Fleece Jazz

On Wednesday, 24th June, The Gaz Hughes Trio – £20

Gaz Hughes – Drums

Andrzej Baranek – Piano

Gavin Barras – Bass

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“Two superb sets from some of the UK’s finest Jazz musicians” — The Jazz Mann

Based in the North-West of England, the Gaz Hughes trio, led by drummer Gaz Hughes, has been described as “Old school Jazz for the 21st Century” by promoter Dale Bassett of Sonata Lounge, Manchester.

Gaz is a renowned jazz drummer and band leader, who first gained wide public attention as the original drummer in the Matthew Halsall Band. Having played a significant role in the early recordings of the Gondwana label, he was a notable highlight on the album “On The Go”, which won the Best Jazz Album of the Year at the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards in 2012, and was nominated for the Best Jazz Album MOBO Awards in 2011.

As a sideman, Gaz has performed with an impressive array of jazz artists, both in the UK and internationally, including Greg Abate, Bruce Adams, Guy Barker, Alan Barnes, Nat Birchall, Arun Ghosh, Matthew Halsall, Scott Hamilton, Tim Kliphuis, Tony Kofi, Ivo Neame, David Newton, Mark Nightingale, Ian Shaw, Art Themen, and many others. In 2020, Gaz released his debut album as a band leader, featuring Alan Barnes, Bruce Adams and Dean Masser. This band became known informally as ‘The Gaz Messengers’ and we were immensely lucky to have them at Fleece Jazz for the first time just over four years ago as part of their UK tour.

In May 2022, Gaz released a trio album ‘Beboperation’ which was well received by audiences and critics alike. Following its success, the trio recorded a follow-up album ‘Beboptical Illusion’, featuring mostly original compositions and representing a new direction for the trio.  The album draws inspiration from a diverse range of genres including Bebop, Latin, New Orleans, Avant-Garde and Modal influences, culminating in a unique and memorable sound. A fourth album, ‘Nuclear Bebopalypse’ was released a year later and promoted by a UK tour, including a second appearance at Fleece Jazz in 2024.

The trio also features Andrzej Baranek on piano whom many jazz fans will recognise as a member of the renowned Magic Hat Ensemble. A swinging, edgy and inventive pianist, he has performed with many UK jazz stars including Dave O’Higgins and Enrico Tomasso and is one of the most in-demand accompanists in the North-West. Completing the lineup on double bassis Gavin Barras, who performs regularly throughout the UK and abroad in a variety of projects.  Gavin has performed as part of the Matthew Halsall band for over 15 years as well as at regular sold-out gigs in UK venues such as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Stoller Hall, The Barbican and Union Chapel.  Internationally, Gavin has performed at multiple jazz festivals throughout the world, and he has also made several appearances on BBC Radio and TV.

“They rarely deliver anything less than excellence and today topped just about everything that had preceded it. I feel sad for the squares who weren’t there” — Bebop Spoken Here

On Wednesday, 8th July, The Greg Abate Quartet – £20

Greg Abate Alto Sax/Flute

Chris Ingham Piano

Simon Thorpe Bass

Alfonso Vitale Drums

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“Greg Abate is one of the most appealing saxophonists on the scene today … the result is that he plays music with sweetness and daring.” New Jazz Recordings

We are delighted to welcome back to Fleece Jazz the legendary US saxophonist, Greg Abate, together with some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians. The quartet led by Greg in 2025 blew us away so much that we had to have them back as soon as possible.

Greg is based in the USA, a celebrated New England saxophonist and flautist with an assertive style on alto saxophone, rooted in bebop. His fluent and muscular playing encompasses a classic approach to the material in the style of Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Cannonball Adderley and Phil Woods. As well as his touring work, Greg is also a composer, an arranger, a Grammy-nominated recording artist and an educator of some considerable note, serving as an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at Rhode Island College.  He has had an impressively diverse international career: from 1972-’74, he played lead alto for the iconic Ray Charles Orchestra, followed by a spell playing tenor sax for the revived Artie Shaw Orchestra. Since then, he has had an outstanding career as a band leader in his own right with more than 24 recordings featuring notable greats such as Phil Woods, Kenny Barron, and Red Rodney.

Bandleader, composer, singer, presenter and superb pianist Chris Ingham will be with us. Chris is a club favourite. I think this is partly because he thinks deeply about the music he is playing. He seems to give us the lyrics through his fingers.

Simon Thorpe, too, returns with the quartet and is one of the UK's best-known and most versatile jazz bassists, nominated in 2016 and 2017 for a British Jazz Award.  He has worked with many of the great UK and US names in jazz, recording and touring with Bobby Wellins, Stacey Kent, Bheki Mseleku, Alan Barnes, Elaine Delmar, Scott Hamilton, Benn Clatworthy and Ray Gelato.  He runs several of his own bands and is also known as a composer and arranger.

Again, Alfonso Vitale completes the quartet as before. Alfonso started playing the drums at the age of three and became a regular fixture at local jazz club ‘La Sosta’, sitting in with visiting veteran stars like Bobby Watson, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams, Steve Swallow and others. Soon after moving to the UK, he found a comfortable footing on the London scene before visiting New York which enabled him to hone and extend his skills.

This promises to be a special jazz gig for a summer’s evening!

“Abate is not content to rely on stock bebop riffs … his work has a feeling of constant invention and creativity.” Chicago Tribune

“Abate’s musical style can be seen as a distillation of swing’s easy-going vibe and bop’s
more animated groove. He has developed a unique voice.”   METRO San Jose, CA