As part of the 2022 Leeds Jazz Festival (May 25-30 2023) JazzLeeds are presenting a series of gigs and films at Seven Arts in Chapel Allerton, Leeds City Varieties in Leeds City Centre, and The Cookridge Street Festival Tent with artists from the UK well as the best of Leeds.
Xero Slingsby celebration film “Shove It” @Seven Arts 25 May 8pm
Shove It – the Xero Slingsbystory celebrates his short but stellar life and career, lovingly chronicled by his bandmates, friends and family.
Soft Machine @Leeds City Varieties, Friday 26 May 7pm
Soft Machine is one of the greatest UK avant/jazz-rock bands of all time. From early performances as a psychedelic band when they were contemporaries of, and shared stages with, Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, all the way to being one of Europe’s best known fusion bands, Soft Machine has influenced several generations of bands and continues to be name-checked by today’s hip experimentalists.
Orphy Robinson with Fergus Quill and Matt Holmes Sunday 28 May @Seven Arts 1.30pm
Orphy Robinson is a British jazz multi-instrumentalist who plays vibraphone, keyboards, saxophone, trumpet, piano, and drums. Fergus Quill and Matt Holmes are two rising stars of the UK jazz scene.
Cookridge Street Leeds Jazz Festival Tent -Bank Holiday Monday 29 May 1-8pm
JazzLeeds celebrates its 15th year in the city this year with an afternoon of some of the best of our activities and music from the past year @Cookridge Street Jazz Tent (next to the Radisson).
1pm Roundhay School Jazz Group
JazzLeeds have been working with Roundhay School in a project to introduce young people to improvisation, groove playing, playing by ear and from memory – skills and creative practices that are part of Jazz. Dave Evans leads a group of young musicians from the school to perform at Leeds Jazz Festival – come and cheer them on!.
2.00 JazzVoices Choir
Jazz singer and educator Tessa Smith has been rehearsing choirs for many years – the JazzVoices choir is our community based choir, singing jazz blues and gospel tunes for fun.
2.30 Kate Peters Quartet
Kate Peters and her Quartet perform with an exciting set with some jazzy takes on some classic numbers. Kate has worked in a wide variety of stars in the music industry most recently with DJ Judge Jules. Her Big Band has always sold out at our Seven Arts venue. This exciting line-up features Ben Lowman on tenor sax, Martin Longhawn on piano, John Marley on bass and Tim Carter on drums
3.30 Abtuse
Abtuse originally started off at one of the JazzLeeds workshops now running at Northlight in Chapel Allerton . Led by sax player Brian Whittington they are now a well established band on the Northern scene performing an exciting mix of jazz, Latin, blues, funk and fusion, all played with their own distinctive twist.
4.30 Miles Pillinger Quartet with Olivia Cuttill
Miles Pillinger is a drummer studying at Leeds Conservatoire – he’s been in many bands for JazzLeeds over the last three years notably when we were keeping the music live outside at Seven Arts courtyard during the Covid crisis. This quartet includes Olivia Cuttill (Trumpet), Nico Widdowson (Piano) and Fergus Quill (Double Bass). Their influences are the likes of Hermetto Pascoal, Chick Corea and Wayne Shorter.
5.30 Awen
Awen Ensemble are a Leeds based Contemporary Jazz Collective who played a beautiful set for us at the Cookridge Street tent last year. Taking inspiration from global folk music, the band are melodically driven with a modal and groove based focus.
6.30 Victor Estevez Latin Sextet
Victor Estevez: trumpet, Gustavo Andrade: tenor sax, Joseph Frost-Tesfaye: piano, Jarred Dean: bass, Joel Stedman: congas, flute, Miles Pillinger: drums. We first came across Victor and Gustavo at the Chapel Allerton Arts Jazz Sunday in 2022 and they blew us away with their mix of classic Brazilian tunes alongside a number of original latin jazz compositions. They’ll be a lovely finish to the Jazzleeds at Cookridge Street!
