Date: Sunday 17 May

Lara Jones

mjf @ First Street (Ask Garden Stage)

Lara Jones saxophone & electronics 

Lara Jones is a London–based experimental producer, saxophonist, keyboardist and lyricist who creates high energy pulsating electronics and jazz harmonies that weave into electronic grime and a web of arpeggiated synths, basses and glitchy beats in Ableton Live.  

Jones’ work has undergone an organic evolution across her recordings, with her latest set distilling a dizzying mix of accessible and avant-garde sounds with edgy, powerful production. From the haunting poignancy of her darkly ambient debut EP, Ensó, via the crunching industrial grime of Flow, with its flickering gritty textures, to the warm eroticism and enticing dance grooves of Fig, Lara Jones refuses to be boxed in by genres or gender definitions.  

As a queer artist, Lara uses her work to explore queer narratives and experiences whilst opening up conversations on gender, stereotypes, queer fashion and queer identity. She also uses her music as a platform to address political issues and social injustices.  

This has garnered her support from BBC Radios 1, 3 and 6 Music, The Wire and many more, along with accolades as a Jerwood Arts Jazz Encounter Fellow, Peter Whittingham Award winner and PRSF Women Make Music Awardee.  

For mjf2022, Lara was commissioned by mjf and Jerwood Arts to create an accessible, immersive, audio–visual experience inside a geodesic dome, which premiered at Piccadilly Station.

Photographer Credit: Jess Rose

 

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 4:45 pm - 5:30 pm

Price: Free

Hang Linton (part of the Northern Line Showcase)

mjf @ First Street (Main Stage)

Hang Linton vocals, guitar, harmonica, sampler, synthesisers

mjf partners with Jazz North to present a showcase of the latest artists selected for the Northern Line touring programme. 

A fearless sonic force, Hang Linton is a boundary-pushing artist from Leeds, fusing avant-funk, dance-punk, psych-rock and breakbeats into a raw and unapologetic sound. Armed with a sampler, synths and an unrelenting energy, Linton dismantles the polished and predictable, channelling the spirit of DIY counterculture with every performance. 

Explosive, chaotic, and fiercely authentic, Hang Linton brings a live show that’s part protest, part party, a cathartic release that challenges convention and demands your attention. 

This event is part of Jazz North’s Northern Line Showcase for 2026. 

Photography Credit: Laura Lulika

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 4:00 pm - 4:45 pm

Price: Free

SwanNek (part of the Northern Line Showcase)

mjf @ First Street (Main Stage)

Mollie Birmingham vocals / Olly Styles tenor saxophone / Jacob Egglestone guitar / Alexa K Palmer Campiglia cello / Findlay Hewitson keyboards / Jake Baines bass / John Hirst drums 

mjf partners with Jazz North to present a showcase of the latest artists selected for the Northern Line touring programme. 

SwanNek is a boundary-pushing contemporary jazz collective from Newcastle upon Tyne, renowned for crafting music that celebrates the people and places closest to their hearts. 

SwanNek draw deeply from their own experiences, weaving personal stories into a dynamic and powerfully emotive sound: a fusion that reflects the rich and diverse musical identity of their hometown.  

Their emotive, innovative and welcoming live shows have drawn praise from Radio 3’s Soweto Kinch and BBC Introducing’s Shakk (“a collective of musical superheroes”), consistently attracting an eclectic and ever-growing fanbase. 

“Innovative. Dynamic. A combustion of musical talent.” – Glasshouse ICM 

This event is part of Jazz North’s Northern Line Showcase for 2026. 

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 2:30 pm - 3:15 pm

Price: Free

Ancient Infinity Orchestra (part of the Northern Line Showcase)

mjf @ First Street (Main Stage)

Ozzy Moysey double bass / Joel Stedman flute, bass clarinet, congas / Matt Cliffe flute, alto flute, tenor saxophone / Khemi Shabazz oboe / Jacob Rider alto saxophone / Hugh Vincent piano / Elliot Roffe double bass / John Arnesen drums

mjf partners with Jazz North to present a showcase of the latest artists selected for the Northern Line touring programme. 

Ancient Infinity Orchestra emerged in the North of England as a joyous, communal force, rooted in collective music-making and shared intention. Led by Leeds-based composer-double bassist Ozzy Moysey, the ensemble weaves melody, with expansive, uplifting improvisation, creating music that feels both intimate and cosmic.  

Their latest recording, It’s Always About Love, blossoms with warmth, texture, and emotional depth, shaped by a rich palette of acoustic sounds and open-hearted collaboration. Affiliated with jazz, folk, classical, and devotional music traditions, the Orchestra offers generous, healing music that invites listeners into a shared experience of unity, openness, and joy. 

This event is part of Jazz North’s Northern Line Showcase for 2026. 

Photography Credit: Solomon Charles-Kelly 

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 7:00 pm - 7:45 pm

Price: Free

Rivkala (part of the Northern Line Showcase)

mjf @ First Street (Main Stage)

Rivkala vocals / Faye MacCalman saxophones, clarinet / Billy Bradshaw trumpet / Ben Lawrence keyboards / Luke Elgie guitar / Katy Trigger double bass, bass guitar / Mark Johnson drums

mjf partners with Jazz North to present a showcase of the latest northern artists to be selected for the groundbreaking touring programme Northern Line. 

Self-proclaimed showgirl Rivkala – along with her esteemed band – blends jazz, soul, funk, and klezmer to build the twisted world of the Crushed Velvet cabaret bar, where she delivers biting yet playful social commentaries. The Mancunian singer-songwriter has made the North East her home over the past seven years, working across a range of projects and co-founding Jam Sandwich, an improvised contemporary jazz jam. 

Winner of Youth Music Video of the Year (2025), Youth Music Ones to Watch (2026), BBC Introducing: One to Watch (2025), and Drake Music’s Emergent Artist (2023), Rivkala delivered exhilarating performances in 2025 for BBC Proms (broadcast on Radio 3’s ‘Round Midnight), MOBO Fringe, Sofar Sounds, SXSW Roadshow and TV features for BBC Look North and ITV Tyne Tees. 

This event is part of Jazz North’s Northern Line Showcase for 2026. 

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm

Price: Free

Veasey//Ticciati Duo

mjf @ First Street (Ask Garden Stage)

Nika Ticciati piano / Beth Veasey drum kit

Veasey//Ticciati Duo presents a personal blend of contemporary classical music and first wave free jazz.  

Particularly referencing the extended works of Don Cherry, the duo’s compositions are an exploration of closeness and intimacy. Their relationship with experimental music is founded on these ideas, as an avenue for connection with both the audience and each other.  

The way the duo performs and composes lets either player reference whatever musical world they like, in whatever tone they like, as well as dig for new tones and worlds. They might drift through clattering bursts of noise, rapturous spiritual jazz-isms and spacious modern chamber music in one sitting; the players’ hope is for audiences to be left with the sense of knowing them quite well.

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 3:15 pm - 4:00 pm

Price: Free

Tom Sharp Jazz Orchestra

Buy Tickets

Matt and Phreds

James Boyes, Anna Chandler-King, Emma Johnson, Laurence Mason, Sophie Speed saxophones / Ciarán Diston, Joe Martin, Tom Sharp, Stuart Wilson trumpets / Tom I’Anson, Pat Martin, Tom Smith trombones / Will Powell guitar / Joe Boyes piano / Eliott Roffe bass / Josh Smout drums

The award-winning 20-piece Tom Sharp Jazz Orchestra continue their exploration of big band music looking this year at the work of the great Duke Ellington. Alongside classics such as ‘Take The “A” Train’, ‘Cottontail’ and ‘Caravan’, for one performance only the ensemble will be tackling Billy Strayhorn’s controversial banned ‘Peer Gynt Suite’. Spanning centuries, from Ibsen, via Grieg, via Duke Ellington, via the Tom Sharp Jazz Orchestra to you, come down for this one-off big band spectacular.

 

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Price: Seated: £7-£12 ; Standing: £5

Buy Tickets

Rory A. Green (part of the Northern Line Showcase)

mjf @ First Street (Main Stage)

Rory A. Green classical guitar / Eleanor Colee tenor saxophone / Zac Hemming drums

mjf partners with Jazz North to present a showcase of the latest artists selected for the Northern Line touring programme. 

Ghanaian-English guitarist, composer and producer Rory A. Green, inspired by his mixed heritage background, uses the sensitivity of acoustic instruments combined with infectious rhythms to create heavily layered, atmospheric environments for his music. 

With his dynamic, conversational approach to the guitar and improvisation, Rory has been using music to tell stories and captivate audiences in his hometown of Manchester and across the UK, sharing stages with Laura Misch, Kessoncoda and Marysia Osu. 

This event is part of Jazz North’s Northern Line Showcase for 2026. 

Photography Credit: VALETTE

 

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm

Price: Free

mjf2026 Piano Trail Walking Tour with FMWT

Buy Tickets

Victoria Train Station

Please note tickets go off sale for this event via mjf at 10am on the day of the trail. 

After three years of sold-out tours, the piano trail walking tours are back, following manchester jazz festival’s famous piano trail across the city centre… accompanied by a Sherpa K!

Josh (FMWT) will follow the mjf piano trail across the city centre, exploring the fabulous interiors of Manchester’s theatres, art galleries and music venues, as well as uncovering secret street art and learning about the origins of a famous Manchester fruit drink and its artists. There are two piano trail walking tours – one on Sunday 17 May and one on Sunday 24 May, running from 11am-1pm.

Kids go free, but please select a ticket, one per child attending. Please note that children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult and due to the use of some strong language during the tour, parent/carer discretion is advised. 

£2 of every ticket will automatically be donated to our Play it Forward: Street Piano Fund, working to maintain the upkeep of our pianos throughout the city. Learn more here: https://manchesterjazz.com/play-it-forward 

WHERE TO MEET AND WHEN 

Meet Josh near the piano underneath the departure boards inside Manchester Victoria Station. The tour will start promptly at 11am and last approximately 2 hours. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water! 

FREE MANCHESTER WALKING TOURS: 

Free Manchester Walking Tours (www.fmwt.co.uk) was set up nearly a decade ago by storyteller, History MA graduate and Mancunian Josh. They’ve since grown into a small team dedicated to sharing Manchester’s story with the world. They run a tour every day at 11am from the Alan Turing Memorial, as well as offering specialised LGBT+ and Northern Quarter walking tours. 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography Credit: Jeni Illingworth

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Price: £12 for adults, children go free

Buy Tickets

Femme De La Femme

mjf @ First Street (Ask Garden Stage)

Georgie Harold Moss vocals / Jasmine Brown saxophone / Roz Fearnehough trombone / Roisin Fleming keyboards/ Amy Browne bass / Izzy MacMahon drums

Femme De La Femme’s music is an amalgamation of art forms within the jazz realm – with the band comprising different musical backgrounds, they blend the sound worlds of classical, Jazz, Soul, RnB, Cabaret and Poetry into one big celebration of femininity. Made up solely of queer & FINTA* musicians, they’re passionate about bringing gender diversity to the forefront of the jazz scene. Femme De La Femme make music that speaks to the richness of their lived experiences as a gender-diverse ensemble through sensuality and storytelling. They seek to transport listeners into their world, leaving them feeling connected to the femininity that lives within us all.

 *FINTA – Female, Intersex, Nonbinary, Transgender, Agender  

Photography Credit: Pixel Hive Media

 

Date: sunday 17 may

Time: 1:45 pm - 2:30 pm

Price: Free