HEADLINERS
New York Standards Quartet
+ Highwalk
Cambridge Modern Jazz, Hidden Rooms
Thursday Nov. 19th 6:45pm
£15 / £12 students
The NYSQ are known for their love of jazz standards with ‘twisted’ arrangements true to their 21st century creative urges, making old material sound fresh.
NYSQ is “a group devoted to radical reinvention of famous pop songs and Broadway show tunes. Plenty of contemporary jazz artists do that, but few more divertingly than this vivacious foursome”
☆☆☆☆ The Guardian
John Turville Trio &
Malcolm Creese
Hot Numbers Coffee
Thursday Nov. 19th 8:00pm
FREE Entry (£5 donation encouraged)
Cambridge and Guildhall graduate John Turville is one of the leading pianists and educators on the UK scene. He has since received numerous awards, including the MOJO #3 Jazz Album of the Year (2012), ‘Best Album’ in the Parliamentary Awards 2011, and ‘Best Instrumentalist' in the 2010 London Jazz Awards.
The performance for the festival features one of Europe’s most admired double bass players, Malcolm Cleese, also a Cambridge graduate.
Partikel & Benet McLean
+ EM
Jazz@Johns, Fisher's Building, St John's College
Friday Nov. 20th 9:00pm
£6
"one of the hottest young bands on the UK scene”.
Jazzwise Magazine.
Partikel have forged a reputation as one of the most forward looking groups to emerge on the European jazz scene and their latest album String Theory sees them teaming up with a string quartet made up of four of the most in demand string players in the UK.
The music fuses their love of jazz, rock and world music creating a high energy set that merges a bewildering array of unique soundscapes
Hiatus Kaiyote
+ Remi
Cambridge Junction
Saturday Nov. 21st 7:00pm
£16
“Goddess alone knows what they’re going to be like after another five years.” ☆☆☆☆ The Guardian
The music of Australia’s ‘future soul’ four piece jazz funk, Grammy-nominated Hiatus Kaiyote strikes the perfect note merging poetry and polyrhythms. They have carved out their own ecosystem populated with songs, each embodying its own mini-cinematic sonic soundscape. With endorsements from Questlove, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip and Prince, this is a band not to be missed!
Dennis Rollins with the Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra
Mumford Theatre
Sunday Nov. 22nd 7:30pm
£15 / £12 students & children
British jazz trombonist, composer and bandleader, Dennis Rollins is well known on the British and international jazz scene and is celebrated for his versatility and muscular approach to playing the trombone.
As a special 'one-off', Dennis Rollins will be performing with Cambridge's premiere Big Band, The Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra, CUJO. They have worked with musicians such as Liane Carroll, Ian Shaw, Steve Waterman, Gareth Lockrane, Stan Sulzmann and Laurence Cottle.
Dennis will also be leading a big band workshop at the festival.
Sara Mitra Quartet
La Raza
Monday Nov. 23rd 8:00pm
£5
A Time Out ‘Critics Choice’ live act, Sara Mitra’s music forges an original, alternative sound at the junction of folk, jazz and country blues.
“Just phenomenal Emotional/vocal strength, energy, joy and a dream-band” Sebastian Scotney, London Jazz News.
Her music has already garnered significant airplay across the jazz/soul/alternative network, featuring on Jamie Cullum for BBC Radio 2, Gilles Peterson’s BBC Radio 6 Music show and Dom Servini’s award-winning Wah Wah 45’s monthly broadcast.
Stan Sulzmann & Nikki Iles
Caius Jazz, Gonville & Caius College
Monday Nov. 23rd 8:00pm
£8 / £6 students
Despite a long-standing musical friendship and frequent collaborations, it has been almost 20 years since Stan Sulzmannand Nikki Iles recorded their first album 'Treasure Trove' together.
Their new offering, 'Stardust', celebrates a shared love of songs, as well as featuring an original composition from each, and is due to be released on Jellymould in late 2015. They will be performing at the Festival as a duo and quartet.
‘This intimate recording is a rare chance to hear two of the UK’s most respected jazz musicians playing tunes they love. Jellymould is proud to be releasing this beautiful record.’Dom Sales, Jellymould Jazz.
Valia Calda
+ Churchill Jazz Band
Music Centre, Churchill College
Tuesday Nov. 23rd 7:00pm
£5
Valia Calda is a project founded in London by brothers Thodoris & Nikos Ziarkas. A project that fulfills their shared passion for composing and performing music that is inspired by the Greek Folk tradi5on, whilst drawing influences from a vast variety of styles.
The diversity of rhythmic language, improvisations, and sounds that is brought into compositions, alongside with experimental arrangements of Greek folk tunes merges the group’s material. Each member embraces the material with a unique approach and creativity exploring new sonic possibilities and always expanding the group’s musical boundaries.
Karen Sharp & Nikki Iles
Hidden Rooms
Wednesday Nov. 25th 6:00 - 8:00pm
Free Entry (£5 audience donation encouraged)
Before her duo performance with Nikki Iles, Karen Sharp will be discussing her experience as a world-class jazz player, and how this has fed into her recent qualification from ARU in her career as a Music Therapist.
"....an extraordinary talent." Phil Collins, BBC Radio 2
“Iles is one of the most refreshing and promising figures to have emerged in the UK in recent times”,
The Guardian.
Resolution 88 & special guest
La Raza
Wednesday Nov. 25th 9:00 - 11:00pm, DJ until 1:00 am
£10
Fender Rhodes driven original raw funk, Headhunters inspired, modern broken beat & hip-hop.
“Wow. Soulful music, played with passion and incredible skill. This harkens to the best funk-jazz of the sixties and seventies and takes it to a new level. Think Headhunters for the new millennium.”
Bob Power (The Roots, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo...), New York 2013
“..they’ve come out of nowhere at the last minute! There’s absolutely no-one around at all like these guys at the moment!” Craig Charles, BBC Radio 6
Dan Forshaw & Frank Griffith
Hidden Rooms
Thursday Nov. 26th 7:00 - 10:30pm
£15 / £12 students
Two charismatic sax players, Dan Forshaw and Frank Griffith ramp it up for a hard blowing evening following in the great ‘two tenor’ tradition of Rollins/ Stitt, Coltrane / MoblyGriff/Lockjaw, Stitt/Ammons and Hayes/Scott.
Hang on to your seats, hats, coats and everything else for a blast of an evening! Hipster jazz at its coolest!
Frank will also be giving a Junior Big Band Workshop on Saturday Nov. 21st.
Gilad Atzmon & The Orient Ensemble
Hot Numbers Coffee
Thursday Nov. 25th 8:00 - 10:30pm
Free Entry (£5 audience donation encouraged)
British author and jazz multi-instrumentalist Gilad Atzmon trained at the Rubin Academy of Music, Jerusalem and plays saxophones, clarinet and ethnic woodwind instruments.
His album Exile was the BBC jazz album of the year in 2003 and he was described by John Lewis at the Guardian as the “hardest-gigging man in British jazz.”
RipRap
The Mumford Theatre
Friday Nov. 27th 1:00 - 2:00pm
FREE
RipRap explores some less common modes of composing and open-ended improvisation, working with spoken word in the form of readings with contemporary poets.
Encompassing the freedom that typified the early period of the original Beats, they take their inspiration from the Beat Poets, with their freewheeling lateral association.
"Listening to Riprap is to discover that things are more than they are, and they give more than they have."
Malcolm Guite, Poet
The London Vocal Project
Great St Mary's Church
Saturday Nov. 28th 4:00 - 6:00pm
£8 / £5 students & children
Directed by Pete Churchill, the LVP is one of the UK’s leading contemporary vocal ensembles, specialising in jazz and groove-based harmonies.
'Rooted in the gospel tradition, this is an outfit with exceptional potential - the hushed harmonizing was a delight... more please!' The Times
Sing with the choir and be part of the performance by attending the workshop earlier in the day £20 (includes concert ticket).
Julian Joseph
The Mumford Theatre
Saturday Nov. 28th 7:30 - 9:30pm
£10 / £7.50 concessions / £5 ARU students
Hailed as one of the finest pianists to emerge this side of the Atlantic, for over two decades, composer, band leader and broadcaster, Julian Joseph has been a towering figure in contemporary jazz. A prodigious composer and arranger, an admired and respected bandleader, an inspirational collaborator and educator, and a highly knowledgeable and engaging broadcaster he is, essentially, a true champion of the music. Julian and his Trio will also be leading a masterclass at the festival.
Tara Minton Quintet
+ Alex Hitchcock & Alex Veitch Quartet
Clare Jazz, Clare College Cellars
Saturday Nov. 27th 1:00 - 2:00pm
£5
The music of Australian harpist, singer and songwriter Tara Minton is the divine combination of folk and jazz, soulful vocals and engaging story telling.
"I recommend her highly, to everyone interested in an artist whose musical expression is equalled only by her warmth and integrity." - Jakez Francois (Director, Camac Harps)
Tara will also be leading a harp workshop earlier in the day with Camac Harps (FREE: 14:00-17:00). The first half will be about getting started on the harp; and then on exploring composition and song writing. For workshop bookings please contact Telnau Vining: info@camacharps.co.uk
Tom Green Septet
+ Dave Gelly (FREE talk)
Hidden Rooms
Sunday Nov. 29th 6:00 - 9:00pm
£15 / £12 students
Cambridge-born trombonist, composer and arranger, Tom Green, who won the 2013 Dankworth Prize for Composition, fronts this strong and assured septet of young musicians.
They recently released their debut album, ‘Skyline’ earlier this year with all original composi5ons and mighty impressive reviews - his reputa5on is fast growing as one of the UK’s brilliant young musicians.
"A kaleidoscope of harmony that is not only phenomenally skillful, but absorbing and endlessly entertaining, too”
Dave Gelly, Observer, ☆☆☆☆
Prior to the performance Gelly will discuss the tradition of "little" big band jazz, as typified by Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool sessions, and how this has informed the compositional style of the young up-and-coming composer-arranger Tom Green.
The Brass Funkeys
La Raza
Sunday Nov. 29th 9:30 - 11:30pm
£7
Come and celebrate with us at the final event of the Festival, with the hugely original and entertaining Brass Funkeys, a 9-piece band boasting a set up of Sousaphone, Trombones, Trumpets, Saxophones and Percussion, and playing everything from New Orleans to Hip Hop.
Technically gifted and great fun, they are sure to get the party going as we draw the Cambridge Jazz Festival to a riotous close!
Reggae, hip hop, gypsy, swing and Latin influences are exposed in an eclectic live show revealing a band bursting at the seams with ideas and infectious energy.
“Wow, these guys were fantastic, hugely entertaining and creative”
Chris Gilvear, JazzFM, Nov ‘14
Glass of prosecco & canapés on arrival. Special Offer on Cocktails £4.50 & Beer £2.50.