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Perhaps Not Surprising (Jazz Has Become The Least-Popular Genre In The


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I'm sure we'd all concede that jazz was always less popular than vocal music, but instrumental singles were still feasible in the 60s and perhaps even the early 70s.

And don't forget the huge popularity of instrumental electronica in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Yes, though I am not sure how much of that charted aside from something like US3 Cantaloop (which if I recall accurately, many here loathe).

Looking through these various posts and key threads, with a semi-detached eye, there really is just so much snobbery it is pretty sickening. Any artist that is under 50 that gets halfway popular is almost immediately knocked off the pedestal. I have indulged from time to time, though try to stay out of it, mostly since my emotional attachment to jazz is probably half of what it was 10 to 15 years ago.

But yes, in terms of its overall cultural relevance, I do think jazz is now dead. Sure, there are some legacy projects (perhaps more in Europe where there is some public funding keeping this stuff going) and a few cities where jazz seems truly alive, but not for the majority of people who couldn't care less.

"But yes, in terms of its overall cultural relevance, I do think jazz is now dead."

Neatly put, and perhaps controversial, but accurate.

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Oh, you misunderstood me. I am not saying that it is a bad thing that these people like later pop, country and hip hop, and have no interest in jazz. I think that there is much worthy music in those genres. They seem happy listening to what they like. Live and let live, I say. I was just commenting that it is unrealistic that adults with no interest in jazz could develop such interests if only.....if only they heard swing instead of avant garde........if only there was more jazz radio......if only something else. No, I think it is not realistic that they will ever like jazz no matter what. I don't have a problem with that.

I was making the observation that some of the discussion on this thread seems to assume that more people have more of a knowledge and interest in jazz, or could have such an interest, than is realistic.

Ah, yes I completely misread you. My apologies.

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@Larry Kart/Hot Ptah:

I admit I cannot give comprehensive evidence of what effects of the "post-neo-swing" the were on jazz at large in the USA and to what extent they stimulated (or did not stimulate) the demand for jazz there but I can tell you this from over here:

Before that neo-swing wave made splashes over here in the mid-90s (with a surprising amount of exposure in (music) mags not normally devoted to any music where you'd promote old masters such as the three Louises - Armstrong, Prima, Jordan, for example), live swing-style jazz OUTSIDE concerts by the remaining heroes from decades gone by really were very much a matter of compratively stiff concert played to a somewhat older seated audiences.

Even in long-established clubs with a long tradition of hosting jazz gigs (local/regional bands but also touring artists/bands) there was hardly ever any dancing room.

This changed markedly from, say, the mid-90s.

(BTW, I doubt that concert by legend Benny Waters I attended here in 1997 would have attracted THAT many younger listeners if the neo-swing craze hadn't already been going on. ;))

And even after that neo-swing fad ebbed off things calmed down but a fairly healthy following has remained ever since.

It still is very much a niche phenomenon but a stable one, and the share of younger people is really quite large (some of them being even too young to have consciously witnessed all of the mid-90s neo-swing craze, unless they started out really early). We have two local associations that do swing/lindy hop dancing classes and organize concerts as well as special events (such as Frankie Manning tributes - Norma Miller has been over at least twice), And even this is less than what's happening in places like Hamburg or Berlin.

For EVERYBODY interested it is fairly easy to search out the venues and gigs where you can listen to swing (and dance to it, of course) - not just events featuring swing bands but also record hops where the DJ plays your records all night long. I've been to quite a few of these, have very occasionally DJed myself, and the music that the audience and dancers pick up on spontaneously is pretty amazing - a lot of stuff they cannot possibly have heard before ever (not nearly all of them are inveterate collectors) but many have asked the DJs "what's this, what's that .." so at least sometimes the curiosity to explore is there and one thing may well lead to another ... And even if this exposure only occasionally gets people to move consciously into other styles of jazz as well, it still is a good thing IMO that THIS style of jazz still has its subculture. And as long as cases like that chap browsing through my swing record crate at a 50s rockabilly festival late last year and enthusing about that Erroll Garner record I had for sale (because he thought "Errol was just great") can still happen I feel that not all hope is lost ... ;)

Like I said - easing people into jazz (even if only 1 out of 100 will then venture into any sort of bop or post bop or whatever) instead of alienating them via all too free jazz for a FIRST "jazz experience" is not the worst thing in the world and not something to be sneered at, even if it does not immediately help those avantgarde artists you wish to support. Jazz IS a wide field, stylistically speaking, and like i said here repeatedly, you cannot expect everybody to like every style of jazz to the same degree (I certainly don't either ;)). But whatever style of jazz those people I have referred to feel attracted to, it STILL is jazz.

BTW, IMO all those Nat/Natalie Cole or Bette Midler tune examples cited above were just flashes in the pan compared to the swing subculture I have tried to describe. Here it is NOT a case of some elements of swing creeping into pop charts. Sustaining a subculture of ongoing events and venues that cater to this music and its lovers on a regular (!) basis is QUITE something else. It IS a niche segment of music but I'd BET you a dime many avantgarde/free improvisation musicians would LOVE to have that kind of audience on a regular basis. ;)

Edited by Big Beat Steve
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Who says the music I love is filled with "far-out wierd noises"?

You do!!!

Young people who are into rock or techno or hip hop will not and do not necessarily hear a tenor saxophone being played brilliantly which might include altissimo or overblowing as "far-out wierd noises".

Your stereotyping and generalizations about music you are barely familiar with can only be matched by the volume of words you apply to denigrate such music.

These potential new listeners might, in fact, find more subdued or historical forms of jazz limited in sound and not nearly aggressive, bracing, striking or intense enough based on many modern forms of music that include many sounds/approaches that they have listened to - sounds that the free jazz and avant-garde masters have incorporated into their music over the past 50 years. Why the best of these forms remain vibrant, fresh and alive. Because they are still in the process of creation. Often seemingly timeless - but if one's ears are open, the music is there to be heard.

This is exactly why you don't give current potential jazz listener's ears the credit they deserve. Many are much more likely (as I was 25 years ago) to be more turned on by current jazz/improv than historical music - let alone by sorry ass recreation of such music.

Certainly rock fans who listen to hardcore or metal or alternative have a much larger chance of hearing something in the DKV Trio or Atomic or Tony Malaby or The Bad Plus or Trio 3 or Peter Brotzmann than some Lindy Hop band.

Blood and Guts, baby

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@Larry Kart/Hot Ptah:

I admit I cannot give comprehensive evidence of what effects of the "post-neo-swing" the were on jazz at large in the USA and to what extent they stimulated (or did not stimulate) the demand for jazz there but I can tell you this from over here:

Before that neo-swing wave made splashes over here in the mid-90s (with a surprising amount of exposure in (music) mags not normally devoted to any music where you'd promote old masters such as the three Louises - Armstrong, Prima, Jordan, for example), live swing-style jazz OUTSIDE concerts by the remaining heroes from decades gone by really were very much a matter of compratively stiff concert played to a somewhat older seated audiences.

Even in long-established clubs with a long tradition of hosting jazz gigs (local/regional bands but also touring artists/bands) there was hardly ever any dancing room.

This changed markedly from, say, the mid-90s.

(BTW, I doubt that concert by legend Benny Waters I attended here in 1997 would have attracted THAT many younger listeners if the neo-swing craze hadn't already been going on. ;))

And even after that neo-swing fad ebbed off things calmed down but a fairly healthy following has remained ever since.

It still is very much a niche phenomenon but a stable one, and the share of younger people is really quite large (some of them being even too young to have consciously witnessed all of the mid-90s neo-swing craze, unless they started out really early). We have two local associations that do swing/lindy hop dancing classes and organize concerts as well as special events (such as Frankie Manning tributes - Norma Miller has been over at least twice), And even this is less than what's happening in places like Hamburg or Berlin.

For EVERYBODY interested it is fairly easy to search out the venues and gigs where you can listen to swing (and dance to it, of course) - not just events featuring swing bands but also record hops where the DJ plays your records all night long. I've been to quite a few of these, have very occasionally DJed myself, and the music that the audience and dancers pick up on spontaneously is pretty amazing - a lot of stuff they cannot possibly have heard before ever (not nearly all of them are inveterate collectors) but many have asked the DJs "what's this, what's that .." so at least sometimes the curiosity to explore is there and one thing may well lead to another ... And even if this exposure only occasionally gets people to move consciously into other styles of jazz as well, it still is a good thing IMO that THIS style of jazz still has its subculture. And as long as cases like that chap browsing through my swing record crate at a 50s rockabilly festival late last year and enthusing about that Erroll Garner record I had for sale (because he thought "Errol was just great") can still happen I feel that not all hope is lost ... ;)

Like I said - easing people into jazz (even if only 1 out of 100 will then venture into any sort of bop or post bop or whatever) instead of alienating them via all too free jazz for a FIRST "jazz experience" is not the worst thing in the world and not something to be sneered at, even if it does not immediately help those avantgarde artists you wish to support. Jazz IS a wide field, stylistically speaking, and like i said here repeatedly, you cannot expect everybody to like every style of jazz to the same degree (I certainly don't either ;)). But whatever style of jazz those people I have referred to feel attracted to, it STILL is jazz.

BTW, IMO all those Nat/Natalie Cole or Bette Midler tune examples cited above were just flashes in the pan compared to the swing subculture I have tried to describe. Here it is NOT a case of some elements of swing creeping into pop charts. Sustaining a subculture of ongoing events and venues that cater to this music and its lovers on a regular (!) basis is QUITE something else. It IS a niche segment of music but I'd BET you a dime many avantgarde/free improvisation musicians would LOVE to have that kind of audience on a regular basis. ;)

It appears that the Neo-Swing movement may have had more of an impact, and more of a lasting one in Germany compared to the U.S.

Edited by Hot Ptah
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I don't get poetry. I'm bored by 18thC French vases. My taste buds don't have the sort of memory to allow me to 'appreciate' wine.

Somewhere over on Poetryissimo or French Porcelainissimo or Viticulturissimo someone will be moaning about my lack of interest and claiming that it's because I'm an air head or have had my taste devalued by Bob Dylan, Pound Shop crockery or Sainsbury's plonk.

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I really wasn't exposed to jazz when i was growing up (70s/80s). None of my friends listened to it, nobody in my family listened to it and it really wasn't played anywhere. Around the late 80s when I was learning to play guitar I stumbled upon some fusion stuff like John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola but that was because I read about them in the guitar magazines I had subscriptions to.

Fast forward to the late 90s and I ended up working in a used CD store with a couple guys that were major jazz fans. That was really the first time I had ever been directly exposed to it and my subsequent studying of the music lead me to the old Blue Note board and then here. But, if I had never gone to work in that store I may never have been exposed to it sufficiently to get interested in it.

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With me jazz as genre was already passing in the early 70s. There was no jazz at home though a fair bit of Crosby/Sinatra type MOR with a distinct jazz feel. What you got on the TV was programmes by living legends like Oscar P or Ella; or rather lumpen big bands behind variety programmes. That did not appeal at the time.

But what caught me was jazz rock (especially the British variant - Soft Machine, Henry Cow etc); the name-dropping by rock musicians at the time especially McLaughlin and Santana (I first heard Coltrane tunes there); and the fact that the NME/Melody Maker still had a jazz page. I got curious but had to seek the music out because it was not easy to locate.

I suspect that plenty of young people today with a thing for music but who get a bit tired of what is easily available might find their way towards a music like jazz (more likely via the younger bands who at least look like them and might also know who significant rock players of their time are). Not to make it a substantial part of the music industry, but enough to keep it ticking along.

Those of us inside just need to make sure it is not seen as a world where you need to know the secret handshakes.

[i do recall sometime around '73 listening to a Buffalo Springfield compilation and taking to the cocktail jazz ending of 'Broken Arrow' - decided I'd like to hear more of that but hadn't a clue where to start]

Edited by A Lark Ascending
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It appears that the Neo-Swing movement may have had more of an impact, and more of a lasting one in Germany compared to the U.S.

Like I said - it really is a a subculture/underground/"niche market" but consistently viable enough to keep a number of venues, events and gigs going on a regular basis (though of course you don't get to hear this music every weekend).

IMO it is all about giving people a chance to get exposed to that music in a setting that does not frighten them away (such as at more "formal" concerts where any 30-year old would be by far one of the youngest ones and where the atmosphere to the younger ones would be a bit ... er ... "stifling" if you know what I mean ;)) and creating enough of a stimulus for them to explore the music further on their own, even if slowly and piecemeal.

Edited by Big Beat Steve
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My experience with this large number of adults in the past few years is that virtually no one knows anything about jazz, no one ever thinks about jazz, and if jazz is brought up in passing, they react very negatively, as a knee jerk reaction. If someone suggests going to a bar where live jazz is playing, a common reaction is that the group would rather be dipped in hot oil than have to enter a room where jazz is playing.

I was surprised at the lack of awareness of jazz and the negativity toward jazz. Basically it seems to me that these adults like catchy songs with singing (pop, country and hip hop, for the most part), and do not think about expanding their cultural horizons. Also, adults in their 30s and 40s seem to have a different frame of reference for pop music than the "classic rock" of the 1960s/70s/80s. a whole other world of pop music which came later and which they think is just great.

Certainly true, overall, but the non-presence of jazz (which again invariably raises the question "WHICH STYLE OF JAZZ are we talking about"?) in the awareness of the music-listening public AT LARGE to a certain degree is of the own making of the jazz "in-crowd" (the self-professed "true jazz fans").

Small wonder many occasional listeners would not venture into jazz places if the only jazz foisted unto them was "far-out weird noises" that they could not relate to at first listening. You cannot expect people to embrace music (which ALWAYS is a matter of very personal TASTE) if you confront them with something radically different they have never been exposed to before instead of EASING them into it and providing them with opportunities to gradually find their way into the music and then let them decide for themselves. Expecting people to expand their cultural horizons when it is just about a night out in a bar is maybe not the best approach for hardcore jazz zealots to make converts.

In the 90s certain styles of jazz (yes, Neo-Swing or "Retro Swing" or whatever you would like to call it) was indeed comparatively big and had its following (and some of it is still going on today). And of course the keepers of (self-professed, again) "true" jazz faith had nothing better to do but to blast everything from that corner - too diluted, too much watered-down, not enough art in it, musically dissatisfying, pale imitations, etc. etc.

And all this without even bothering to distinguish between what's good (there were/are good bands with quite some originality) and bad (yes, there were/are weak bands, just like eversywhere else - I'd bet avantgarde has its share of "emperor's clothes" cases too if you look closer).

OTOH, even if hardcore jazz fans would fault many of these bands for the above in one swipe (which I still feel is unfounded if you do not differentiate) they'd have to admit a lot of what has been played by these bands (and still is, in certain places) is much closer to jazz than a lot of really non-jazz pop music that the general public is exposed to everywhere today.

And those who went to live gigs by these bands (and not all of them had been diehard jazz fans before - far from it) certainly knew what a trumpet looked like and would have been able to tell a trumpet, a trombone and the various saxes apart (as well as their sounds). ;)

Regardless of whether you'd loathe these bands because, for example, they combined (oh horror!) punk rock influences with big band sax sections and lounge vocals. After all, where's the fundamental difference betwen the influences these band sworked under and the influences from non-jazz at work in some of those "world-music-cum-jazz" projects? One man's meat is another man's poison. Everywhere, all the time ...

And at least over here, those neo-swing bands spawned a subculture of fans, listeners, dancers and bands that do keep playing their own variations on a SWING theme. They do listen to the old masters and just as much to current bands playing in that idiom. Can't find much wrong with that. There are MUCH worse stepping stones into other (maybe more advanced) styles of jazz.

But if jazz cannot or won't reach out to the straw that might help to keep jazz above water, then ... well ... :shrug[1]:

Overall I do not agree with this post, as to the U.S. I think that most people in the U.S. find anything which is not contemporary pop, country or hip hop to be way too strange for them to even contemplate trying to listen to. Blues, folk, jazz, traditional ethnic music from anywhere, classical--none of it is going to be easier to get into than any of the rest of it. And is doesn't matter if it Delta blues, acoustic blues, Chicago 1950s blues, current white guitar blues, swing jazz, bop jazz, fusion jazz, avant garde jazz, vocal jazz, traditional folk, 1960s folk, contemporary folk, string quartets, Baroque classical, Romantic classical, 20th century classical, symphonies, music from any nation--it just doesn't matter. If it is not Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Lil Wayne, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, or JayZ, forget it, people in the U.S. are not even going to try to listen to any of it and you can't force them to.

I am not saying this in a spirit of snobbishness at all. I think it is just the way it is.

At times jazz has had more of a niche popularity than now, to a somewhat greater (but still small) extent in the U.S.

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Maybe that formulaic radio programming of most of your radio stations is to blame in part that people just don't get exposed to anything but the most obvious acts and styles of music?

OTOH I hear ever so often from people over here who spend some (holiday) time and travel in the U.S. that they were amazed how they were consistently able to tune in to some radio station (not internet but in their car) that played their favorite music (which in the case of those people is older music off the beaten paths of pop charts, ranging from older styles of jazz to pre-1960s R&B, country or rockabilly, i.e. not some typical oldies/nostalgia Top 40 either). Who ARE these radio stations airing their sounds to?

Edited by Big Beat Steve
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I would be interested to see a list of the best-selling jazz CDs sold over the past 30 years. Excluding smooth jazz.

I bet that most of those artists are today dead.

So I wonder, are many musicians today making similar records?

I think that (outside of classical music) there has never been much of a market for the recordings of the now-deceased. And if today's musicians are making records which don't remind anyone of the most popular sold over the past 30 years, why would anyone expect those new records to be popular? Just because they are new?

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These are the gigs put on by my closest regular jazz club in Sheffield in the last few years. Nottingham has a similar history (I've been going there on and off since 1980.

It might not indicate a genre that is central to current music. But it shows that there is a thoroughly healthy circuit. Most of those names won't mean much beyond Britain and Europe. But a lot of them are young players who have somehow stumbled into the music.

Friday 3 October
Millennium Hall
Gilad Atzmon’s Orient House Ensemble
Gilad Atzmon: saxophones
Frank Harrison: piano
Yaron Stavi: bass
Chris Higginbottom: drums
Friday 10 October
Millennium Hall
Zhenya Strigalev’s Smiling Organizm Trio
Zhenya Strigalev: alto sax
Michael Janisch; bass
James Maddren: drums
Friday 17 October
at 19.15
Crucible Studio
Enrico Pieranunzi Trio
Enrico Pieranunzi: piano
Pete Turner: bass
Dave Walsh: drums
Friday 24 October
Millennium Hall
Ollie Howell Quintet
Ollie Howell: drums
Max Luthert: bass
Matt Robinson: piano
Duncan Eagles: tenor sax
Mark Perry: trumpet
Friday 31 October
Millennium Hall
Sheffield University Big Band
Friday 7 November
Millennium Hall
Beats & Pieces Big Band
Ben Cottrell: director
Anthony Brown, Sam Healey, Ben Watte: saxophones
Ed Horsey, Simon Lodge, Rich McVeigh: trombones
Owen Bryce, Graham South, Nick Walters: trumpets
Anton Hunter: guitar
Patrick Hurley: piano
Harrison Wood: bass
Alex Tod: drums
Thursday 13 November
at 20.00
Auditorium, Sheffield University Students Union
Polar Bear
Mark Lockheart: tenor sax
Pete Wareham: tenor sax
Tom Herbert: double bass
Leafcutter John: electronics, guitar etc.
Seb Rochford: drums
Friday 21 November
Millennium Hall
Benn Clatworthy Quartet
Benn Clatworthy: saxophones
Cecilia Coleman: piano
Simon Thorpe: bass
Matt Home: drums
Friday 28 November
at 19.30
Crucible Studio
Gwilym Simcock/Yuri Goloubev Duo
Gwilym Simcock: piano
Yuri Goloubev: bass
Friday 5 December
Millennium Hall
Neon Quartet
Stan Sulzmann: tenor sax
Kit Downes: piano
Jim Hart: vibes
Tim Giles: drums
SPRING 2014
Friday 24 January 2014
Millennium Hall
Ian Shaw
Ian Shaw: vocals
Barry Green: piano
Friday 31 January
Millennium Hall
Gary Crosby’s Groundation
Gary Crosby: bass
Nathaniel Facey: alto sax
Moses Boyd: drums
Shirley Tetteh: guitar
Friday 7 February
Millennium Hall
Kit Downes Quintet
Kit Downes: piano
Calum Gourlay: bass
James Maddren: drums
James Allsopp: bass clarinet
Lucy Railton: cello
Friday 14 February
Millennium Hall
Dennis Rollins’ Velocity Trio
Dennis Rollins: trombone & electronics
Ross Stanley: Hammond organ
Pedro Segundo: drums & percussion
Friday 7 March
Millennium Hall
MJQ Celebration
Jim Hart: vibraphone
Barry Green: piano
Steve Brown: drums
Matt Ridley: bass
Friday 14 March
at 19.30
Crucible Studio
Jay Phelps Sextet: Projections of Miles
Jay Phelps: trumpet
Denys Baptiste: tenor saxophone
Logan Richardson: alto saxophone
Jonathan Gee: piano
Tim Thornton: bass
Shane Forbes: drums
Friday 21 March
Millennium Hall
Jean Toussaint Quartet
Jean Toussaint: tenor sax
Andrew McCormack: piano
Larry Bartley: bass
Troy Miller: drums
Thursday 27 March
at 20.00
Auditorium, Sheffield University Students Union
Get The Blessing
Jim Barr: bass
Clive Deamer: drums
Jake McMurchie: saxophone
Pete Judge: trumpet
Friday 4 April
Millennium Hall
Brandon Allen Quartet
Brandon Allen: saxes
Ross Stanley: piano
Mick Hutton: bass
Chris Higginbottom: drums
Friday 11 April
Millennium Hall
John Turville Trio
John Turville: piano
Calum Gourlay: bass
Ben Reynolds: drums
Friday 25 April
Millennium Hall
Led Bib
Mark Holub: drums
Pete Grogan: alto saxophone
Chris Williams: alto saxophone
Liran Donin: double bass
Toby McLaren: keyboards
Friday 2 May
Millennium Hall
Michael Wollny’s [em]
Michael Wollny: piano
Tim Lefebvre: bass
Eric Schaefer: drums
Friday 9 May
Millennium Hall
Julian Siegel Quartet
Julian Siegel: saxophones & clarinet
Liam Noble: piano & synthesisers
Oli Hayhurst: bass
Gene Calderazzo: drums
Friday 16 May
Millennium Hall
Anita Wardell/ Dave O’Higgins Quintet
Anita Wardell: vocals
Dave O’Higgins: saxophones
Mike Gorman: piano
Oli Hayhurst: bass
Tristan Mailliot: drums
AUTUMN 2013
Friday 4/10 2013
Millennium Hall
Tina May 4
Tina May – vocals
Nikki Iles – piano
Mark Hodgson – bass
Stephen Keogh - drums
Friday 11/10
Millennium Hall
Alan Barnes/ Bruce Adams 5
Alan Barnes - saxes/ clarinet
Bruce Adams – trumpet
Robin Aspland – piano Simon Thorpe – bass
Matt Home - drums
Friday 18/10
Millennium Hall
Liam Noble 5
Liam Noble – piano
Shabaka Hutchings – tenor saxophone and clarinet
Chris Batchelor – trumpet
Dave Whitford – bass
Dave Wickins – drums
Friday 25/10
Millennium Hall
Louis Moholo-Moholo 4
Louis Moholo-Moholo – drums
Alex Hawkins – piano
Jason Yarde – saxophones
John Edwards – bass
Friday 1/11
Millennium Hall
Sheffield University Big Band
Friday 8/11
Millennium Hall
Scenes in The City - The Music of Charles Mingus
Tony Kofi – saxophones
Karen Sharp – saxophones
Jeremy Price – trombone
Mark Edwards – piano
Arnie Somogyi – bass
Clark Tracey – drums
Friday 15/11
Millennium Hall
Stuart McCallum Trio with Reel Strings
Stuart McCallum - guitars/laptop
Pete Turner – bass
Dave Walsh – drums
Thol Mason, Steve Cordiner – violins
Tanah Stevens – viola
Ben Cashell - 'cello
Friday 22/11
Millennium Hall
Pinski Zoo
Jan Kopinski – saxes
Steve Iliffe – keys
Karl Bingham – bass
Stefan Kopinski – bass
Patrick Illingworth - drums
Friday 29/11
at 19.30
Crucible Studio
Zoe Rahman Trio
Zoe Rahman – piano
Alec Dankworth – bass
Gene Calderazzo - drums
Friday 6/12
Millennium Hall
Apitos
Dave Hassell – timbales
Steve Gilbert – drums
Chris Manus – conga
Steve Williams – bass
Paul Kilvington – piano
Glen Cartledge – guitar
Nick Smart – trumpet
John Hinch - 2nd trumpet
Andy Scott – saxophones
John Barber – trombone
Orli Nyles - vocal
SPRING 2013
Friday 18 January 2013
Millennium Hall
Gilad Atzmon Orient House Ensemble
Gilad Atzmon: sax
Frank Harrison: piano
Yaron Stavi: bass
Eddie Hick: drums
Friday 25 January
Crucible Studio
Stan Tracey Octet
Stan Tracey: piano
Mark Armstrong: trumpet
Mark Nightingale: trombone
Sam Mayne: sax
Simon Allen: sax
Mornington Lockett: sax
Andy Cleyndert: bass
Clark Tracey: drums
Friday 1 February
Millennium Hall
Karen Sharp Quartet
Karen Sharp; sax
Nikki Iles; piano
Dave Green; bass
Steve Brown; drums
Friday 8 February
Millennium Hall
Empirical
Nathaniel Facey; alto sax
Tom Farmer; double bass
Shaney Forbes; drums
Lewis Wright; vibraphone
Friday 1 March
Millennium Hall
Liane Carroll Trio
Liane Carroll; vocals & piano
Roger Carey; bass
Mark Fletcher; drums
Friday 8 March
Crucible Studio
Mark Lockheart’s Ellington in Anticipation
Mark Lockheart: tenor sax
Emma Smith: violin
Finn Peters: alto sax
James Allsop: clarinets
Liam Noble: piano
Tom Herbert: bass
Seb Rochford: drums
Friday 15 March
Millennium Hall
Paul Booth Quintet
Paul Booth; saxes
Phil Robson; guitar
Mike Janisch; bass
Ross Stanley; piano
James Maddren; drums
Friday 22 March
Millennium Hall
Get The Blessing
Jim Barr; bass
Clive Deamer; drums
Jake McMurchie; sax
Pete Judge; trumpet
Friday 12 April
Millennium Hall
Troyka
Kit Downes: organ
Chris Montague: guitars, loops
Joshua Blackmore: drums
Friday 19 April
Millennium Hall
Soweto Kinch Trio
Soweto Kinch; sax etc
Karl Rasheed-Abel; bass
Shaney Forbes; drums
Friday 26 April
Millennium Hall
Peter King Quartet
Peter King; alto sax
Steve Melling; piano
Geoff Gascoyne; bass
Mark Fletcher; drums
Friday 10 May
Millennium Hall
Alex Hutton Trio
Alex Hutton; piano
Yuri Goloubev; bass
Asaf Sirkis; drums
Friday 17 May
Millennium Hall
Printmakers
Norma Winstone; voice
Nikki Iles; piano, accordion
Mark Lockheart; tenor & soprano sax & bass clarinet
Mike Walker; guitar
Steve Watts; double bass
James Maddren; drums
AUTUMN 2012
Friday 28 September 2012
Millennium Hall
Iain Dixon/Mike Walker Quintet
Mike Walker: guitar
Iain Dixon: saxophones
Les Chisnall: piano
Gary Culshaw: bass
Caroline Boaden: drums
Friday 5 October
Millennium Hall
Disassembler
Trevor Warren: guitar
Pete Wareham: sax
Annie Whitehead: trombone
Dudley Philips: bass
Winston Clifford: drums
www.myspace.com/disassembler
Friday 12 October
Millennium Hall
Kate Williams Septet
Kate Williams: piano
Gareth Lockrane: flute, alto and bass flutes
Steve Fishwick: trumpet/ flugelhorn
Ben Somers: tenor saxophone
Julian Siegel: tenor and soprano saxophones/bass clarinet
Oli Hayhurst: bass
Tristan Maillot: drums
www.kate-williams-quartet.com
Friday 19 October
Millennium Hall
Christine Tobin: Sailing to Byzantium
Christine Tobin: vocals
Liam Noble: piano
Phil Robson: guitar
Kate Short: cello
Dave Whitford: bass
www.myspace.com/ctobes
Friday 9 November
Millennium Hall
Benn Clatworthy Quartet
Benn Clatworthy: saxes
John Donaldson: piano
Simon Thorpe: bass
Josh Morrison: drums
Friday 16 November
Millennium Hall
Tim Lapthorn Trio with Bobby Wellins
Tim Lapthorn: piano
Bobby Wellins: saxes
Arnie Somogyi: bass
Stephen Keogh: drums
Friday 23 November
Millennium Hall
Neon
Stan Sulzmann: tenor sax
Kit Downes: piano
Jim Hart: vibes
Tim Giles: drums
Thursday 29 November
Crucible Studio
Django Bates’ Beloved
Django Bates: piano
Petter Eldh: bass
Peter Bruun: drums
www.myspace.com/djangobates
Friday 7 December
Millennium Hall
Heads South
John Harriman: keyboards
Steve Waterman: trumpet
Buster Birch: drums
Chino Martell Morgan: percussion
Adolfredo Pulido: bass
SPRING 2012
Fri Jan 20 2012
Millennium Hall
Alan Barnes Quintet featuring Scott Hamilton
Alan Barnes – alto, baritone sax
Scott Hamilton – tenor sax
Dave Newton – piano
Chris Hill - bass
Sebastiaan de Krom - drums
Fri Jan 27
Millennium Hall
Chris Biscoe Quartet
Chris Biscoe - saxes, clarinet, flute
Tony Kofi - alto sax
Larry Bartley - bass
Stu Butterfield - drums
Fri Feb 3
Millennium Hall
Zoe Rahman Quartet
Zoe Rahman – piano
Idris Rahman - clarinet
Davide Mantovani – bass
Gene Calderazzo - drums
Fri Feb 10
Millennium Hall
Ambulance
Arnie Somogyi – bass
Paul Booth – sax
Tim Lapthorn – piano
Dave Smith - drums
Fri Feb 17
Millennium Hall
Jim Mullen’s Reunion Quartet
Jim Mullen - guitar
Gareth Williams – piano
Gary Husband - drums
Mick Hutton - bass
Fri Mar 2
Millennium Hall
Damon Brown’s International Quintet
Damon Brown – trumpet
Christian Brewer – alto sax
Yutaka Shinna – piano
Martin Zenker – bass
Matt Skelton - drums
Fri Mar 9
Millennium Hall
Dave O’Higgins Quartet with Eric Alexander
Dave O’Higgins – tenor sax
Eric Alexander – tenor sax
Andrew McCormack – piano
Arnie Somogyi- bass
Kristian Leth - drums
Fri Mar 23
Millennium Hall
Kit Downes Quintet
Kit Downes – piano
Calum Gourlay – bass
James Maddren – drums
James Allsopp – bass clarinet
Lucy Railton - cello
Fri Mar 30
Millennium Hall
Ivo Neame Quintet
Ivo Neame – piano
Tori Freestone – sax
Jim Hart – vibes
Jasper Hoiby – bass
James Maddren – drums
Fri Apr 13
Crucible Studio
Gwilym Simcock / Klaus Gesing
Gwilym Simcock – piano
Klaus Gesing – saxophones and bass clarinet
Fri Apr 20
Millennium Hall
Michael Janisch New York Standards Quartet
Michael Janisch – bass
David Berkman - piano
Tim Armacost – sax
Gene Jackson - drums
Fri Apr 27
Greystones
Dagda Quartet featuring Jean Toussaint
Jean Toussaint – tenor sax
Tom Harrison – alto sax
Billy Adamson - guitar
Tom West – bass
Mike Clowes - drums
Fri May 11
Greystones
Chris Allard Band
Brandon Allen – sax
Chris Allard – guitar
Ross Stanley – piano
Oli Hayhurst – bass
Nick Smalley – drums
Fri May 18
Crucible Studio
. Tina May Quartet
Tina May – voice
Nikki Iles – piano
Julie Walkington –bass
Karen Street – accordion
Fri June 8
Greystones
Martin Speake Trio
Martin Speake – alto sax
Mike Outram – guitar
Jeff Williams - drums
AUTUMN 2011
September 23 2011
Millennium Hall
Mark McKnight Trio with Seamus Blake
Mark McKnight – guitar
Seamus Blake – saxophone
Ross Stanley – organ
James Maddren – drums
September 30
Millennium Hall
Denys Baptiste Quartet
Denys Baptiste – saxophone
Andrew McCormack – piano
Gary Crosby – bass
Rod Youngs - drums
October 7
Millennium Hall
Jay Phelps Quartet
Jay Phelps – trumpet
Jonathan Gee – piano
Tim Thornton – bass
Matt Home – drums
October 14
Millennium Hall
Gilad Atzmon Quartet
Gilad Atzmon –saxophone, clarinet, electronics,
Frank Harrison –piano
Yaron Stavi -bass
Eddie Hick –drums
Oct 21
Millennium Hall
Will Vinson / Tom Cawley Quartet
Will Vinson -saxophone
Tom Cawley –piano
Calum Gourlay –bass
James Maddren –drums
November 4
Millennium Hall
Liane Carroll Trio
Liane Carroll - voice & piano
Roger Carey - bass
Mark Fletcher – drums
November 11
Millennium Hall
Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio
Dennis Rollins –trombone
Ross Stanley –Hammond organ
Pedro Segundo –drums
November 18
Millennium Hall
Geoff Simkins Quartet
Geoff Simkins –alto sax
Nikki Iles – piano
Martin France – drums
Simon Woolf – bass
November 25
Millennium Hall
Neon
Stan Sulzmann – tenor sax
Kit Downes - piano
Jim Hart - vibes
Tim Giles - drums
Wednesday November 30 Crucible Studio
John Taylor Trio
John Taylor – piano
Palle Daniellson – bass
Martin France – drums
December 9
Millennium Hall
Jamil Sheriff big band
Saxophones/Flutes - Russell Henderson, Simon Kaylor, Tori Freestone, Joel Purnell.
Trumpets - Simon Bedows, Sean Hollis, Mark Chandler, Simon Nixon.
Trombones - Kevin Holborough, Stuart Garside, Chris Hibbard, Rosie Nicholl.
Drums - Eryl Roberts
Guitar - Jamie Taylor
Bass - Garry Jackson
Piano - Jamil Sheriff
December 16
Millennium Hall
Julian Siegel Quartet
Julian Siegel – tenor sax
Liam Noble – piano
Gene Calderazzo – drums
Oli Hayhurst – bass
SPRING 2011
Saturday January 22nd 2011
Millennium Hall
Phil Robson
& the Instant Message Quintet featuring Mark Turner
Phil Robson - guitar
Mark Turner - sax
Michael Janisch – bass
Gareth Lockrane - flute
Ernesto Simpson – drums
Friday January 28th
Millennium Hall
The Mick Hutton Group
Mick Hutton – double bass
Andy Panayi – saxes, flute
Mark Edwards – piano
Paul Robinson - drums
Friday February 11th
Millennium Hall
Jay Phelps Quintet
Jay Phelps – trumpet
Shabaka Hutchings – saxes/clarinet
Gene Calderazzo – drums
Karl Rasheed-Abel – bass
Jonathan Gee - piano
Dylan Howe Quartet
Brandon Allen – tenor sax
Ross Stanley – piano
Chris Hill – bass
Dylan Howe - drums
Friday March 4th
Millennium Hall
Steve Waterman Quintet
‘Buddy Bolden Blew it’
Steve Waterman - trumpet
Chris Allard - guitar
Anthony Kerr - vibes
Alec Dankworth – bass
Dave Barry – drums
Friday March 11th
Millennium Hall
Sam Crockatt Quartet
Sam Crockatt – tenor sax
Kit Downes – piano
Oli Hayhurst – bass
Ben Reynolds – drums
Friday March 25th
2011
Millennium Hall
John Donaldson Sextet
plays the music of
Bheki Mseleku
John Donaldson – piano
Peter King – alto sax
Ian Price – tenor sax
Simon Thorpe – bass
Tristan Banks - drums
Quentin Collins - trumpet
Saturday April 2nd
Crucible Studio
Storms / Nocturnes
Tim Garland – saxes
Joe Locke – vibes
Geoffrey Keezer - piano
Friday April 15th
Millennium Hall
Kairos Quartet
Adam Waldmann – sax
Jasper Hoiby – bass
Rob Barron – piano
Jon Scott - drums
Friday May 6th
Millennium Hall
Trio Wah!
Jason Yarde – saxes
Larry Bartley – bass
Mike Pickering – drums
Friday May 13th
Millennium Hall
Mike Walker Sextet
Mike Walker – guitar
Iain Dixon – saxes
James Maddren – drums
Les Chisnall – piano
Malcolm Edmonstone – keys
Friday May 20th
Millennium Hall
Arnie Somogyi’s Scenes in the City
Alan Barnes – sax
Tony Kofi – sax
Alistair White – trombone
Mark Edwards – piano
Arnie Somogyi – bass
Clark Tracey - drums
AUTUMN 2010
Friday
17th September 2010
Millennium Hall
Gilad Atzmon
‘Orient House Ensemble’
Gilad Atzmon – tenor sax
Frank Harrison – piano
Yaron Stavi - bass
Eddie Hick – drums
www.gilad.co.uk
Friday
24th September
Millennium Hall
Karen Sharp Quartet
Karen Sharp– tenor & baritone sax
Nikki Iles – piano
Dave Green – bass
Steve Brown – drums
www.karensharp.net
www.myspace.com/karensharpsax
Friday
1st October
Millennium Hall
Tony Kofi
‘Standard Time’
Tony Kofi – alto sax
David Chamberlain – bass
Rod Youngs – drums
www.myspace.com/tonykofi
www.tonykofimusic.com
Friday
8th October
Millennium Hall
IDST
Tommy Evans - drums
Johnny Tomlinson –piano
Nick Tyson - guitar
Seth Bennet - bass
Simon Beddoe -trumpet
Simon Kaylor - tenor sax
www.myspace.com/idstmusic
Friday
15th October
Millennium Hall
Simon Purcell Quintet
Simon Purcell – piano
Julian Siegel – tenor sax
Chris Batchelor – trumpet
Gene Calderazzo – drums
Steve Watts – bass
www.simonpurcell.com
www.simonpurcell.wordpress.com
www.juliansiegel.com www.genecalderazzo.com
Friday
22nd October
Millennium Hall
£5 / 3 Sheffield University Jazz Orchestra
Friday
29th October
Millennium Hall
Benn Clatworthy Quartet
Benn Clatworthy – tenor sax
Cecilia Coleman – piano
Simon Thorpe - bass
Gene Calderazzo – drums
www.bennclatworthy.com
www.ceciliacoleman.com
Friday
5th November
Millennium Hall
Kit Downes Trio
Kit Downes – piano
Calum Gourlay – bass
James Maddren drums
www.kitdownes.com
www.myspace.com/kitsmusic
Saturday
20th November
at Crucible Studio
Stan Tracey Octet
Stan Tracey – piano
Andy Cleyndert – bass
Clark Tracey – drums
Guy Barker -trumpet
Mornington Lockett – tenor & soprano sax
Sammy Mayne – alto sax
Simon Allen – tenor sax
Mark Nightingale – trombone
www.stantracey.com
Friday
26th November
Millennium Hall
Sweet Chorus
John Etheridge - guitar
Christian Garrick – violin
Dave Kelbie – rhythm guitar
Pete Kubryk-Townsend – bass
www.johnetheridge.com
Friday
3rd December
Millennium Hall
Mike Walker Sextet
Mike Walker – guitar
Iain Dixon – saxes
James Maddren – drums
Les Chisnall – piano
Malcolm Edmonstone – keys
Steve Watts - bass
www.mike-walker.co.uk
Friday
10th December
Millennium Hall
Michael Janisch Quintet
Michael Janisch – bass
Paul Booth - tenor sax
Jay Phelps - trumpet
Jim Hart - vibes
Andrew Bain - drums
www.michaeljanisch.com
www.myspace.com/michaeljanisch
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Who says the music I love is filled with "far-out wierd noises"?

You do!!!

Young people who are into rock or techno or hip hop will not and do not necessarily hear a tenor saxophone being played brilliantly which might include altissimo or overblowing as "far-out wierd noises".

Your stereotyping and generalizations about music you are barely familiar with can only be matched by the volume of words you apply to denigrate such music.

My deepest apologies - really.

I am aware of your musical inclinations and certainly did not mean to dismiss YOUR jazz. No offense meant - honestly - what I DID try to do (hence this "generalization" in QUOTATION MARKS) is to describe the reactions to jazz by many non-jazz fans as I unfortunately have encountered them myself time and again.

And to make this clear - this "far out weird noises" description (that sums up how THEY'd describe it, not me) would have applied indiscriminately to anything from Bird via high-note big band sounds such as Maynard Ferguson's or their more recent equivalents up to Coltrane (even before his "free" period) and to any other sort of more forceful modern jazz.

I.e. what they experienced as "weird" was not necessarily free jazz/avantgarde - quite to the contrary and to my dismay. But that's how it all too often is ... unfortunately ...

I have tried some convincing there myself and sometimes have even succeeded, but not by playing them more of what they'd file under "noise" at first hearing but something a LITTLE less alien to them (to give them a chance to adjust their ears gradually instead of forcing a sonic assault on them in one single go the first time around).

As for this statement of yours ..

These potential new listeners might, in fact, find more subdued or historical forms of jazz limited in sound and not nearly aggressive, bracing, striking or intense enough based on many modern forms of music that include many sounds/approaches that they have listened to - sounds that the free jazz and avant-garde masters have incorporated into their music over the past 50 years. Why the best of these forms remain vibrant, fresh and alive. Because they are still in the process of creation. Often seemingly timeless - but if one's ears are open, the music is there to be heard.

This is exactly why you don't give current potential jazz listener's ears the credit they deserve. Many are much more likely (as I was 25 years ago) to be more turned on by current jazz/improv than historical music - let alone by sorry ass recreation of such music.

... I hear you and I'd be the first one to appreciate being proven wrong. And if they get into your favorite style of jazz via that entry route - fine. But how come, then, that everybody is complaining about "jazz" (again: WHICH style of jazz?) being such a dying music form? If sonic experiences overlap to that extent and the kids are all open for this kind of jazz there should be no lack of fresh blood? ;)

As for that "sorry ass recreation", well, i won't go into this at length, except that I'm wondering whose ears aren't open enough now (to nuances, anyway). Maybe a generation gap thing? I have been told the younger'uns need utter intensity and extremeness in order to be really stimulated, otherwise they won't be stimulated enough at all. (Which should tie in with your "aggressive and intense enough" statement above ... ;) ).

Edited by Big Beat Steve
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These are the gigs put on by my closest regular jazz club in Sheffield in the last few years. Nottingham has a similar history (I've been going there on and off since 1980.

It might not indicate a genre that is central to current music. But it shows that there is a thoroughly healthy circuit. Most of those names won't mean much beyond Britain and Europe. But a lot of them are young players who have somehow stumbled into the music.

Friday 3 October
Millennium Hall
Gilad Atzmon’s Orient House Ensemble
Gilad Atzmon: saxophones
Frank Harrison: piano
Yaron Stavi: bass
Chris Higginbottom: drums
Friday 10 October
Millennium Hall
Zhenya Strigalev’s Smiling Organizm Trio
Zhenya Strigalev: alto sax
Michael Janisch; bass
James Maddren: drums
Friday 17 October
at 19.15
Crucible Studio
Enrico Pieranunzi Trio
Enrico Pieranunzi: piano
Pete Turner: bass
Dave Walsh: drums
Friday 24 October
Millennium Hall
Ollie Howell Quintet
Ollie Howell: drums
Max Luthert: bass
Matt Robinson: piano
Duncan Eagles: tenor sax
Mark Perry: trumpet
Friday 31 October
Millennium Hall
Sheffield University Big Band
Friday 7 November
Millennium Hall
Beats & Pieces Big Band
Ben Cottrell: director
Anthony Brown, Sam Healey, Ben Watte: saxophones
Ed Horsey, Simon Lodge, Rich McVeigh: trombones
Owen Bryce, Graham South, Nick Walters: trumpets
Anton Hunter: guitar
Patrick Hurley: piano
Harrison Wood: bass
Alex Tod: drums
Thursday 13 November
at 20.00
Auditorium, Sheffield University Students Union
Polar Bear
Mark Lockheart: tenor sax
Pete Wareham: tenor sax
Tom Herbert: double bass
Leafcutter John: electronics, guitar etc.
Seb Rochford: drums
Friday 21 November
Millennium Hall
Benn Clatworthy Quartet
Benn Clatworthy: saxophones
Cecilia Coleman: piano
Simon Thorpe: bass
Matt Home: drums
Friday 28 November
at 19.30
Crucible Studio
Gwilym Simcock/Yuri Goloubev Duo
Gwilym Simcock: piano
Yuri Goloubev: bass
Friday 5 December
Millennium Hall
Neon Quartet
Stan Sulzmann: tenor sax
Kit Downes: piano
Jim Hart: vibes
Tim Giles: drums
SPRING 2014
Friday 24 January 2014
Millennium Hall
Ian Shaw
Ian Shaw: vocals
Barry Green: piano
Friday 31 January
Millennium Hall
Gary Crosby’s Groundation
Gary Crosby: bass
Nathaniel Facey: alto sax
Moses Boyd: drums
Shirley Tetteh: guitar
Friday 7 February
Millennium Hall
Kit Downes Quintet
Kit Downes: piano
Calum Gourlay: bass
James Maddren: drums
James Allsopp: bass clarinet
Lucy Railton: cello
Friday 14 February
Millennium Hall
Dennis Rollins’ Velocity Trio
Dennis Rollins: trombone & electronics
Ross Stanley: Hammond organ
Pedro Segundo: drums & percussion
Friday 7 March
Millennium Hall
MJQ Celebration
Jim Hart: vibraphone
Barry Green: piano
Steve Brown: drums
Matt Ridley: bass
Friday 14 March
at 19.30
Crucible Studio
Jay Phelps Sextet: Projections of Miles
Jay Phelps: trumpet
Denys Baptiste: tenor saxophone
Logan Richardson: alto saxophone
Jonathan Gee: piano
Tim Thornton: bass
Shane Forbes: drums
Friday 21 March
Millennium Hall
Jean Toussaint Quartet
Jean Toussaint: tenor sax
Andrew McCormack: piano
Larry Bartley: bass
Troy Miller: drums
Thursday 27 March
at 20.00
Auditorium, Sheffield University Students Union
Get The Blessing
Jim Barr: bass
Clive Deamer: drums
Jake McMurchie: saxophone
Pete Judge: trumpet
Friday 4 April
Millennium Hall
Brandon Allen Quartet
Brandon Allen: saxes
Ross Stanley: piano
Mick Hutton: bass
Chris Higginbottom: drums
Friday 11 April
Millennium Hall
John Turville Trio
John Turville: piano
Calum Gourlay: bass
Ben Reynolds: drums
Friday 25 April
Millennium Hall
Led Bib
Mark Holub: drums
Pete Grogan: alto saxophone
Chris Williams: alto saxophone
Liran Donin: double bass
Toby McLaren: keyboards
Friday 2 May
Millennium Hall
Michael Wollny’s [em]
Michael Wollny: piano
Tim Lefebvre: bass
Eric Schaefer: drums
Friday 9 May
Millennium Hall
Julian Siegel Quartet
Julian Siegel: saxophones & clarinet
Liam Noble: piano & synthesisers
Oli Hayhurst: bass
Gene Calderazzo: drums
Friday 16 May
Millennium Hall
Anita Wardell/ Dave O’Higgins Quintet
Anita Wardell: vocals
Dave O’Higgins: saxophones
Mike Gorman: piano
Oli Hayhurst: bass
Tristan Mailliot: drums
AUTUMN 2013
Friday 4/10 2013
Millennium Hall
Tina May 4
Tina May – vocals
Nikki Iles – piano
Mark Hodgson – bass
Stephen Keogh - drums
Friday 11/10
Millennium Hall
Alan Barnes/ Bruce Adams 5
Alan Barnes - saxes/ clarinet
Bruce Adams – trumpet
Robin Aspland – piano Simon Thorpe – bass
Matt Home - drums
Friday 18/10
Millennium Hall
Liam Noble 5
Liam Noble – piano
Shabaka Hutchings – tenor saxophone and clarinet
Chris Batchelor – trumpet
Dave Whitford – bass
Dave Wickins – drums
Friday 25/10
Millennium Hall
Louis Moholo-Moholo 4
Louis Moholo-Moholo – drums
Alex Hawkins – piano
Jason Yarde – saxophones
John Edwards – bass
Friday 1/11
Millennium Hall
Sheffield University Big Band
Friday 8/11
Millennium Hall
Scenes in The City - The Music of Charles Mingus
Tony Kofi – saxophones
Karen Sharp – saxophones
Jeremy Price – trombone
Mark Edwards – piano
Arnie Somogyi – bass
Clark Tracey – drums
Friday 15/11
Millennium Hall
Stuart McCallum Trio with Reel Strings
Stuart McCallum - guitars/laptop
Pete Turner – bass
Dave Walsh – drums
Thol Mason, Steve Cordiner – violins
Tanah Stevens – viola
Ben Cashell - 'cello
Friday 22/11
Millennium Hall
Pinski Zoo
Jan Kopinski – saxes
Steve Iliffe – keys
Karl Bingham – bass
Stefan Kopinski – bass
Patrick Illingworth - drums
Friday 29/11
at 19.30
Crucible Studio
Zoe Rahman Trio
Zoe Rahman – piano
Alec Dankworth – bass
Gene Calderazzo - drums
Friday 6/12
Millennium Hall
Apitos
Dave Hassell – timbales
Steve Gilbert – drums
Chris Manus – conga
Steve Williams – bass
Paul Kilvington – piano
Glen Cartledge – guitar
Nick Smart – trumpet
John Hinch - 2nd trumpet
Andy Scott – saxophones
John Barber – trombone
Orli Nyles - vocal
SPRING 2013
Friday 18 January 2013
Millennium Hall
Gilad Atzmon Orient House Ensemble
Gilad Atzmon: sax
Frank Harrison: piano
Yaron Stavi: bass
Eddie Hick: drums
Friday 25 January
Crucible Studio
Stan Tracey Octet
Stan Tracey: piano
Mark Armstrong: trumpet
Mark Nightingale: trombone
Sam Mayne: sax
Simon Allen: sax
Mornington Lockett: sax
Andy Cleyndert: bass
Clark Tracey: drums
Friday 1 February
Millennium Hall
Karen Sharp Quartet
Karen Sharp; sax
Nikki Iles; piano
Dave Green; bass
Steve Brown; drums
Friday 8 February
Millennium Hall
Empirical
Nathaniel Facey; alto sax
Tom Farmer; double bass
Shaney Forbes; drums
Lewis Wright; vibraphone
Friday 1 March
Millennium Hall
Liane Carroll Trio
Liane Carroll; vocals & piano
Roger Carey; bass
Mark Fletcher; drums
Friday 8 March
Crucible Studio
Mark Lockheart’s Ellington in Anticipation
Mark Lockheart: tenor sax
Emma Smith: violin
Finn Peters: alto sax
James Allsop: clarinets
Liam Noble: piano
Tom Herbert: bass
Seb Rochford: drums
Friday 15 March
Millennium Hall
Paul Booth Quintet
Paul Booth; saxes
Phil Robson; guitar
Mike Janisch; bass
Ross Stanley; piano
James Maddren; drums
Friday 22 March
Millennium Hall
Get The Blessing
Jim Barr; bass
Clive Deamer; drums
Jake McMurchie; sax
Pete Judge; trumpet
Friday 12 April
Millennium Hall
Troyka
Kit Downes: organ
Chris Montague: guitars, loops
Joshua Blackmore: drums
Friday 19 April
Millennium Hall
Soweto Kinch Trio
Soweto Kinch; sax etc
Karl Rasheed-Abel; bass
Shaney Forbes; drums
Friday 26 April
Millennium Hall
Peter King Quartet
Peter King; alto sax
Steve Melling; piano
Geoff Gascoyne; bass
Mark Fletcher; drums
Friday 10 May
Millennium Hall
Alex Hutton Trio
Alex Hutton; piano
Yuri Goloubev; bass
Asaf Sirkis; drums
Friday 17 May
Millennium Hall
Printmakers
Norma Winstone; voice
Nikki Iles; piano, accordion
Mark Lockheart; tenor & soprano sax & bass clarinet
Mike Walker; guitar
Steve Watts; double bass
James Maddren; drums
AUTUMN 2012
Friday 28 September 2012
Millennium Hall
Iain Dixon/Mike Walker Quintet
Mike Walker: guitar
Iain Dixon: saxophones
Les Chisnall: piano
Gary Culshaw: bass
Caroline Boaden: drums
Friday 5 October
Millennium Hall
Disassembler
Trevor Warren: guitar
Pete Wareham: sax
Annie Whitehead: trombone
Dudley Philips: bass
Winston Clifford: drums
www.myspace.com/disassembler
Friday 12 October
Millennium Hall
Kate Williams Septet
Kate Williams: piano
Gareth Lockrane: flute, alto and bass flutes
Steve Fishwick: trumpet/ flugelhorn
Ben Somers: tenor saxophone
Julian Siegel: tenor and soprano saxophones/bass clarinet
Oli Hayhurst: bass
Tristan Maillot: drums
www.kate-williams-quartet.com
Friday 19 October
Millennium Hall
Christine Tobin: Sailing to Byzantium
Christine Tobin: vocals
Liam Noble: piano
Phil Robson: guitar
Kate Short: cello
Dave Whitford: bass
www.myspace.com/ctobes
Friday 9 November
Millennium Hall
Benn Clatworthy Quartet
Benn Clatworthy: saxes
John Donaldson: piano
Simon Thorpe: bass
Josh Morrison: drums
Friday 16 November
Millennium Hall
Tim Lapthorn Trio with Bobby Wellins
Tim Lapthorn: piano
Bobby Wellins: saxes
Arnie Somogyi: bass
Stephen Keogh: drums
Friday 23 November
Millennium Hall
Neon
Stan Sulzmann: tenor sax
Kit Downes: piano
Jim Hart: vibes
Tim Giles: drums
Thursday 29 November
Crucible Studio
Django Bates’ Beloved
Django Bates: piano
Petter Eldh: bass
Peter Bruun: drums
www.myspace.com/djangobates
Friday 7 December
Millennium Hall
Heads South
John Harriman: keyboards
Steve Waterman: trumpet
Buster Birch: drums
Chino Martell Morgan: percussion
Adolfredo Pulido: bass
SPRING 2012
Fri Jan 20 2012
Millennium Hall
Alan Barnes Quintet featuring Scott Hamilton
Alan Barnes – alto, baritone sax
Scott Hamilton – tenor sax
Dave Newton – piano
Chris Hill - bass
Sebastiaan de Krom - drums
Fri Jan 27
Millennium Hall
Chris Biscoe Quartet
Chris Biscoe - saxes, clarinet, flute
Tony Kofi - alto sax
Larry Bartley - bass
Stu Butterfield - drums
Fri Feb 3
Millennium Hall
Zoe Rahman Quartet
Zoe Rahman – piano
Idris Rahman - clarinet
Davide Mantovani – bass
Gene Calderazzo - drums
Fri Feb 10
Millennium Hall
Ambulance
Arnie Somogyi – bass
Paul Booth – sax
Tim Lapthorn – piano
Dave Smith - drums
Fri Feb 17
Millennium Hall
Jim Mullen’s Reunion Quartet
Jim Mullen - guitar
Gareth Williams – piano
Gary Husband - drums
Mick Hutton - bass
Fri Mar 2
Millennium Hall
Damon Brown’s International Quintet
Damon Brown – trumpet
Christian Brewer – alto sax
Yutaka Shinna – piano
Martin Zenker – bass
Matt Skelton - drums
Fri Mar 9
Millennium Hall
Dave O’Higgins Quartet with Eric Alexander
Dave O’Higgins – tenor sax
Eric Alexander – tenor sax
Andrew McCormack – piano
Arnie Somogyi- bass
Kristian Leth - drums
Fri Mar 23
Millennium Hall
Kit Downes Quintet
Kit Downes – piano
Calum Gourlay – bass
James Maddren – drums
James Allsopp – bass clarinet
Lucy Railton - cello
Fri Mar 30
Millennium Hall
Ivo Neame Quintet
Ivo Neame – piano
Tori Freestone – sax
Jim Hart – vibes
Jasper Hoiby – bass
James Maddren – drums
Fri Apr 13
Crucible Studio
Gwilym Simcock / Klaus Gesing
Gwilym Simcock – piano
Klaus Gesing – saxophones and bass clarinet
Fri Apr 20
Millennium Hall
Michael Janisch New York Standards Quartet
Michael Janisch – bass
David Berkman - piano
Tim Armacost – sax
Gene Jackson - drums
Fri Apr 27
Greystones
Dagda Quartet featuring Jean Toussaint
Jean Toussaint – tenor sax
Tom Harrison – alto sax
Billy Adamson - guitar
Tom West – bass
Mike Clowes - drums
Fri May 11
Greystones
Chris Allard Band
Brandon Allen – sax
Chris Allard – guitar
Ross Stanley – piano
Oli Hayhurst – bass
Nick Smalley – drums
Fri May 18
Crucible Studio
. Tina May Quartet
Tina May – voice
Nikki Iles – piano
Julie Walkington –bass
Karen Street – accordion
Fri June 8
Greystones
Martin Speake Trio
Martin Speake – alto sax
Mike Outram – guitar
Jeff Williams - drums
AUTUMN 2011
September 23 2011
Millennium Hall
Mark McKnight Trio with Seamus Blake
Mark McKnight – guitar
Seamus Blake – saxophone
Ross Stanley – organ
James Maddren – drums
September 30
Millennium Hall
Denys Baptiste Quartet
Denys Baptiste – saxophone
Andrew McCormack – piano
Gary Crosby – bass
Rod Youngs - drums
October 7
Millennium Hall
Jay Phelps Quartet
Jay Phelps – trumpet
Jonathan Gee – piano
Tim Thornton – bass
Matt Home – drums
October 14
Millennium Hall
Gilad Atzmon Quartet
Gilad Atzmon –saxophone, clarinet, electronics,
Frank Harrison –piano
Yaron Stavi -bass
Eddie Hick –drums
Oct 21
Millennium Hall
Will Vinson / Tom Cawley Quartet
Will Vinson -saxophone
Tom Cawley –piano
Calum Gourlay –bass
James Maddren –drums
November 4
Millennium Hall
Liane Carroll Trio
Liane Carroll - voice & piano
Roger Carey - bass
Mark Fletcher – drums
November 11
Millennium Hall
Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio
Dennis Rollins –trombone
Ross Stanley –Hammond organ
Pedro Segundo –drums
November 18
Millennium Hall
Geoff Simkins Quartet
Geoff Simkins –alto sax
Nikki Iles – piano
Martin France – drums
Simon Woolf – bass
November 25
Millennium Hall
Neon
Stan Sulzmann – tenor sax
Kit Downes - piano
Jim Hart - vibes
Tim Giles - drums
Wednesday November 30 Crucible Studio
John Taylor Trio
John Taylor – piano
Palle Daniellson – bass
Martin France – drums
December 9
Millennium Hall
Jamil Sheriff big band
Saxophones/Flutes - Russell Henderson, Simon Kaylor, Tori Freestone, Joel Purnell.
Trumpets - Simon Bedows, Sean Hollis, Mark Chandler, Simon Nixon.
Trombones - Kevin Holborough, Stuart Garside, Chris Hibbard, Rosie Nicholl.
Drums - Eryl Roberts
Guitar - Jamie Taylor
Bass - Garry Jackson
Piano - Jamil Sheriff
December 16
Millennium Hall
Julian Siegel Quartet
Julian Siegel – tenor sax
Liam Noble – piano
Gene Calderazzo – drums
Oli Hayhurst – bass
SPRING 2011
Saturday January 22nd 2011
Millennium Hall
Phil Robson
& the Instant Message Quintet featuring Mark Turner
Phil Robson - guitar
Mark Turner - sax
Michael Janisch – bass
Gareth Lockrane - flute
Ernesto Simpson – drums
Friday January 28th
Millennium Hall
The Mick Hutton Group
Mick Hutton – double bass
Andy Panayi – saxes, flute
Mark Edwards – piano
Paul Robinson - drums
Friday February 11th
Millennium Hall
Jay Phelps Quintet
Jay Phelps – trumpet
Shabaka Hutchings – saxes/clarinet
Gene Calderazzo – drums
Karl Rasheed-Abel – bass
Jonathan Gee - piano
Dylan Howe Quartet
Brandon Allen – tenor sax
Ross Stanley – piano
Chris Hill – bass
Dylan Howe - drums
Friday March 4th
Millennium Hall
Steve Waterman Quintet
‘Buddy Bolden Blew it’
Steve Waterman - trumpet
Chris Allard - guitar
Anthony Kerr - vibes
Alec Dankworth – bass
Dave Barry – drums
Friday March 11th
Millennium Hall
Sam Crockatt Quartet
Sam Crockatt – tenor sax
Kit Downes – piano
Oli Hayhurst – bass
Ben Reynolds – drums
Friday March 25th
2011
Millennium Hall
John Donaldson Sextet
plays the music of
Bheki Mseleku
John Donaldson – piano
Peter King – alto sax
Ian Price – tenor sax
Simon Thorpe – bass
Tristan Banks - drums
Quentin Collins - trumpet
Saturday April 2nd
Crucible Studio
Storms / Nocturnes
Tim Garland – saxes
Joe Locke – vibes
Geoffrey Keezer - piano
Friday April 15th
Millennium Hall
Kairos Quartet
Adam Waldmann – sax
Jasper Hoiby – bass
Rob Barron – piano
Jon Scott - drums
Friday May 6th
Millennium Hall
Trio Wah!
Jason Yarde – saxes
Larry Bartley – bass
Mike Pickering – drums
Friday May 13th
Millennium Hall
Mike Walker Sextet
Mike Walker – guitar
Iain Dixon – saxes
James Maddren – drums
Les Chisnall – piano
Malcolm Edmonstone – keys
Friday May 20th
Millennium Hall
Arnie Somogyi’s Scenes in the City
Alan Barnes – sax
Tony Kofi – sax
Alistair White – trombone
Mark Edwards – piano
Arnie Somogyi – bass
Clark Tracey - drums
AUTUMN 2010
Friday
17th September 2010
Millennium Hall
Gilad Atzmon
‘Orient House Ensemble’
Gilad Atzmon – tenor sax
Frank Harrison – piano
Yaron Stavi - bass
Eddie Hick – drums
www.gilad.co.uk
Friday
24th September
Millennium Hall
Karen Sharp Quartet
Karen Sharp– tenor & baritone sax
Nikki Iles – piano
Dave Green – bass
Steve Brown – drums
www.karensharp.net
www.myspace.com/karensharpsax
Friday
1st October
Millennium Hall
Tony Kofi
‘Standard Time’
Tony Kofi – alto sax
David Chamberlain – bass
Rod Youngs – drums
www.myspace.com/tonykofi
www.tonykofimusic.com
Friday
8th October
Millennium Hall
IDST
Tommy Evans - drums
Johnny Tomlinson –piano
Nick Tyson - guitar
Seth Bennet - bass
Simon Beddoe -trumpet
Simon Kaylor - tenor sax
www.myspace.com/idstmusic
Friday
15th October
Millennium Hall
Simon Purcell Quintet
Simon Purcell – piano
Julian Siegel – tenor sax
Chris Batchelor – trumpet
Gene Calderazzo – drums
Steve Watts – bass
www.simonpurcell.com
www.simonpurcell.wordpress.com
www.juliansiegel.com www.genecalderazzo.com
Friday
22nd October
Millennium Hall
£5 / 3 Sheffield University Jazz Orchestra
Friday
29th October
Millennium Hall
Benn Clatworthy Quartet
Benn Clatworthy – tenor sax
Cecilia Coleman – piano
Simon Thorpe - bass
Gene Calderazzo – drums
www.bennclatworthy.com
www.ceciliacoleman.com
Friday
5th November
Millennium Hall
Kit Downes Trio
Kit Downes – piano
Calum Gourlay – bass
James Maddren drums
www.kitdownes.com
www.myspace.com/kitsmusic
Saturday
20th November
at Crucible Studio
Stan Tracey Octet
Stan Tracey – piano
Andy Cleyndert – bass
Clark Tracey – drums
Guy Barker -trumpet
Mornington Lockett – tenor & soprano sax
Sammy Mayne – alto sax
Simon Allen – tenor sax
Mark Nightingale – trombone
www.stantracey.com
Friday
26th November
Millennium Hall
Sweet Chorus
John Etheridge - guitar
Christian Garrick – violin
Dave Kelbie – rhythm guitar
Pete Kubryk-Townsend – bass
www.johnetheridge.com
Friday
3rd December
Millennium Hall
Mike Walker Sextet
Mike Walker – guitar
Iain Dixon – saxes
James Maddren – drums
Les Chisnall – piano
Malcolm Edmonstone – keys
Steve Watts - bass
www.mike-walker.co.uk
Friday
10th December
Millennium Hall
Michael Janisch Quintet
Michael Janisch – bass
Paul Booth - tenor sax
Jay Phelps - trumpet
Jim Hart - vibes
Andrew Bain - drums
www.michaeljanisch.com
www.myspace.com/michaeljanisch

Many, many familiar faces there - they also find their way to my part of the world. But I don't know why you mention young players, as the average age would be at least in the forties on my reckoning. However, that's a couple of decades younger than the audience for these people in my experience!

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And to make this clear - this "far out weird noises" description (that sums up how THEY'd describe it, not me) would have applied indiscriminately to anything from Bird via high-note big band sounds such as Maynard Ferguson's or their more recent equivalents up to Coltrane (even before his "free" period) and to any other sort of more forceful modern jazz.

The bolded part really tells the story, does it not? The underlined sections gave me a laugh. Though "recent" and "modern" shouldn't apply, they actually do. Unfortunately.

And as the infamous Seinfeld line went, "there's nothing WRONG with that!" Really, there isn't. Which is a point that some folks in the Jazz circle of friends don't seem to get. If nobody else ever played a Jazz-related note and the genre officially died right here and right now, there'd still be a lifetime a wonderful music for someone to explore and enjoy. Unless mankind started living to be 200 years old.

Master Reynolds, what's wrong with 'far-out, weird noises'?! Those of us who enjoy them should revel in the fact that they ARE "different".

Does "popularity" really matter to any of us that much?

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It's also a bit less impressive when you realize the list covers several years (not one season) and more than a few players have passed away due to old age. This always happens when someone starts questioning the significance or self-sufficiency of something that is pretty evidently in decline yet has a few fervent adherents.

Upthread someone said it best, talking about jazz lovers being in a cocoon, tuning out unpleasant news. And for the most part paying far more attention to remastered material they own on 2 or 3 releases already than to new music, which is either too hot (brash avant jazz) or too cold (boring retreads of bop and postbop music by young lions who aren't fit to carry Miles' mouthpiece). It's just the stuff from the past that is just right...

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(re: Bill Fs last post)

I said there are a lot of young players there - 20s/30s - merely to illustrate how there are still plenty of young people getting excited enough about jazz to play it as a profession (probably alongside other things).

Agree on the audience age difference. Reflects something I said a few days back about the financially/career insecure young making a living serving the entertainment needs of the more affluent older generations.

Interesting that a couple of more recent gigs - Troyka and Polar Bear - have not been held in the usual venue but in Sheffield University students' union (apart from work commitments I found the idea of going to a students' union a bit worrying; maybe students feel the same way about going to a jazz club). Didn't get to either but would be interesting to have seen if there was an age difference.

Edited by A Lark Ascending
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(re: Bill Fs last post)

I said there are a lot of young players there - 20s/30s - merely to illustrate how there are still plenty of young people getting excited enough about jazz to play it as a profession (probably alongside other things).

Agree on the audience age difference. Reflects something I said a few days back about the financially/career insecure young making a living serving the entertainment needs of the more affluent older generations.

Interesting that a couple of more recent gigs - Troyka and Polar Bear - have not been held in the usual venue but in Sheffield University students' union (apart from work commitments I found the idea of going to a students' union a bit worrying; maybe students feel the same way about going to a jazz club). Didn't get to either but would be interesting to have seen if there was an age difference.

To be fair, I did make it to an Electric Ladyland gig (many of the members are also in Polar Bear) at a street fair in London and the crowd was pretty young. This is a crossover thing (also Get the Blessing) that seems to be succeeding in the UK in a way that I don't see in North America (except perhaps for New York of course, which is the ultimate outlier).

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It's also a bit less impressive when you realize the list covers several years (not one season) and more than a few players have passed away due to old age. This always happens when someone starts questioning the significance or self-sufficiency of something that is pretty evidently in decline yet has a few fervent adherents.

I'm not claiming that this is on a scale with 52nd Street. Just that their is a sustainable circuit at work for a niche music. I noticed recently that several who play in Sheffield are just up the road in Wakefield a night before or after. I'm sure the finances are all on a knife edge. But there are a lot of people still passionate enough to do it, despite that.

Most of the bands there are neither avant nor neo-bop. We get our fair share of 'Tribute to ....' type bands through but most of the ones I go to see are playing original music. It might not be reinventing-the-genre-different (though some of the punkier bands' publicists would like us to think they are) but its distinctive stuff that captures my interest.

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To be fair, I did make it to an Electric Ladyland gig (many of the members are also in Polar Bear) at a street fair in London and the crowd was pretty young. This is a crossover thing (also Get the Blessing) that seems to be succeeding in the UK in a way that I don't see in North America (except perhaps for New York of course, which is the ultimate outlier).

I don't think Acoustic Ladyland exist any more. But they were at the forefront of a whole group of bands who were heavily linked into Indie-rock (probably a wrong term on my part). Seb Rochford, a great jazz drummer, makes a big thing about his links there. Get the Blessing also lean that way - I think they have a connection with the rock band Portishead. I lost touch with much of that - a few too many thrash-metal jazz bands for me! But all part of the varied web.

But there really are scores of practising younger musicians who often play music we'd all recognise as primarily jazz that is neither comfortably within a past style (not that there's anything wrong with that) or right out on the edge.

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Maybe that formulaic radio programming of most of your radio stations is to blame in part that people just don't get exposed to anything but the most obvious acts and styles of music?

OTOH I hear ever so often from people over here who spend some (holiday) time and travel in the U.S. that they were amazed how they were consistently able to tune in to some radio station (not internet but in their car) that played their favorite music (which in the case of those people is older music off the beaten paths of pop charts, ranging from older styles of jazz to pre-1960s R&B, country or rockabilly, i.e. not some typical oldies/nostalgia Top 40 either). Who ARE these radio stations airing their sounds to?

That is not the case all over the U.S. The majority of that kind of programming occurs on not-for-profit, very small community radio stations, which barely exist on a shoestring thanks to listener contributions and volunteer DJs, or not-for-profit college radio stations, or not-for-profit public radio stations. In large metro areas and college towns, you may come across this type of programming. In parts of the U.S., you would not get much or any of it.

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That is not the case all over the U.S. The majority of that kind of programming occurs on not-for-profit, very small community radio stations, which barely exist on a shoestring thanks to listener contributions and volunteer DJs, or not-for-profit college radio stations, or not-for-profit public radio stations. In large metro areas and college towns, you may come across this type of programming. In parts of the U.S., you would not get much or any of it.

Parts = most.

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