Jazz Gig Calendar
This is a live jazz gig listings service from Jazz in Reading. We feature mostly modern jazz gigs happening within 20 miles or so of Reading.
The listings used to be published monthly, under the name 'Jazz Round About Reading', but all gigs now appear in the calendar, the link for which is below left. Check it out whenever you feel the urge to hear live jazz. Don't forget to refresh your browser each time you visit, to be sure of catching all latest changes or additions. Please check with venues before setting off - all details may be subject to change.
Musicians, promoters and venues should send their gig information to us via the Submit Your Gig form. Please note that the details you submit will be checked and edited before being approved for publication. We reserve the right to make amendments before publication if we consider the content inappropriate or inaccurate.
If you have any queries, please email info@jazzinreading.com
Bossa Gringo | Blewbury
Hot Biscuits Jazz broadcast
Next week Gary Heywood-Everett joins me in a review of Adam Fairhall‘s Manchester Co-op Band. Also in the show is music from Esther Bennett singing of her B’ham. Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez and Ronnie Cuber with the WDR big band `finding their way home`. Siobhan Soraghan in a small band set up. Michele Osten with a new number. Pat Metheny with a Carly Simon number and finishing with Eastern eye from Unfurl‘s new CD Sleeping Giants. If this sounds interesting, be sure to share with friends and join me 24/07 at www.mixcloud.com/stevebewick
Jazz Shots 4 + 1 | Oxford
Sun 11 Dec | Jazz Shots 4 + 1 | Nick Hill keys, Ottone Caretta saxes, Howard King bass, Ben Robins drums, Steve Foster vocals | The Rose and Crown, North Parade, Oxford, OX2 6LX | 7- 9pm | Free entry but booking seats is recommended – 01865 510551 | Part of Jazz Inn the Courtyard
Alan Grahame & His All-Stars | Marlow
Tues 13 Dec | Marlow Jazz Club | Alan Grahame & His All-Stars | Alan Grahame vibes, Terry Hutchins guitar, Ken McCarthy piano, Andy Crowdy bass, Martin Hart drums | Royal British Legion Hall SL7 1NT | 8.30pm | £10
A legend of popular music as well as jazz, the veteran vibes player will demonstrate the many styles of the vibes in jazz. Pay at the door but advance reservation is strongly advised. 01628 486571
Alan Barnes’ “Copperfield” – A Dickensian Jazz Suite | Buy tickets
Friday 16 December 2022 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £18.00 (£16.00 concessions, £9 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.
Alan Barnes and Dave Newton – two out of the eight musicians who are playing tonight
Alan Barnes sax, clarinets, Bruce Adams trumpet
Mark Nightingale trombone, Robert Fowler sax, clarinet
Karen Sharp sax, clarinet, David Newton piano
Simon Thorpe bass, Clark Tracey drums
“Copperfield” – a new jazz suite from Alan Barnes, touring for the first time this year, takes the audience through the characters and scenes of ‘David Copperfield’. Readings from the original Dickens tell the story, and after each scene eight virtuoso musicians bring the characters and scenes to life, switching audiences from hilarity to pathos with a skill that would have done credit to Dickens himself!
Georgina Jackson ‘Christmas Sparkle’ | Farncombe
Fri 16 Dec | Guildford Jazz at St John’s | Georgina Jackson ‘Christmas Sparkle’ | St John’s Street, Farncombe GU7 3EJ | Doors open 7.15pm, Jazz 8pm to 10.15pm | Bar on arrival and during the interval | Tickets £18 (discounts for members and students) from here
An evening of Christmas Sparkle with jazz vocalist and trumpeter Georgina Jackson. Georgina is widely acknowledged as the finest female lead trumpet player in the country. She is a regular vocalist with Ronnie Scott’s Big Band and has fronted BBC broadcasts with the BBC Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra. With Jim Watson on piano, Matt Home on drums and Guildford Jazz Anchor Marianne Windham on bass.
Jazz at The Four Horseshoes | Sherfield-on-Loddon
Tues 3 Jan | Equinox Quintet with Jonny Ford | Jonny Ford tenor sax, Peter Bingham tenor sax, John Clarke guitar, Derek Alford bass, and Paul Kaluza drums | Four Horseshoes pub, Sherfield-on-Loddon RG27 0EX | 8pm to 10.30pm | Four Horseshoes | No charge for admission (donations are welcomed)
Brazilian Night with “Samba em 3” | Bracknell
Fri 6 Jan | Bracknell Jazz | Daniel Allain, Sam Watts & Aluá Nascimento | South Hill Park, Bracknell RG12 7PA | 7:30 pm | Tickets £16.50 (£8 under 18s) here
Principal flautist of the Jazz Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo, Daniel Allain is one of the foremost flute players in Brazil. We are lucky to book him just before he flies home in February. With the superb percussionist Aluá Nascimento and pianist Sam Watts, the trio will present a cornucopia of the authentic Brazilian genres which have been such an inspiration for jazz musicians, including samba, choro, forró, baião, frevo, with the local Brazilian band Polcas e Boas (www.polcas.co.uk) in support. www.bracknelljazz.co.uk
Jazz at The Goring Community Jazz Club | Performance of Stan Tracey’s ‘Under Milk Wood Jazz Suite’
Fri 13 Jan | Jazz at The Goring Community Jazz Club | Performance of Stan Tracey’s ‘Under Milk Wood Jazz Suite’ | Ewen Baird saxophones, Martin Pickett piano, Steve Kershaw bass, Mike Goff drums | Goring Community Centre, The Old School, Station Rd, RG8 9HB | 7:30 pm | £10 | Please book early to avoid disappointment – tickets here, from Inspiration Goring or cash or card on the door.
Jazz Masterclass with Pete Long | Reading
Sat 21 Jan | Special guest Pete Long, students of the Reading Uni Big Band | University of Reading London Road Campus, Building L29, RG1 5AG | 13.30 until LATE | Adults £15, Students £5, tickets here
Reading Uni Big Band hosts this masterclass with jazz legend, Pete Long, followed by an evening jam session. All welcome to observe. Bookings essential.
Jazz at The Four Horseshoes | Sherfield-on-Loddon
Tues 7 Feb | Equinox Quintet with Sarah Jane Eveleigh | Sarah Jane Eveleigh vocals, Peter Bingham tenor sax, John Clarke guitar, Derek Alford bass, and Paul Kaluza drums | Four Horseshoes pub, Sherfield-on-Loddon RG27 0EX | 8pm to 10.30pm | Four Horseshoes | No charge for admission (donations are welcomed)
Status Quo’s John Coghlan: Quo Re-imagined | Stoke Row
Wed 8 Feb | Status Quo’s John Coghlan: Quo Re-imagined | Alex Steel keys, Paul Jefferies upright double bass, Ben Holder jazz violin, John Coghlan percussion, chat & stories | The Crooked Billet, Newlands Ln, Stoke Row RG9 5PU | Arrive 6.30pm, 7pm latest | Music 7 – 10.30pm | Full regular menu, £30 music cover charge | For further information, tickets & table reservations contact the Crooked Billet, Stoke Row 01491 681048 / 682304 or paulclerehugh@thecrookedbillet.co.uk
Performing jazz interpretations of Quo’s hits and rarities along with favourite jazz standards. JC, original iconic Status Quo founder member, recorded the first 14 Quo albums, all those massive 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s hits including ‘Down the Dustpipe’, ‘Caroline’, ‘Down Down’, ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’, ‘Whatever You Want’…
Jazz at The Goring Community Jazz Club | Mingus Mingus Mingus
Fri 10 Feb | Jazz at The Goring Community Jazz Club | Mingus Mingus Mingus | Ross Law Trombone, Andy Townsend trumpet and flugelhorn, Ewen Baird saxophone, Nick Hill piano, Howard King bass, Mike Goff drums | Goring Community Centre, The Old School, Station Rd, RG8 9HB | 7:30 pm | £10 | Please book early to avoid disappointment – tickets here, from Inspiration Goring or cash or card on the door.
Martin Shaw | Bracknell
Fri 17 Feb | Bracknell Jazz | Martin Shaw & house band featuring Jonny Ford | South Hill Park, Bracknell RG12 7PA | 7:30 pm | Tickets £16.50 (£8 under 18s) here
Martin Shaw is one of the UK’s leading jazz trumpeters. Performing regularly with the BBC Radio Big Band, he has worked with such artists as Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Pete King, Dick Morrissey and Tim Garland, as well as classical ensembles and pop artists such as Sting, Jamiroquai, Natalie Cole, Jools Holland and others. The Bracknell Jazz house band will be joined by Jonny Ford on tenor sax. www.bracknelljazz.co.uk
Martin Pyne Quartet | Bracknell
Fri 3 March | Bracknell Jazz | Martin Pyne Quartet | South Hill Park, Bracknell RG12 7PA | 7:30 pm | Tickets £16.50 (£8 under 18s) here
Martin Pyne’s solo album Spirits Of Absent Dancers was selected in The Guardian as one of the best albums of 2020 by author and critic Richard Williams. His recent quartet albums are also a vehicle for his evocative, melodic compositions, which often draw inspiration from literature. The music ranges from atmospheric ballads and waltzes to African and Arabic grooves, with hints of blues and Americana as well as playful Monkish swing, drawing on a range of influences including Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Louis Sclavis and more. The quartet features Marianne Windham on double bass, guitarist Russell Jarrett, and Philippe Guyard on saxophones. Martin Pyne has frequently performed in Bracknell on percussion and vibes. www.bracknelljazz.co.uk
Jazz at The Goring Community Jazz Club | Debby Bracknell
Fri 10 March | Jazz at The Goring Community Jazz Club | Debby Bracknell vocals, TBC saxophone, Nick Hill piano, Howard King bass, Mike Goff drums | Goring Community Centre, The Old School, Station Rd, RG8 9HB | 7:30 pm | £10 | Please book early to avoid disappointment – tickets here, from Inspiration Goring or cash or card on the door.
Nigel Price | Bracknell
Fri 7 Apr | Bracknell Jazz | Nigel Price & house band featuring Jonny Ford | South Hill Park, Bracknell RG12 7PA | 7:30 pm | Tickets £16.50 (£8 under 18s) here
Nigel Price is one of Britain’s finest guitarists. His blend of flowing bebop lines, blues feeling and the will to swing has made him instantly accessible and popular with jazz audiences. He is a regular performer at Ronnie Scott’s and ex James Taylor Quartet. Nigel is also the founder and fierce champion of the Grassroots Jazz charity. The Bracknell Jazz house band will be joined by Jonny Ford on tenor sax. www.bracknelljazz.co.uk
Zoe Francis’ “Blue Town” | Bracknell
Fri 5 May | Bracknell Jazz | Zoe Francis, Jim Mullen, Ross Stanley | South Hill Park, Bracknell RG12 7PA | 7:30 pm | Tickets £16.50 (£8 under 18s) here
Spellbinding singer Zoe Francis returns to Bracknell joined by the legendary guitarist Jim Mullen and incomparable Hammond organist Ross Stanley in a selection of the greatest bittersweet songs of the last century. This project is based on her fourth album, Blue Town, which was launched to rave reviews. www.bracknelljazz.co.uk
Kaiyojazz Trio | Bracknell
Fri 9 Jun | Bracknell Jazz | Simon Purcell, Amy Baldwin, Jon Scott | South Hill Park, Bracknell RG12 7PA | 7:30 pm | Tickets £16.50 (£8 under 18s) here
The KAIYO 3 explores the interactive potential of the jazz piano trio, taking inspiration from some of the great facilitators of group improvisation in jazz, Bill Evans, Jimmy Guiffre and Miles Davis. Featuring the lyrical improvising voice of Amy Baldwin and Simon Purcell’s original compositions and reimagined standards, this collaborative ensemble is a 3 way musical affair complemented by the percussive invention of Jon Scott. www.bracknelljazz.co.uk
Pigfoot Plays Ellington | Bracknell
Fri 7 Jul | Bracknell Jazz | Chris Batchelor, Liam Noble, James Allsopp, Paul Clarvis | South Hill Park, Bracknell RG12 7PA | 7:30 pm | Tickets £16.50 (£8 under 18s) here
Pigfoot Play Ellington is an imaginative reworking of a range of Duke Ellington’s iconic compositions, from the early Cotton Club blues material to Swing hits and through to the exotica that was inspired by Ellington’s extensive travels. The members of Pigfoot are all devotees of the Ellington sound – the muted rasp of trumpeter Cootie Williams, the poised grace of Harry Carney’s baritone, the dense crunch of Duke’s piano voicings and the buoyant bounce of drummer Sonny Greer are all reflected in the engaging and individual approaches of Batchelor, James Allsopp, Liam Noble and Paul Clarvis. An entertainingly riotous, swinging, delicate, gnarly account of Ellington’s legacy is promised. www.bracknelljazz.co.uk
Stan Tracey’s “Under Milk Wood” | Bracknell
Ewen Baird
Fri 4 Aug | Bracknell Jazz | Ewen Baird, Martin Pickett, Steve Kershaw, Mike Goff | South Hill Park, Bracknell RG12 7PA | 7:30 pm | Tickets £16.50 (£8 under 18s) here
Written by the godfather of British jazz, Stan Tracey, the acclaimed jazz suite inspired by Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood is lovingly recreated. www.bracknelljazz.co.uk
Live streamed events
A great source for information on live streamed events (and the occasional live gig) is the Days and Weeks Ahead feature in the London Jazz Newsletter
