Jazz musician Chris Ingham and folk musician Chris Wilbraham cast their expert eyes over the local music scene
JAZZ with Chris Ingham: cjr.ingham@outlook.com/chrisingham.co.uk
Friday, January 24
DJANGOLIERS (Diss Corn Hall, 7.30pm, £18, thecornhall.co.uk, 01379 652241) Inspired by the music of the late, great Belgian guitarist, Djangoliers interpret Django’s classic arrangements and compositions Nuages, Swing 42 and Manoir Des Mes Reves and explore the thrilling contemporary developments of Gypsy Jazz. With Simon Hurley (guitar), Robert Ford (guitar), Zak Barrett (clarinet) and Andy Staples (bass).
Sunday, January 26
SAM & VIJ PLAY BLUE TRAIN (Yalm Food Court, Norwich, 7.30pm, £13, norwichjazzclub.co.uk) Former students at the Royal Academy of Music and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Sam Miles (tenor sax) and Vij Prakash (trombone) are Cambridge-based and tonight play John Coltrane’s 1958 album, plus original tunes inspired by it. With Simon Brown (piano), Simon Wood (bass) and Tom Jiggins (drums).
FOR THE DIARY
Sunday, February 9
DIRT ROAD BAND (Venue 16, Ipswich, 2.30pm, £15/£7.50, ipswichjazzandblues.com) Powerful blues from former Dr Feelgood guitarist Steve Walwyn, plus Specials bassist Horace Panter and ex-Badfinger drummer Ted Duggan.
Tuesday, February 11
DEAN & EMILY MASSER (Maddermarket Theatre Bar, Norwich, 8.30pm, £18/£9, norwichjazzclub.co.uk) Former saxophone stalwart of the Norwich scene Dean Masser returns with his daughter and rising star vocalist Emily for an evening of hard swinging standards, with Simon Brown (piano), Simon Wood (bass) and Tom Jiggins (drums).
Wednesday, February 12
CHRIS COULL’S BLUE NOTE SEXTET (Stoke By Nayland Golf Club, 8pm, £22, fleecejazz.org.uk, 01787 211865) A broad array from the much loved recordings of Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordan, Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Freddie Hubbard, to name a few from the golden era of the ’50s and ’60s. With Chris Coull (trumpet), Andreas Panayi (saxophone), Mark Bassey (trombone), Terry Seabrook (piano), Dan Sheppard (bass) and Peter Cater (drums).
Saturday, February 15
ADRIAN COX & DENNY ILETT (Hadleigh Town Hall, 3pm & 7.30pm, £20, georgedouble.com) Former Kansas Smitty’s clarinettist Cox meets the fabulous blues-flavoured guitarist Ilett, plus Chris Ingham (piano), Joe Pettitt (bass) and George Double (drums). A matinée and evening show.
Thursday, February 20
JONATHAN GEE TRIO (Hidden Rooms, Cambridge, 7.30pm, £22 & £16.50, cambridgejazz.org, 01223 514777) Pianist Jonathan Gee combines three of his recent shows in one, with re-imagined Beatles and ‘80s tunes, alongside Gee originals. With Tristan Mailliot (drums) and Mikele Montilli (bass).
Friday, February 21
FLANAGAN (Hunter Club Arts Centre, Bury, 7.30pm, £20, headhunterslive.org, 07799 650009) Mark Flanagan, long-time guitarist in Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, brings his own delightful trio comprising Adam Double (bass/vocal) and George Double (drums/vocal) to showcase original, heartfelt blues/roots/Americana songs.
Wednesday, February 26
TRISTAN BANKS’ VIEW FROM ABOVE (Stoke By Nayland Golf Club, 8pm, £20, fleecejazz.org.uk, 01787 211865) Infectious acoustic jazz with Latin and soul flavours played by a troupe of top session and jazz musicians. With Tristan Banks (drums), Paul Booth (tenor sax), John Crawford (piano) and Davide Mantovani (bass).
FOLK Chris Wilbraham: chris.wilbraham@tinyonline.co.uk
Last week it was announced that Cambridge Folk Festival won’t be happening in 2025, despite tickets having been sold. The reasons given were pretty woolly. In fact, a reason wasn’t given, although it was declared local events would happen through the year and that they look forward to welcoming festival goers back in 2026.
I looked into what has happened and heard this from a friend at Cambridge Folk Club: “Cambridge Folk Festival had lost money this and, I think, the year before. Cambridge City Council last week decided these losses could not be sustained and a decision was made not to go ahead this year. They are calling it a fallow year. It is a great shame.”
Tony Phillips, an organiser of Bury Folk Festival (BFF), is one of many who hopes there will be more local participation in 2026’s event, three years after local folk clubs stopped curating the Club Tent.
He described a determination to involve local organisations with BFF “. . .which contrasts with a tendency in bigger festivals, including Cambridge, to marginalise the local scene to the point of extinction, in the mistaken belief that sustainable support is more about trends and novelty rather than building grassroots support for live music through the year. Sheffield University’s Fay Hield is leading a five-year project called Access Folk to collate best practice and seek out new audiences and participants for the folk-roots community and there’s lots of great stuff already published on the accessfolk.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/home website to help us all get the message out there.”
I’ve had a look at the report and will write about it in the future. In the meantime, anyone thinking of participating in a folk session can be sure of a warm welcome at any of the sessions listed in this column.
Tony informed me that Chris Fox and False Colours are listed to play at Nowton Park on Saturday, June 28 and that meetings are happening over the next few days to decide the rest of the line-up.
Deepdale is having a planned year off this year but FolkEast is going ahead at a new venue, Sotterly Estate, south of Beccles, over the weekend of August 16. A press release giving more information is expected at the end of the month.
Ely Folk Festival has already announced Oysterband, The Dhol Foundation, Sam Kelly, Martin Simpson, Blackbeard's Tea Party and Maddie Morris Music as playing between July 11 and 13, with more to be announced.
Folk in a Field celebrates its 10th year over the first weekend of June and Bungay Folk Festival organiser Pete Sewell was excited to reveal that Eliza Cathy will play in Bungay on September 6. “She is going to perform twice and one of the performances is a new, unique collaboration.” Again, more information will follow after it’s decided which of the hundreds of applicants to play will be included in the line-up.
Cambridge is not the only festival to have had problems over the last few years. Let’s hope it recovers well. It’s good that we have lots of other festivals to visit this summer and plenty of gigs to attend before that:
Friday, January 24
Golden Hind, Cambridge, 8pm, Cambridge Folk Club: Double header with Rachel Hill and Rob Clamp. £10.
Saturday, January 25
Canopy Theatre, Beccles, 7.30pm, Sarah McQuade. £12.50.
Monday, January 27
Colchester Arts Centre, 8pm, John Kirkpatrick. £18.50.
Wednesday, January 29
John Peel Centre, 7.30pm, Emerge IVW, with Robin Torbitt, Adam Thomas, The Browns, Watkin A Sharkey. £5.
Thursday, January 30
The Six Bells, Horringer, Derek Harrington, Ed & Jane, Martin Read, 7.30pm. No charge.
Friday, January 31
The Greyhound, Chevington, Chris Longman & Emma Goodman, 7.30pm. No charge.
Golden Hind, Cambridge, 8pm, Cambridge Folk Club: Showcase with Anna Kent, Martin Baxter, Rhys Wilson. £9.
