Seven Jazz Gigs/ News/ and get involved- March

March – the mad month when spring arrives, the flowers pop out and there is romance in the air. Actually we think this March will be a pretty mad month jazzwise too – so much going on with lots of great jazz at Seven Arts Leeds. We have a couple of world class evening gigs, firstly American saxman Eric Alexander will battle it out with the UK saxman Dave O’Higgins on the 8^th March, then to soothe us all, we’ll have the beautiful singing voice of Tina May, in concert with the Nikki Iles Trio on the 22nd. We hope you agree that our Sunday afternoon gigs will be pretty special too with appearances by the new Leeds Jazz Orchestra, Polish sax star Krzysztof Urbanski, popular UK jazz singer Zoe Gilby and guitarist of the moment, Stuart McCallum with his "Distilled" suite featuring the Prism String Quartet. As you might imagine with bands like these, most of our concerts get pretty full so make sure you come early!
But before we give you the details how about voting for your favourite jazz club and jazz artists in the Yorkshire Jazz Awards? Nominations must be in by the 1^st March so hurry! The link is here : http://www.jazzyorkshire.org/awards

This coming Sunday afternoon will be good….

Sunday afternoon 26 February: Centreline

Darren Altman's Centreline with Russell van den Berg - sax, Jez Franks- guitar, John Harvey- electric basses. Centre-Line are a fresh, vibrant and creative jazz group that prides itself on the spontaneity, creativity and empathy among its musicians. The group is directed by drummer Darren Altman and ex Leeds LCM tutor Russell van den Berg on sax. £5/4 concessions, kids under 16 free, doors open at 1pm, music

Sunday afternoon 4^th March 1pm: The Leeds Jazz Orchestra directed by Colin Byrne

Leeds Jazz Orchestra has being in existence for many years in various guises.  The band was originally set up in 1990 as an adult evening class under the direction of bassist Barry Rickaby and in 1995 the orchestra migrated to Leeds College of Music’s Community Education Department .  In 2002 saxophonist Al Wood took over the leadership of the Jazz Orchestra and two years later in 2004, drummer Colin Byrne took the helm.  In 2010 the Jazz Orchestra became a victim of the recession and was dropped from Leeds College of Music’s provision of service. However, through the efforts of Ruth Kerr (bass) Liz Fox (alto sax) and John Tattersall (tenor sax), the band was resurrected by January 2011 and Leeds Jazz Orchestra came into existence as an independent unit. More details see http://www.leedsjazzorchestra.com/index.htm £5/4 concessions, kids under 16 free, doors open at 1pm, music 1.30-4pm
Thursday evening 8^th March 8pm – Dave O'Higgins with Eric Alexander and the Kristian Leth Trio

Dave O Higgins  tenor sax, Eric Alexander tenor sax, James Pearson (piano), Arnie Somogyi (bass) Kristian Leth (drums). A two tenor special featuring two of the very best, UK's Dave O Higgins and from the US - Eric Alexander. Eric Alexander has appeared in many capacities on record, including leader, sideman, producer as well as composing a number of the tunes he records. He has lost count of how many albums feature his playing; he guesses 60 or 70. While he has garnered critical acclaim from every corner, what has mattered most has been to establish his own voice within the illustrious bop-based jazz tradition. UK saxman Dave O Higgins has played over the years with everyone from Martin Taylor to Ray Charles, Matthew Herbert to Salif Keita. He also teaches saxophone & harmony at the London Centre for Contemporary Music and Goldsmiths College. Tickets £15/12 concessions in advance from Seven Arts 0113 26 26 777 or on the door. Stand by tickets for full time students are £5 on the door only. Doors open 8pm for the concert, music is 8.30-11pm.
Sunday afternoon 11 March 1pm: Krzysztof Urbanski with the Sam Gardner trio

Krzysztof Urbański graduated from The Music Academy in Wroclaw, He is a well-known saxman in Europe. In 2007 Krzysztof  won the The Polish Review of Jazz award and the  International Competition of Jazz Soloists in Szczecin where the jury consisted of such celebrities as Billy Harper, Clarence Seay and Steve Turre. IN 2008 Krzysztof’s Quartet won an award at the Hoeilaart International Jazz Competition. Since April 2010 Krzysztof has been an official endorser of P Mauriat saxophones and recorded his debut album named simply “Urbanski” to critical acclaim. This album has sold 5000 copies in all Europe and the United States. £5/4 concessions, kids under 16 free, doors open at 1pm, music 1.30-4pm
Sunday afternoon 18 March 1pm: Zoe Gilby Quintet

Zoe Gilby Vocals, Trumpet - Graham Hardy, Guitar - Mark Williams , Double Bass - Andy Champion, Drums - Richard Brown. Zoë Gilby is a jazz vocalist that has been making a real impression on the jazz scene today. A constantly expanding repertoire that starts with her superb interpretations of “The Great American Songbook” but also encompasses a wide range of more contemporary and original material. Influences include Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson, Sheila Jordan and Roberta Gambarini to name but a few. Zoë is well deserving of the respect that she has been receiving from many leading jazz instrumentalists and publications. She has performed with some of the UK top jazz musicians, including Louis Stewart, Jim Mullen Organ Trio and Tony Faulkner. £5/4 concessions, kids under 16 free, doors open at 1pm, music 1.30-4pm
Thursday evening 22 March 8pm – Tina May with the Nikki Isles trio

Tina May vocals, Nikki Isles piano, Stephen Keogh drums, Mark Hodgson double bass. Tina May remains the most expressive and technically gifted jazz singer on the UK scene. For musical taste, delicacy of interpretation and presentational flair she has always been a hard act to follow. She is also completely at home in jazz, which isn't as common among high-profile singers as you might think.  Her choice of songs is as hip as anyone could wish, including pieces by Kenny Wheeler, Oliver Nelson and Horace Silver. Tina and Nikki Iles have a rapport that is far beyond mere voice plus accompaniment. With the immaculate drumming of Stephen Keogh drums, and the brilliant Mark Hodgson on double bass, this concert will be a delight. More information and music see www.tinamay.com/reviews.htm. Tickets £15/12 concessions in advance from Seven Arts 0113 26 26 777 or on the door. Stand by tickets for full time students are £5 on the door only. Doors open 8pm for the concert, music is 8.30-11pm.
Sunday afternoon 25 March 1pm: Stuart McCallum's "Distilled" featuring the Prism String Quartet

Stuart McCallum guitar with Robin Mullarky bass, Dave Walsh drums and + Prism string quartet from the Royal Northern College of Music. From jazz beginnings to DJ culture, Cinematic Orchestra’s guitarist Stuart McCallum’s music is ‘alternative jazz’ – a distillation of influences, creating a sound that is concentrated and distinctive. “Distilled’, is the culmination of Stuart’s guitar playing, production and composition experience to date. The sonic palette of instruments and electronics used is a development from his 2 previous solo albums ‘Echo Architect’ and ‘Stuart McCallum’. Stuart’s guitar playing is the main feature of the music - the vocalist in the instrumental lineup. His interest in explor performed live on BBC Radio 3′s flagship jazz show ‘Jazz On 3′. The concert at Seven Arts will feature the Prism String Quartet as well as Stuart's regular trio. The guitar plays alongside electronic and acoustic drums, double bass, keyboards, synths, percussion, harp, celeste, strings, woodwinds and horns. £5/4 concessions, kids under 16 free, doors open at 1pm, music 1.30-4pm
Our Jazz Workshops at Seven Arts continue on Saturday 3 March 17 March and 31 March, 2-30 to 4-30 pm. Learn to play jazz in convivial surroundings!  Tutors include Martyn Townshend, Colin Byrne and James Hamilton. For further information & bookings contact Jean Watson by email at jeanwatsonlifeskills@hotmail.com or phone 0113 237 0700.  The workshops are at Seven Arts, 31 Harrogate Road, Leeds, LS7 3PD (0113 26 26 777) and cost  £10/£8 concessions.  
Dominic Moore continues to run our popular jazz workshop/improvisation group at the Methodist Centre, Chapel Allerton on the following Friday dates (£5 per session) 7.30-10pm : 9 March, 23 March and 30 Mar (2 consecutive weeks before Easter break). Contact Dominic dominicgmoore@hotmail.com.
Would you like to sing in a jazz choir? Seven Jazz is looking for singers who are interested in singing blues, gospel and jazz, for fun, but ending up with a performance too. The first choir workshop, tutored by top Leeds jazz vocalist Nikki Allan, takes place at Seven Arts 2.30-4.30 on Saturday April 14^th – spread the word! If you are interested in coming along, please contact jeanwatsonlifeskills@hotmail.com or phone 0113 237 0700
For all details of all our events and latest news updates see us on www.sevenjazz.co.uk, follow us on Twitter or befriend us on Facebook. Look forward to seeing you soon at Seven Arts, Chapel Allerton, 31 Harrogate Road, Leeds LS3 3PD. Seven Jazz is run by volunteers and is (officially) the best supported jazz club in Yorkshire! If you’d like to help us just enquire at one of our gigs.
Steve Crocker
Seven Jazz Leeds.
Seven Jazz is supported by Jazz Yorkshire and PRS