We have really pushed the boat out this autumn, putting on over 50 events, including six international evening concerts, showcase gigs featuring the best regional bands, new band gigs, a jazz café, the Chapel Allerton's Festival Jazz Sunday, and two regular instrumental workshops, some tutored by our visiting international performers.
We'd draw your attention first to our six evening concerts.
Tony Kofi is appearing at Seven Jazz on the evening of Thursday 30 September. He's just back from New York where he has been recording with the father of the free jazz movement Ornette Coleman and bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma.
He'll be at Seven with his new band "Standard Time" with David Chamberlain on double bass and Rod Youngs on drums. Tony has promised to feature both his usual alto sax and the tenor on which he featured with Ornette. He will be back again at Seven on 2 October in the afternoon leading our Saturday jazz workshop.
Pianist Simon Purcell's band is at Seven on the evening of Thursday 14 October, a quintet of old friends and musical associates including Seven favourite Julian Siegel on saxes, Chris Batchelor on trumpet, Gene Calderazzo drums and Steve Watts bass. The music lies somewhere between Miles, Wayne Shorter and Dave Douglas.
Saxophonist with punch
Benn Clatworthy is a saxophonist with punch. The Los Angeles-based tenorist, who works out in a boxing gym when off duty, has distilled the early influences of Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Booker Ervin into his own dynamic style which often carries the rhythms of the boxer's speed bag.
Expect exhilarating reworkings of familiar tunes and an expressive flow of fresh ideas when Clatworthy storms into Seven along with New York based Cecilia Coleman on piano, fellow American Gene Calderazzo on drums and Simon Thorpe on double bass. This gig will be on a Saturday evening, 30 October, and Benn will also lead a workshop on the afternoon of the gig.
Swiss guitarist Nicholas Meier is at Seven with his group on Thursday evening Nov 10.
His music draws on a multitude of influences: jazz, flamenco, latin and middle-eastern music are all passionately explored in a series of heartfelt acoustic modern jazz originals. His trademark sound is mixture of Methenyesque jazz and spicy Turkish and world music rhythms. The Meier group features brilliant Israeli saxophonist Gilad Atzmon, bassist Patrick Bettison and drummer Asaf Sirkis who all contributed to the band's hugely well received Naim label debut 'Orient'. Nicholas Meier will be leading a masterclass before the gig.
Jazz, Indian and folk with shifting time signatures
Leeds drummer Tommy Evans music mixes jazz, Indian and folk with shifting time signatures and odd harmonics yet the result is fresh and accessible: tuneful, soulful yet spiked with hypnotic grooves.
His 12-piece orchestra, at Seven on Thursday evening 25th November has assembled some of the finest musicians in the north of England and includes three female vocalists on the front line. He has written a suite of pieces ("The Green Seagull") dedicated to his eccentric but much admired uncle, a marine who became an active pacifist, a priest who prays at the mosque, an interfaith preacher of acceptance and tolerance.
Finally Mike Janisch brings his band "Purpose Built" to Seven on Thursday evening 9 December.
Mike, whose talents as both a freelance bassist and bandleader are well known, leads a band playing quirky contemporary jazz with fellow American Jay Phelps on trumpet, Paul Booth on tenor sax, Jim Hart on vibes and Andrew Bain on drums. Mike will also be running a jazz workshop on Saturday afternoon 11 December at Seven.
Special bonus
It should be a great autumn season. We are expecting some concerts will sell out so we do suggest that you get your tickets in advance from Seven, (0113 2626777). As a special bonus we are offering all six gigs for the price of four if booked before 30th September – this can be done by contacting Seven or by seeing us at one of our Sunday lunchtime gigs in September.
Our autumn Sunday lunchtime gigs are also pretty good too, we think – special highlights will be the record launch by Toby Greenwood's band "We Free Kings" on 10th October and the first appearance in Leeds of poet and playwright Rommi Smith who fuses her spoken word and the music of Dave Evans Fruit Tree band, on 31 October.
The Leeds College of Music Big Band will be with us on 5th December, and our Christmas party promises lots of fun with the Al Morrison Blues Band on 19th December.
Not forgetting the ever popular Seven Jazz Café on 28th November. Our summer café had 33 people joining in, including our two workshop bands, duos, quartets, all supported by a top rhythm section. Chapel Allerton's best talent show! Our new workshop series for instrumentalists starts at Seven on Saturday 18 September 2.30-4.30pm.
Chapel Allerton Festival
And finally - don't forget on 5 September at the Chapel Allerton Festival Jazz Sunday (Main Stage, Regent Street Chapel Allerton, 12.30-5.30pm) with an open-air line up of the some of area's best and most talented acts.
Enjoy the big band sounds of the North Leeds Jazz Orchestra, rising stars and Jellymould recording artists the Magic Hat Ensemble, Chapel Allerton's own jazz vocalist Jenny Smith and her quintet, Rod Mason's funky "Elements", and saxman Richard Ormrod with his brand new band "A Dread Supreme" giving John Coltrane the dub treatment. For a £3 contribution this has to be the best value jazz day in the UK. Not to be missed.
We hope you like our programme – Seven Jazz's aim is to provide high quality, accessible jazz, and Seven Arts is a family friendly venue with good food and drink and a great atmosphere. There is more detailed information for you on our website www.sevenjazz.co.uk
See you soon at one of the gigs!
Steve Crocker, Seven Jazz Leeds
