Roy Saxby of Sheffield Jazz writes;

Sheffield Jazz is a company limited by guarantee and charity run wholly by volunteers and it receives no funding other than some individual charitable donations from a small group of supporters. It began in 1974 as Hurlfield Jazz and since then has showcased leading jazz musicians from the UK, USA and other European countries. It has for some time been one of the main UK jazz venues outside London and it attracts an audience from across South Yorkshire and well beyond.

SHEFFIELD JAZZ – A BRIEF HISTORY OVER 50 YEARS

Sheffield Jazz first started as Hurlfield Jazz, founded by Fred Brown of Hurlfield Community School with a group of local musicians and a grant from Yorkshire Arts. They booked regular working bands and visiting US musicians touring with UK rhythm sections, including Ronnie Scott, Don Rendell, Sam Rivers, Dexter Gordon, Carla Bley and Barney Kessel. At this time The Arts Council subsidised tours for larger ensembles which would otherwise have been uneconomic. A Jazz Development Officer for the North made it feasible to run a Jazz Festival in Sheffield, which ran for 5 years, initially at The Crucible then at the recently opened Leadmill. Featured bands included Art Ensemble of Chicago, Loose Tubes, Jon Scofield, Jan Garbarek, Johnny Griffin and Archie Shepp,

The opening of the Leadmill in 1983 was the biggest change to the Sheffield jazz scene and for the rest of the 1980’s jazz audiences boomed. Hurlfield Jazz ran local Sunday lunchtime music, international Wednesday evening gigs at the Leadmill and concerts at the Crucible and Sheffield Hallam University. BBC 2 broadcast of a series of concerts from the Leadmill in 1986. One of the best initiatives during the 1980’s was the Sheffield Jazz Workshops – the first in the UK and still going strong in 2024, it was a place to meet others and develop as musicians. Local bands recorded on the 1988 compilation album “Made in Sheffield”. Wayne Shorter, John Surman and Jack De Johnette were among those appearing in this period.

When the Leadmill moved to a more commercial programme, in 1991 Hurlfield Jazz was forced out by prohibitively high venue charges and limited access, sources of funding were diminishing and Hurlfield Jazz almost died! But Jude Sacker, who had been involved in Hurlfield Jazz, formed a new committee who found a new venue and changed the name to “Sheffield Jazz”. They adopted a policy of booking mainly UK bands, especially promoting young, up-and-coming UK musicians such as Julian Arguelles, Nikki Iles, John Parricelli, Iain Ballamy, Guy Barker and Julian Siegel. They also started concerts at the Crucible Studio in association with Music in the Round, featuring musicians such as John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler, Jamie Cullum, Tim Garland and Ralph Towner.

Throughout the 90s and early 2000s Sheffield Jazz operated from a number of venues, booking up-and- coming bands and established stars with a focus was on quality, bringing to Sheffield artists of standing whom the Sheffield audience would not be able to see without travelling to London. From 2004-2014 we were still putting on around 25 gigs each year, with 2-3 concerts at the Crucible Studio. Bheki Mseleku, Stan Tracey , Empirical, Joe Lovano, Polar Bear and Zoe Rahman were among those appearing during this period. Although attracting new and younger audiences, attendances began to tail off, generating a few financial crises. This led to a decision to put Sheffield Jazz on a firmer footing - it became a company limited by guarantee in 2008 and a charity in 2009.

From 2014 to the present Sheffield Jazz has run a varied programme each year, primarily at their current home venue of Crookes Social Club. Featured artists in this period included established musicians such as Gwilym Simcock, Nikki Iles, Tony Kofi and Alan Barnes; rising stars like Fergus McCreadie, Yazz Ahmed, Laura Jurd and Emma Rawicz; plus locally-based musicians who enjoy a national profile, such as Martin Archer and his Anthropology Band and Nadim Teimoori.

Sheffield Jazz has always relied on the work of volunteers: both committee members and trustee/directors and on the army of volunteers who make generally make gigs happen. In 2024 Sheffield Jazz reaches its 50th birthday and to mark this milestone they’re holding a special concert in the Crucible main theatre on Saturday 18th May. It features long-standing Sheffield Jazz favourite Tony Kofi and his Quartet and a more recent favourite, rising star Emma Rawicz with her Quartet. For tickets for the Sheffield Jazz 50th anniversary concert visit https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/50th-anniversary-concert.

SHEFFIELD JAZZ, SPRING PROGRAMME,  2024.

FOR DETAILS, ADVANCE TICKETS AND TO JOIN OUR MAILING LIST, VISIT
http://www.sheffieldjazz.org.uk

DONCASTER JAZZ ALUMNI Sunday 25 Feb. 2.30pm CROOKES SOCIAL CLUB
Big band jazz from top professional musicians who are alumni of the Doncaster Youth Jazz
Association, with all the proceeds going to DYJA.

CORRIE DICK’S ‘SUN SWELLS’ Friday 1 March, 8pm CROOKES SOCIAL CLUB
Corrie’s sextet of top young musicians play music that exemplifies his approach to blending
folk, jazz, rock and world music influences.

HANNAH HORTON QUARTET Friday 8 March, 8pm CROOKES SOCIAL CLUB
Award winning saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Hannah plays a blend of music
featuring her own compositions alongside timeless classics.

ARBENZ+HART+PURSGLOVE Friday 15 March, 8pm CROOKES SOCIAL CLUB
Fascinating interplay between internationally renowned Swiss drummer Florian Arbenz,
British vibraphonist Jim Hart and trumpeter Percy Pursglove.

CLARK TRACEY QUINTET Friday 12 Apr. 8pm CROOKES SOCIAL CLUB
Clark’s quintet features some of the best young jazz musicians, including saxophonist
Alex Clarke and hugely experienced pianist Graham Harvey.

MATT CARMICHAEL QUINTET Friday 19 Apr. 8pm CROOKES SOCIAL CLUB
Drawing inspiration from Scotland’s folk tradition, saxophonist Matt’s band plays lyrical
jazz with a focus on melody and collective improvisation.

TRISH CLOWES & ROSS STANLEY Thursday 25 Apr. 7.30pm FIRTH HALL
Thought provoking interplay between saxophonist and pianist, built around their own
compositions and arrangements from jazz and folk traditions.

SHEFFIELD JAZZ 50th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
EMMA RAWICZ QUARTET + TONY KOFI QUARTET
Saturday 18 May, 7.15pm CRUCIBLE THEATRE
A very special double bill to celebrate 50 years of Sheffield Jazz and its predecessors
The concert features two top bands, both led by multi-award winning jazz musicians.

VENUES AND PRICES;

Our gigs can sell out, so guarantee your seat with a ticket in advance (no booking fee)
via http://www.sheffieldjazz.org.uk Cash/card payment also available on the door.

CROOKES SOCIAL CLUB Mulehouse Road, Sheffield S10 1TD Tel. 0114 2660114
Full £17; Concs. £15; Students £10; 15-17 year olds £5. The Doncaster Jazz Alumni gig is priced at £12; £10; £5.

CRUCIBLE PLAYHOUSE/THEATRE 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 1DA Tel. 0114 249 6000
In collaboration with Music in the Round
Playhouse: Full £19; Concs. £17; Students £10; 15-17 year olds £5.
Theatre: Full £20; Concs. £18; Students £10; 15-17 year olds £5.

FIRTH HALL Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN Tel 0114 222 8888
In collaboration with The University of Sheffield
Full £18; Concs. £16; Students £10; 15-17

EVER WANTED TO LEARN TO PLAY JAZZ AND IMPROVISE?
We run a workshop for people who play an instrument to learn about and explore the theory and practice of jazz improvisation. The Workshop is now in its 40th year!
For details visit http://www.sheffieldjazz.org.uk/workshops/

 

 

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