Date: Friday 15 May

David Kayode

mjf @ First Street (Main Stage)

David Kayode saxophone / Emily Tran piano / Marlon Hibbert steel pan / Nathan Dawkins bass / Ayo Salawu drums / Emma Marsh percussion 

Hailing from North-West London and having spent his recent years studying in Manchester, tenor saxophonist David Kayode is fast becoming one of the most compelling new voices in UK jazz.  

Steeped in the sounds of reggae, Ghanaian highlife and the rhythms of his childhood home, Kayode channels a rich musical heritage through the expressive power of the saxophone. Here to open mjf2026, he teases new music from his debut EP Ade Kayode.  

A graduate of Tomorrow’s Warriors, Kayode honed his craft under the mentorship of Gary Crosby OBE and Camilla George, an evolution that has defined his warm, commanding sound and expressive improvisations.  

Kayode’s artistry balances deep respect for the jazz tradition with a forward-looking spirit, delivering groove-driven performances that weave carnival energy and West African rhythms into the language of modern jazz. His collaborations already span an impressive range, from Ni Maxine to Afro-rock pioneers Osibisa and Moses Boyd.  

Kayode is also founder of Purple Collective, an artist-led platform and events movement dedicated to building space for diasporic creativity through jams, collaborations and community gatherings.  

His practice extends into education and cultural engagement, including mentoring young musicians and delivering workshops.  

With a sound rooted in heritage but driven by innovation, Kayode represents the next wave of British jazz: bold, groove-infused, and unapologetically original. 

Watch a clip from David’s most recent album, HERE. 

Photography Credit: Ella B Shoots 

Date: friday 15 may

Time: 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm

Price: Free

Jazz is Everywhere: mjf Youth Advisory Board takeover

mjf @ First Street (Ask Garden Stage)

mjf’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB) presents Jazz is Everywhere: expect the unexpected, jazz fusions and plenty of audience participation.  

Jazz is Everywhere is an event curated and presented from start to finish by our YAB team of young people, who have aspired with this event to represent the future of jazz in the North. 

Our YAB are a committed and enthusiastic group of 18–25 year-olds who have been recruited from open application. The group helps advise mjf and its programme on what they feel are the important considerations for the emergent generation. At the same time, they learn about the roles and responsibilities of running a live music event and organisation: roles that might be available to young professionals wishing to enter the music sector.  

This year, we set them a task: to create a festival event for the Garden Stage programme at mjf2026 that reflects what they want to see. 

From curating programme ideas, organising their roles, working with budgets, contracts, planning, production and marketing, this event is the culmination of those efforts. Come down to check out what they’ve produced! 

Any young people interested in joining the YAB, the next recruitment round will open during mjf2026 and sign up will be available at the link here.   

Introducing Scratchy Junk Show 

Herbie Underwood drums / Alex FB dj / Joe Frost piano / Tom McEwen guitar / Toby Freeman bass

Leeds-based jazz drummer and DJ Herbie Underwood unveils the ‘Scratchy Junk Show’, a fusion of Jazz, Funk and Hip-Hop featuring an all-star lineup of local musicians and Alex FB on the the wheels of steel.

Groove along to this dynamic duo as they prove that jazz is truly genre-fusing (and everywhere!)

Dj sets from Alex to follow before and after! 

 

Poster design by YAB member, Eloise Ackers.

 

 

Date: friday 15 may

Time: 7:15 pm - 8:15 pm

Price: Free

Charlie Cooper & The CCs

mjf @ First Street (Main Stage)

Charlie Cooper vocals / Jake Stentiford guitar / Liam Morson keyboards / Alex Pearson bass / Laurie Agnew drums

A familiar presence on the Manchester music scene, Charlie Cooper is known for her formidable rich voice, classically-crafted songwriting and energetic performances with her masterful band, The CC’s.  

A singer-songwriter shaped by soul, groove and jazz influences, Charlie expertly weaves together elements of jazz, soul and blues, drawing inspiration from the classic songwriting of Burt Bacharach and Carole King, whilst delivering performances with a Motown and Stax vibe and innate musicality.  

Charlie headlined back in mjf2014; after a decade of collaboration and songwriting, the band returns to play this year’s opening night, with a stack of new material – bold, big hearted and built for the stage. 

Date: friday 15 may

Time: 8:15 pm - 9:45 pm

Price: Free

Hijack Horns

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Matt and Phreds

Ben Jackson tenor saxophone / Laurence Mason bass saxophone / Chris Williamson trumpet / George Hardwick trombone / James Walker drums 

Hijack Horns grab a fist full of feel-good tunes, a handful of high-energy brass, throw it all in a blender and serve you the spiciest, brassiest smoothie your aural tastebuds can handle. Made up of players from long established street bands who are no strangers to the impromptu alfresco rave, this new band squashes the punch of a much bigger outfit into a slinky 5-piece. 

Powered by their perennial appetite to bring the party to the people, the Hijack Horns’ philosophy is simple – life’s too short to watch other people dance. 

Hijack Horns upholds a strict “All Killer, No Filler” policy, with classics from Stevie Wonder, George Benson and Curtis Mayfield through to The Human League, Fatboy Slim and Outkast. 

Date: friday 15 may

Time: 9:30 pm - 12:30 am

Price: Seated: £7-10 ; Standing: Free

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Andy Sheppard Trio

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Stoller Hall

Andy Sheppard soprano & tenor saxophone / Rita Marcotulli piano / Michel Benita double bass 

Saxophonist and composer Andy Sheppard has established himself as one of Europe’s leading contemporary jazz figures.  

This trio sets the scene for an encounter with Italian jazz icon Rita Marcotulli and one of the most prominent bassists on the European circuit, French bassist Michel Benita. These are three highly individual musicians, all of whom have had a big role in shaping the sound of European jazz today.  

Sheppard has developed a programme of new free-flowing compositions for this trio, taking a spirited fresh approach, honouring jazz in its tradition but allowing free space for interpretation by the players. Collectively exploring the possibilities of improvisation and interplay, the music is anchored in structure but open to lyricism, free to choose new paths and take on different directions in the making.  

Sheppard’s musical path has crossed with that of both players for many years, including a long-established duo with Marcotulli and several ECM album recordings with Benita, but this their first venture together as a trio. 

Date: friday 15 may

Time: 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Price: £25

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