The Welcome to Leeds Stage: curated by JazzLeeds
Monday 23rd May
12pm - 8pm
Located on Cookridge Street, Between The Radisson hotel and Henry Moore Institute
Presented by JazzLeeds
Free
JazzLeeds return to the Welcome to Leeds stage on Monday 27th May to close off our free-city-centre music stage.
**DUE TO BAD WEATHER ON THE PREVIOUS DAY THE WELCOME TO LEEDS STAGE WILL BEGIN AT AN EARLIER TIME OF 12 PM. WE WELCOME BACK MUSIC FROM GREG SURMACZ **
Line up includes:
7pm - 8pm: Vipertime
Born in the snake pit of Leeds house parties, aggro-jazz four-piece Vipertime have earned a ferocious reputation making a series of incendiary appearances at venues and festivals across the UK, honing their craft while pushing their line up of saxo- phone, bass and twin drum sets to its sonic limits. Both live and in the studio, their music is a sweaty dance floor incarnate. A heady brew blending 70s Ethio-jazz, the 60s proto-punk of The Stooges, Alice and John Coltrane, Fela Kuti, The Pop Group and Lee Perry. Music of joy and rebellion.
Ben Powling tenor saxophone / Matías Reed bass guitar / Luke Reddin-Williams and Josh Smout on drums
6pm - 6 45pm: Olivia Cuttill Quintet
Originally from East London Olivia Cuttill arrived in Leeds in 2020 to study jazz at Leeds Conservatoire and quickly immersed herself into the vibrant local jazz scene. She released music in 2022 with her fusion jazz band Mangorata (co-led with drummer and musical twin Miles Pillinger), alongside her debut solo album 'Three's A Crowd", a series of duets with some of her favourite musicians she works with in Leeds. Her influences range from Chet Baker, Miles Davis and Chick Correa to Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell. These inspirations have sculpted her playing, composing and overall love for music. Since the post-pandemic re-opening, she's been setting the jazz scenes in Leeds, Manchester and London alight with a variety of line-ups. Tonight, she is joined onstage by her quintet.
Olivia Cuttill trumpet/leader / Issey Chivers vocals / Tom Harris keyboard / Fergus Quill double bass / Miles Pillinger drums
5pm - 5 45pm: Instant World Orchestra
On a whistle-stop musical tour of the globe, this Chapel Allerton based 20 piece Instant World Orchestra touches down in Jamaica, India, Brazil, Cuba, South Africa, Ethiopia, The Balkans, Japan, Trinidad, New York and all points between to sample the finest sounds around and deliver them in our own inimitable way; world rhythms with jazz vocabulary, improvisation and celebration. A community band that anyone can join and everyone can enjoy led by multi- instrumentalist Richard Ormrod
4pm - 4 45pm: Maranello Trio
The Maranello Trio play swinging jazz standards, in the style of the Oscar Peterson and Nat King Cole trios All three members of the trio are professional musicians who graduated from Leeds Conservatoire; in addition to playing in the trio they all work with other professional musical ensembles, having played at some of the U.K.'s most prestigious jazz venues, to include Ronnie Scott's, the Dean Street Pizza Express in London, and Peggy's Skylight in Nottingham.
Will Powell guitar / Adrian Knowles double bass / Jason Scott keyboard
3pm - 3 45pm: Salsa Como Loco
A 10 piece Salsa Band playing a mix of New York and Cuban Salsa. Set up by members of various bands including The Peace Artistes, Bassa Bassa, Duende, Red Herrings, Small World Band and Bradford Samba band, with an overpowering love of, and desire to play, Cuban style Salsa dance music. The band have been playing for dancers and latin music lovers at many venues and parties around the North of England
2pm - 2 45pm: Viridian
Coming from contemporary jazz scene of Leeds, Viridian have influences from wide ranges of genres - from math rock from artist like Chon and Tigran Hamasyan, the modern jazz scene with musicians like Kurt Rosenwinkel, Romain Pilon and Reinier Baas, to Persian classical music with iconic musicians like Kayhan Kalhor and Faramarz Payvar. Pedraum Agahi plays this on the ‘Santour’, the Persian hammered dulcimer.
Pedraum Agahi guitar and Santour / Jaden Hart bass / Dom Neeson drums
1pm - 1 45pm: Hot Club of Halifax
“Deep and danceable swing interlaced with thoughtful arrangements of Jazz and Latin infused standards, mesmerising Gypsy waltzes and delicacies from many places” The Hot Club of Halifax are an exciting collective of seasoned Jazz musicians offering dynamic and charismatic renditions of songs and tunes from the Django 'Gypsy Jazz' repertoire.
Vernon Bigsby guitar / Gerard Cavallari vocals/guitar / Susannah Simmons fiddle / Helen Hutchy double bass /vocals / Christine Pinkard clarinet
About the Welcome to Leeds Stage:
From Friday 24th - Monday 27th May the free-entry, family friendly, outdoor Welcome to Leeds stage will be back on Cookridge Street as part of Leeds Jazz Festival 2024! The stage is programmed in collaboration with Leeds Conservatoire, Sable, DJ Lubi, Launchpad and JazzLeeds to bring you the best of local talent.
Situated between The Light and Henry Moore Institute, the stage has its own seating area, with food and drink on hand throughout the weekend, supplied by Radisson Blu and Browns. This year boasts an expanded food and beverage offering featuring a pop-up bar from North - who alongside ATA Records have created the official Leeds Jazz Festival beer and food from Little Bao Boy.
The Welcome to Leeds stage is produced by LeedsBID alongside New Citizens and with backline support from Eiger Studios. Public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England alongside Launchpad pays artist fees on the Welcome to Leeds stage and we are incredibly thankful for their support.