JAZZ &
ORIGINAL MUSIC
LISTEN
Agbeko
"Go see them if you can for one of the best gigs of your life.”
- Now Then Magazine
'The spectacular chemistry shared by this large band is electric and emotive. [Agbeko] will have you grooving, singing, and inspired to protest for a better society.'
- Songlines Magazine
James is a co-founder of Agbeko: the afro-rock-funk-psych 12-piece based in Manchester. Led by saxophonist Jamie Stockbridge, their music is the soundtrack for a congregation revelling upon a world teetering on the edge of collapse.
Agbeko were born out of admiration for the enduring music of 1970s West Africa and have spent the past three years honing a singular, contemporary sound juggernaut born out of reverence for music of West Africa in the 1970s and mixed in a cauldron of Ethio-jazz, psychedelic rock, funk and raucous-leaning jazz.
In late-2023 Agbeko released and toured their sophomore album 'There Must Be Another Way', following their 2020 debut album 'D.O.D.', and single release 'Leaders Of The Free World' on Stutter & Twitch Records in 2018. Agbeko recorded their next album in May 2024.
Lieko Quintet
Lieko Quintet was a Manchester-based group lead by pianist Alex Hill, turning contemporary jazz on its head with melodic, groove-infused compositions. Treading a path somewhere between soul music and folk song, they use melody as a focal point for moving between riff-based interplay and free improvisation.
Their E.P. 'Amethyst' was released in January 2019, followed by singles 'Black Lake' and 'La Côte Méditeranée' in 2020.
"...intelligent, inventive and imaginative..”
- The Jazz Mann
The Easy Rollers
'A slick, tightly choreographed hour of sizzling speakeasy from a melodious young septet.'
- FringeReview, Aug 2019
Whether in their widely acclaimed, lingo-slinging, all-singing-and-dancing cabaret show or delighting festival audiences with their enormous repertoire and own songwriting, The Easy Rollers are a septet who embody the famed spirit and consummate virtuosity of today's booming British jazz scene and bring it straight back to the source: 1920s and '30s Harlem, Kansas City and New Orleans.
Fronted by the captivating Dani Sicari, whose time-machine of a voice is evocative of early greats like Helen Kane and Ruth Etting, The Easy Rollers have long established a reputation for delivering performances that channel the in-the-moment dynamism of the Jazz Age at the height of its cultural grandeur. Arising from their love of the tradition, they take pride in marrying a conscientious approach to authenticity with their mission of ensuring that this effervescent era of jazz is never presented merely as a nostalgic museum piece.
"They're great fun and they'll swing you into bad health.”
- Stephen Duffy, BBC Radio Scotland
Artephis
From 2015-20, James and Aaron Wood (trumpet) co-led Artephis, a contemporary jazz/rock-influenced quintet based in Manchester, comprising some of the North's most creatively diverse young musicians.
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In 2020, they released singles 'Glow'/'Treading Water' as well as 'Artephis with The Untold Orchestra', following their debut album 'All Change No Change' in 2017. Aired on BBC Radio 3 and on Radio 2 by Jamie Cullum, who called it a “brilliant new release that got my ears bouncing” and chose track 'Feroz' as his BBC Introducing highlight of the year, the album was awarded the Sir John Manduell Prize.
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Artephis performed to capacity audiences at the major jazz festivals across the North of England, as well as the likes of Brecon Jazz Festival, Band On The Wall, The Cavern Club and Kendal Calling. They supported post-Bowie Donny McCaslin, Darius Brubeck, and Marquis Hill's Blacktet. Artephis were Jazz North 'Northern Line' (2018-19) and 'Introduces' (2015-16) artists.