Manchester Jazz Festival

At a glance

To find out how to buy tickets for all concerts, please visit the Venues and ticket information page.

Pre-fest events

Time Cost Act
1:00PM £5 from 0844 815 4960 or www.mif.co.uk Saturday 18th July: Real Book North West Top tunes from NW composers
4:00PM Free Tuesday 21st July: Mask: Open Rehearsal Olivia Moore: Work in progress
6:05PM £7/£5 Wednesday 22nd July: Film Screening: Let’s Get Lost (15) Iconic Chet Baker movie
8:00PM Free Wednesday 22nd July: Ten: Open Rehearsal Matt Owens: Work in progress
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Fri 24

7:30PM £12 on the door, £9 advance Festival Launch Party: Laurence McNaughton Quintet The opening night of this year’s festival
7:30PM £12 on the door, £9 advance Festival Launch Party: The Moss Project The opening night of this year’s festival
7:30PM £12 on the door, £9 advance Festival Launch Party: Southbound The opening night of this year's festival
9:30PM £5 Big Band Theory Classic big band sounds
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Sat 25

12:00PM Free Gerry Richardson's Big Idea The mighty Hammond in full swing
2:00PM Free Jaume Vilaseca Quartet: Jazznesis Genesis jazz via Spain
2:15PM £5/£3.50 Film Screening: Jazz on a Summer’s Day (U) + introductory talk Classic summertime flick
4:00PM Free The Sub Ensemble Brummy groovers
5:30PM Free The Magic Beans Relaxed and spacious vocal sounds
7:30PM £10 (£8 concs.) Mark Lockheart Group Spacious grooves and reflective compositions
9:30PM £5 Marley Chingus Sextet Hi-energy, up-tempo post-bop
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Sun 26

1:00PM Free If Destroyed, Still True Infectious melodies and complex rhythms
1:00PM Free Percussion workshops for beginners Open to all
2:15PM Free John Turville Trio Funky, spacious and relaxed
3:30PM Free Ryan Quigley Sextet Punchy, modern be-bop
4:00PM £5 (£3.50 concs.) Film Screening: Mo' Better Blues (15) Jazz showdown
5:30PM Free Orli Nyles Lucid and understated vocals
7:30PM £10/(£8 concs.) mjf originals: Matt Owens: Ten + post-show discussion New jazz suite
9:00PM £5 Discovering Jazz - presentation + performance Beginner's guide to improvisation
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Mon 27

11:45AM Free Mazuzu Mancunian township
1:00PM Free Alex Hutton Trio Contemplative and melodic
3:00PM Free mjf introduces: Jamie Safiruddin Quartet Passionate and energetic grooves
5:00PM Free The Shez Raja Collective World-jazz, funk and fusion
7:30PM £10/ (£8 concs.) mjf originals: Olivia Moore: Mask + post-show discussion New multi-media collaboration
9:30PM Free Ed Kainyek’s Festival Jam Session All welcome
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Tue 28

11:45AM Free NCP Fusion, funk and prog rock
1:00PM Free George King Quintet Finely-poised chamber jazz
2:30PM Free (But please register beforehand) Grants seminar for jazz musicians & promoters Free funding advice
3:00PM Free mjf introduces: Phil Meadows Quartet Driving and youthful swing
5:00PM Free Joel Purnell Quartet Hard-hitting modern jazz
7:30PM £10/£8 (concs.) mjf originals: Olivia Moore: Mask New multi-media collaboration
7:30PM £14/£12 (concs.) Double Bill: The Art Of Sound (UK) Melodic, dramatic and haunting
7:31PM £14/£12 (concs.) Double Bill: Alata (France) French energetic electro-jazz
9:30PM £5 D’Semble Urban up-tempo grooves
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Wed 29

11:45AM Free Steve Oaks Quartet Contemporary electric fusion
1:00PM Free Adam Fairhall Trio Old and new jazz idioms
3:00PM Free mjf introduces: Jessica Berry Group Inspired and original songs
5:00PM Free Stevie Williams Soul Trio So funky they should be arrested!
6:05PM £7/£5 Film Screening: Sweet and Lowdown (PG) Classic jazz comedy
7:30PM £9 on door, £7 adv. from www.ticketline.co.uk Andy Schofield/Jo McCallum Jazz Orchestra Fresh Big Band sounds and two guitar stars
9:30PM £5 Kairos 4-tet Ferocious grooves and plaintive melodies
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Thu 30

11:45AM Free Claude Werner Quartet Well-travelled and warm tones
1:00PM Free Richard Wetherall + Matthew Robinson & Maxwell Sterling Interspersed improvisations
3:00PM Free mjf introduces: First Circle Funk, fusion and folk
5:00PM Free Taara Rootsy African jazz
7:30PM £14/£12 (concs.) Double Bill: Bourne/Davis/Kane with Paul Dunmall [UK/Ireland] Broken boundaries: hectic, raw and fun
7:31PM £14/£12 (concs.) Double Bill: Atomic [Norway/Sweden] High octane Scandinavian jazz
9:30PM £5 Jon Thorne Quartet Improvisational fireworks
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Fri 31

11:45AM Free Nicolette Elkinson Dusky bossas and swaggering waltzes
1:00PM Free Peter Clare and Living Music Evocative soundscapes
3:00PM Free mjf introduces: Hunter/Andreae Quartet Thrilling and edgy
5:00PM Free Akoustrick Melodic fusion
7:30PM £14/£12 (concs.) Double Bill: Enrico Pieranunzi Trio [Italy] Elegant Italian romanticism
7:31PM £14/£12 (concs.) Double Bill: D’3 [Spain] – UK Première Muscular Flamenco-jazz
9:30PM £5 Myke Wilson’s Speech Pherapy Urban jazz, spoken word and beats
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Sat 1

12:00PM Free Mike Hope’s Jazzmahoot Spacious hard-bop
2:00PM Free John Randall Quintet Abstract textures and contrasts
4:00PM Free Paul Bentley and the Jazz Prescription Tribute to the music of Ray Charles
5:30PM Free Sally Doherty Quartet Enchanting, relaxed vocals
6:30PM Free Afoxé Brazilian drum and dance street procession
7:30PM £12 on door, £10 adv. from www.bandonthewall.org Double Bill: Manchester Music Makers The Big Easy festival closing party
7:35PM £12 on door, £10 adv. from www.bandonthewall.org Double Bill Stanton Moore Trio and Mike Chadwick The Big Easy festival closing party
9:30PM £5 Stuart McCallum Loops, effects and finger-busting fretwork