Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues

Newcastle Jazz Festival 2022

Date: Thursday 18 August to Sunday 21 August

Now in it’s fourth season, Newcastle Jazz Festival returns to Tyne Bank Brewery and other local venues for four days of live jazz from across the region and the UK.

Headliners at this year’s festival include the Ivo Neame Quartet, Jo Harrop & Jamie McCredie and Emma Rawicz.

Ivo Neame is an award-winning pianist and composer based in London. At NJF this year he will be joined by three of the UK’s top musicians: George Cowley on tenor sax, Tom Farmer on bass and James Maddren on drums. In addition to leading his own bands, he has featured in several of Europe’s most forward-looking jazz groups and has collaborated with ensembles as diverse as the Frankfurt Radio Big Band and the London Sinfonietta.

Local heroes Jo Harrop and Jamie McCredie will be joined by a special guest as they bring their duo to NJF on Saturday 20th August. Both originally from the North East, they will be performing music from their album “Weathering the Storm” which blurs the lines between jazz and folk.

Closing the festival on Sunday 21st August is an award-winning young saxophonist and composer who is already making waves on the UK music scene: Emma Rawicz. She has been described as "an astonishing new talent" (Jamie Cullum – BBC Radio 2), “a force to be reckoned with” (Jazzwise) and “a fast-rising star” (London Jazz News). Emma's influences range from modern jazz and fusion to folk and soul. At the age of 20 she has already recorded and released her first album and is working on a second.

Kicking off the festival on Thursday 18th August at The Bridge Hotel is a free show from Strictly Smokin’ Big Band paying tribute to the great Charles Mingus who’s 100th birthday it is. Then, Friday at Newcastle Arts Centre sees the New Orleans vibes of Northern Monkey Brass Band supported by the Harry Keeble Duo.

The festival then moves to Tyne Bank Brewery where it stays for the remainder of the weekend boasting a plethora of Northern jazz including Lindsay Hannon and Alan Law playing the music of Tom Waites, Keith Robinson’s Alter Ego, a tribute to Miles Davis from the Graham Hardy Quartet, Pete Tanton’s Riviera Effect, the Ben Gilbert Trio, local rising stars KNATS, and the David Gray Flextet.

Alongside the music will be food vendors and the well stocked bar at TBB! Festival and day tickets are on sale now from www.newcastlejazzfestival.co.uk