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Venue: mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

The Exu

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

Personnel and instrument(s) – James Mainwaring saxophone / Dave Kane double bass / Emil Karlsen 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. 

Named after a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting and inspired by the artists’ multi-faceted stylistic approach, The Exu is known for its raw, expressive, and dynamic qualities, blending street art with neo-expressionism to create bold, thought-provoking work.  

The Exu makes layered, intense, creative and beautiful genre-fluid improvised music. The trio brazenly draws its musical influences from the worlds of free jazz, grunge, death metal, hip hop, bebop, and experimental music.  

“We are the sum of our record collections, the films we have seen, the books we have read. It all goes into the mix to make our music,” explains Dave Kane.  

Kane and Mainwaring share the compositional duties while young Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen brings versatile, intricate textures and groove. Mainwaring (of Mercury Prize-nominated Roller Trio) blends fiery and sensitive saxophone approaches with a playful edge, while double bassist Kane ignites each performance with cathartic, heartfelt energy that lingers long after the final note. 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 4:45 pm - 5:30 pm

Time: 6:15 pm - 7:00 pm

Price: Free

José Dias: 25 in 25 Portuguese Revolution Revisited

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

José Dias guitar & samples / Maria Fonseca trumpet / Juliana Mendonça bass / Johnny Hunter drums 

José Dias is a Portuguese musician based in Manchester. His widely acclaimed solo album, “After Silence, Vol.1” (Clean Feed 2019) was hailed ‘an introspective masterpiece’ (All About Jazz) and listed as both one of the best albums of 2019 by Giornale della Musica and the essential Portuguese Jazz Album of the New Century by Improvisando.  

As a composer, he has scored music for animation, film and television, as well as theatre and contemporary dance. His music is strongly inspired by the visual arts and literature. 

25 in 25/Portuguese Revolution Revisited is a commission from the Manchester Portuguese Consulate commemorating the 50th anniversary of the democratic revolution of April 25th. On the morning of April 25, 1974, two specific songs were broadcast on national radio as covert signals for the coup that successfully overthrew a 41-year dictatorship. This event marked the beginning of a liberation process that received overwhelming public support and saw the restoration of democracy and freedom of speech.  

It is these songs that Dias’ quartet, which includes two fast-rising musicians from Lisbon visiting especially for this concert, aims to reinterpret. The quartet will creatively reinterpret those songs, blending improvisation and archival sounds from that historic day. 

mjf acknowledges the generous support of the Portuguese Consul, Manchester in making this event possible 

 

 

 

Date: saturday 17 may

Time: 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm

Time: 2:10 pm - 3:00 pm

Price: Free

New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

Nisha Ramayya spoken word, text / John Pope double bass, small objects, electronics / John Garner violin, shakuhachi, small objects

A vibrant collaboration between three artists drawing on spiritual jazz, deep listening, mercurial poetry and spontaneous improvisation, New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds brings together the nimble violin-and-bass duo of John Garner and John Pope with the gracefully probing text of poet and author Nisha Ramayya.  

Exploring and celebrating the music of shared influences from Alice Coltrane and Fred Moten to Ahmad Jamal and Don Cherry, these three creators seek to bring their audience into a world charged with the thought-provoking, life-affirming potential of art and dreaming. Garner and Pope’s long-standing partnership, built on years of playing and improvising together, serves as a flexible and dynamic setting for Ramayya’s sensuous poetry, which she performs, de-constructs and re-examines in the eruptive moment of performance.  

Formed in 2024 to perform at Newcastle’s esteemed Masala Festival, New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds is an exuberant and timely celebration of connectedness, an artistic riposte of imperial narratives and a powerful hymn to love and resilience. 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 3:15 pm - 4:00 pm

Price: Free

Ellen Beth Abdi

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

Ellen Beth Abdi vocals & electronics 

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

Mancunian music-maker Ellen Beth Abdi uses live loops, pokey drums, undulating synths and quietly subversive lyrics to mould her unique sound.  

Ellen pops up in many areas of the Manchester scene, providing lead and backing vocals (& keys) for legendary indie/alternative bands in the city. From supporting The Stone Roses at Wembley Stadium, touring with New Order for their seminal MIF shows and, most recently, touring and recording with A Certain Ratio (all by the age of 27), Ellen is now focused on her solo music. 

Ellen’s enchanting and distinctive sound has gained her spots at Manchester International Festival, and support slots for Olivia Dean, Hollie Cooke, Ishmael Ensemble, Oscar Jerome and Allysha Joy. She was invited to collaborate live with music legend Angélique Kidjo, opening Aviva Studios for Manchester International Festival 2023.   

Having been taken under the wing of the ‘old guard’ of Manchester’s music scene, whilst very much representing the city’s new school, Ellen has had a unique mentorship, enabling her to learn from the best. The synergy between past and present has informed a well-rounded, nuanced skill set and an innate appreciation for the city’s rich cultural heritage, of which she is now an integral part.  

Photography Credit: Jody Hartley

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 1:45 pm - 2:30 pm

Price: Free

Jazz Students from Chetham’s School of Music

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

mjf’s opening evening, across each of the First Street stages, gives a platform to the next generation of musicians, offering a loud-and-clear statement of intent that the future of jazz talent in and around Manchester is sounding bright. 

Gathering on the HOME stage, a selection of students from Chetham’s School of Music – the UK’s largest specialist music school – will perform a mixed repertoire showcasing their instrumental and ensemble mastery. Affectionally known as Chet’s Bakers, they play under the direction Steve Berry, the lead jazz and improvisation tutor at Chetham’s. 

With a wide range of ages and breathtaking abilities, these young performers are testament to Chetham’s investment in cultivating the stars of the future through their jazz studies at the school – whose alumni include Gwilym Simcock and Emma Rawicz.   

Date: friday 16 may

Time: 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Time: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Price: Free

Yoshizawa

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

Amelie Yoshizawa drums / Ernie Moore flute / Henry Skinner guitar / Callum Greenway keys / Ruben Maric synth bass 

Yoshizawa is an eerie prog band who create refreshing musical landscapes to connect and communicate with their audiences. Through their playing they bring new conversation to a wide range of music. Their performances deliver a whole truckload of energy, with driving drums and synth bass underpinning soaring flutes and guitars.  Bandleader Amelie Yoshizawa writes without words in order to express and create voices for the working class in art.  

With their debut EP having launched late last year and performances including The Royal Albert Hall (with orchestra) and ‘We Out Here’ behind them, their mjf debut is sure to raise the roof. 

Date: saturday 17 may

Time: 6:45 pm - 7:30 pm

Price: Free

Jascha Bingham Trio

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

Jascha Bingham piano / Sean Blake double bass / Adam Scott drums

Winner of the Bucharest International Jazz Competition in 2024, and active on the jazz scene in the north of England, the Jascha Bingham Trio aims to reconceptualise and explore jazz standards and originals through a creative and emotional improvisational process. Within performances, the trio continuously focuses on exploring new improvisational pathways and emphasising emotional expression through nuance, sensitivity and musical communication.  

Alongside fellow young players from Leeds Conservatoire, highlighting the sheer talent flourishing in our next generation of players, Jascha takes inspiration from the Keith Jarrett’s classic trio format, as well as incorporating stylistic elements from Brad Mehldau and Bill Evans. 

Date: saturday 17 may

Time: 4:30 pm - 5:25 pm

Price: Free