Scarborough Jazz Festival 2025

Scarborough Jazz Festival 2025

Scarborough Jazz Festival is returning in 2025! This will be the 22nd year of the festival and the second year with Mark Gordon as festival director.

We are delighted to announce the full line up and timings for the 2025 Scarborough Jazz Festival!

Friday:

Session 1

11:45am - 1pm: Jamil Sheriff’s 4in1

1:30pm - 2:45pm: Emily Masser / Alex Clarke Quintet

3:15pm - 4:30pm: 100 Years of Oscar Peterson: Dean Stockdale’s All Star 11

4:30pm - 6pm: TEA BREAK

Session 2

6pm - 7:15pm: Trish Clowes - MY IRIS

7:45pm - 9pm: Gaz Hughes Trio

9:30pm - 10:45pm: Alan Barnes’ Works of Art

In Farrer's, The Project will be playing in the last break (9pm - 9:30pm) and after Alan Barnes' Works of Art have finished their set (10:45pm - 11:45pm), again in Farrer's.

Saturday:

Session 1

11:45am - 1pm: ¡Ritmo Caliente! - A Tribute To Cal Tjader At 100

1:30pm - 2:45pm: Shirley Smart Trio

3:15pm - 4:30pm: Ben Holder Quartet

4:30pm - 6pm: TEA BREAK

Session 2

6pm - 7:15pm: Emma Rawicz Jazz Orchestra

7:45pm - 9pm: Jazz Dynamos

9:30pm - 10:45pm: James Taylor Quartet

In Farrer's, the Emma Holcroft Quintet feat. Cliff Ray will be playing in the last break (9pm - 9:30pm) and after the James Taylor Quartet have finished their set (10:45pm - 11:45pm), again in Farrer's.

Sunday:

The Sun Court will be taken over by Groovy Jazz Vinyl Tunes from DJ Rowan Oliver / Next Generation Scarborough Jazz from 10:30am - 11:45am, before the Grand Hall starts. Rowan will be joined by three fantastic young bands: Fight The Giant, St Jude & The Hopeless Causes and Black White Square Form.

Session 1

12:30pm - 1:45pm: Alexia Gardner Quintet

2:15pm - 3:30pm: Five-Way Split

4pm - 5:15pm: Billy Marrows’ Grande Família

5:15pm - 7pm: TEA BREAK

Session 2

7pm - 8:15pm: Joe Stilgoe & The Entertainers

8:45pm - 10pm: Simon Spillett Big Band Plays Tubby Hayes

We'll also be welcoming the below talented musicians to the festival:

Al Morrison Trio

Jazz Train

Funky Tuesday Choir

Friday Session 1

11:45am: Jamil Sheriff's 4in1

Led by Jamil Sheriff who was described in The Times as ‘an excellent northern pianist who brings together a range of classic, contemporary, and urban approaches’, this is a swinging and joyful affair that promises to remind you of all your favourite musicians. But expect a few twists along the way – the group do things their own way!

Will Howard - Saxophone, Jamil Sheriff - Piano, Sam Quintana - Double Bass, Steve Hanley - Drums

1:30pm: Emily Masser / Alex Clarke Quintet

The Emily Masser / Alex Clarke Quintet features two of the brightest young talents on the current British jazz scene. After discovering their mutual love for straight-ahead jazz, the quintet brings fresh, modern arrangements of standards and bebop tunes.

“It ought to come as no surprise that Emily’s scat-singing keeps pace with the Intricacies of Alex’s saxophone lines!” - Alyn Shipton, presenter of Jazz Record Requests on BBC Radio 3

Emily Masser - Vocals, Alex Clarke - Saxophone, Graham Harvey - Piano, James Owston - Double Bass, Steve Brown - Drums

3:15pm: 100 Years of Oscar Peterson: Dean Stockdale’s All Star 11

Friday Session 2

6pm: Trish Clowes - MY IRIS

Saxophonist and composer Trish Clowes leads MY IRIS, an intense and thrilling quartet!

Dedicated to exploration and adroit writing, Clowes provides her bandmates 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.

Trish Clowes - Saxophone and Composer, Ross Stanley - Piano/Hammond Organ, Chris Montague - Guitar, Joel Barford - Drums

7:45pm: Gaz Hughes Trio

Gaz Hughes is a jazz drummer and bandleader whose style is deeply rooted in 1950s bebop. As a bandleader, Gaz has released four critically acclaimed albums. He is best known for his work with his piano trio, featuring Andrzej Baranek and Gavin Barras.

"They rarely deliver anything less than excellence, and today topped just about everything that had preceded it." - Bepop Spoken Here

Gaz Hughes - Drums and Band Leader, Andrzej Baranek - Piano, Gavin Barras - Double Bass

9:30pm: Alan Barnes' Works of Art

Festival compere Alan Barnes' contribution to this year's festival is his latest project, 'Alan Barnes' Works of Art'!

To celebrate the Centenary of the 1925 birth of one of the greatest ever alto saxophone players, Art Pepper, Alan Barnes brings his mighty quintet to Scarborough Jazz Festival, to play in their inimitable style, the Works Of Art!

Alan Barnes - Compere and Saxophone, James Davison - Trumpet, Robin Aspland - Piano, Jeremy Brown - Bass, Steve Brown - Drums

10:45pm (Farrer's): The Project

The Project was created in Spring 2018 by composer, bassist and band leader Panos Kotsiopoulos. Since then, the band has released two albums and is at the process of recording and releasing a double single album. Previous band members include seasoned musicians of the Leeds jazz scene such as Fergus Vickers, Sam Ward and Dimitris Tsiotas.

While the band maintains strong relationships with the local jazz community and hosting band members that studied at the University of Leeds and Leeds College of Music (now Leeds Conservatoire). The band currently includes members from under-represented communities (non-British, low-income, female) and promotes its activities through social media.

Panos Kotsiopoulos - Bass, Sam Ehret-Pickett - Trumpets, Josh Smout - Drums, Joe Boyes - Keys, Emma Johnson - Saxophone

Saturday Session 1

11:45am: ¡Ritmo Caliente! - A Tribute To Cal Tjader At 100

Sextet ¡Ritmo Caliente!, formed from the rhythm section of northern Salsa powerhouse Orchestra Mambo International, present a 100th birthday tribute to Latin Jazz pioneer, vibist Cal Tjader.

Led by Scarborough Jazz Club regular, John Settle on vibes, and showcasing the talents of northern England and South America's finest Latin Jazz musicians, ¡Ritmo Caliente! honour Tjader's extensive repertoire that spanned almost 40 years!

John Settle - Vibes, Andrzej Baranek - Piano, Ivan Pavon - Bass, Jack McCarthy - Timbales, Sam Bell - Congas, Camilo Ochoa - Bongos/Campana

1:30pm: Shirley Smart Trio

Acknowledged as one of the UK’s most versatile and creative cellists, trailblazing cellist and composer Shirley Smart is equally at home and well versed in jazz, folk, Middle Eastern and World Music, as well as classical, and her music draws upon this rich tapestry of influences.

"Some of the most inventive use of the cello I have heard for some time" - Kind of Jazz

Shirley Smart - Cello, John Crawford - Piano, Demi Garcia Sabat - Drums/Percussion

3:15pm: Ben Holder Quartet

Saturday Session 2

6pm: Emma Rawicz Jazz Orchestra

Young rising star saxophonist, Emma Rawicz, has turned her formidable talents to the world of big band, with the formation, in 2023, of the Emma Rawicz Jazz Orchestra!

Expect to hear captivating, electrifying arrangements of Emma’s music, ranging from edgy, up tempo originals through joyful Afro-Cuban inspired grooves to moving ballads.

7:45pm: Jazz Dynamos

Specialising in creating jazz rearrangements of songs by an eclectic mix of artists such as The Police, Bowie, and Dolly Parton, to name just a few, but to call them “covers” would be to do them a woeful disservice. Far more than that, these are artistic re-imaginings of songs, many of which better the originals and the breadth of the extensive repertoire is staggering.

The group play with a panache and style only achievable as a tight-knit group listening to and working off each other flawlessly

Lucy Randell – Vocals and Percussion, Mark Adelman – Keyboard, Anders Janes – Double Bass, Dominique Metz – Drums and Backing Vocals, Stewart Curtis – Saxophone, Flute and Piccolo

9:30pm: James Taylor Quartet

James Taylor, one of the great British instrumentalists of his generation, has taken his trademark howling Hammond sound to the masses for over 25 years; still famed for its upbeat, energetic live shows... with no sign of slowing down.

The band’s relentlessly entertaining tunes take inspiration from the rare-groove style funk, and boogaloo funk of the 60s and 70s and, the band is, without a doubt, one of the most important jazz-pop crossover outfits in British live musical history today.

James Taylor - Keyboards and Orchestration, Mark Cox - Guitar, Andrew McKinney - Bass, Pat Illingworth - Drums

10:45pm (Farrer's): Emma Holcroft Quintet feat. Cliff Ray

As the featured vocalist with Swingtime Big Band, Emma has performed in a variety of shows, singing alongside the finest of jazz vocalists, her smoky tones lending a natural elegance to crowd favourites like That Old Black Magic and The Look of Love.

In this new more intimate show Emma teams up with her long-term collaborator Cliff Ray, Gaz Hughes, Andrzej Baraneck and Steve Berry to form The Emma Holcroft Quintet. This smaller ensemble allows Emma to show her clever phrasing and the full dynamic range of her performance from the punchy Basie inspired Shiny Stockings, to the heart breaking Guess Who I Saw Today and the downright delicious Peel Me A Grape.

Emma Holcroft - Vocals, Cliff Ray - Flugel Horn and Trumpet, Gaz Hughes - Drums, Andrzej Baraneck - Piano, Steve Barry - Bass    

Sunday Session 1

10:30am (Sun Court): Groovy Jazz Vinyl Tunes from DJ Rowan Oliver / Next Generation Scarborough Jazz

Groovy Jazz Vinyl Tunes from DJ Rowan Oliver in the Sun Court plus three fantastic young bands: Fight The Giant, St Jude & The Hopeless Causes and Black White Square Form.

Fight The Giant are a Leeds-based fusion quintet, all recent alumni of Leeds Conservatoire, featuring an international award-winning rhythm section.

St Jude and the Hopeless Causes define themselves as ‘jam band’ blending bluesy grooves with psychedelic explorations. Their original material nods to such as John Scofield and Medeski Martin & Wood and meets improvisations on songs by Nick Drake.

Black White Square Form mix improvisation with original compositions and influences as diverse as classical music themes, post-rock textures, and funk riffs.

12:30pm: Alexia Gardner Quintet

The Alexia Gardner Quintet are a dynamic and swinging quintet based in the North East of England. Making a name for themselves as a newly formed combo as they play those memorable Jazz Standards and Popular tunes with their own unique style.

"This British Jamaican songstress is joined by some of the North East’s most talented musicians and has ‘hit the ground running' and is game on" - Bebop Spoken Here

Alexia Gardner - Vocals, Harry Keeble - Tenor Saxophone, Alan Law - Piano, Jude Murphy - Bass, Abbie Finn - Drums

2:15pm: Five-Way Split

Five-Way Split is a new jointly led band which was formed in 2020 and features some of the finest contemporary jazz bebop musicians in the UK. The band’s vision is to carry on the lineage of groups like Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers as well mirroring the New York contemporary-bop scene.

From this inspiration, the band presents a sound that respects the tradition of the hard-bop era whilst also bringing it up to date for today’s audience.

Quentin Collins - Trumpet, Vasilis Xenopoulos - Saxophone, Rob Barron - Piano, Matyas Hofecker - Double Bass, Matt Home - Drums

4pm: Billy Marrows’ Grande Família

Grande Família is a critically acclaimed 12-piece chamber-jazz ensemble led by award-winning guitarist and composer Billy Marrows.

Fusing contemporary jazz with funk, folk, Brazilian and classical influences, their infectiously melodic sound draws inspiration from the likes of Wayne Shorter, Hermeto Pascoal, Gil Evans and Loose Tubes.

Sunday Session 2

7pm: Joe Stilgoe & The Entertainers

In the summer of 2022, jazz club nerds and great friends Joe Stilgoe and Giacomo Smith put their heads (and let’s face it, spectacles) together to celebrate the people who come to jazz clubs.

With a headline slot booked at Love Supreme, The Entertainers was born - a new supergroup featuring members of Kansas Smittys, Joe’s own band and guest vocalists Emma Smith and Pete Horsfall!

8:45pm: Simon Spillett Big Band Plays Tubby Hayes

Bursting onto the UK jazz scene in 2020, the Simon Spillett Big Band is that rarest of rare beasts – a genuine all-star jazz orchestra, in this instance uniting some of the most accomplished soloists and bandleaders of today.

"The most swinging British big band since, well, time began" - Bebop Spoken Here

Trumpets: Nathan Bray, Mark Armstrong, Steve Fishwick, Tom Dennis

Trombones: Mark Nightingale, Andy Flaxman, Ian Bateman, Pete North

Saxes: Sammy Mayne, Pete Long, Alex Garnett, Robert Fowler, Alan Barnes

Piano: Rob Barron

Bass: Alec Dankworth

Drums: Pete Cater