16/08/2025
With great pleasure we announce the 9th year of Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music.
Launched 2017, the festival continues to respond to the city’s appetite for a contemporary grass roots jazz festival, presenting an innovative and diverse international line up, celebrating and pushing boundaries that challenge perceptions of jazz and improvised music.
Despite this year working with restricted funding, we’re grateful that with support from our key partners and investors we’re managing to keep the flame alive and still present a high quality programme of some of the finest regional, national and international improvising musicians.
12 concerts featuring 21 Performances and 4 workshops will take place as part of this years festival spread over 7 days.
Along with UK artists we are pleased to welcome Alister Spence and Tony Buck (Australia), Nina Garcia (France), Biliana Voutchkova (Bulgaria), Michael Thieke (Germany), Luigi Marino (Italy).
As ever events take place across a variety of spaces that provide both the opportunity for rich musical performances whilst also celebrating the heritage of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Venues include Jesmond Swimming Pool, Ouseburn Victoria Tunnel, The Cumberland Arms, The Globe, The Literary and Philosophical Society, Newcastle Civic Centre, Gosforth Civic Theatre.
New projects include celebrations of vital African American artists Thelonious Monk (Xhosa Cole), Albert Ayler (Richard Scott’s ‘Ayler in Sweden’), Duke Ellington (Zoë Gilby with Andy Champion) and civil rights writer and activist James Baldwin (Neil Charles ‘The Baldwin Project’)
It’s looking like another fantastic year of events that promise to deliver an exhilarating ride into the world of contemporary jazz and improvisation.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of our lead partners and investors Jazz North East, Jazz.Coop at The Globe, GemArts, James Smith and Chris Calver at The Literary and Philosophical Society, Jesmond Swimming Pool, Ouseburn Trust, Andy Hamilton and British Society of Aesthetics, Paul Bream and Jazz Alert.
- Wesley Stephenson (Artistic Director and Festival Producer)
Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2025
Thomas Dixon
Olivia Moore and Adam Fairhall
Archipelago
(Faye MacCalman / John Pope / Christian Alderson)
Nina Garcia
Hannah Marshall
Richard Scott - Ayler in Sweden
(Richard Scott / Faye MacCalman / Graham Hardy / John Pope / Emil Karlsen)
Paul Taylor
Jon Bradley
Xhosa Cole - Freemonk
(Xhosa Cole / Pat Thomas / Josh Vadiveloo / Tim Giles)
Neil Charles - The Baldwin Project
(Cleveland Watkiss / Neil Charles / Pat Thomas / Mark Sanders)
Raymond MacDonald
George Burt
Martin Mayes
Alister Spence and Tony Buck
Biliana Voutchkova / Michael Thieke / Luigi Marino
Faye MacCalman
Finn / Keeble Group
(Abbie Finn / Harry Keeble / Dean Stockdale / Andy Champion)
Zoë Gilby with Andy Champion - The Music of Duke Ellington
Very Special Surprise Guests
TICKETS FOR ALL EVENTS ARE AVAILABLE HERE
https://www.seetickets.com/tour/jazz-north-east
DOWNLOAD THE DIGITAL PROGRAMME AND SCHEDULE BY CLICKING HERE
https://drive.google.com/.../1WU2x96X7OF9IiuhdLJQ.../view...
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS ARE LISTED THROUGH OUR FACEBOOK EVENTS PAGES
Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music
DONATIONS CAN STILL BE RECEIVED THROUGH OUR ‘ALWAYS OPEN’ NEW JAZZ AND IMPROVISED MUSIC CROWDFUNDER BY CLICKING HERE
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/.../new-jazz-and-improvised...
Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2025
Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2025
New Jazz and Improvised Music Recordings
Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music
Jazz North East
