It’s Wednesday evening, the working week is more than half over and the weekend is in sight; a good time to kick back and relax. What better way to do it than with some jazz vibes?
This was the first Jazz Leeds event of 2025, the first of over 100 events to be held in the coming year. Rush Hour Jazz sees local bands playing twice a month in the bar (or courtyard in summer) of Seven Arts in Chapel Allerton. This is the tip of the Jazz Leeds iceberg that includes afternoon and evening concerts, jazz jams, Leeds Jazz Festival and the Take Part outreach programme.
The bar at Seven Arts provided a relaxed atmosphere, an audience that listened but were happy to chat while the band decided what to play next; a happy medium between the constant talkers on a night out in some jazz bars and the reverent silence of concert performances.
Advertised musicians for this session were Sophie Speed on saxophone and Jeff Hewer on guitar, accompanied by Steve Crocker, founder and frontman of Leeds Jazz, on double bass and the talented Steve Hanley on drums.
Chapel Allerton is an area that is rich in musicians. The suburb attracts many ex-students, including those who have studied music. Sophie Speed, originally from Tyneside, recently graduated from Leeds Conservatoire, whilst Jeff Hewer moved to Leeds from Toronto to study a master’s degree in music, and never left. The group were joined by another Leeds graduate, Alex Fisher, who guested on saxophone.
The music paid homage to greats of Jazz, music that was familiar to an audience that numbered over fifty, if not always nameable. Starting the set with John Coltrane’s Blue Train, the group went on to play compositions by Thelonius Monk, Wayne Shorter and Billy Strayhorn amongst others. All Rush Hour Jazz sessions are Pay As You Feel, with a bowl passed round for contributions.
This month, there will be two Rush Hour Jazz sessions in quick succession, with Brendan Duffy leading a group next Wednesday, 22nd January between 6pm and 7.30pm. The concert will feature the Seven Jazz Trio with Chris Lloyd on keyboards, Steve Crocker bass and John Arnesen drums.
Rush Hour Jazz usually takes place on the first and third Wednesday of the month. The bar at Seven Arts is also the venue for the monthly Jazz Jam session, held on the last Sunday of the month. The first of this year will be on Sunday 26th January at 2pm. If you doubt the breadth and depth of local musical talent, come along to one of these sessions, where sometimes twenty musicians turn up to perform.
More formal concerts are held in the theatre at Seven Arts. The first show of 2025 will be the Art Themen Organ Trio next Sunday 19th January at 1.30pm. Themen has been performing for over sixty years and is still cutting new records, despite his 85 years. For many years, he had a career in music and medicine, but after retiring from his role as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Themen has dedicated himself to his jazz career. Ticket prices are a very reasonable £12, or £10 for concessions.
This year, there will also be a number of Jazz Leeds concerts hosted at the Howard Assembly Room. The first of these will be a double bill from two of the jazz world’s best: Elliot Galvin (piano and synth) and Laura Jurd (trumpet), performing on Thursday 13th February at 7.45pm.
Jazz Leeds is part of the Leeds festival scene, organising the annual Leeds Jazz Festival in May each year through concerts at Seven Arts and hosting the Cookridge Street jazz stage in Leeds City Centre on the May bank holiday Monday. They also host the Regent Street Jazz Sunday afternoon stage, as part of the annual Chapel Allerton Arts Festival. The Sunday stage at this year’s event was the busiest part of the Festival, presenting a wide range of jazz styles and proving in the words of Steve Crocker that ‘jazz has something for everyone’.
Jazz Leeds is unusual amongst jazz clubs as since 2017 it has been a charitable music trust. There is a full board of trustees. Sophie Speed was a student trustee whilst studying her degree. The trustees work to promote jazz out of love rather than for financial reasons. Encouraging young musicians has been central to the charity’s development. Youth and student bands often provide support at concerts and Sunday afternoons feature Conservatoire Collections, where final year students perform to live audiences.
When I spoke to Steve Crocker, he was particularly proud of the way the “Taking Part” programme has expanded. The programme includes workshops, a Jazz Voices choir, the Instant World Orchestra, a school’s programme (involving Allerton Grange, Roundhay and City of Leeds Schools), as well as the jam sessions. The project is aimed at people of all ages who want to play, sing or just find out more about jazz.
A new partnership for 2025 will be with Leeds Libraries. Gone are the days when you had to be silent in a library. The refurbished Music Library at Leeds Central Library has been designed for making music and other libraries are also welcoming performers. I noticed Sophie Speed will be playing with the Dean Stockdale Trio at Newcastle’s Lit & Phil library in May.
A full programme has already been planned, up to and including the May Jazz Festival. Visit the Jazz Leeds website, recently redesigned by Split, or pick up a programme from Seven Arts for further details of events.
www.jazzleeds.org.uk
Seven Arts, 31A Harrogate Rd, Chapel Allerton, Leeds LS7 3PD
Photography by Debbie Rolls.
