1st October 2024

ADAM GLASSER QUARTET

Adam Glasser: Piano/Harmonica
Ant Law: Guitar
Steve Watts: Bass
Corrie Dick: Drums

Adam Glasser is widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading jazz chromatic harmonica players. A virtuoso on the instrument Adam’s playing is eloquent, subtle and constantly inventive (he is a fine pianist as well). Renowned as a leading exponent of South African township jazz, of which there will be a lot in this session, he has released two critically acclaimed albums on US Sunnyside Records, ‘Free at First’ (Winner SA Music Awards Best Jazz Album 2010) and ‘Mzansi’ (SAMA Best Jazz Album nominee 2012).
Across a rich career spanning over four decades, Adam includes performances with South African legend Dudu Pukwana, Martha Reeves and Vandellas, Jimmy Witherspoon, Incognito and Hugh Masakela. He has twice stood in for the incomparable Stevie Wonder, once live on TV with Sting and once with The Eurythmics at the Party in the Park.
Adam’s latest quartet features cutting edge members of the contemporary UK jazz scene, guitar virtuoso Ant Law (a ‘gamechanger’, Guardian), bassist Steve Watts and drummer Corrie Dick. Should be an amazing evening.

3rd September 2024

REBECKA EDLUND’S VIRGIN
FOREST BAND

Rebecka Edlund: Vocals and 12 string guitar
Laura Jurd: Trumpet
Elliot Galvin: Piano
Caius Williams: Bass

Rebecka Edlund is an award-winning Swedish singer, lyricist and composer. Her music is a joyous mix of jazz and Scandinavian folk music, herding calls, bird whistles and other sounds from nature, exploring freely improvised storytelling and contemporary song writing.
Her debut performance at Jazz Hastings last year with drummer Corrie Dick’s Sun Swells project wowed the audience. This new session will explore the sound world of jazz and feisty folk music through original compositions, improvisations and favourites from the American Song Book. Rebecka’s band features some of the most exciting musicians on the UK scene. Laura Jurd’s distinct voice as an improvising trumpet player is at the heart of everything she creates. Her band Dinosaur was recently nominated for a Mercury prize.
Elliot Galvin is a composer, pianist and bandleader whose entirely improvised solo piano album was named The BBC Music Magazine’s album of the year. While Caius Williams is an improviser, bassist, and composer with a varied practice including improvised, electronic and experimental music.

6th August 2024

ROD YOUNGS QUARTET

Rod Youngs: Drums
Tony Kofi: Alto Saxophone
Byron Wallen: Trumpet
Renato Paris: Piano/vocals
Larry Bartley: Bass

London-based drummer Rod Youngs’ approach to music is intuitive, emotional and all-embracing but soundly rooted in the jazz tradition. He moves seamlessly from one genre to another, always preserving stylistic conventions whilst injecting creativity and individuality. A native of Washington DC, Rod developed an interest in music from his father, who managed some of DC’s foremost R&B bands. He developed a life-long obsession with drums and percussion. Since those early years, Rod’s consummate musicianship has brought him a wide variety of work including concerts, numerous recordings and sessions for radio, TV and film. He has become the drummer of choice for a formidable array of artists including Gil Scott-Heron, Courtney Pine, Hugh Masakela, Natalie Cole, Mica Paris and Abdullah Ibrahim. This session will celebrate the music of legendary American drummer Max Roach, who was born 100 years ago this year. For this special evening Rod has brought together some of the UK’s leading jazz artists: Tony Kofi on Alto Sax, Byron Wallen on trumpet, Renato Paris on drums and vocals and Larry Bartley on Bass.

2nd July 2024

TRISTAN BANKS QUARTET

Tristan Banks: Drums
Paul Booth: Saxophones
John Crawford: Piano
Davide Mantovani: Bass

Tristan Banks has built a reputation as a knowledgeable, versatile and authentic world-class drummer and percussionist throughout his 30-year career as a recording artist and session musician. He has worked with many Grammy-award winning and platinum selling artists from a wide range of genres, among them Steve Winwood, David Gilmour, Brian May, Van Morrison, Ronnie Wood and Beverley Knight. As a touring artist he has performed in many of the world’s top venues including Royal Festival Hall, Central Park (NYC), Royal Albert Hall, Joe’s Pub (NYC), Queen Elizabeth Hall, Hammersmith Odeon and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, And he has appeared at festivals such as Reading, WOMAD and Glastonbury. Early last year Tristan brought three of his long-standing musical friends together to form his quartet and record their highly acclaimed album View From Above (‘A triumphant piece of work” Blues and Soul Magazine).
Mixing influences from the jazz, Latin jazz and fusion idioms, the music is a unique combination of high-octane virtuosic performance and sublimely melodic composition.

4th June 2024

LIANE CARROL TRIO

Liane Carrol: Piano and Vocals
Roger Carey: Bass
Russell Field: Drums

Liane has been a pillar of the British jazz scene for over 35 years. While we like to think of her as one of Hastings own, she also has a huge national and international reputation.

She has collaborated with such diverse artists as Paul McCartney, Gerry Rafferty, Long John Baldry, Ian Shaw, Claire Martin and drum and bass outfit London Elektricity, with whom she appeared at Glastonbury in 2017.

As a recording artists Liane has gained much critical acclaim. Her five most recent albums have all earned a four-star review in the Guardian. ‘Seaside’, her homage to her life by the coast, won the coveted British Jazz Award for Best New CD in 2015.For this session she’ll be joined by the two regular members of her trio, both very well known to the local jazz audience: husband Roger Carey on bass and Russell Field on drums.

7th May 2024

ELAINE DELMAR QUINTET featuring JIM MULLEN

Elaine Delmar: Vocals
Jim Mullen: Guitar
Barry Green: Piano
Bobby Worth: Drums
Simon Thorpe: Bass

Elaine Delmar is widely recognised as a “Grand Dame’ among British female jazz singers. She was raised in a strong musical environment. Her father was the renowned trumpeter Leslie ‘Jiver’ Hutchinson, a leading influence in the jazz and dance band movement in Britain from the 1930s onwards. After initially learning classical piano, she followed a natural progression towards singing and became a vocalist in her father’s own band at sixteen.
Her stellar recording career has spanned some 60 years. She’s equally at home in the concert hall – she appeared with Andy Williams at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester and Michel Legrand and the LSO at the Royal Albert Hall – and in smaller venues. She makes regular and very popular appearances at Ronnie Scott’s.
Elaine has also had a successful career as an actress on the London stage and on Broadway, receiving critical acclaim for her role in Map Of The World at the National Theatre.
For this event, she’ll be supported by guitar legend Jim Mullen, a major figure on the UK scene in his own right.

9th April 2024

JOHN LAW’S RE-CREATIONS

John Law: Piano
Sam Crockatt: Saxophone
Henrick Jensen: Bass
Alex Goodyear: Drums

A classical piano child prodigy – he gave his first performance at the age of six – John Law won an open scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music. But despite being mentored by the great classical pianist Alfred Brendel, he decided at the age of 23 to switch to jazz.  Since then, through appearances at concert halls and festivals all over the world, John has established himself as one of Europe’s leading jazz pianist/composers, often returning to explore his classical roots.
He started Re-Creations in 2016, as a counterfoil to his original compositions. It began as a fun project, playing lots of different tunes from different genres. But gradually the arrangements became more complex and interesting, while remaining accessible because the audience generally know the tunes.
The quartet’s repertoire includes jazz classics from the likes of Monk, Miles Davis and Gershwin and pop/rock tunes (Pink Floyd, Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Radiohead). More recently classical pieces started appearing such as the Kyrie from Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Debussy’s Claire De Lune and Satie’s Gymnopédie. A true musical feast.

6th March 2024

JERRY BERGONZI QUARTET

Jerry Bergonzi: Saxophone
Will Barry: Piano
Mark Hodgson: Bass
Stephen Keogh: Drums

He’s becoming a regular fixture! After two triumphant Jazz Hastings appearances in the last two years, the legendary American saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi is back once again by popular demand. Jerry Bergonzi gained worldwide recognition while playing with the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet. Bergonzi’s complex, assertive tenor saxophone improvisations brought a more contemporary element into Brubeck’s established style.
Between 1973 and 1981, Bergonzi recorded nine albums with Brubeck. He has also performed and recorded with other major stars such as Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Dave Holland, Gerry Mulligan, Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes and many more.
Bergonzi is renowned for his innovation, mastery and integrity. In an endless series of rave reviews, he is credited for his relentless drive, inner fire, total command, awesome technique, elastic lyricism, rich resonance and musical vision.
As with Dick Oatts earlier in the year, Bergonzi will be appearing with established UK jazz musicians Will Barry on piano, Mark Hodgson on bass and Stephen Keogh on drums.

6th February 2024

ROBERT MITCHELL ‘TRUE THINK’

Robert Mitchell: Piano
Liselotte Östblom: Vocals
Zayn Mohammed: Guitar
Tom Mason: Bass/Keyboard
Saleel Raman: Drums

Robert Mitchell is an award-winning pianist, composer, bandleader and published poet who has built a formidable reputation for working across creative genres. Over his 30 plus year career, he has released 12 albums of his own, participated in over 100 projects as a sideman and has performed in 40 countries. He has worked with an extraordinarily wide range of jazz artists, including opening for Wayne Shorter at the Brighton Dome and Branford Marsalis at the Barbican.
He always has a range of projects on the go. For this session he’ll be appearing with his new electronic/song ensemble TRUE THINK (Truth inc / Truth Ink). They gave an amazing performance last year at the Battle Festival which brought the house down.
They’ll be performing music from their new double album Hold The Light / The New Resistance, featuring powerful songs of protest, love and peace. They blend electronic, jazz, RnB, spoken word, film and folk influences together to create a unique sound. Not to be missed.

23rd January 2024

RICK MARGITZA QUARTET

Rick Margitza: Saxophones
Will Barry: Piano
Stephen Keogh: Drums
Mark Hodgson: Bass

Rick Margitza has made his name as one of the great Jazz saxophonists of the present day. After having spent time in living in New Orleans, where he got his degree, Margitza moved to New York in 1989 and very quickly found himself performing and/or recording with some of the greatest names in Jazz including McCoy Tyner, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams, Eddie Gomez, Chick Corea, Maria Schneider, Dave Douglas and in the band of Miles Davis. He has led his own groups in performances in the most prestigious clubs, concert halls and festivals all over the world. His 10 albums as a leader document the evolution of his playing as well as his growth as a composer. Margitza has composed works for symphony orchestra, including two symphonies and a saxophone concerto.

He studied classical saxophone with Donald Sinta at the university of Michigan, and jazz with Sonny Stitt, Gerry Niewood, Michael Brecker, Gary Campbell and David Liebman. He moved to Paris in 2003 where he continues to reside. He is of Eastern European Gypsy decent, and is part of the new band called Gypsy Tenors with fellow countrymen Gabor Bolla and Tony Lakatos. He is also in the process of finishing an album of his big band music as well as a new recording with his French quartet. For his Hastings engagement a potent and creative rhythm section joins him with Will Barry on piano, Mark Hodgson on bass and Stephen Keogh on drums.

12th December 2023

DARIUS BRUBECK QUARTET

Darius Brubeck: Piano
Dave O’Higgins: Saxophone
Matt Ridley: Bass
Wesley Gibbens: Drums

We are talking jazz royalty here. Like his legendary father Dave, Darius Brubeck is a renowned pianist. But has also enjoyed a lifetime of varied international experience as band leader, composer, teacher and broadcaster. Born in San Francisco, in the ‘70s and early ‘80s Darius led his own groups and toured with his father and two brothers Chris and Dan. In 1983 he moved to South Africa where he became Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and played and toured with some of the country’s leading musicians. In 2006 he moved to the UK where he founded the Darius Brubeck Quartet, which over 16 years has become a hugely successful and popular group in the UK and beyond.
On saxophone will be Dave O’Higgins, who has released more than 20 albums as leader and played with the likes of Jimmy Smith, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra. Bass player Matt Ridley, last seen at Jazz Hastings in April, has been a core member of the Quartet since its inception, as has drummer Wesley Gibbens.

7th November 2023

PIGFOOT PLAYS ELLINGTON

Chris Batchelor: Trumpet
James Allsopp: Baritone Sax
Liam Noble: Piano
Paul Clarvis: Drums

Pigfoot was formed by Chris Batchelor in 2013 to play classic 1920’s New Orleans material, spontaneously re-invented through the band’s wild musicality and wry humour.

Their inquisitive exploration of repertoire then led them further afield, through a series of gigs entitled Pigfoot Play… Here they extended in all directions, with sets dedicated to Opera, Motown, Elvis, Bacharach and the hits of 1972. Now they present a new programme: Pigfoot Play Ellington, an imaginative reworking of a range of Duke Ellington’s iconic compositions, from the early Cotton Club blues material to Swing hits and through to the exotica that was inspired by Ellington’s extensive travels.

The members of Pigfoot are all devotees of the Ellington sound – the muted rasp of trumpeter Cootie Williams, the poised grace of Harry Carney’s baritone, the dense crunch of Duke’s piano voicings and the buoyant bounce of drummer Sonny Greer are all reflected in the engaging and individual approaches of Chris Batchelor, James Allsopp, Liam Noble and Paul Clarvis.

3rd October 2023

IVO NEAME QUARTET

Ivo Neame: Piano
George Crowley: Tenor sax
Tom Farmer: Bass
James Maddren: Drums

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, Ivo Neame is one of an elite handful of conservatory-educated British jazz musician/composers who are redefining the sound of British jazz.

Previously a featured member of the 2011 MOBO-Award winners Kairos 4tet, as well as Phronesis (whose 2010 album “Alive” was recognized by both Jazzwise and MOJO magazines as “Album of the Year”), Ivo is a multi-instrumentalist possessing an enviable technical facility on both saxophone and piano as well as a distinctive style, characterized by a rhythmic complexity that is pensively meandering one moment and dazzling with exhilarating bursts of speed the next.

As a composer, to quote the Guardian, he has a ‘knack for spry and surprising postbop writing’ and building upon that reputation, his latest album “Glimpses of Truth” was nominated for a 2021 Ivors Award for jazz composition, receiving glowing reviews.

For this session, Ivo will be joined by three of the most highly-regarded musicians on the UK jazz scene: George Crowley on tenor sax, Tom Farmer on bass & James Maddren on drums. Music of the finest quality.

12th September 2023

CORRIE DICK’S SUN SWELLS

Corrie Dick: Drums
Alice Zawadzki: Vocals/Fiddle
Laura Jurd: Trumpet
Rob Luft: Guitar
Elliot Galvin: Piano
Tom McCredie: Bass

At the rhythmic epicentre of a new era of innovative British jazz, Corrie Dick is a musician and composer specialising in euphoric, sonically inventive drumming.

As a multi-instrumentalist who has recorded on piano, vocals, synth, guitar and trumpet, Corrie’s writing is uniquely colourful and his playing shaped by many perspectives. The new album Sun Swells showcases all of this. It embraces the eclectic whims of a child of the iPod shuffle generation – finding cohesion among disparate elements. Corrie is an original, open-minded, questing talent who is expanding the parameters of what it means to be a drummer.

His band for this evening features some of the most exciting young names in British jazz. Trumpeter Laura Judd has an ever growing reputation and already has 8 albums to her name. And multi award-wining guitarist Rob Luft was recently selected as BBC New Generation Jazz Artist 2019-2022.
This will be an evening of revelatory music.

18th July 2023

DEEPAK RAM

Deepak Ram: Flutes
Andy Panayi: Flutes
Rowland Sutherland: Flutes
Gareth Lochrane: Flutes
Terry Pack: Bass

A second July session (there will be no Jazz Hastings in August) and a very unusual one at that featuring mainly flutes.

Deepak Ram is a Bansuri musician who has toured all over the world receiving many Awards. His knowledge of both Indian and Western traditions is evident in his compositions which range from pieces for jazz groups, Western flute quartets and orchestral works
The evening will consist of a collaboration with other well-known musicians and educators on jazz standards, as well as Deepak’s original compositions. Andy Panayi, Professor at The Royal College of Music, plays all the flutes. He has performed with many artists including Wynton Marsalis, Abdullah Ibrahim and Paul McCartney. Rowland Sutherland is a well-known classical Flautist as well as Professor at Guildhall and Trinity colleges in London. He has performed with amongst others, Carla Bley and Courtney Pine. Multi award-winning Gareth Lochrane is a highly regarded DownBeat poll winning jazz musician and teacher who plays all the flutes and runs his own big band. This will be a Jazz Hastings like no other!

4th July 2023

NIKKI YEOH’S INFINITUM featuring MARK & MIKE MONDESIR

Nikki Yeoh: Piano
Mike Mondesir: Bass
Mark Mondesir: Drums

Nikki Yeoh is a pianist and composer renowned for her innovative, genre-defying approach to music. She has collaborated with a diverse range of artists and was the Musical Director for the 2022 BBC Young Jazz Musician and continues to be an educator as well as performer.

Her long-standing project, Nikki Yeoh’s Infinitum, continues to push boundaries and explore new sonic territories. It features brothers Mark and Mike Mondesir, who between them have played with some of the biggest names in jazz. Incorporating elements of jazz, classical music, and electronica, Nikki’s music is both sophisticated and accessible, full of surprises and unexpected turns.

John L Walters in The Guardian summed it up beautifully: “Yeoh’s numbers are like extended suites, miniature concertos, and all three musicians have committed to memory the complex figures, changing time signatures and unpredictable structures. Yeoh’s compositions are at times reminiscent of Wayne Shorter’s, pushing the limits of colour and technique within small-group jazz. Sometimes the trio format seems too limited for her writing, yet a larger band might lose the intimacy she favours.”

2nd May 2023

NORMA WINSTONE QUARTET

Norma Winstone: Vocals
Nikki Iles: Piano
Dave Green: Bass
Stan Sulzmann: Saxes

Norma Winstone is the doyenne of UK jazz singers, with a career that has spanned more than 50 years. Although she was known initially for evolving her own wordless approach to improvisation, her extraordinary versatility means she is equally at home with the standards repertoire, performing with small groups, orchestras and big bands on both sides of the Atlantic. In recent years she has also become known as a very fine lyricist.
Over her career she has won a plethora of awards, most recently the Parliamentary Jazz Award for services to jazz and the Jazz FM Lifetime Achievement Award.
For this session, she’ll be joined by the brilliant pianist Nikki Iles, who combines a frantic performing schedule with teaching at the Royal Academy of Music and Middlesex University. And by veteran bassist Dave Green, who over the years has played with such giants as Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Zoot Sims, Sonny Rollins and Roland Kirk. The quartet is completed by renowned saxophonist Stan Sulzmann. This is rare vintage jazz.

4th April 2023

MATT RIDLEY ‘The Antidote’

Matt Ridley: Double bass / guitar
Alex Hitchcock: Saxophone
Ant Law: Guitar
Tom Hewson: Piano
Marc Michel: Drums

Matt Ridley’s musical journey began on piano aged 6, moved to bass guitar in his mid-teens and to double bass when he was at Trinity College of Music, where he won the ‘Friends in New York’ award.
He has performed internationally and at many of London’s most celebrated venues; the Purcell Room, Cadogan Hall, Ronnie Scott’s, King’s Place, the Barbican, the Union Chapel and the Brixton Academy. In 2019 Matt formed a new band, a quintet called The Antidote. Their repertoire bridges the divide between contemporary jazz, classical music and progressive rock. Their eponymous album was released in 2021 to rave reviews. The CD was nominated for Best Album in the 2022 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
The band features game-changing guitarist Ant Law and brilliant saxophonist and composer Alex Hitchcock, both luminaries of the young, cutting edge UK scene. Their collaborative album ‘Same Moon in the Same World’ was released in November 2022. They are joined for this session by Tom Hewson on piano and Marc Michel on drums.

14th March 2023

XHOSA COLE QUARTET

Xhosa Cole: Tenor sax
Steve Saunders: Guitar
Josh Vadiveloo: Double bass
Nathan England Jones: Drums
Liberty Styles: Tapdance

Having recently featured as the cover star of a Guardian article about the six brilliant young musicians who are transforming the UK Jazz scene, Xhosa Cole makes a welcome return to Jazz Hastings, this time with a brand new ensemble ‘Rhythm-a-ting’ exploring the compositions of Thelonious Monk. Energetic, filled with humour and reconnecting Jazz music and tap-dance via New York dancer Liberty Styles, it’s perfect for a live setting.

Xhosa was the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician and in 2020 received the Parliamentary Jazz Award for ‘Best Newcomer’ and was named as Jazz FM’s ‘Breakthrough Act of the Year’. He has performed twice at the BBC Proms. Brought up in inner city Handsworth, Xhosa is an embodiment of the success of numerous community arts programmes in Birmingham including the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra, Jazzlines Ensemble and Birmingham Music Service. He has now expanded his career to include recording – his debut album K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us was critically acclaimed – and composing. He has developed a fiercely unique and independent voice.

7th February 2023

JERRY BERGONZI QUARTET featuring Jason Rebello

Jerry Bergonzi: Saxophone
Jason Rebello: Piano
Mark Hodgson: Bass
Stephen Keogh: Drums

He’s back! A year after his triumphant Jazz Hastings debut last February, the legendary American saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi has agreed to grace us with his presence once again. And this time he’ll be playing with one of the biggest stars of the UK jazz scene (and recent Jazz Hastings guest), pianist Jason Rebello.

Jerry gained worldwide recognition while playing with two generations of Brubeck bands. He is renowned for his innovation, mastery and integrity, as a performer, composer, author and educator. Among the artists he has performed and recorded with are Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Dave Holland, Gerry Mulligan, Jack DeJonette, Roy Haynes and many more. Jason Rebello spent twelve years touring the world, first with Sting and then with Jeff Beck. He is now concentrating on being a solo jazz artist. His recent album ‘Held’ won best new CD in the British Jazz Awards.

8th January 2023

freight train

Cathy Jordan: Singer / Multi instrumentalist
Liam Noble: Piano
Paul Clarvis: Drums

This unique musical collaboration between this major star of Irish music and two of the most sought after UK jazz musicians grew out of lockdown commission to create a new big sound from small resources. The three have now recorded their unique set of tunes and embarked on a nationwide tour.   Roscommon-born Cathy Jordan has been the lead singer with the tradional Irish band Dervish since 1991, performing thousands of concerts in 40 different countries and recording 16 albums. She has been described by the BBC as ‘an icon of Irish music’.
Liam Noble and Paul Clarvis met playing and touring in Moondog’s band in New York. Liam was the regular pianists with Stan Sulzmann while working in many other leading bands. Paul has played drums with some of the world’s best composers and performers from Sir Harrison Birtwistle and John Adams to Stevie Wonder and Mick Jagger. He was Leonard Bernstein’s preferred percussionist in London and is now the regular percussion player on Strictly Come Dancing. A unique and exhilarating trio.

6th December 2022

EMMA RAWICZ QUARTET

Emma Rawicz: Saxes/Flute
Ivo Neame: Keyboard
David Preston: Guitar
Asaf Sirkis: Drums
Freddie Jensen: Bass

Emma Rawicz is an award winning young saxophonist and composer currently making waves on the UK music scene. She has been described as ‘a force to be reckoned with’ (Jazzwise) and ‘a fast rising star’ (London Jazz News). At the age of 20, she has already recorded her eagerly awaited debut album made up entirely of her original compositions.
Growing up in rural North Devon, Emma didn’t discover jazz until the age of 15, and didn’t pick up a tenor saxophone until a year later. She had spent her childhood immersed in music but it was largely folk and classical. In the space of just 5 years, she has gone from novice saxophonist to one of the most exciting new young emerging artists on the UK jazz scene.
Emma is a natural performer. Her music has a unique sound fusing all her many influences, and her compositions range from hypnotic Afro-Cuban inspired grooves to hard hitting modern jazz and funk numbers.
Her all-star band features the great Asaf Sirkis on drums, the equally talented Ivo Neame on keyboard and Ant Law on guitar.

1st December 2022

SPECIAL BENEFIT GIG FOR JASON YARDE

Jason Yarde has enjoyed an international career both as a saxophonist and composer. He has worked with some of the great names in jazz including McCoy Tyner (John Coltrane’s long-standing pianist), Andrew Hill and Jack DeJohnette.

His flugelhorn concerto All Souls Seek Joy was premiered by Hugh Masekela and the London Symphony Orchestra in 2007 and his BBC Proms compositional debut, Rhythm and Other Fascinations for piano trio and the BBC Concert Orchestra, won the inaugural BASCA award for contemporary Jazz Composition in 2009.

More recently he has been a founding member of the highly-acclaimed Hastings-based band Hexagonal. This high energy sextet, with African and Jazz influences, was formed in late 2016 to perform the music of two titans of Jazz – Bheki Mseleku and McCoy Tyner.

Since the bands inception it has released its critically praised debut album McCoy and Mseleku and has played to enthusiastic audiences at club and festival appearances, including Love Supreme, Scarborough, and Herts festivals as well as concert recordings for BBC Radio 3’s Jazz Now and in session for Radio 3’s J-Z.

This special benefit session will feature a wide range of well-known musicians who make Hastings such a Mecca for jazz lovers. They will include much-loved singer and local and national treasure Lianne Carroll and her husband, bass-player Roger Carey, just back from a six-week tour with Steeleye Span. Legendary poet and singer Pete Brown will also be there.

Also playing will be Jason’s fellow Hexagonal members pianist John Donaldson, saxophonist and flautist Greg Heath and bass-player Simon Thorpe. They’ll be joined by singer Chantelle Duncan, trumpeter Robbie Robson, saxophonist Rob Leake and drummer Nick Smalley. More musicians are yet to be confirmed.

8th November 2022

GREG ABATE

Greg Abate: Saxophone
John Pearce: Piano
Simon Thorpe: Bass
Alfonso Al Vitale: Drums

American based saxophonist, flautist and composer, Greg Abate, has been a feature of the world jazz scene for 50 years and still spends 225 days a year touring the world. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1971, he spent two years playing alto sax in the Ray Charles band. In the 1980s, he was hired to play tenor sax in the revived Artie Shaw band.
In his international solo career since then, he has recorded 17 acclaimed albums as leader. He is also Professor of Jazz Studies at Rhode Island College. His undying commitment to music, combined with his swinging intensity and ever-present jazz aesthetic has earned him a title he is well deserving of: the Prince of Bebop.
For this session, he’ll be playing with the John Pearce, one of the best kept secrets of the jazz world. He is the pianist of choice for many great visiting players such as Scott Hamilton and has accompanied many great singers such as Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee, Elaine Delmar and Annie Ross. With them will be great young drum talent Alfonso Al Vitale and old friend Simon Thorpe on bass.

4th October 2022

HENRY LOWTHER’S STILL WATERS

Henry Lowther: Trumpet
Pete Hurt: Saxophone
Barry Green: Piano
Dave Green: Bass
Paul Clavis: Drums

Henry Lowther formed Still Waters in 1996 along with his friend of 40 years, bassist Dave Green. It is now one of the most accomplished and creative bands around, playing radical and original music, ranging from gentle, quietly pastoral and melodic compositions, reflecting the band’s name, through to dynamic improvisation.
In the sixties Henry worked on the rock scene with Manfred Mann and John Mayall, and also with Keef Hartley, with whom he appeared at the legendary Woodstock festival in 1969. Around the same time he joined the John Dankworth Orchestra, an association that was to last 45 years.
His musical breadth is confirmed by his frequent appearances as a classical player with major symphony orchestras and ensembles. As a session musician he has recorded with Bing Crosby, George Harrison, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Sir Simon Rattle and Nelson Riddle.
This evening will be part of his 80th birthday tour.

13th September 2022

JASON REBELLO TRIO

Jason Rebello: Piano
Orlando le Fleming: Bass
Jeremy Stacey: Drums

By the time he was 24 in 1993, Jason Rebello already had three critically acclaimed albums under his belt, which led one critic to declare “In terms of sheer ability and potential, Jason is probably the finest young jazz musician this country has produced”. In 1998, Jason became Sting’s keyboard player, touring the world and recording with Sting’s band for six years. Through an introduction from Sting, he then met guitar legend Jeff Beck, who was looking for a new keyboard player. Jason spent the next six years touring and recording with Beck’s band, while still finding time to work with artists such as Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Pee Wee Ellis, Joss Stone and Madeleine Peyroux.
In 2013, Jason decided he wanted to re-establish himself as a solo jazz artist, He has since released two albums, the most recent of which, ‘Held’, won best new CD in the British Jazz Awards.
Orlando Le Fleming has recently returned to the UK after two decades playing in the USA working with great musicians there including Branford Marsalis, Joey Calderazzo, Billy Cobham and Kurt Rosenwinkel. Jeremy Stacey is one of the go to session drummers with credits of a stream of top artists in rock and jazz.

2nd August 2022

TRYPL

Trevor Mires: Trombone
Ryan Quigley: Trumpet
Paul Booth: Saxophone/Flute
Roland Perrin: Piano
Davide Mantovani: Bass
Dave Patman: Percussion
Tristan Banks: Drums

TRYPL are a horn section trio comprising Trevor Mires, Ryan Quigley and Paul Booth (get it?) who have worked together many times on recordings and gigs. And individually they have all had amazing careers.
Trevor was a member of Jamiroquai, has recorded with Pat Metheney and Radiohead and performed with Alicia Keys and Beyonce. Ryan has worked with Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick Jr, George Michael, Gregory Porter, Michael Bublé and Robbie Williams, as well as many classical orchestras. Paul has toured, performed and recorded around the world with The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Steely Dan, Carlos Santana, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers Band and Barry Manilow. Together, they have toured and recorded with many great salsa, boogaloo and merengue bands. It was from this, and their love of latin jazz, that the fast paced, high Impact and groovy seed for TRYPL was born. Add a rhythm section and you have a high energy septet.

5th July 2022

GILAD ATZMON TRIO

Gilad Atzmon: Alto saxophone
Ross Stanley: Organ
Darren Beckett: Drums

Gilad Atzmon has been described by the Guardian as the “hardest-gigging man in British jazz”. He has toured extensively around the world as a powerhouse multi-instrumentalist: he plays saxophones, clarinet and ethnic woodwind instruments. Much influenced by both John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, Atzmon’s powerful playing style. Much influenced by both John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, Atzmon’s powerful playing style combines great bebop artistry with Middle-Eastern roots (he was born in Israel). His live performances have been described as “breathtaking and overwhelming”.
In 1998 he joined Ian Dury’s band The Blockheads and remained with them after Dury’s death. He has recorded with Robbie Williams, Sinead O’Connor, Robert Wyatt and Paul McCartney and is featured on Pink Floyd’s last album ‘The Endless River’.
His trio features two of the pre-eminent musicians on the scene today. Ross Stanley is first call organist in the UK and is the real deal playing Hammond B3 with Leslie speakers. On drums is the great Darren Beckett a veteran of twenty years playing with a who’s who on the New York scene “For sheer improvisational fireworks, quirky humour and genre-defyng invention,” wrote one critic, “one will be hard-pressed to find a bandleader as unique as Gilad Atzmon.”

7th June 2022

BYRON WALLEN’S 4 CORNERS PROJECT

Byron Wallen: Trumpet
Rob Luft: Guitar
Paul Michael: Bass
Rod Youngs: Drums

Widely recognised as a seminal figure in world jazz, trumpeter and composer Byron Wallen has travelled the world recording, teaching and performing alongside legendary musicians such as George Benson, Andrew Hill, Chaka Khan, Hugh Masekela and Courtney Pine.
Raised in a musical environment, Byron started learning his first instrument, the piano, at an early age. He then went on to study trumpet in London and New York. His work draws inspiration from contemporary jazz and indigenous African and Asian cultures. He’s joined tonight by Rob Luft, Paul Michael and great US drummer Rod Youngs, formerly with Gil Scott-Heron.
As a composer, he’s been commissioned by organisations as varied as the National Theatre, FIFA and Game of Thrones. His most recent album with tonight’s band Four Corners, Portrait: Reflections on Belonging, led to them being shortlisted for Jazz Ensemble of the Year in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2020.

3rd May 2022

ROB LUFT QUINTET

Rob Luft: Electric Guitar
Joe Wright: Tenor Saxophone
Joe Webb: Piano/Keyboard
Conor Chaplin: Bass
Corrie Dick: Drums

Rob Luft is an award-winning 26-year-old jazz guitarist and composer from London. From 2010 to 2015 he was a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra which led The Times to say he was destined “to achieve great things”. On graduation from the Royal College of Music, he was awarded the Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize. With his quintet he has already produced two highly acclaimed albums. He was nominated as ‘Instrumentalist of the Year’ in both the 2018 Parliamentary Jazz Awards and the 2019 Jazz FM Awards. In 2019 he was selected as a BBC New Generation Jazz Artist.
Rob is not bound by conformity, not restricted in technique – he’s a free-flowing, creative musician bursting with joy and natural warmth who’s producing music the way he hears it, with band members happy to interpret it.

5th April 2022

TRISH CLOWES and MY IRIS

Trish Clowes: Saxophone
Ross Stanley: Piano and Organ
Chris Montague: Guitar
James Maddren: Drums

Saxophonist and composer Trish Clowes has been described by John Fordham in The Guardian as “one of the most agile and original jugglers of improv and adventurous composition to have appeared in the UK in recent times”.
Clowes was a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist from 2012-14, during which time she as commissioned to write for the BBC Concert Orchestra, a piece that won her a British Composer Award in 2015. She has recorded a number of critically acclaimed albums, two of the most recent of which were with her band My Iris.
My Iris is an intense and thrilling band now at the front rank of the contemporary UK jazz scene. Clowes provides her bandmates with a unique platform for individual expression, delivering driving grooves and lingering melodic lines, seamlessly morphing between earthy restlessness and futuristic landscapes.

8th March 2022

BAFOTOYA featuring Jean Toussaint and Jason Yarde

Jean Toussaint: Saxophones
Jason Yarde: Saxophones Larry Bartley: Double bass
Shaney Forbes: Drums

This new quartet is made up of some of the UK’s most formidable jazz musicians and composers. Jean Toussaint spent four years as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers before moving to London in the late ‘80s to establish a reputation as a band leader, playing with British artists such as Courtney Pine, Julian Joseph and Jason Rebello.

Jason Yarde enjoys an international career both as a saxophonist and composer. He has worked with some of the biggest names in jazz including the great McCoy Tyner. Larry Bartley has become one of the most sought after bass players on the British jazz scene, while drummer and composer Shaney Forbes has built a huge reputation since he first emerged in 2001 at the age of 18. Together they produce an undeniably unique sound, respecting traditions while constantly seeking out new ground.

8th February 2022

JERRY BERGONZI QUARTET

Jerry Bergonzi: Saxophone
Jason Rebello: Piano
Mark Hodgson: Bass
Stephen Keogh: Drums

Master saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi gained worldwide recognition while playing with two generations of Brubeck bands. He is renowned for his innovation, mastery and integrity, as a performer, composer, author and educator. In an endless series of rave reviews he is credited for his relentless drive, inner fire, total command, awesome technique, elastic lyricism, rich resonance and as a musical visionary. Among the artists that Bergonzi has performed and recorded with are; Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Dave Holland, Gerry Mulligan, Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes and many more.
Michael Brecker was asked by an interviewer how it felt, at the peak of his powers and with the world at his feet, to be the king of the tenor saxophone, Brecker replied: “I don’t know, you’d better ask Jerry Bergonzi.” Jerry will be joined by the hugely respected American pianist Bruce Barth and his trio.

4th January 2022

JIM MULLEN ORGAN TRIO

Jim Mullen: Guitar
Mike Gorman: Organ
Tristan Maillot: Drums

Jim Mullen is a jazz legend. His distinctive guitar sound – like his idol Wes Montgomery he plays with his thumb – has been an instantly recognisable instrumental voice in UK jazz for more than 50 years. He is widely regarded as one of the finest jazz guitarists in Europe.

Originally from Glasgow he made his name playing with a number of seminal bands through the 70’s and 80’s including Brian Auger’s “Oblivion Express”, The Average White Band and his own highly acclaimed jazz/funk band “Morrissey-Mullen”.  A prized sideman as well as leader Jim has worked with the likes of Mose Allison, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy Witherspoon and Georgie Fame. The band he leads this evening is an Organ trio featuring leading pianist/organist Mike Gorman and drummer Tristan Maillot performing a dynamic set of originals and carefully crafted jazz standards.

Tuesday 7th December 2021

DESCHANEL GORDON TRIO

Deschanel Gordon: Piano
Will Each: Bass
Will Cleasby: Drums

Brilliant young pianist Deschanel Gordon, voted the BBC’s Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020, makes his Jazz Hastings debut with his trio. He has been described as “the piano man to watch” by London Jazz News.

The twenty-two year old was born in Hackney and attended youth programmes such as the Hackney Creative Jazz Ensemble and the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy.

Growing up he was surrounded by a wide range of music from gospel to reggae. But when he was ten he was inspired by a video of virtuoso pianist Oscar Peterson. This sparked his love of jazz and he switched from classical to jazz piano training.

Although he has only just graduated from Trinity Laban (with first class honours) Deschanel is already making waves on the UK jazz scene. One of the brightest prospects of his generation, he has worked with the likes of Mark Kavuma, Cassie Kinoshi’s Mercury Prize nominated SEED Ensemble and US-born singer Judi Jackson.

He has performed at many of London’s best-known jazz venues, including the 606 Club, Ronnie Scott’s, the Jazz Cafe, the Barbican and Cadogan Hall. He has also travelled widely, playing at jazz festivals in Europe and the USA, including Moods in Zurich, New York’s Winter Jazz Festival, Jazz TM in Romania and Fasching in Sweden.

He will be supported by Will Each on bass and Will Cleasby on drums.

2nd November 2021

LIANE CARROLL, PETE BROWN BAND and HEXAGONAL

On November 2nd Jazz Hastings, renowned for bringing nationally and internationally acclaimed artists and promising newcomers to its monthly sessions, will relaunch with a special fundraising evening featuring three acts who are all well known to our regular audience – Liane Carrol, the Pete Brown Band and Hexagonal.

Liane Carroll has been a pillar of British jazz scene for over 35 years. While we like to think of her as one of Hastings’ own, she also has a huge national and international reputation.

She has collaborated with such diverse artists as Paul McCartney, Gerry Rafferty, Long John Baldry, Ian Shaw, Claire Martin and drum and bass outfit London Elektricity, with whom she appears at Glastonbury in 2017.

As a recording artist Lianne has gained much critical acclaim. Her five most recent albums have all earned a four star review in the Guardian. ’Seaside’, her homage to her life by the coast, won the coveted British Jazz Award for Best New CD in 2015.

The tradition of combining poetry and jazz has a long history. In this country the legendary poet and singer Pete Brown, who will be appearing with his band at this special session, was at the forefront, working with Dudley Moore, Stan Tracey and Bobby Wellins in the 60’s. He appeared at the Albert Hall alongside many of the great U.S. beat poets including Allen Ginsberg.

It was through his association with jazz that he met Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton of Cream. Pete’s songwriting partnership with both of them produced many of Cream’s greatest songs including ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, ‘White Room’ and ‘I Feel Free’. A rare chance to hear this award-winning artist in an intimate setting.

The popular Hastings-based sextet Hexagonal, made up of highly respected local musicians who all have international reputations, came together in 2016 to play the music of the late, great South African composer and multi-instrumentalist Bheki Mseleku. They’ve now added pieces by McCoy Tyner and some compositions of their own to their repertoire.

Their first album, McCoy and Mseleku, was released to great acclaim in 2018 and was featured prominently on BBC Radio 3’s programme J to Z.

The band features some of the best musicians around including internationally celebrated saxophonist Jason Yard, Kiwi saxophonist and composer Greg Heath, acclaimed trumpeter Graeme Flowers, accomplished drummer Tristan Banks and Jazz Hastings stalwarts John Donaldson on piano and Simon Thorpe on bass.

3rd March 2020

LEWIS WRIGHT and KIT DOWNES

Lewis Wright: Vibraphone
Kit Downes: Piano

Lewis Wright and Kit Downes, both award-winning international performers in their own right, have a long musical history. They first met at a youth music programme and have stayed friends and collaborators ever since. With Lewis on vibraphone and Kit on piano, they make one of the most virtuosic and original duos of recent years. Their debut album ‘Duets’ was released on Signum Records in 2018.

Lewis Wright is one of world’s finest vibraphonists. He has performed at venues such as the Sydney Opera House and the Royal Albert Hall and has been a featured soloist with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra.

Kit Downes is a BBC Jazz Award winning, Mercury Music Award nominated recording artist with the prestigious ECM label. He’s also a composer. He has toured the world with his own bands and other major international artists, leading the Guardian to describe as having “world class stature”. Together they will be unforgettable.

Monday 17th February 2020

MARTIN SPEAKE, ETHAN IVERSON, CALUM GOURLAY, JORGE ROSSY

Martin Speake: Saxophone
Ethan Iverson: Piano
Calum Gourlay: Bass
Jorge Rossy: Drums

A great international quartet fronted by two of the most original improvisers on either side of the Atlantic: Martin Speake, one of Britain’s most fluent and creative sax players, and Ethan Iverson, one of New York’s finest and most innovative pianists. The two met in Canada nearly 30 years ago and have maintained an ongoing though sporadic, collaboration ever since.

Scottish-born Calum Gourlay became a mainstay of the London jazz scene after graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, performing with John Scofield, Kurt Elling, the Tommy Smith group and many others.
Jorge Rossy from Spain is internationally recognized as one of the most influential drummers of his generation. He has made more than 80 recordings and has toured with such great artists as Charlie Haden, Wayne Shorter, Lee Konitz, Carla Bley and Brad Mehldau.

14th January 2020

XHOSA COLE QUARTET

Xhosa Cole: Saxophone
Jay Phelps: Trumpet
James Owston: Bass
Jim Bashford: Drums

Just over a year ago, 22-year-old Birmingham saxophonist Xhosa Cole played John Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice, Johnny Green’s “I Cover the Waterfront” and his own composition “Moving Ladywood” at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall to become the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician.

Xhosa has been playing the saxophone since he was 12 and has appeared with the Jazzlines Ensemble, the Birmingham Schools Symphony Orchestra and Midland Youth Jazz orchestra. He is also a fine composer and teacher.

For his first UK tour, Xhosa will be joined by Vancouver-born but London-based trumpeter Jay Phelps, who created and co-led the hip jazz sensation Empirical and has performed and recorded with artists such as Courtney Pine, Wynton Marsalis, John Hendricks, George Benson, Jamie Cullum, Sir John Dankworth, Amy Winehouse, Hugh Masakela and Jazz Jamaica.

On bass will be fellow BBC Young Jazz Musician finalist James Owston and on drums will be powerhouse drummer Jim Bashford. The quartet will feature classic arrangements, contemporary takes on standards and some original works.

17th December 2019

O’HIGGINS AND LUFT PLAY MONK AND TRANE

Dave O’Higgins: Tenor sax

Rob Luft: Guitar

Scott Flanigan: Organ
Rod Youngs: Drums

Jazz veteran Dave O’Higgins and young “firebrand” Rob Luft will lead a quartet featuring Thelonious Monk compositions (expect some rarely heard ones!) and tunes played by John Coltrane with especial reference to his choice of standards in the 1950s.

Both Monk and Trane were “modernists”, but also steeped in swing and the rich tradition of the beboppers. Dave and Rob intend to respect this lineage whilst putting their own mark on it. Expect some swing, fun, grooves and moods from this exciting new collaboration.

Dave has worked with some of the world’s finest musicians, including Jimmy Smith, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, Stephan Grapelli, Jamie Cullum, John Dankworth, Cleo Lane and Frank Sinatra.

Rob, a 25-year-old Londoner, was named “Breakthrough Act of the Year” in last year’s Jazz FM Awards and was nominated “British Jazz Musician of the Year” in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2018.

They will be joined by Irish keyboard player Scott Flanigan and American drummer Rod Youngs, last seen at Jazz Hastings in February.

5th November 2019

JIM RATTIGAN’S PAVILLON

Jim Rattigan: French Horn
Martin Speake, James Allsopp and Mick Foster: Saxes
James Copus, Steve Fishwick and Robbie Robson: Trumpets
Mark Nightingale and Sarah Williams: Trombones
Hans Koller: Piano             Dave Whitford: Bass       Tim Giles: Drums

Jim Rattigan is a rare thing in jazz: a French horn player – not many of them about – who for the last 19 years has also headed and composed for his own 12-piece group called Pavillon, each member of which can safely be described as “a player of note”.
He studied at Trinity College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music and for six years was a member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. But during that time he was also always playing jazz.
He founded Pavillon in 2000 and has since recorded five albums. A sixth is in the pipeline. In 2016/17, the band enjoyed a highly successful Arts Council tour.
In a review, Dave Gelly in The Guardian described Rattigan as “a composer with a canny approach when it comes to combining the sounds of various instruments. The distinctive voice of the horn becomes familiar as it weaves among the saxophones and trumpets and takes its turn among the soloists.”

1st October 2019

TWO OF A MIND

Chris Biscoe: Baritone Sax
Allison Neale: Alto Sax
Simon Thorpe: Bass
Matt Fishwick: DrumsSaxophonists Chris Biscoe and Allison Neale formed Two of a Mind to explore afresh the freewheeling, wonderfully melodic interpretations of standard material recorded 50 years ago by Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond on the classic albums Blues in Time and Two of a Mind.
Reflecting the line-up of the originals, the new band is a quartet of baritone and alto sax, bass and drums. It evokes the spirit of these classic recordings while giving free reign to the personalities of the musicians.
Multi-instrumentalist Chris Biscoe has featured on baritone sax with such big bands as Graham Collier and the New York Composers Orchestra. American born altoist Allison Neale’s beautifully crafted lines evoke the spirit of Paul Desmond and Art Pepper, with whom she has a particular affinity.
They will be joined by bass player Simon Thorpe, well known to Jazz Hastings from Hexagonal. And by drummer Matt Fishwick, who has played in the UK and USA with Scott Hamilton, Jim Mullen, Anita O’Day and many others.

3rd September 2019

LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO’S FOUR BLOKES

Louis Moholo-Moholo: Drums
Jason Yarde: Saxes
Alexander Hawkins: Piano
John Edwards: Bass

An intriguing evening with the venerable South African drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo and his quartet Four Blokes, featuring longtime collaborators Jason Yarde (well known to Jazz Hastings devotees), Alexander Hawkings and John Edwards.

Born in Cape Town in 1940, Louis has been a seminal figure since his emergence with the legendary Blue Notes in the 1960s. Since then he’s played with classic line-ups such as Brotherhood of Breath and his own bands Spirits Rejoice and Viva La Black.
That last band became the first black group to tour South Africa, sponsored by the British Council, as the end of Apartheid and freedom became imminent and irreversible.
The other three ‘blokes’ in the quartet are also at the cutting edge of modern creative jazz. We know Jason as a highly sought after musician; Alexander and John have equal international reputations.
“Listen to the …quartet to understand how, in this music, the individual and the collective can simultaneously attain equal importance: a most elevated state of being” wrote one critic.

6th August 2019

ODETTE

Odette Adams: Vocals and acoustic guitar
Kartik Raghunathan: Violin and vocals
Matt Chandler: Acoustic guitar
Dave Jones: Bass
Eric Ford: Drums and percussion

Odette’s first album, “A Shake Of The Hand” received this glowing review from Sunday Times music critic Clive Davis: “… a chain of sun-kissed original numbers full of the verve and energy of R & B but with none of its bombast or cliches”.
The style and spirit set by the album is given life by Odette’s wonderful band, with whom she has already completed two well received tours of Jazz venues and Arts Centres throughout the UK.
In a genre-obsessed world, Odette gives us some release into a free-er style that incorporates folk, jazz, world music and other influences from her very wide musical taste. Brand new songs will be introduced in this engaging live performance alongside established material.
Lyrically, Odette writes about everyday life from a more profound perspective and explores her passion for inner and outer well-being. If you’re a fan of Joni Mitchell or Erika Badu, you will love this! Not to be missed!

9th July 2019

Hasting Big Band directed by Pete Hurt

Pete Hurt, Rob Leake, Jason Yarde, Greg Heath, Chris White
and Amy Leake: Saxes, Flutes and Clarinets
Graeme Flowers, Andy Baxter, Neal Bland, Martyn Van Galen: Trumpets
Mike Hext, Tim Wade, Rosie Wilcock, Phil Baxter: Trombones
John Donaldson: Piano       Will Collier: Bass
Nick Smalley: Drums           Phil Capone: Guitar

The stage will be full to the brim for this sensational gig by the 17-piece Hastings Big Band under the direction of the legendary British saxophonist, composer and arranger Pete Hurt (last seen at Jazz Hastings with Henry Lowther’s Still Waters in April).  Pete has had a stellar career as a saxophonist but is perhaps most revered by his fellow musicians as a composer and as an arranger much influenced by the great Gil Evans. He has worked with many large ensembles, notably the BBC Big Band, and wrote the arrangements for the hit musical “Five Guys Named Moe”.
He’ll be leading a truly star-studded line-up, including on trombone Mike Hext, the first ever winner of the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year Award. On drums will be the much-sought-after Nick Smalley, a recent DFL.
There will also be some familiar faces from our very own Hexagonal, including Jason Yarde and Greg Heath on sax, Graeme Flowers on trumpet and John Donaldson on piano.

4th June 2019

Julian Nicholas Band

Julian Nicholas: Saxophone
Imogen Ryall: Vocals
Mark Edwards: Piano
Tim Robertson: Bass
Darren A. Beckett: Drums

The legendary Bobby Wellins says of Julian Nicholas that: “His beautiful and creative playing makes Julian one of my favourite tenor saxophonists”. After he accompanied her at the Brighton Festival, Nina Simone requested that he play with her again when she came back the following year.
Julian was made aware by his composer grandfather that music can be accessible and yet still retain integrity, originality and depth. With this in mind, he has worked in most genres as a session musician and sideman, sustaining a reputation for his own artistry and unique flavour within jazz.
Among the artists he has worked with during his career are Jimmy Witherspoon, Bobby Wellins, Martha Reeves, Loose Tubes, Harry ‘Sweets’ Eddison, Stan Tracey and Toyah Wilcox.
He says the line-up of his current band – Imogen Ryall on vocals, Mark Edwards on piano, Tim Robertson on bass and Darren A, Beckett on drums – is perfect for the cross-genre melodies and grooves long associated with his style.

7th May 2019
Tony Kofi: A Portrait of Cannonball

Tony Kofi: Saxophone
John Donaldson: Piano
Simon Thorpe: Bass

Spike Wells: Drums

Alto-sax master Tony Kofi fronts this loving celebration of the jazz giant (in every sense) Julian ‘Cannnonball’ Adderley, which traces the explosive music of Cannonball from his first session as leader in 1955 through work with Miles Davis to the soul-jazz of the late 1960s.
Born of Ghanaian parents, Tony is a British multi-instrumentalist who plays alto, baritone, soprano and tenor saxophones and the flute. He has established himself as a musician, teacher and composer of some authority. Among many other awards, he was the winner of Best Instrumentalist in the BBC Jazz Awards 2008.
As well as leading a number of his own bands, he has worked and recorded with artists such as Ornette Coleman, Courtney Pine, Donald Byrd, Eddie Henderson, The David Murray Big Band, Abdullah Ibrahim, Macy Gray, Harry Connick and the Julian Joseph Big Band.
Playing with him this evening will be Jazz Hastings regulars John Donaldson on piano, Simon Thorpe on bass and Spike Wells on drums.

12th March 2019

THE OXLEY-MEIER GUITAR PROJECT

Pete Oxley: Guitars
Nicolas Meier: Guitars

A welcome return for the brilliantly matched duo of two of the best guitarists around, Pete Oxley and Nicolas Meier. The Observer said of their last album together, The Colors of Time, that “when it comes to empathy, this duet of guitar virtuosi come close to perfection”.
Expect a dazzling display of contemporary fare, ranging from Turkish panache to soundscapes of Latin America to English pastoralism. Hear this played on nylon string, steel string, electric, 12 string, fretless, slide, guitar-synth, glissentar guitars and more!
For their live gigs, the Oxley-Meier Guitar Project aim to entertain by playing with a spontaneity and an intuitive interplay between them that keeps them fresh and fired up from gig to gig. So expect the unexpected!
Pete began his career in Paris before relocating to London in 1997, since when he’s played with many of the world’s leading jazz artists. Swiss-born Nicolas has performed extensively with his own band as well as spending three years touring the world with Jeff Beck.

12th February 2019

Rod Youngs: The Power of Three

Rod Youngs: Drums

Denys Baptiste: Sax

Larry Bartley: Bass