max Beasley and Rachel Burnett from The Voice UK.
It does what it says on the tin and if it's not on the tin then it's in Colin Hancock's album notes. Hancock, is well known to those denizens of the Village Hotel down North Tyneside way and he provides useful information on the musicians and the tunes.
Alexander is dexterous and fluent on clarinet - a worthy successor to the late Ken Peplowski on that instrument? Maybe. Whatever, he can certainly dance around the instrument delivering a master class on a set of early 20th century rags and jazz classics including some from Sidney Bechet and Jelly Roll Morton.
Aleph Aguiar (guitar); Quentin Collins (trumpet);
Liam Dunachie (Hammond); Shane Forbes (drums); Will Fry (percussion)
Venezuelan born, UK based, guitarist Aguiar's third album is a nostalgic look at the Latin jazz that was emerging back in the 1960/70s by bands such as Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri.
Nine originals by Aguiar merge those Cuban influences with his Venezuelan heritage into a concept all his own and the perfect setting for his Montgomery/Martino inspired solos. Collins provides the perfect front-line partner with Aguiar pointing out how suited the trumpet is to Latin music and how well they complement each other. Equally important is Dunachie on the B3. Apart from his soulful solos he fills out the rhythm with juicy chords and accurate bass-lines. Forbes and Fry lay down the complex Latin grooves as if they'd been born and bred in Caracas.
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| © Russell |
Harben Kay (tenor sax, alto flute); Peter Johnstone
(piano); Ali Watson (double bass); Alyn Cosker (drums)
The Globe was at capacity. Seats were at a premium
and on a person per square yard ratio probably had the edge on the Michael
Jackson tribute concert at the nearby Utilita Arena.
The attraction? Scottish Young Jazz
Musician of the Year Harben Kay touring their soon to be released
EP Firn.
The material, all composed by Kay, in the main came from the new disc and the third of their three albums, The World I Live in. Indeed it was the title track of that last album with which they opened the first set.
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| © Ken Drew |
Earlier in the day, Alex Clarke was up the road in Newcastle and it made sense for all concerned that our alto saxophonist make the short trip to Sunderland to play a second gig of the day. The Old Black Cat Jazz Club was celebrating its second anniversary with a special concert presentation. The booking of one of the UK's busiest musicians, with the support of Sunderland Music City, would pay off in spades.
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.
Playlist 22/02/26 (repeated Tuesday 24/02/26)
