fbpx

Date: Saturday 24 May

Gia Fu + Me Gusta DJS + Special Guests

Buy Tickets

Band on the Wall (The Venue)

Gia Fu Turntable

Gia Fu, a DJ/selector and music producer from Hong Kong, specializes in Afro-Latin music, particularly Salsa and associated rhythms. Beyond extensive touring as an international DJ and music producer, her research work explores how cultures – including her own Chinese heritage and Latin American influences – enrich one another. Having grown up in a culturally vibrant environment, her upbringing fuels her passion for challenging stereotypes and promoting inclusion within the music industry.

Leading the Canton Mambo 曼波 project, Gia Fu dedicates herself to bridging cultural divides, embracing diversity through research, cultural & dance events, and music. This initiative creates an all-inclusive space where diverse cultural elements harmonize, fostering unity through the arts. Her upcoming single, “Canton Mambo,” blends her native musical instrument Guzheng with salsa rhythms, introducing an exciting fusion sound for the genre.

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 11:00 pm - 3:30 am

Price: £12

Buy Tickets

Soul Grenades

Buy Tickets

Matt and Phreds

James Follette vocals / Nikolaj Schubert trumpet / Luke “Slide” Bentley trombone / Milan Hawkins saxophone / Keir Moore guitar / Andrey Novikov keyboards / Jack Richards bass / Michael Young drums / Ray Lakhan percussion  

With members hailing from Montenegro, Moscow, New Cross, Sydney and beyond, Soul Grenades have established themselves as one of the most exciting acts on the live music scene. 

A veritable tornado of funk, the band boasts a super-tight rhythm section, a wall of brass, and a burgeoning song book of original music. Fusing their many influences, encompassing crate-digging rarities to contemporary dance floor fillers, Soul Grenades deliver no-nonsense hard-hitting funk and soul. 

The band has supported several internationally renowned recording artists, including Sister Sledge, The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show, Brooklyn Funk Essentials and The Filthy Six.  

It’s fair to say that if you love a good time and an even better dance, you’ll adore Soul Grenades. 

Prev 1 of 1 Next
Prev 1 of 1 Next

Call 0161 273 5495 to reserve a table 

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 9:30 pm - 12:30 am

Price: from £7

Buy Tickets

Arjuna Oakes

Band on the Wall (Copper Bar Stage)

Arjuna Oakes vocals, keyboards / Harrison Scholes bass / Sam Notman drums  

Arjuna Oakes is an accomplished singer/songwriter, pianist, composer and producer from New Zealand, currently based in London. Rooted in soul, funk and groove and dubbed “a great singer” by Gilles Peterson, he has opened for artists including Jordan Rakei, Moonchild and Allen Stone. 

Arjuna has several releases to his name, which have all received widespread acclaim, including collaborations with co-producer Serebii, mentor and renowned Greek/Kiwi composer John Psathas.   

Arjuna was composer-in-residence for Orchestra Wellington in 2023, has scored a theatre show and composed for string quintet.  

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Price: Free

The Ambleside Quartet

RNCM Bar

Fred Donlon-Mansbridge saxophone / Luca den Hollander piano / Marcelo Rodrigues bass / Zac Hemming drums 

The Ambleside Quartet is a Manchester-based jazz ensemble from the Royal Northern College of Music, featuring musicians from the UK, Brazil and Italy. They blend diverse musical backgrounds, performing British jazz, Great American Songbook standards, and original compositions, while striving for authentic and innovative jazz performances. 

This is a pre-event performance before John Helliwell’s Super Big Tramp Band at the RNCM. 

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Price: Free

Charlie Cooper

Buy Tickets

Matt and Phreds

Charlie Cooper vocals, piano   

Charlie Cooper writes vintage soul, updated perfectly and sung with deep, husky soul-pipes! Not only comparable with classic voices like Dusty Springfield and Shirley Bassey but also up there with modern soul divas Alice Russell and Sharon Jones, Charlie is a vocal force to be reckoned with. 

The songs emerge from another time, influenced by the classic songwriting and arranging of Bacharach and Hal David, accompanied by grooves akin to old school Stax and Motown. 

This pared down piano solo gig will showcase this talented artist in an intimate setting. 

“Superb talent and excellent musicality…Great charm and positivity, coupled with that little bit of magic which all good performers have” – Jools Holland 

“Unmissable talent and endearing humility” – Viva magazine 

Doors 5pm:

Happy Hour: 5-6:30pm

No advance bookings, get down early! 

Under-18’s welcome until 7pm 

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Price: Free

Buy Tickets

M&P’s Big Band Brunch

Buy Tickets

Matt and Phreds

Helen Pillinger, Helena Summerfield alto saxophones / Ed Kainyek, Will Stonier tenor saxophones / Will Bird, Phil Harrison, Alan Hewitt, Jay Shepherd trumpets / Adrian Bird, Mark Harrison, Mel Howard, Doug Niel trombones / Andre Hemsi guitar / Peter Clare, Paul Popelier keyboards / Ron Maas bass / Tim Franks drums   

Join the extraordinary 18-piece Big Band DGKollective as they play classic jazz, swing, and TV/film music, in their rarely-heard big band jazz arrangements. 

Matt & Phred’s have even created a special Brunch Pizza Menu (with some extras too) for you to feast on whilst you enjoy the music! 

From James Bond, to Sing Sing Sing, to The Pink Panther, to Mission Impossible, and so very far beyond… This mighty line up of horns, strings, and rhythm will for sure get you In The Mood for a proper weekend of fun for all the family. 

Founded in 2013, DG Kollective are made up of some of the North’s finest players, meeting regularly to broaden and strengthen their top-tier repertoire, led by band leader Andrew Turnbull. 

The doors are open to all, under-18’s welcome, so bring along the whole family and expect to leave with a big smile on your face while playing air trumpets! 

Doors: 1pm

Tables allocated automatically 

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Price: from £5

Buy Tickets

Fiona Bevan & Adam Beattie

Band on the Wall (Copper Bar Stage)

Fiona Bevan, Adam Beattie vocals, guitars, piano, double bass 

Acclaimed singer-songwriters Fiona Bevan and Adam Beattie accompany each other with vocal harmonies and on various instruments for a selection of songs crossing the boundaries of folk, pop and jazz balladry. 

Fiona Bevan is a multi-platinum Canadian-British singer-songwriter from Suffolk, with a delicate, passionate voice and a cinematic dream-folk sound, described by Björn Ulvaeus from ABBA as ‘daring and exciting’, and creating ‘startling odysseys that suggest Joanna Newsom and Kate Bush spine-tinglingly joined’ (The Guardian). 

With her dazzling exploration of post-heartbreak ecstasy and her a capella clarion call of female freedom and pleasure, she has toured Canada, Australia and Europe, and has been working with ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus to raise awareness and help songwriters in the music industry.  

Adam Beattie is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist who is a “master of powerful narratives” (★★★★★ RnR Magazine), writing original contemporary Scottish folk songs while also drawing rich influences from other roots genres. He uses beautiful, intricate, finger-picked guitar and a distinctive voice steeped in smoke and honey to create “uplifting reveries of love” (MOJO Magazine).  

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Price: Free

John Helliwell’s Super Big Tramp Band

Buy Tickets

RNCM Theatre

John Helliwell saxophone, clarinet / Rob Buckland (MD), Amy Roberts alto saxophones / Mike Hall, Andy Scott tenor saxophones / Carl Raven baritone saxophone / John Barber, Carol Jarvis, Ellie Smith trombones / Mark Frost bass trombone / Russell Bennett, Andy Greenwood, Richard Iles, Ryan Quigley trumpets / Josh Savage percussion / Paul Kilvington piano / Ollie Collins bass / Billy Buckley guitar / Steve Gilbert drums  

Join us for what will be a memorable night, in the company of the great John Helliwell, his classy, distinctive, cool saxophone playing and famously dry wit, a stunning big band and the unforgettable music of this legendary supergroup – possibly for the last time, as the eternally-young John celebrates his 80th year.  

John became interested in the clarinet at age 13, closely followed by the saxophone. After a spell as a computer programmer, he turned professional, playing with various bands in the ‘60s. He was asked to join Supertramp in 1973. After making the album Crime of the Century, they began their long climb to international success, moving to California in the process. Breakfast in America was the biggest selling album in the world in 1979!  

During a Supertramp hiatus in the ’90s, he moved back to England to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. John now plays music based on his many inspirations, including jazz, funk, blues, soul and rock. He has several jazz projects: Crème Anglaise, Ever Open Door (sextet with strings and Hammond organ) Don’t Ever Leave Me (a Dutch quartet) and a quartet with Pat Metheny drummer Paul Wertico, The Bari Session. 

The Super Big Tramp Band had its genesis in the RNCM in 2013, when Mike Hall, then the Director of Jazz Studies, persuaded several colleagues to create instrumental arrangements of Supertramp tunes for a concert with John and the student big band. A few years later, John formed the band again with Rob Buckland as director, and this time with professional players; concerts followed and an album was recorded in 2021 at The Stoller Hall, Manchester, released this year: John Helliwell’s Super Big Tramp Band. 

Set 1: 8-8.45 pm 

Set 2: 9 – 9.45 pm 

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 8:00 pm - 9:45 pm

Price: £25

Buy Tickets

Small Print

Buy Tickets

Stoller Hall (Carole Nash Hall)

Norma Winstone vocals / Nikki Iles piano / Mike Walker guitar / Steve Watts bass 

This is an ensemble with a vast emotional range, brought together by their collective love of song and a powerful spirit of collaboration. Small Print (a nod to their larger Printmakers ensemble) sets out to cross many musical boundaries; with themes of obsession, murder, migration, home and first love, they present a brilliant unity of concept and sound, delivered with honesty and stunning clarity and all bought together with their collective love of songs. 

Award winning pianist/composer Nikki Iles is one of the heroines of British jazz. She has made an invaluable contribution to the jazz scene in this country and beyond, whilst also making a very personal musical statement in many groups, not least her own superb Anglo-American trio with Rufus Reid and Jeff Williams and as Composer in Residence withe NDR Big band in Hamburg.  

Grammy nominated and ECM recording artist Norma Winstone MBE, pioneering innovator of the voice, has been a leading light in European music for many years. She collaborated with Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor in Azimuth, and has also worked with Fred Hersch, Steve Swallow, Jimmy Rowles, Mike Gibbs and Ralph Towner. Her music has in recent years found new collaborators and listeners, with three superb award-winning ECM releases in trio with European musicians Klaus Gesing and Glauco Venier. 

Mike Walker is rightly regarded as one of Europe’s most exciting guitarists – always passionate, dangerous and highly inventive. He has worked with some of the most innovative musicians in the world, including George Russell, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Julian Arguelles and Gwilym Simcock. 

Bassist Steve Watts has been the all-important linchpin in many significant bands in British Jazz, including Django Bates’ Human Chain, and with Kenny Wheeler and Stan Sulzmann. He has also worked with Iain Ballamy and Kirk Lightsey and Joe Lovano. 

“In the old days, this band would have had the words ‘All-Stars’ in their name. Every one of them is a leading figure in British contemporary jazz. Together, they create evocative sound-pictures of places and times. It’s remarkable how just three instruments and voice can suggest space and depth as they do.” – Dave Gelly, The Observer. 

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Price: £20

Buy Tickets

Camilla George

Buy Tickets

Band on the Wall (The Venue)

Camilla George alto saxophone / Renato Paris keyboards, vocals / Jihad Darwish bass / Rod Youngs drums 

Camilla George is a visionary saxophonist, composer, bandleader and innovator. Her strong cultural roots and love of fusing African and Western Music has informed her own style, a key reason why she is a firm fixture on the new London Jazz scene, alongside peers such as Nubya Garcia and Shabaka. Her music is a hypnotising blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop and jazz, with a politically-minded subtext that has a powerful connection to her Nigerian identity, lineage and heritage, reflecting African history, culture and slavery. 

Born in Eket, Nigeria, Camilla has been interested in music from an early age and particularly in the fusion of African and Western music. She grew up listening to Fela Kuti, as well as Jackie McLean and Charlie Parker. She began playing the saxophone aged 11 years old, when she won a music contest where the prize awarded her saxophone lessons. 

Her most recent album, Ibio Ibio, is a tribute to her tribe, the Ibibio people of South Eastern Coastal Nigeria. “George is the undoubted star, delivering criss-crossing solos with a ‘50s hard-bop bent.” – Mojo Magazine  

Camilla won Best Jazz Act at the 2023 Urban Music Awards, performed in the Jazz Refreshed showcase for SXSW, (filmed at Abbey Road studios) and reached the final in the DC Jazz Prix in 2021.  

Recent notable performances include North Sea Jazz Festival (where Camilla performed with her own group and as a featured artist in the Diaspora Suite performance); Jazz a Vienne (where Camilla sat in with Marcus Miller) and EFG London Jazz Festival.  

A festival favourite, Camilla makes a welcome return to mjf with her latest band. 

Doors: 2 pm

Date: saturday 24 may

Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Price: £17 advance, £19 full price

Buy Tickets