Preview: Groove Crusade (The Cluny, March 20)

The Jazz Crusaders formed in the early sixties, later morphing into The Crusaders. The word 'Jazz' was dropped in the hope of winning a broader following. To a great extent it was a good move. Some fifteen years later, touring the world, the band rocked up at Newcastle City Hall. 

Playing to a full house that night, Wilton Felder (tenor sax), Wayne Henderson (trombone), Joe Sample (keyboards), drummer Stix Hooper were there, as was the band's new recruit, guitarist Larry Carlton. Perhaps at the height of their fame, Put It Where You Want It was, possibly, the jazz-funk masters' signature number.

Alex Clarke with the Dean Stockdale Trio @ Sunderland Minster - Feb. 20

© Ken Drew

Alex Clarke (alto sax); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums) + Harry Keeble (tenor sax)

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.     

Sunderland Minster is one of the region's bigger buildings and it was gratifying to see a large turn out for the award-winning Ms Clarke's first appearance on Wearside. A dj spinning jazz vinyl isn't what you might expect at a place like the Minster but that's exactly what we got. Volunteer run, as so many similar events are, the friendly 'congregation' (audience, photographers, videographers) generated a sense of community.

Late Night Chicago Radio with Denny Farrell (Feb. 19 - Feb. 25)

Diana Krall: Bésame Mucho.

Donald Byrd: Someone to Watch Over me.

André Previn: I Only Have Eyes For You.

Edward Hart: ? .

Ella Fitzgerald: In My Solitude,

Nat 'King' Cole: Sweet Lorraine.

? : At Last.

Django Reinhardt/Stéphane Grappelli: St Louis Blues.

Frank Sinatra: The Summer Wind.

? : Stairway to the Stars.

Norah Jones: I Can't Help Myself.

LISTEN 24/7

Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio - Sundays 6.30-8.00pm (repeated Tuesdays 8.00-9.30pm).

https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen.

Playlist 22/02/26 (repeated Tuesday 24/02/26)

Mardi Gras: Wynton Marsalis Quintet, Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Harry Connick Jr.
Black History Month (USA) Billy Strayhorn, Nina Simone.

Memories: Count Basie Alumni Band, Buddy Tate.

New Releases: Brian Molley Quartet, Five-Way Split.

Seasonal: Jo Harrop/Paul Edis.

What’s On in the NE: Alan Barnes.

Requests: Keith Jarrett, Kenichi Tsunoda Big Band, Lizz Wright.

Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington area or via your smart speaker

Single review: Jo Harrop If Ever I Would Leave You – Live in London (Wolf Star Records)

Jo Harrop (vocal); Paul Edis (piano); Jamie McCredie (producer)

There are moments in an artist’s life when a song, long associated with another era or another voice, becomes entirely reborn—claimed, reshaped, and inhabited so completely that it feels as though it always belonged to them. Jo Harrop’s new live single, If Ever I Would Leave You (from the musical Camelot), is one of those rare, alchemical transformations.

Harrop has made a career of taking well-worn material and revealing the emotional architecture beneath it—her critics have praised her “late-night hush,” “smoky intensity,” and “Ella-meets-Peggy Lee phrasing”—but nothing quite prepares you for the sheer depth she brings to this Robert Goulet classic. Recorded live in London, the performance captures what she does best: bending time, caressing lyrics until they glow, and honouring the song while gently rewriting its emotional grammar.

Knats to release A Great Day in Newcastle on Gearbox Records

Stanley Elvis Woodward (writer, arranger, bass guitar, synth bass, words & lyrics); King David Ike-Elechi (drums, percussion, arranger); Ferg Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn, co-writer, arranger); Cooper Robson (poetry reading); George Johnson (tenor sax); Sandro Shar (keys); Geordie Greep (producer) + assorted horns and strings)

This is way beyond my perception of jazz but, that is no criticism of Knats, it's more a criticism of my own inability to move with the times - I still play original vinyl, have a petrol driven car and watch black and white movies. I even read books! 

Knats has been given coverage in influential magazines such as DownBeat, Jazzwise, Jazz Journal and the Guardian among others which isn't bestowed upon just any group so whatever they're doing they're doing it right.

JATLP: Alex Clarke with the Dean Stockdale Trio - Feb. 20

© Sylvia

Alex Clarke (alto sax); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (bass); Abbie Finn (drums)

The stars didn't change in their courses and the planets continued to orbit around the rarely seen Sun. The audience at the Lit and Phil's monthly lunchtime session wouldn't want it any other way. Even the Sun shone as if to say "I'm not going to spoil this one". Other than a busted reed, nothing could.

Opening with How Deep is the Ocean? Clarke's warm sound, rich toned deep vibrato  filled the body of the saxophone before emerging to reach every corner of the room. 

Body and Soul, surprisingly, was played over a bossa nova rhythm that didn't do any harm whatsoever.

Single review: Tony Adamo and the New York Crew - General T (from Tony Adamo in New York) (SanJaz Records)

Tony Adamo (voice/spoken-word); Tim Ouimette (trumpet); Donald Harrison (alto sax); Michael Wollf (piano); Richie Goods (bass). Mike Clark (drums)

One of the words ad hucksters frequently use, probably from their in-house shrinky-dinks - is “experience.” Examples are many: “Experience the luxury of fine leather,“ or “Experience that feeling of owning the road.” The suits have turned the word bland. Now when this reviewer tells you that listening to vocalist/spoken-word artist, Tony Adamo is an experience, I’m telling you that what you will hear covers a spectrum that will surprise, startle, and paint pictures, and in doing so, creates vivid experience.

Album review: Julie Benko - Euphonic Gumbo (Club44 Records)

Julie Benko (vocals); Jason Yeager (piano, B3 tks 1, 2, celeste tk 6, arranger); Andy Warren (trunpet, flugelhorn); Ron Wilkins (trombone); Linus Wyrsch (clarinet, tenor sax); Michael O'Brien (basses); Jay Sawyer (drums) + John Manzari (vocals tk 8, tap dance tks 4, 8); Evan Arntzen (tenor sax tk 10); Sasha Papernik (accordion tks 5, 9); Justin Poindexter (guitar, banjo tk 9); Gabe Terracciano (violin tk 9); Jim Caruso (announcer)

Benko, a renowned Broadway star and enthusiast of things New Orleans, leads an exuberant ensemble through a variety of genres making for an enjoyable 38 minutes.

Down in New Orleans Medley takes us on a Tuba Skinny style romp incorporating Bourbon Street Parade; Go to the Mardi Gras; and Basin Street Blues. Benko is au fait with the idiom and the band sound authentic.

Stockport Jazz

This week Stockport Jazz welcomes the Carole Williams/Helen Pillinger Counterpoint Quintet. The band comprises Helen Pillinger (tenor saxophone), Carole Williams (trombone/piano), Paul Hartley (guitar), Peter Hartley (bass) and Tim Franks (drums).

Sunday February 22nd 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)

R.I.P. Gordon Herrick (1940 - Feb. 18, 2026)

Just received the sad news that drummer Gordon Herrick passed away last night after a severe heart attack.

Gordon, who was a well known and much respected drummer on the thriving north east trad scene of the 1960s, played with the Clem Avery Band and later with the River City Jazzmen and the Phoenix Jazzmen. 

Preview: Ruth Lambert @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields - Sunday March 1

Ruth Lambert (vocals); Giles Strong (guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass)

The event was initially programmed for this coming Sunday (Feb. 22) however, it will now take place one week later (March 1),

Ruth Lambert is a talented and versatile jazz singer based in the North east who has established herself in recent years as one of the UK's most classy and distinctive jazz vocalists. Ruth brings her trio to the Juke Shed for an afternoon of jazz and Great American Songbook: 3:00pm - 5:00pm. Free.

"Attending a Ruth Lambert vocal masterclass is to hear the GASbook impeccably sung." - Bebop Spoken Here

Jazz @ the Chapel - Feb. 1

Another great afternoon at The Chapel (TS5 4BY) this time with two brilliant guests, Donna Hewett on sax and Bill Watson on trumpet: WATCH/LISTEN!

These jazz concerts take place on the 1st Sunday of every month and are attracting a regular audience of jazz lovers from all over the North East.

 

It's a great atmosphere, real ale is available along with hot food and it's nowt, for those not from these parts that's 'nothing', to get in to see some of the best live music in the North East.

 

Next concert is on Sunday the 1st of March, 1.00 - 3.00, and the guest player is the renowned saxophonist Dan Johnson. KEEP MUSIC LIVE. Adrian Beadnell

John Pope & John Garner @ Northumbria University - Feb. 17

John Pope (double bass); John Garner (violin)

Northumbria University's Sutherland Building is home to a weekly, term time Tuesday lunchtime concert series. This afternoon two of Tyneside's premier improvisers would present half a dozen pieces to a select, but attentive, audience. Composers and compositions would be familiar to most, if not all, present. 

Without fanfare, John Pope (double bass) and John Garner (violin) began their half hour performance by taking another look at Carla Bley's Egyptian. The composition is often heard in a large ensemble setting. The two Johns have form in this regard, they were up for the challenge of making something of it as a duo. And make something of it they did! Anthony Braxton is a touchstone. Our intrepid duo opted to play the octogenarian's Composition 40-F, their near-constant eye contact a noticeable feature of the performance. Afterwards, Garner made reference to the Batman theme, a reference noted by your correspondent during the performance of the piece.     

Album review: Louis Stewart - Joyce Notes (Livia Records)

Louis Stewart (guitar, composer); Eamon Morrissey (narration); Jim Doherty (piano); Brian Dunning (flute); Len McCarthy (alto sax); Richie Buckley (tenor sax); Steve LaSpina (bass); Bobby Rosengarden (drums); Peter Ainscough (percussion)

When a CD sized package with an Irish postmark drops through my letterbox I don't need to call in Sherlock O'Holmes to deduce that it's from Livia Records and that it may well contain previously unreleased or rediscovered recordings by guitar legend the late Louis Stewart, pianist Jim Doherty, flautist Brian Dunning and one or other or both of the brothers Buckley.

Although the album has only one Buckley (Richie) the others and more were present when it was recorded live at the Cork Jazz Festival in October 1982.

Album review: Chris Laurence - Ken Wheeler: Some Gnu Ones (Jazz in Britain)

Chris Laurence (bass) + Frank Ricotti (vibes tks 1, 2); Martin France (drums tks 1, 2); Rita Manning (violin), Bill Hawkes,Katie Wilkinson (violas), Nick Cooper, Ian Burdge (cellos), (strings tk 1); John Parricelli (guitar tks 2,3); Tom Walsh (flugelhorn tk 3)

Bassist, Chris Laurence (and long time collaborator of Kenny Wheeler) recorded three Wheeler compositions in 2020 six years after Wheeler’s death in 2014. Some Gnu Ones was released in 2021 by the newly formed Jazz In Britain label and is available on CD, digital and vinyl.

Opening night upstairs @ Ronnie's - A New Room, a New Chapter - Feb. 6

© Kate Wright

Dana Masters (vocals); Cian Boylan (piano); Freddie Gavita (trumpet)

After over 18 months hidden behind scaffolding with the door policy changed to No hard hat, no entry. Upstairs at Ronnie’s emerged not with a whisper, but with a knowing smile. The roof has been raised, the sight-lines sharpened, the acoustics honed. Where once there was the charm of faded Bohemia, there is now a refined intimacy - warm lighting, crisp sound, and the feeling that every note lands directly in your lap.

 

The opening night carried that delicious tension of something reborn. Staff quietly proud. Audience curious. Musicians ready to christen the space properly.

 

Enter Dana Masters, her performance – Intimate, Fearless, Joyfully Human.

 

Joe Steels Group @ Blaydon Jazz Club - Feb. 16

Joe Steels (guitar); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); Andy Champion (double bass); John Hirst (drums)

Joe Steels is touring his new album. A Blue Patch, currently available as a download with vinyl to follow, would be given an airing here Blaydon Jazz Club. On a dry, but cold evening, a good number of folk made the effort. Joe, Ben Lawrence, Andy Champion and John Hirst arrived on Bridge Street well ahead of the punters to set up and run through one or two numbers.

Round the Block for starters, appropriately the first track on the new album, found Joe in typically melodic, flowing form. The Black Bull's audience would hear more than new material and, for the remainder of the first set, Joe revisited his back catalogue: The Wait with its swing section and Andy Champion laying down a first rate bass solo, Fingal's Cave, a drum feature for John Hirst, Dew Drops and The Wandering Herd (a tune about, or inspired by, cows!) with superlative extended guitar playing by bandleader Joe.

Neil Yates Quartet @ the Moor Club, Stockport - Feb. 15

Neil Yates (trumpet, tenor sax; vocals); Andrzej Baranek (keyboards); Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley (bass); Rick Weedon (drums).

Neil Yates was actually born in Stockport and now resides in North Wales where he  can be regularly heard at a small pub near Llandudno - the Penryn Arms on Monday nights. I intend to visit this venue at the earliest opportunity.  For tonight's gig Neil was backed by a superb trio including a drummer new to me, Rick Weedon, who did some tasty brushwork on the Louis Armstrong tune  Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?. I used to own an EP of Louis doing this number with Jack Teagarden which I liked a lot. 

Sunday night @ the Globe: Yorkshire Gypsy Swing Collective - Feb. 15

Lewis Kilvington, Martin Chung (guitars); James Munroe (double bass); Derek Magee (violin); Christine Pinkard (clarinet) 

The Yorkshire Gypsy Swing Collective come from across Yorkshire, but had not played north of the Tees previously, although hopefully they'll be back. They do exactly what it says on the tin! Gypsy jazz bands tend to call themselves Hot Club de Somewhere, and although this band bucked that trend, they were certainly hot last night, swinging like crazy from the first note. 

Simon Spillett Quartet @ the Moor Club, Stockport - Feb. 1

© Jeff Pritchard

Simon Spillett (tenor sax); Andrzej Baranek (keyboards); Ken Marley (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums)

Sorry for the delay with my review but this was due to illness and other medical factors which made travelling very difficult.

However, it was well worth the effort as this turned out to be a fantastic gig with outstanding performances from all the band and in particular Eryl Roberts who excelled on Oleo. 

Spillett played quite a few standards including a very fast tempo Just In Time and I Thought About You. The opener was You'd be so Nice to Come Home To. Ken Marley also sounded great on this number.

All in all this could be a hard gig to beat in 2026. Mike Farmer

The Old Duke, Bristol - Feb. 15

The Old Duke has been part of the Bristol jazz scene for many a year. Live music seven nights a week, many of the nights jazz and blues gigs, it's always free admission. 

Contrary to the local weather forecast it was a surprisingly sunny day, and with an hour to kill before catching a train to Newcastle, it was time to pay a first visit to the famed jazz joint. Turning into King Street the sounds of a Sunday lunchtime session filtering out onto the street were enough to tempt the passerby to pop in to check out who was playing Jeepers Creepers. 

Adrian Cox Trio @ The Tobacco Factory, Bristol - Feb. 14

Adrian Cox (clarinet, vocals); Honey Boulton (guitar, vocals); Alex Gilson (double bass, vocals)

W.D. & H.O. Wills. A couple of names to conjure with. Now seen for what they were, beneficiaries of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, one of their former premises in Bristol is now a thriving arts centre. 

The Tobacco Factory on Raleigh Road occupies three floors - cafe/bar, meeting rooms, performance spaces and more. The Loft on the top floor is a bright, airy, flexible space offering theatre-style or cabaret table seating. This evening's sold out concert would be a fundraiser for the Bristol Jazz Festival.

The Buck Clayton Jam Sessions

Back in the early days of the vinyl age the floodgates were opened for jazz musicians and symphony orchestras. The latter could play Beethoven's Ninth without the listener having to flip the disc over several times. Likewise jazz musicians no longer had to formulate their solos to fit into the constraints of a 10" piece of shellac. Instead they could stretch out indefinitely or until Miles suggested the player takes the mouthpiece out of his mouth.

The LP was the ideal format for recording jam sessions and none were carved in vinyl better than those led by Buck Clayton in 1953 and 1954.

Album review: Django Festival Allstars - Evolution (Motéma)

Samson Schmitt (lead guitar); Ludovic Beier (accordion, accordina); Pierre Blanchard (violin); Antonio Licusati (bass); Francko Mehrstein (rhythm guitar)

The Django Reinhardt NY Festival was founded at Birdland in 2000 and the Festival Allstars made their debut two years later. Both the band and the festival are still going strong.

Although both organisations were inspired by the recordings of Stéphane and Django in 1930s Paris, they are not caught in a time-warp. Playing compositions by Schmitt, Beier and Blanchard that whilst respecting tradition swaps the horse drawn caravan for a supercharged Renault resulting in gypsy jazz with an urban edge.

The Jazz Cavern latest

My next show will be broadcast starting Monday,16 February. It will be a memorial tribute to the late, clarinettist/saxophonist Ken Peplowski, who sadly died on  2 February 2026.

Tracks of Ken's will  include recordings that he did with Charlie Byrd,  Loren Schoenberg Big Band, Alan Barnes Octet and his own groups.

On www.purejazzradio.com (from NYC) on Tuesdays at 04.00am, Fridays at 06.00am and Saturdays at 07.00am- NYC time. (5 hours later in the UK)

None of the above shows are available on a catchup option. Frank Griffith

Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio - Sundays 6.30-8.00pm (repeated Tuesdays 8.00-9.30pm).

https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen.

Playlist 15/02/26 (repeated Tuesday 17/02/26)

Valentine: JJ Johnson/Stan Getz, Frank Sinatra/Count Basie.

The Big Easy requests: Lester Young Trio, Oscar Peterson, Oscar Pettiford, Joe Pass.

Black History Month (USA): Big Bill Broonzy, Dexter Gordon. 

Valentine (cont.): Thomas 'Fats' Waller, Ella Fitzgerald, Clifford Brown, Dave Brubeck, Red Allen's All Stars.

What’s on in the NE: Alex Clarke.

Jazz Messengers, Wynton Marsalis.

Aycliffe Radio is now available on DAB in County Durham & the Darlington area or via your smart speaker.  

Album review: Ben 'Doc' Bowling and his Blues Professors - Sing The American Songbag Volume 1

Ben 'Doc' Bowling (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, resonator, harmonica); Donnie Burke (lead guitar, resonator, backing vocals); Simon Minney (acoustic bass, backing vocals); Roger Chapman (drums, cajon, percussion, backing vocals); Mlle Chat Noir* (violin); Johannes Bowling (alto sax); Jens Skwirblies (piano accordion); Kenny Bruno (piano); Eamonn McKeever (six string banjo)

Back in 1925 one Dorothy Scarborough published On the Trail of Negro Folk Songs Two years later a poet, Carl Sandburg, compiled The American Songbag the title of which inspired this CD/LP. These two books - and others - provided a fertile seam of  info on early American folk music or, to be more precise, country blues eleven of which are performed here by the augmented Blues Professors**.

Tom Remon & John Moriarty @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland - Feb. 13

Tom Remon (guitar); John Moriarty (guitar)

The Ship Isis on Silksworth Row is an old school, wood-pannelled pub over two floors with a terrace. The handpulls were doing good business on this cold winter's evening. The first floor Vaux Room would play host to Tom Remon and John Moriarty, our guitar duo there to entertain an attentive full house.

Londoner Tom Remon, a regular visitor to the region, invited Dubliner John Moriarty to cross the Irish Sea to play a short run of dates, and Sunderland was on the itinerary. Without fanfare, our duo opened with Vincent Youmans' Without a Song. Melody stated, Remon took a first solo, Moriarty most impressive in chordal accompaniment. Our Dubliner's solo told us all we needed to know, he could play! 

Noel Dennis Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church - Feb. 13

Noel Dennis (trumpet, flugelhorn); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums)

Bishop Auckland Jazz is on the up. This afternoon's concert drew a record attendance and little wonder with trumpeter Noel Dennis the main attraction. Working alongside Dean Stockdale (piano), Mick Shoulder (bass) and drummer Tim Johnston, the quartet opened with The Good Life. 

A longtime admirer of fellow trumpeter Tom Harrell, it wasn't surprising Teesside's trumpet ace, switching to flugelhorn, chose to revisit Moon Alley. Warm-toned, measured, it's a staple in Dennis' set. Military medium swing brought in Nostalgia in Times Square. Foot-stomping Mingus! 

Press release: Jazz North announces its latest roster of Northern Line - the live talent development programme for jazz artists across the North

Rory A. Green, SwanNek, Hang Linton, Rivkala & Ancient Infinity Orchestra make up the cohort of northern artists to watch...  

Hailing from Northumberland, Leeds, North East, Manchester and Liverpool: Rory A. Green, SwanNek, Hang Linton, Rivkala & Ancient Infinity Orchestra join the celebrated cohort of artists and will be available to book for activity starting in September 2026

On joining the roster, Bex from Rivkala, says: I couldn't be more excited to receive Jazz North's support in organising my first UK tour with the full Rivkala band. We've been working hard to develop the show into a uniquely theatrical experience, to give new audiences a taste of the bitter and twisted world inside the Crushed Velvet cabaret.

Album review: Kathy Ingraham - Jazz Dreams (Peirdon Production Corp).

Kathy Ingraham (vocals); Pete Levin (piano, bass tk 3?); Joel Rosenblatt (drums); Lily Del Rosso Ingraham (backing vocals) + Randy Brecker (flugelhorn tk 1); Evan Christopher (clarinet tk 2); Elliott Randall (guitar tks 1, 4, 5, 7, ); Mark Wensor (guitar tk 4); William Galison (harmonica tk 7)

Inspired by a song in the 1944 Oscar winning movie Heavenly Music Ingraham decided that music can transcend the genre in which it is performed. A theory that was further substantiated when, at a party, she heard Aerosmith's Stephen Tyler sing a jazz riff whilst he was at the piano playing the band's hit Dream On. The dream became a reality with Jazz Dreams where rock hits are given a jazz feeling - a bit like PMJ without the razzmatazz!

Album review: Sara Colman, Rebecca Nash - Ribbons Vol. 1 (Stoney Lane)

Sara Colman (vocals); Rebecca Nash (piano); Henrik Jensen (double bass); Jonathan Silk (drums) + Iain Ballamy (tenor sax on Noble Heart & Gardener); Percy Pursglove (flugelhorn on Ribbons); Trish Clowes (tenor sax on Little Light); Steve Banks (guitar on Sophie’s Song); Ruth Hammond (bass clarinet on Night Traveller)

The two principals are new names to me but there are a few better known big hitters in the ‘full supporting cast;’ Colman and Nash, meanwhile, show why they have top billing. Colman’s voice is full, rich and warm and she can be forceful at times and light at others. Nash is simply excellent, combining heavy chording with fluid, rippling excursions. Her timing is perfect, filling and leaving spaces, creating tension and joyous release as she goes.

Opener Noble Heart sees Iain Ballamy enfolding Colman’s voice in a warm blanket before she drops away and he solos onwards. Nash gives us light chords and delicate runs. The voice and sax combine again to great effect later in the piece with Ballamy’s phrases answering in rapid response  to Colman’s voice, the two entwined in a rising spiral.

Press release: manchester jazz festival: bringing in the next 30 years of jazz!

Jazz lovers rejoice - Manchester’s longest-running music festival is back this Summer for for its 31st edition 10 days of jam-packed festival fun and musical vibes across the city this May! 

· manchester jazz festival (mjf2026) will take place between 15-24 May 2026 at venues and sites across Manchester, celebrating the latest up and coming talent from across the North, and the best names in contemporary jazz. 

· Headliners include: China Moses, Andy Sheppard Trio, Yellowjackets, Toni Kofi/Denys Baptiste Quintet, Cassie Kinoshi’s seed., Bel Cobain, Lau Noah, NOUT, Cotonete, Sarsen Drift + Tom Cawley, Olivia Cuttill & Friends, Orchestra Mambo International and many more...  

mjf was first staged in the summer of 1996, hosting nine bands in one venue over the course of a single day. Who could have known that this would mark the start of what is now Manchester’s longest running music festival, radiating across the city for 10 whole days each year. And yet, for all it’s grown, mjf’s spirit remains the same, rooted in the joyful celebration and genuine support of the contemporary jazz world’s diverse and local artists. 

RADIOPHONICX: Words, words, words - the sound of language

21st of February 2-4pm at Cobalt Studios, 10-16 Boyd Street, Newcastle NE2 1AP

Words and silence, 2021 by Liverpool based artist Paul Rooney is part of his album Surface Industries I. The vocals taken from interviews with service industry workers sourced from the early 2000s, form tracks that continue the artist’s exploration into unpredictable narratives in mundane objects and situations. A call centre worker, cold-calling to sell insurances, has one of her calls go to the answer machine. Instead of hanging up, she leaves a message: telling stories about silence, distance and time.

Rooney’s installations, videos, writings and records focus on the instabilities and deceptions of narrative, particularly in relation to representing place: it’s everyday life; it’s history and folklore; it’s familiar strangeness. His work was shown at Tate Britain; Tate Liverpool; BALTIC; The Arnolfini; and Whitechapel Gallery; and he has exhibited at a wide range of international museums. https://www.paulrooney.info/

Late Night Chicago Radio w. Denny Farrell (Feb12 - Feb 18)

Gerry Mulligan: Moon Dreams.

Jim Doherty/Louis Stewart: When Two People Meet.

Diane Schuur: 'Round Midnight.

Buck Clayton; Blue Lou.

Herb Jeffries: Penthouse Serenade.

Chet Baker: My Funny Valentine.

Erroll Garner: Misty.

Peggy Lee: Sugar.

Michael Buckley: Strange Taste.

Norah Jones: Summertime.

Buddy Rich: Easy Does it.

LISTEN 24/7.

Album review: Joe Steels Group - A Blue Patch

Joe Steels (guitar); Ferg Kilsby (trumpet); Ben Lawrence (piano, Fender Rhodes); Paul Susans (double bass); John Hirst (drums)

A Blue Patch is Joe Steels' new album. Featuring Cumbria’s Ben Lawrence (piano, Fender Rhodes) and, from Northumberland, Ferg Kilsby (trumpet), Paul Susans (bass) and John Hirst (drums), the album spans all of three quarters of an hour. 

The north of England landscape, straddling either side of the Pennines, is a shared experience for all five musicians: panoramic landscapes, big skies, an ancient folklore heritage. Comprising seven tracks, all composed by Steels, at the heart of the music is a quiet lyricism, fusing Celtic themes and advanced jazz harmony. 

There'll be Some Changes Made...

Jazz, like football clubs and Westminster has its comings (Cummings?) and goings and these past few days and weeks have seen P45s given to Spurs' manager Thomas Frank and the Lords Mandelson and Doyle.

Down at the coast a more amicable parting of the ways saw trombonist and harmonica hot-shot Herbie Hudson, by mutual agreement, terminate his leadership of Harmony Brass at Cullercoats Crescent Club. I presume this is to concentrate on his free-lance connections with the jazz/folk/Americana trio Salty Dog.

The Monday lunchtime sessions will continue with sax/clarinet ace Jim McBriarty taking over the front line duties and the band changing its name to the Friends of Jazz. Lance

Preview: Strictly Smokin' Big Band featuring Giacomo Smith @ The Glasshouse - Feb. 27

Bruce Adams, Alan Barnes, Paul Booth, Matt  Ford, Polly Gibbons, Pete Long, Mike Lovatt, Claire Martin, Mark Nightingale, Dave O'Higgins, Dennis Rollins, Emma Smith, Joe Stilgoe, Anthony Strong and Hailey Tuck are just some of the major names that have appeared in and around Newcastle/Gateshead with the Strictly Smokin' Big Band. 

That illustrious rota of jazz A-Listers isn't closed - hopefully it never will be - and on Feb. 27 at the Glasshouse, SSBB host yet another big hitter in the form of Italian born, New York raised, UK resident, clarinet and sax star Giacomo Smith. 

GS first came to my attention when he was part of a storming gig by Kansas Smitty's House Band back in 2018 at the Glasshouse which was then known as 'The Sage'. Come Covid and among the few highlights of that dark period were the livestreams by KSHB with Giacomo 'Smitty's virtuosity well featured.

Ronnie Scott’s Classical All Stars – Gershwin, Bernstein & Beyond - Upstairs at Ronnie’s, London – Inaugural Classical Night

© Kate Wright

James Pearson (piano); Lizzie Ball (violin); Pete Long (sax, clarinet); Tom Dunnett (trombone); Jimmy T. Turner (vibes); Sam Burgess (bass); Matt Skelton (drums)

There’s a delicious irony in walking into the new Upstairs at Ronnie’s and realising that the ghost of Ronnie himself is alive and well - sitting at the grand piano in the shape of James Pearson.

In the absence of the great club founder and raconteur, Pearson has quietly picked up the mantle as storyteller-in-chief. Long before the first clarinet swoop of Rhapsody in Blue, he’s already taken the packed room on a guided tour through Aeolian Hall, Parisian car horns and grumpy viola sections - the sort of witty, historically literate patter Ronnie would have relished. Pearson has form as a “world-class pianist, composer and raconteur extraordinaire”, as one recent festival billed him, and that combination of easy humour and deep scholarship is exactly what stitches this new classical strand together.

Stockport Jazz

This week Stockport Jazz welcomes the Neil Yates Quartet featuring Neil Yates (trumpet), Andrzej Baranek (piano), Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley (bass) and Rick Weedon (drums).

Sunday February 15th 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)

Jazz on the Tyne Welcomes Joe Steels and A Blue Patch

In the latest edition of the podcast, presenter Colin Muirhead talks with local guitarist Joe Steels about his new album A Blue Patch and the associated tour, as well as upcoming jazz events in Hexham.  Together with tracks from A Blue Patch, you’ll hear music with Valentine’s Day in mind by Samara Joy, Noa Levy, Jo Harrop & Jamie McCredie, the Alex Clarke Quartet, Ben Wilcock & John Rae, Oscar Lavën, and Lindsay Hannon.

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.

Press release: Cheltenham Jazz Festival Announces Star-Studded 30th Anniversary Line-Up

Cheltenham Jazz Festival has announced details of its 30th anniversary edition, taking place from Wednesday 29th April to Monday 4th May 2026. One of Europe’s most popular jazz festivals, the six-day event will present a wide-ranging programme spanning international headliners, leading contemporary jazz artists, genre-crossing innovators and emerging UK talent. 

30 Years Young: The Next Chapter   

As Cheltenham Jazz Festival marks its 30th anniversary, the Festival celebrates three decades of championing world-class jazz, supporting emerging talent and bringing bold, diverse music to audiences in Cheltenham and beyond. Thirty years young, the Festival continues to look firmly to the future, building on a rich legacy of iconic performances while embracing new voices, fresh collaborations and innovative programming that will shape the next generation of jazz for years to come.