Basil Hodge Piano

Tony Kofi Saxophones

Stuart Fiddler Guitar

Mike Edmunds Bass

Winston Clifford Drums 

Telling the story of jazz from where it really came from, we’re proud to present the Basil Hodge Quintet featuring two of the UK’s busiest and most exciting jazz performers, the irrepressible Tony Kofi on saxophone and the uber-cool Basil Hodge on keys.

Jazz Africa is Basil Hodge’s exciting new project. It is the story of the diversity and inclusivity of jazz from across the African continent, where you’ll hear the roots of blues, jazz and almost all of today’s modern musical sounds. This five-piece band will perform a range of music from Africa so you will hear Jazz fused with a mixture of Afrobeat, Township and Funk rhythms from such artists as Abdullah Ibrahim (formerly Dollar Brand), Manu Dibango and Fela Kuti.

Basil Hodge has been leading bands since the mid-90s and played in various R’n’B and Gospel bands in the UK and abroad. He has performed at a range of prestigious venues such as Ronnie Scott’s and the Royal Festival Hall. Tony Kofi is a British Jazz multi-instrumentalist born of Ghanaian parents, a  player of the alto, baritone, soprano, tenor saxophones and flute. Having ‘cut his teeth’ in the “Jazz Warriors” of the early 90’s, this award-winning saxophonist has gone on to establish himself as a musician, teacher and composer of some authority. His credits now range from the brooding South African soundscapes of Abdullah Ibrahim to the ferocious aesthetics of The World Saxophone Quartet and Ornette Coleman.

Guitarist Stuart Fiddler gravitated to jazz from a rock and blues background and makes judicious use of his various effects combining slippery jazz chording with the twang of rock. Mike Edwards is a highly accomplished electric and double bass player with a diverse range of musical influences.  Winston Clifford is one of the most in-demand drummers on the jazz scene to date. His playing is free from the usual restraints of stylistic expectations and a true reflection of listening and responding “in the moment”.

Expect breath-taking musicianship and driving rhythms as these excellent musicians also show off their fine percussion skills and some inevitable in-the-aisle dancing. This is one for families of all ages and heritages!

Please note that this gig will start at 8:15pm, doors at 7:45pm.

Noel McCalla Vocals

Derek Nash Saxophones

Neil Angilley Keyboards

Tim Cansfield Guitar

Laurence Cottle Bass

Nic France Drums 

We are sold out for this gig, folks.

Celebrating the genius of Stevie Wonder throughout his entire career, the mesmerising vocalist, Noel McCalla, and award-winning saxophonist, Derek Nash, together with a band of top musicians play a wide-ranging back-catalogue of Stevie Wonder’s classic hits from ‘For Once in My Life’, ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ through to hits from ‘Talking Book’, ‘Innervisions’, ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ and “Hotter than July’. From dance floor classics “I Wish’ and ‘Superstition’ to beautiful arrangements of ‘My Cherie Amour’ and ‘Overjoyed’.

Noel McCalla’s long association with the brilliant Morrisey Mullen Band earned him acclaim as “one of Britain’s best Soul Singers” (Blues and Soul Magazine) and, for more than 19 years, Noel’s searing, soulful vocals were featured with the iconic Manfred Mann’s “Earth Band”. 

Derek Nash has played with Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra since 2004 and is also a member of the Ronnie Scotts Blues Explosion. He has won several British Jazz Awards throughout his career fronting Sax Appeal, his Acoustic Quartet and the funk band, Protect the Beat.

The all-star band features musicians whose credits include Bill Withers, The Bee Gees, Gary Moore, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe. Neil Angilley was keyboard player with Grammy nominees ‘Down to the Bone’ and has co-written and played on many of their No.1 albums. Trinidadian Tim Cansfield is a self taught musician; this enigmatic and self-effacing genius has played with the Bee Gees, Steve Winwood, Billy Preston, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Annie Lennox, Seal and many more. Jonathan Noyce has been a member of Jethro Tull, a sideman to the late great blues guitarist Gary Moore and is a member of French Superstar Mylene Farmer’s band. Nic France has been one of the UK’s most in-demand drummers performing with, among others, Ian Carr’s ‘Nucleus’, Ronnie Scott, John Taylor, Jim Mullen, Bobby Wellins, Mose Allison, Billy Cobham, Django Bates and John Parricelli. He was also a founding member of ‘Loose Tubes’. 

“Rarely have I heard the music of Stevie Wonder interpreted with such finesse, energy and all-round brilliance.” – The House of Soul.

Pete Long Alto Sax

Ryan Quigley Trumpet

Chris Ingham Piano

Malcolm Creese Bass

George Double Drums 

The leader of Ronnie Scott’s Big Band, Peter Long together with Ryan Quigley front an exciting salute to a legendary team of jazz brothers; dazzling virtuoso alto saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley and ingenious soul-jazz architect and cornetist Nat Adderley.

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet featured Cannonball on alto sax and his brother Nat Adderley on cornet. Cannonball chose to play the alto despite his first love being the tenor because saxophones were in short supply in 1942 when he started playing at the age of 14. He developed a hard, explosive style, an influence from listening to Charlie Parker. Together with his brother, Nat, the famous quintet played a lot of blues-, funk- and gospel-influenced jazz based on what they heard being played by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.

Pete and Ryan are lovers of the music of the quintet and are the ideal musicians to play it today. Pete studied at the Royal London College of Music and after a couple of years joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, playing all five saxophone parts, solo flute, bass guitar, and on one rather messy occasion, the fourth trumpet. In future years, he went on to play with the award-winning sax quartet, Itchy Fingers, working with Dizzy Gillespie, John Scofield and Chick Corea amongst others. A five-year stint playing and arranging for Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra saw him work with Tom Jones, Norah Jones, Solomon Burke, Dr. John, Lulu, Georgie Fame and Lionel Richie to name but a few. In recent years, Pete’s career has been divided into education, working in master classes and as a soloist with young musicians all over Britain. It is, however, as a bandleader and orchestrator that Pete spends most of his time currently.

Ryan Quigley is an award-winning jazz and lead trumpet player and an in-demand studio musician, composer, arranger and educator. His recording and touring work includes dates with Quincy Jones, Ron Carter, Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick Jr, George Michael, Gregory Porter, Beverley Knight and Tom Jones.

Our friends Chris Ingham and George Double are always welcome at Fleece Jazz for their virtuosic playing and for themselves.

“Pete Long is a national treasure” – The Observer
“Quigley…bright, inventive and vivacious” – The Jazz Mann

Here is a link to a video with music of the two Adderlies.

Kevin Flanagan Saxophone

Martin Hallmark Piano

Tiago Coimbra Bass

Derek Scurll Drums 

Q3 was formed in 2013 and brings together some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians in an exciting blend of superbly crafted original music and virtuosic performance. The music combines jazz, funk, latin and fusion elements with intricate melodies, influenced by Michael Brecker, Chick Corea, Marcus Miller and Robert Glasper.

Nigel Price says “Martin Hallmark – pianist and composer, leads this tight unit, comprised of master multi saxophonist Kevin Flanagan, super groovy Tiago Coimbra on 5 string electric bass and [our drummer for this gig is multi instrumentalist Derek Scurll]. The album of instantly accessible, mostly funk/fusion original compositions is recorded in crystal clear quality and played deftly with passion as well as eyebrow raising virtuosity from these gifted, empathetic musicians. There are moments of beauty too, especially on the waltz – ‘Tarka and the Mount’. A fine body of work from a great band.”

Martin is the driving force here: many of the compositions and all of the arrangements are from his pen. Kevin’s quartet was our Christmas gig in 2019, and the gig was adored by our audience.

Trish Clowes Tenor sax

Ross Stanley Hammond Organ

Chris Montague Guitar

Joel Barford Drums

“a rich mix of cinematic landscape evocation, funky guitar grooves, dreamy reveries spun off minimalist patterns and fluently uncliched improv” – Album of the Month & 4 STARS for ‘A View with a Room’ from John Fordham, The Guardian

“brilliant” – Gilles Peterson, BBC Radio 6 Music

“A high intensity, mercurial workout” – Downbeat Magazine on ‘Ninety Degrees Gravity’

My Iris is an intense and thrilling band that represents the front rank of the contemporary UK jazz scene. Lauded for her imaginative approach to improv and adroit writing, saxophonist Trish Clowes provides her bandmates Ross Stanley (on the mighty Hammond ), Chris Montague (guitar) and Joel Barford (drums) with a unique platform for individual expression and group interplay, delivering driving grooves and lingering melodic lines, seamlessly morphing between earthy restlessness and futuristic dreamscapes.

The band has toured internationally and made broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and Radio Bremen. Notable recent performances include Wigmore Hall (where Clowes is an Associate Artist), Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Rochester International Jazz Festival (Made In The UK showcase), Toronto International Jazz Festival, Galway Jazz Festival, and the Barbican (London Jazz Festival). In May 2023, they were joined by Dave Douglas for a special gig at the 606 Club in London, playing a mixture of Douglas and Clowes’s compositions.

Alan Barnes Alto sax

Vasilis Xenopoulos Tenor Sax

Jim Watson Piano

Andrew Cleyndert Bass

Clark Tracey Drums 

Paying homage to three of the most influential giants of Jazz, this outstanding quintet, led by Alan Barnes, celebrates the music of each of them.  One of the great tenor saxophonists in early jazz history, Ben Webster was considered one of the “big three” of swing tenors along with Coleman Hawkins, who was Webster’s main influence, and Lester Young. With a warm breathy sound on ballads that’s instantly recognisable and a tough raspy tone on stomps, Webster was Duke Ellington’s first major tenor soloist in the ‘40s.  Coleman Hawkins, nicknamed “Bean”, was the first important tenor saxophonist and he remains one of the greatest of all time.  A consistently modern improviser with an encyclopedic knowledge of chords and harmonies, Hawkins had a 40-year prime (1925-1965) during which he could hold his own with any competitor.  Charlie “Yardbird” Parker practically invented Modern Jazz with bebop along with his contemporaries Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell and shaped the course of 20^th century music. Rather than basing his improvisations closely on the melody as was done in swing, “Bird” was a master of chordal improvising, creating new melodies that were based on the structure of a song. 

Alan Barnes has been at the forefront of British jazz since 1980 and his musicianship and sense of humour have made him hugely popular in jazz clubs and festivals across the UK and beyond. He is best known for his work on clarinet, alto and baritone saxes, where he combines a formidable virtuosity with outstanding musical expression. 

Come and join us for what promises to be a gig full of outstanding tunes from the golden eras of swing and bebop played with passion and musical verve.

Ed Jones Tenor sax

Ross Stanley Piano

Riaan Visloo Bass

Tim Giles Drums

“A formidable saxophonist .  .  .  an improviser to his fingertips, a player of forceful imagination, and one of the UK’s most distinctive saxophonists.” John Fordham, The Guardian

Award-winning saxophonist Ed Jones returns to Fleece Jazz with his brilliant contemporary jazz quartet.  A mainstay of the London Jazz scene since the late 1980s, expect beautifully poised music as Ed and the band play recently composed new music as well as material from their highly acclaimed 2018 recording “For Your Ears Only.”

Based in London for over 25 years, Ed works in the UK and internationally with a wide range of his own projects and collaborations.  His experience as a sideman reflects his diverse musical interests, having worked with Free Jazz pioneers John Stevens and Evan Parker; US jazz legends Horace Silver, George Benson and Dianne Reeves; leading UK jazz musicians such as Jason Rebello, Don Weller and Byron Wallen; crossover projects such as Us3 and Incognito through to RnB legends such as Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, Carlene Anderson and Omar.  He has been described as “one of the most fluent and forceful saxophonists in Europe” (Jack Massarik, Evening Standard) and “inventive, physical, full of life, on the edge and unmistakeably of today” (Chris May, All About Jazz).

Ed is joined by widely respected and frequent Fleece Jazz visitor, Ross Stanley, on piano.  Constantly in-demand for his flowing creative and lyrical playing, he always serves the music and is universally revered by fellow musicians and the wider listening public alike. Bassist Riaan Vosloo is involved in a wide number of projects as a producer, arranger, composer and performer, including leading lights in the UK Jazz and improvised music scene such as Run Logan Run and Ben Lamdin aka Nostalgia 77. Drummer Tim Giles first made an impression at the age of 12 by winning the Daily Telegraph Young Composer of the Year Award in 1992.  While still in his teens, Tim performed internationally with saxophonists Iain Ballamy and Stan Sulzmann and his current regular projects also include Ben Lamdin’s Nostalgia 77 and the Tori Freestone Trio.

“The vigorous, sometimes downright volcanic tenor sound of Ed Jones has long been one of the great live delights of British Jazz.  His barnstorming ‘terrier with a rat’ approach raises the music’s temperature whenever he solos”.  Chris Parker, Jazzwise

Josh Kemp Tenor sax

Gareth Williams Piano

Dave Manington Bass

Tristan Maillot Drums

“A fierce talent” Jazzwise magazine

This evening Josh Kemp and his quartet explore the lyrical and spiritual music of John Coltrane, including his masterpiece, A Love Supreme, one of the biggest-selling recordings in Jazz.  This seminal and unique album represents the peak of Coltrane’s achievement and his musical journey from bebop to the avant-garde of 1960s Jazz.  It remains to this day a work of deep spiritual power, representing a struggle for purity, an expression of gratitude and an acknowledgement that the musician’s talent comes from a higher source.  The performance is accompanied with video projections inspired by the meaning and message of Coltrane’s music.

A jazz saxophonist with a gift for melody, Josh Kemp is known for his lyrical, improvising style and imaginative compositions and collaborations.  Josh has studied Coltrane’s original material, yielding an authentic yet personal recreation of the epic aural poem that is A Love Supreme as well as other compositions. 

Composer and songwriter Gareth Williams is a Chancellor’s Fellow at Edinburgh College of Art. His compositions seek to find new relationships, participants, collaborators and audiences for new opera, music theatre, and song, to shed light on stories and communities that have been overlooked, and to explore ideas of vulnerability in vocal writing.

Bassist and composer Dave Manington is one of the mainstays of the London jazz scene and a founder member of the Loop Collective.  He has played with many of the pre-eminent jazz musicians in the UK and Europe including Julian Arguelles, Marius Neset, Gwilym Simcock, Mark Lockheart, Tim Garland, Iain Ballamy, Gwyneth Herbert, Pete King and Yazz Ahmed.

Tristan Maillot has been active on the UK jazz scene since the mid 90’s as both sideman and leader. He has played with numerous leading international stars such as Jim Hall, Stacey Kent, Clare Martin, Jim Mullen, Fred Hersch, Martin Taylor, Stan Tracey, Steve Grossman, Norma Winstone and Bobby Wellins.

“A subtle, highly nuanced and original sound” Time Out

Joanna Eden Vocals

Chris Ingham Piano

Andres Lafone Bass

George Double Drums

“Bloody marvellous” – Dame Cleo Laine

“sophisticated, stylish vocalist” – Jazz Journal

Joanna Eden presents a ‘labour of love’ show celebrating the music of her vocal hero Ella Fitzgerald.  From the throw-away “A Tisket A Tasket” which brought Ella to fame in the forties with the Chick Webb Orchestra to  later songbook album classics like Porter’s “Every Time We Say Goodbye” and Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me” , Eden mines the rich seam of Ella Fitzgerald’s unrivalled canon with humility, style and obvious deep affection.

Mojo magazine describes her songwriting as having ‘melody, mystery and bite’. With six solo albums to her credit, Joanna is considered one of the finest singer-pianists in the UK with a style that covers a broad spectrum, through jazz, soul, bossa nova and blues. Her beautifully crafted compositions give life to personal and expressive lyrics, which – like her songwriting hero Joni Mitchell – question and reflect life’s changes.

This Tuesday will be exceptional, because Joanna will be singing the songs and loves of the great Ella Fitzgerald. Chris Ingham will be on piano, and Andres Lafone will join us on bass. Our great friend, the drummer George Double will be with us. This is an ideal trio to support any singer, and as a group on their own.