Martin Speake alto saxEthan Iverson pianoCalum Gourlay bassJorge Rossy drums

Ant Law guitarMike Chillingworth alto saxIvo Neame pianoTom Farmer bassJames Maddren drums

Martin Speake International Quartet

Friday 14th February 2020 £15.00

Ant Law Quintet

Friday 6th March 2020 £15.00

Jim Corry alto saxJoel Purnell tenor saxMark Chandler trumpetKev Holbrough trombone Jason Scott pianoAdrian Knowles bassCaroline Boaden drums

John Law pianoSam Crockatt saxJames Agg bassPaolo Adamo drums

John Law’s Re-Creations

Friday 13th March 2020 £15.00

Remi Harris acoustic and electric guitars/ukulele

Tom Moore bass

Rosie Brown vocalsJames Taylor guitarPete Rosser piano

Remi Harris Duo

Friday 28th February 2020 £15.00

Art Themen saxPete Whittaker organGeorge Double drums

Theo Travis soprano and tenor saxJohn Etheridge guitarSteve Lodder piano/keyboardsBen Crosland bassCaroline Boaden drums

Art Themen Organ Trio

Friday 27th March 2020 £15.00

A remarkable international jazz supergroup, featuring one of the UK’s most prominent alto sax players and ECM bandleader Martin Speake; pianist Ethan Iverson, founding member of the iconic The Bad Plus; rising star bassist Calum Gourlay, recently seen here leading his own quartet; and influential drummer Jorge Rossy, famous for his presence in Brad Mehldau’s Trio. A real coup for Wakefield Jazz.

“The rapport between Speake and Iverson itself is a thing of exquisite beauty.” Downbeat Magazine

Web: https://www.martinspeake.com/

Remi Harris has been receiving rave reviews for over a decade, since emerging from the seething jazz hotspots of Herefordshire. Drawing influences from Django Reinhart through Wes Montgomery to Jimi Hendrix, this duo setting with Tom Moore on double bass showcases an eclectic mix of jazz and blues, originals and Remi’s favourite tunes. A real favourite here, Remi’s star continues to rise since his appearance here three years ago.

“an extraordinary musician” Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2

Web: https://www.remiharris.com

1959 was a unique year in jazz history, with the release of a string of albums that have become acknowledged as ground-breaking classics - Miles’ Kind Of Blue, Coltrane’s Giant Steps, Mingus’ Ah Um and Brubeck’s Time Out, plus records by Ornette Coleman and Bill Evans. Leeds bassist Adrian Knowles has a stellar line-up of northern-based musicians in honour of the Rhubarb Festival to celebrate this music, also telling stories about those classic sessions. A must for anyone interested in the development of jazz.

To celebrate the Rhubarb Festival this weekend, Suite Rhubarb by Pete Rosser will feature local musicians and the Wakefield Sings! choir.

Web: http://adrianknowlesmusic.com/sound-of-59/4594694589

Adrian Knowles’ Sound of ’59,preceded by the premiere of Suite Rhubarb. Friday 21st February 2020 £15.00

A Physics graduate who lived in Saudi Arabia until the age of 16, Ant brings a wide range of influences to his unique take on jazz, from Perfect 4ths tuning to Arabic and Indian music. This is the band from his acclaimed 2018 release Life I Know, an album of virtuosic musicianship and melodic accessibility.

“By turns intricate and complex or stripped-back and gentle, there is a warmth to his tunes and guitar work. ….” London Jazz News

Web: http://www.antlaw.co.uk/

John Law is an exceptional pianist who has travelled a fascinating path over thirty years, from free improvisation, through a Keith Jarrett-inspired epiphany, to now recreating classics not only from jazz (David, Monk, Gershwin) but also pop/rock (Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Radiohead) and classical (Satie, Debussy). Come expecting to hear tunes you know, but not as you have heard them before, with artistic excellence and spontaneous creativity.

“One of the UK’s most imaginative and versatile jazz pianists” International Piano Magazine 2014Web: http://www.johnlaw.org.uk/index.html

Firstly, our promoter’s guide to the history of jazz piano, from Scott Joplin to Thelonious Monk, from Art Tatum to Brad Mehldau, utilising all eighty-eight keys of our splendid grand piano. Secondly Rosie Brown and James Taylor, with classic jazz tunes in the style of Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass plus some more contemporary singer-songwriter repertoire. From coruscating keyboard to mellow musings.

Rosie..“An eloquent and intelligent singer with more than a touch of the great blues influence” Guardian GuideWeb: http://www.peterosser.co.uk/frusion.co.uk/artists/concert/uk/rosie-brown.html

Rosie Brown/James Taylor + Pete Rosser’s 88 Keys Friday 20th March 2020 £15.00

Mike Walker meets Cologne band Tria LingVo, Tommy Smith and Brian Kellock

Nigel Price, Vein/Stan Sulzmann, Dave Newton/Liz Fletcher ,Tina May/Nikki Iles

EASTER BREAK

A fantastically exciting, playful and inventive saxophonist, Art has been a beloved character of the British jazz scene for over 50 years, in the bands of Alexis Korner and Stan Tracey among others. His new Organ Trio features the soulful and genuinely groovy organ playing of Pete Whittaker, and on drums George Double, most recently in Wakefield with Chris Ingham’s tribute to Stan Getz. Expect mischief, twinkly charm and down home grit from a genuine treasure of British jazz.

Web: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-Themen/103117689728132

Following a mis-spent youth jamming along with Kinks records in his bedroom, Ben has recently been revealing the hidden jazz depths of Ray Davies’ classic songs. He has assembled a starry line-up of top British jazz musicians, including John Etheridge and Theo Travis, to reinterpret classic 60s pop songs with a range of innovative jazz grooves.

“…the album swings consistently…with this sharp, cogent collection, a dedicated follower of Ray Davies has made him a well-respected jazz composer too.” The TimesWeb: https://www.jazz-cat.com/index.php

promoter@wakefieldjazz.orgTel: 07808 595619at Wakefield Sports Club, Eastmoor Road WF1 3RR(For SatNav use WF1 3RZ)

Full Bar. Hot food is available 7-8pm, only if pre-booked see websiteDoors 7.00pm - Music 8.30pm

Free parking on site. Close to city centrePay on entrance or buy tickets online at:

CONCESSIONARY RATESWe offer a reduction of £1 for people who are of “bus pass” age, or those in receipt of

state benefits. Students and under 25’s receive a 50% discount on full entry fee. Children under the age of 15 are admitted free except for all-ticket gigs.

Facilities for the disabled, wheelchair access by arrangement.ALL-TICKET GIGS buy tickets online, at the club or send cheque and SAE to: Judith

Waterhouse, 3 Bramley Park, Church Lane, Bramley Rotherham S66 2RU.

PIANO TECHNICIANJohn Tordoff T:01924 274 815 M:07775 916 209

www.wakefieldjazz.org

WAKEFIELD JAZZ WORKSHOPS

A workshop for all musicians wanting to develop skills in jazz improvisation and collective music making. All

you need is your instrument and a music stand. Tuesdays 7.30 to 9.30 in the clubrooms £8/£6 (concessions)

per sessionDetails from Pete Rosser 07813 967364 (peterosser@mac.com)

Pete also runs Agbrigg Voices for singers.

Ben Crosland Quintet plays the Ray Davies Songbook Friday 24th April 2020 £15.00

www.wakefieldjazz.org07808 595619

@ Wakefield Sports Club, Eastmoor Road WF1Founded 1987 by Faith & Alec Sykes

Follow us on

Established for over 30 years WJ is regarded as one of

the UK’s top jazz venues. We attract the best of musicians

from around the globe to play all kinds of jazz in our unique

club atmosphere. The audience rapport with the musicians

is legendary and results in exciting, stimulating and

memorable gigs.

Join us on Friday for a brilliant evening of jazz

“I’ve always played with people who inspire me,

enjoying the conversation, going into some depth,

and thinking about the musicians”

Jeff Williams - Bloom

Spring/Summer 2020

A terrific line up this year with 5 gigs all with support bands too!

FESTIVALTICKET

ONLY

£59.00*

*Paid in advance no refund

Julian Rowlands bandoneonJonathan Taylor pianoRory Dempsey bass

Tango Siempre (plus support Trio Globo) Friday 1st May 2020 £15.00

Tango Siempre have been the UK’s leading tango ensemble since their formation in Bristol in 1998, with authentic performance of classic tango plus the added grit and sophistication of the nuevo tango of Astor Piazzolla and their own jazz-inflected compositions. .

“a brilliant fusion of classical, tango, jazz and roots” The GuardianWith support from Trio Globo - balkan/klezmer/celtic/bluegrass/township tunes from Gill Pearson (violin), Mary Plumb (clarinet/sax) and Pete Rosser (accordion). Web: http://tangomusic.co.uk/

Pete Oxley & Nicolas Meier guitarsRalph Mizraki bassPaul Cavaciuti drums

Pete Oxley/Nic Meier Quartet (plus support from LCoM students) Friday 8th May 2020 £15.00

Irene Serra vocalsNaadia Sheriff pianoRichard Sadler bassChris Nickolls drums

Irene Serra Quartet (plus support from LCoM students) Friday 29th May 2020 £15.00

Shirley Smart celloJohn Crawford pianoDemi Garcia Sabat drums/percussion

Shirley Smart Trio (plus support from LCoM students) Friday 22nd May 2020 £15.00

Save up to £16.00by paying in advance instead of paying per gig.

Jeff Williams drumsCarmen Staaf pianoMichael Formanek bass

Jeff Williams’ Bloom featuring Carmen Staaf and Michael Formanek (plus support from LCoM students) Friday 15th May 2020 £15.00

Dominic Ingham Quartet Friday 5th June 2020 £15.00

Concessions - £54 Students under 25’s £30.00

By popular demand, a return to Wakefield Jazz for this guitarists’ fantasy line-up - two of the best guitarists based in the UK, with an unparalleled array of six- and twelve-stringed instruments, acoustic and electric, fretless, retuned and reshaped. This hardworking quartet provides a dazzling display of contemporary fare, ranging from Turkish panache to soundscapes of Latin America to English pastoralism.

“a feast of virtuosity, delivered with depth, wit and joy” Ralph Towner (ECM recording artist/guitarist)

Top flight American jazz musicians, led by UK-based drummer Jeff Williams, promoting their recent CD Bloom. Jeff began his career with Stan Getz and Lee Konitz, while Carmen Staaf has worked with Dee Dee Bridgwater and Wayne Shorter, and Michael Formanek has been a mainstay of New York jazz for 40 years. An exceptional international trio, with a powerful and instantaneous musical connection.

“...Williams has built a truly crafty cohort to carry out his mission of nurturing spontaneity.” JazzTimes

Web: https://www.meiergroup.com/oxley-meier

Web: https://www.willfulmusic.com/

After spending a decade in Jerusalem, Shirley Smart brings an eclectic range of influences to her music, from her original classical training through jazz to Jewish, Arabic and North African musics. Her trio features a couple of well-known faces, Latin jazz piano expert John Crawford and flamenco percussionist Demi Garcia Sabat, for an evening of cello-led inventiveness.

“as a cellist-composer she morphs seamlessly from Stephane Grappelli-like swing and Bird-like bebop…” Jazzwise

A London-based singer with Italian-Danish roots, Irene Serra writes sophisticated jazz-pop songs with a hint of European cabaret and chanson. Promoting their 2019 CD Requiem for the Faithful, ISQ features musicians who have worked with Neil Cowley, Andy Sheppard and Yazz Ahmed. We welcome back Naadia Sheriff, whom we haven’t seen for a long time.

“…a melting pot of genres - jazz, pop and experimental - which all blend together to entrancing effect…” Time Out Critics’ Choice

Dominic Ingham violin Jonny Mansfield vibesDavid Swan pianoWill Sach bassBoz Martin-Jones drums

To round off the summer season in style, a return for one of Wakefield’s own, violinist Dominic Ingham, playing his own tunes with a quintet of young London-based musicians, including (from Shelley) Jonny Mansfield on vibes, winner of the 2018 Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize. Fresh contemporary jazz, hot off the press!

“The ability of Dominic becomes immediately apparent as his violin skilfully soars above a slow-burning groover.” Jazzwise

Web: http://www.dominicingham.com/