Widely considered one of the most exciting jazz festivals in the UK, Lancaster Jazz Festival returns this week with an ambitious line-up featuring a whole host of Leeds Conservatoire staff, students and alumni. Taking place between the 11 and 15 September in venues across the city, this year’s headline artists will include the likes of Camilla George, Vula Viel and Led Bib.
More than just an annual event, Lancaster Jazz Festival runs a year-round artist development programme, building a strong reputation for championing emerging artists who specialise in jazz and improvised music, both in the North and further afield.
To discover what Lancaster Jazz Festival means to them - we interviewed a handful of the acts featuring Leeds Conservatoire alumni performing during the five days of live music:
Photo Credit: Andy Bedford
freese trio
“Releasing an album means sharing a piece of ourselves, and sets in stone a part of our lives and where we are creatively. It's very nerve-racking and requires a lot of work that goes unseen by the rest of the world. It is also an emotional pay-off for this work and is proof of what we do."
On performing at Lancaster Jazz Festival, bandleader Jemma, commented:
"To perform at LJF is such an honour, as it's a festival that supports new and exciting music all around the UK and is open to all sub-genres of jazz. Being a part of Jazz North's northern line is an incredible benchmark for us, as it has provided networking and performance opportunities which we couldn't have done otherwise. They are extremely aware of any help we might need and what it means to be a Northern-based jazz artist."
freese trio are a heavy trip-hop dark-jazz band featuring Jemma Freese (BA Combined 2017), Chris Sellers and Theo Goss (BA Jazz 2017). Their combination of hypnotic drum patterns, bold sub-bass riffs, dark harmony and daring yet intricate vocals contributes towards their bespoke sound. Their Lancaster performance, on the 13 September, takes place as part of Jazz North’s northern line showcase day, which will provide a platform for some of the Northern jazz scene’s most exciting artists. freese trio will commemorate their gig with an album launch for ‘the beast in the blueprint’ on the same date. Discover the band’s unique sound by listening to their latest single - ‘pleasure island’.
Rafe's Dilemma
Jamil Sheriff, Programme Leader for Jazz:
“It's fantastic to be touring this music - it's quite different to anything I've done before, more like a show and you can really feel the audience coming on the journey with you. We get into some pretty intense improv with the looper and electronics and then jump into folky melodies or heavier kind of rocky things. We get through a lot of music too - probably about 20 pieces on the gigs, so it's quite snappy. And it's great to be touring with Katie, Nel and Pete, they're all top rate and very creative in how they approach the music - each set feels fresh.”
Bringing a subtle mix of jazz, electronic music and rock to create an intriguing sound, Rafe’s Dilemma features Leeds Conservatoire’s Programme Leader for Jazz, Jamil Sheriff, alongside alumni Katie Patterson (BA Jazz 2011), Nel Begley (BA Jazz 2015) and Sam Vicary (BA Jazz 2009). The band was originally formed as a commission by Bolton Worktown Festival in tribute to the work of playwright Bill Naughton. Using a mix of spoken word, improvisation, synthesised soundscapes and carefully crafted songs, the band have recently received a Project Grant from Arts Council England towards costs of a national album launch tour. The 12-track album, which was released at the end of August, is a suite of music that depicts the story of Naughton’s play ‘Spring and Port Wine’. The work is available to listen to on Bandcamp.
Weezy Jefferson
"It's a great opportunity, performing at Lancaster Jazz Festival this year alongside so many great acts! The band and I have created a set which brings our unique styles together, fusing hip hop and jazz influences to create an impactful sound and we're looking forward to sharing it with festival goers and music lovers alike!"
As testament to the festival’s aim of exploring the porous boundary between jazz and contemporary music, BA Music Production graduate Weezy Jefferson, an artful Leeds-based MC, will take to the stage with a band of five jazz musicians to play a new set of original music on Saturday 14 September.
Lucy Woolley, Festival Manager for Lancaster Jazz Festival and Project Manager for Jazz North added:
“We are delighted to be partnering Jazz North’s northern line scheme with Lancaster Jazz Festival. The showcase will bring a brilliant collection of artists from across the north that will compliment and extend the full festival lineup, which feature fantastic commissions, up and coming musicians, local and international artists. We can’t wait!”
The festival will open with a performance at Lancaster Brewery from Leeds-based quartet Vipertime (Ben Powling, Matias Reed, Charlie Grimwood and Luke Reddin-Williams). Elsewhere, alumni quintet Yaatri, who have recently been selected for the Jazz North Introduces programme, will make their first appearance at the festival. Learn more about the programme and its benefits through our recent article with the band.
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Bands including Leeds Conservatoire students, staff and alumni are as follows:
- Vipertime
- Rafe’s Dilemma
- SogoRock
- Freesetrio
- Beyond Albedo
- Yaatri
- Casper Haltestad
- Rob Bentall
- Weezy Jefferson
- Vicente Magalhaes
- Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat
- Led Bib
See the programme from this year’s Lancaster Jazz Festival
If you’re heading to the festival, check out this nifty guide
Find out more about our BA (Hons) Music (Jazz) degree programme
Find out more about what our successful graduates have been up to in our Alumni Profiles
Are you a Leeds Conservatoire graduate? Reconnect with us here
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