The Canteen Jazz Session
Free entry!
Every 1st Wednesday of the month at The Canteen, Bristol.
This lively jazz jam session is led by myself along with my house trio.
The house band will play a short 40 min set to open and then we will be welcoming all the guest players to explore classic Jazz and Latin music.
Find out more about The Canteen.
Bristol Beacon Jazz Ambassadors
I’m the director of the Bristol Beacon Jazz Ambassadors. This project is an exciting, experimental and cross-genre band for instrumentalists aged 14-18 years.
Playing a variety of styles, the group explores a range of genres including classic swing, funk, and hip hop. Covering the more straight ahead jazz and vocal standards, BBJA develops tuition in improvisation and ensemble playing skills, where members are encouraged to enhance their musical individuality.
BBJA is a gig focussed ensemble which develops, creates and works towards exciting public performances and jam sessions.
Find out more on the Bristol Beacon website.
Members of Bristol Beacon Jazz Ambassadors featured in the video are Rachel Raynes (Sax), Conrad Lovegrove (Sax), Ellen McAdam (Sax), Miranda Keating (Sax), Tom Wyeth (Keys), Ben Lammin (Guitar), Liam Campbell (Bass), Miles Figes-Jones (Breaks).
Baila La Cumbia
It’s not just a band name… it’s a command! If you like your riffs horn-heavy and your rhythms contagious, this is a band you need to see. With searing horn lines and percussion you can feel right up your trouser legs, Baila la Cumbia will turn any average night out into a riotous party that you’ll never forget! Learn more about Baila La Cumbia on their website or follow them on Facebook.
Bristol Salsa Orchestra (BSO)
Bristol Salsa Orchestra is a salsa band formed by the best musicians in the city, such as Maestro Jim Blomfield, one of the most renowned exponents of the piano in the jazz scene in the country, Ricardo “Piki” Fernandez (lead vocalist of ASERE, Salsa Celtica and other reputable brands in the Latin/European universe), and with musicians in high demand for their quality and versatility such as Jon Clark on timbales, Jason Gaines on Congas, Julian Segura on Bass, Jonny Bruce on trumpet, Ivan Moreno on lead vocals and Craig Crofton on Saxophone; all of them under the direction of Michel Padrón on trumpet.
Follow Bristol Salsa Orchestra on Facebook to learn about this exciting band.
Jazz Reggae Sessions
Guy Calhoun and Craig Crofton front this band of heavyweight musicians comprised from members of Dub From Atlantis, Rythmites and Run Come Down, channelling the music of Earnest Ranglin and Dean Frazier.
Follow Jazz Reggae Sessions on Facebook to keep up to date.
Freight Quartet
Please note that the Freight Quartet is no longer available for bookings, but I am involved in similar projects that can be booked. Please contact me for more information.
‘Freight is that rare thing, a jazz band with a group identity. One might see it as retro, but that would only be a part of it, one dimension. True, there are plentiful elements of 50s jazz: propulsive walking bass, hi-hat timekeeping on drums, a swing groove from all four that just won’t quit (there were even some slightly drunk 20 year olds dancing), but it is not a self-conscious appeal to old folks who pine for the good old days of jazz. This is jazz by four highly skilled young-ish players who have been through it all, from Free to Electronica, World to Hip Hop; 50s jazz is just a part of the panoply of music laid out before us in this Age of Information.’ Listomania, Bath
‘This debut recording from newly minted Bristol jazz quartet FREIGHT seems to have wafted directly from a cool corner of the mid-60s. So faithfully does it evoke a definitive ‘jazziness’ that it’s a shock to discover the majority of tunes were written by young pianist Martin Jenkins. Equally, many people might be surprised by the straightahead sax of Craig Crofton, more widely known for his funk and dub excursions. The two have a nicely intertwined understanding, each track solidly grounded in Greg Cordez’s bass and Richard Laws’s drumming. There’s an unflustered spaciousness to the sound, beautifully apparent in their hushed gospel rendering of Ellington’s sublime ‘Come Sunday’ and Jenkins’s own ‘You Said It Last’, a launch pad for Crofton’s fine Coltraneistic flights.’ VENUE magazine