What should I do next?

Get a jazz-adviser

Not a snob for whom jazz is the only thing worth listening to.  Just someone who loves music, knows your tastes and can point you to some interesting performances.

Listen to the sounds you like…

…not the genres you like. Is it melodies, rhythms or voices that float your boat?  Do you love the noisy impact of a big band, or the clean, spare sound of a piano trio?  Listen to what you like, and don’t worry so much about arbitrary categories of music.  Classification is for librarians and plane-spotters, not for musicians.

Have a read of this

Dave Gelly’s 30-second jazz: the 50 crucial concepts, styles and performers, each explained in half a minute is the jazz-tester’s bible. You want one short page on The Trumpet, or New Orleans, or Ella Fitzgerald?  It’s all here.

Enjoy the music

If you run into a spot of jazz-confusion and find yourself grimacing, don’t worry about it.  It’s really not the end of the world. Every interesting book, film or friend contains certain things that you can’t entirely understand.  Follow the Barford doctrine: stop trying to solve music as though it’s a puzzle.  Just listen, and enjoy it.

What will JazzJanuary do next?

Jazz music worked so well on normal people that although the trial is finished, the programme of music will go on. Tickets have been booked for performances far into the future. JazzJanuary’s advisers, testers – even some of the musicians – have been collaborating:

Next up…

Performances seen or booked, from the end of JazzJanuary’s test phase (top of list) to present day (bottom of list):

(2016)
Royal Academy of Music Big Band, again (Duke’s Hall)
Guildhall Big Band featuring Liane Carroll and Ralph Salmins (Barbican – plus advisers)
Alex Hitchcock Quartet, again (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Resolution 88 (Pizza Express)
W3 Jazz Jam (Ronnie Scott’s)
Jochen Rueckert Quartet featuring Mark Turner (Pizza Express – plus advisers)
Shayna Steele (Pizza Express)
Magnus Öström Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s)
Tom Barford Quintet (The Oxford)
Chris Higginbottom Quartet featuring Tom Cawley (Ronnie Scott’s – plus advisers)
John Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen (Ronnie Scott’s – plus advisers)
Freddie Gavita Quartet (Ronnie Scotts – only half the set)
Resolution 88, again (CB2, Cambridge)
Tal Janes’ Bahla, Will Barry Trio, Ashley Henry Trio (The Vortex – Royal Academy of Music finals, guitar and piano)
King Solomon Hick Quartet (Café Central, Madrid)
Zhenya Strigalev Trio (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Laurence Juber & Nick Fitch (Pizza Express)
Mark Hale Trio featuring Saul Rubin (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
James Pearson’s 100 Years of Jazz Piano (Ronnie Scott’s)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (606 Club)
Barford-Stoneman Organ Quintet (Hunter Club, Bury St Edmunds)
Eat Logic (606 Club)
Steve Gadd Quintet featuring Michael Landau (Ronnie Scott’s – plus advisers)
Allison Neale Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s)
National Youth Jazz Orchestra, again (Saffron Hall, Essex)
Jim Gold trio, Ben Treacher Trio (The Vortex – plus advisers)
Mark Guiliana Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s – plus advisers)
Josh Kemp Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s)
GoGo Penguin (The Junction, Cambridge)
Zoe Gilby Quartet (Cadogan Hall – LJF)
Tal Janes’ Bahla, again (The Omnibus – LJF)
Alex Hitchcock Quintet, Ashley Henry Trio (The Green Note – LJF)
Tim Garland Trio (Wigmore Hall – LJF – plus advisers)
Major Swing (The Grapes, Cambridge – CJF)
Cesca, Mode 9 (La Raza, Cambridge – CJF)
Anita Wardell / Robin Phillips Trio (The Gonville Hotel, Cambridge – CJF – plus advisers)
Caxton Swing featuring Alan Barnes (The Leys School, Cambridge – CJF)
Resolution 88, again, Binker Golding Quartet,  (La Raza, Cambridge – CJF)
Zeñel, Trio HLK,  (Hot Numbers, Cambridge – CJF)
Ben Creighton-Griffiths, Laura Jurd’s Dinosaur, Will Barry / Alex Hitchcock (Clare Cellars, Cambridge – CJF)

(2017)
Bill Stewart trio featuring Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein (Ronnie Scott’s – plus advisers)
Jacob Collier, Asaf Sirkis, Stian Carstensen, Rob Mullarkey (Ronnie Scott’s – plus advisers)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (606 Club – plus advisers)
Jon Cleary, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Ben Wendel Group (Ronnie Scott’s – plus advisers)
Chanan Hanspal Trio (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Jim Gold Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s)
Resolution 88, again (Mildenhall Social Club, Suffolk)
Jasper Høiby’s Fellow Creatures (The Vortex)
Billy Marrows Octet (Iklectik Arts Lab)
Yussef Kamaal (Koko – nb Yussef absent from the band)
Brad Mehldau trio (St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich)
Buddy Rich Big Band featuring Dave Weckl (Ronnie Scott’s)
Big Bad Wolf (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Hitchcock/Barford/Maddren/Ireland (Hidden Rooms, Cambridge)
Big Bad Wolf, again (The Royal Albert, Deptford)
Amy Mayes (Ronnie Scott’s)
Black and Blue Jazz Band featuring Alexandra May (The Nightjar)
Three Step Manoeuvre featuring Gareth Lockrane (Hidden Rooms, Cambridge)
Mansur Brown / Yussef Dayes, featuring Rocco Palladino (Church of Sound)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (Kings Place)
Alex Hitchcock Quintet featuring Steve Fishwick (Pizza Express)
National Youth Jazz Orchestra, again, featuring Liane Carroll (Saffron Hall, Essex)
Nate Smith + Kinfolk (Ronnie Scott’s, plus advisers)
Portico Quartet (Scala)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (606 Club)
Joshua Redman Trio featuring Reuben Rogers, Gregory Hutchinson (Ronnie Scott’s, plus advisers)
Joe Lovano Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s, plus advisers)
Mark Trounson Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s, plus advisers)
Stan Sulzmann’s Neon Orchestra (606 Club)
Mark Guiliana Quartet, again (Ronnie Scott’s, plus advisers)
Oscar Jerome (Servant Jazz Quarters)
Waaju (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Barford / Stoneman Quintet, again (St John’s, Smith Square – LJF)
Clare Teal (St John’s, Smith Square – LJF)
Barford / Stoneman Quintet, again (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
NewGenJazz: Mode 9, Nerija, The Gravy Train, Flying Machines, again; Phil Stevenson Trio, Resolution 88, again; Zeñel, again; Binker & Moses.  (Corn Exchange, Cambridge)
Afro Tema (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)

(2018)
Kurt Rosenwinkel’s “Bandit 65” (Ronnie Scott’s)
Tom Barford’s Asterope, again (The Grey Horse, Kingston)
Alistair Martin Quintet (Clare Cellars, Cambridge)
Will Barry / Jim Gold (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (606 Club)
Matt Anderson Quartet (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Tom Smith Septet (The Omnibus, Clapham)
Noah Stoneman Trio (The Vortex)
Chris Cheek Quintet (Caius College, Cambridge)
Chris Potter’s Underground (Ronnie Scott’s)
Lee Konitz Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s)
Raúl Rodríguez (Teatro San Francisco, Vejer de la Frontera)
Sam Miles Quartet (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Ronnie Scott’s All-Stars (The Guildhall, King’s Lynn)
Glad Atzmon / Orient House Ensemble ft Asaf Sirkis (606 Club)
Barford / Stoneman Quintet, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Courtney Pine (Saffron Hall, Essex)
Adam Osmianski Organ Trio (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Three Step Manoeuvre, again (St John’s College, Cambridge)
Bahla, again (St John’s College, Cambridge)
Tom Seals Band (The Loft, Keswick Blues and Jazz Festival)
Jon Cleary, again (Ronnie Scott’s, plus advisers)
Peter Bernstein / Larry Goldings / Bill Stewart, again (Pizza Express)
Miles Mindlin Quartet (Bar 48)
Zeñel, again (Redon, Bethnal Green)
The Blackbyrds (Ronnie Scott’s)
Guy Barker Big Band ft Billy Cobham (Ronnie Scott’s)
Alistair Martin Quintet, again (Luna Lounge)
Tom Smith’s Queertet (Deviant and Dandy Brewery, Hackney)
Sam Braysher Trio (Hot Numbers, Cambridge)
Nate Smith + Kinfolk, again (The Jazz Café, plus advisers)
Barford/Hitchcock/Ireland/Maddren (The Vortex)
Tom Seals Band, again (Zedel)
Jean Toussaint (Hidden Rooms, Cambridge)
Tom Barford Quintet, again (King’s Place)
Seby Ntege Band (The Junction, Cambridge)
Sara Dowling Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s)
Aziza (Ronnie Scott’s)
Barford / Stoneman Quintet, again (Clare Cellars, Cambridge)
Ian Shaw, Liane Carroll & The London Gay Big Band (The Junction, Cambridge)
Ant Law/Alex Hitchcock/Will Sach/Marc Michel (Espresso Library, Cambridge)
Vanessa Haynes (Emmanuel United Reformed Church, Cambridge)
Harry Greene Trio ft Ashton Jones, again (University Centre, Cambridge)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (The Spice of Life)
Academy Big Band, again (Royal Festival Hall)
Jasper Høiby’s Planet B (Caius College, Cambridge)
Laura Jurd’s Dinosaur, again (Zoology Museum, Cambridge)
Big Bad Wolf, again (Zoology Museum, Cambridge)
BBC Young Jazz Musician Final: James Owston, Reuben Goldmark, Seth Tackaberry, Xhosa Cole, Fergus McCreadie (Queen Elizabeth Hall)
Tom Seals Band, again (Pizza Express, Dean St)
Bahla, again (JW3 Jewish Community Centre)
The Delegates ft Eliza Carrick-Davies (Luna, Leytonstone)

(2019)
Tom Smith Septet, again (The Vortex)
The Delegates, ft Grace Archer (Luna, Leytonstone)
Sam Braysher / Michael Kanan (Unitarian Church, Cambridge)
Alexander Bone’s Said Skeleton (Jesus College, Cambridge)
Tom Barford Quintet, again (Pizza Express)
Academy Big Band, again, ft Hamish Stuart (Royal Academy of Music)
Chanan Hanspal, again (CB2, Cambridge)
Jacob Collier, again (Gorilla, Manchester)
Rupert Cox  – solo / Billy Marrows Quartet (SET, Dalston)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (Pizza Express, Dean St)
Tony Remy quartet (The Vortex)
Asaf Sirkis (Morley College)
Joe Downard Sextet (The Royal Albert)
Joel Barford Quartet with Sam Leak, Tom Ollendorff, Alex Hitchcock (Ronnie Scott’s)
NYJO, Nationaal Jeuged Jazz Orkest, Bundesjazzorchester ‘Three Nations Under One Groove‘ (Apex Theatre, Bury St Edmunds)
Elliot Galvin, Binker Golding (SET, Dalston)
Dave Storey Trio (Pizza Express)
Alexander Bone’s Said Skeleton (Ronnie Scott’s)
Joel Barford Quartet (The Vortex)
Dennis Rollins Trio with Pedro Segundo, Ross Stanley (Stapleford Granary, Cambridge)
Rory Simmons B3 Ensemble: Liselotte Ostblom, Luke Vice-Coles, Harry Greene, Jonny Ford, Jake Werth, Will Richardson, Oren McLoughlin (Royal Academy of Music)
Clark Tracey Quintet (Ronnie Scott’s)
Butcher Brown / Resolution 88 (Storey’s Field Centre, Cambridge)
Freddie Jensen Trio with Noah Stoneman, Will Cleasby (The Geldart, Cambridge)
Cambridge Saxophone Quartet / SCYM Advanced Jazz Ensemble (Whittlesford Parish Church, Cambridge)
Quinn Oulton, ft Peter Wilson, Luca Caruso, Rupert Cox (Ronnie Scott’s)
Ghost-note (Ronnie Scott’s)
Alex Hitchcock Quintet, again (Cambridge University Centre)
Noah Stoneman Quartet, ft Freddie Jensen, James Copus, Boz Martin-Jones (Karamel)
Tom Seals band, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Luca Caruso Trio w/ Alex Hitchcock, Noah Stoneman (The Royal Albert)
Larry Carlton (Ronnie Scott’s)
Billy Marrows Band (The Vortex)
Nicole Henry ft Nick Fitch band (Dereham Memorial Hall, Norfolk)
Joey Defrancesco Trio (Ronnie Scott’s)
Three Card Molly (Luca Caruso, Alex Hitchcock, Noah Stoneman – Ronnie Scott’s)
Zeñel (55 East)
Barford/Stoneman Organ Quintet ft James Copus (Pizza Express)
Ashton Jones Project (Kansas Smitty’s)
Ashton Jones Project, again (The Junction J1, Cambridge)
Renegade Brass Band (The Junction J1, Cambridge)
The Alleycats ft Dennis Rollins (Storey’s Field Centre, Cambridge)
Alex Hitchcock Quartet (Storey’s Field Centre, Cambridge)
Rob Luft Quartet (Storey’s Field Centre, Cambridge)
Trevor Watkis/Byron Wallen/Tony Kofi/Jason Brown – tribute to Dizzy Reece (Storey’s Field Centre, Cambridge)
Seed Ensemble (Storey’s Field Centre, Cambridge)
Billy Marrows Band, again (The Green Note)
AuB – Alex Hitchcock, Tom Barford, James Maddren, Ferg Ireland (The Green Note)
Jeff Lorber Fusion ft Mike Stern (Venue 229)
Zeñel, again (Cockpit Theatre)
Royal Academy of Music Big Band ft Tim Garland (Royal Festival Hall)
Kansas Smitty’s House Band ft. Will Barry (Ronnie Scott’s)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (The Spice of Life)
James Hudson Quartet (Pizza Express)
Fred Wesley and the New JB’s (Ronnie Scott’s)

(2020)
National Youth Jazz Orchestra, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Miles Mindlin Trio / UKITA ft Sean Payne (The Constitution)
Matt Anderson Quartet (The Vortex)
Academy Big Band ECM records / Kit Downes, Kenny Wheeler (Royal Academy of Music)
James Copus / Alex Hitchcock / Will Sach / Luca Caruso (91 Living Room)
Sam Leak, Nick Costley-White, Joel Barford (Karamel)
Luca Caruso Quartet ft. Noah Stoneman (Ronnie Scott’s)
Quinn Oulton band (Clare Cellars, Cambridge)
Academy Big Band “Stompin at the Savoy” (Royal Academy of Music)
Joel Barford Four ft Tom Barford, Nick Costley-White, Ross Stanley (Ronnie Scott’s)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (606 Club)
Bill Laurance Trio (Ronnie Scott’s)
Zeñel, again (Signature Brew Taproom)

Sam Braysher, Michael Kanan (Kansas Smitty’s) [CANCELLED]
Jim Gold Trio (Ronnie Scott’s) [CANCELLED]
The Lesson GK (Ronnie Scott’s) [CANCELLED]
Jacob Collier, again (The Roundhouse) [CANCELLED]
Tom Seals Band, again (Ronnie Scott’s) [CANCELLED]
Ari Hoenig Trio (The Vortex) [CANCELLED]
Bobby Sparks II (Ronnie Scott’s) [CANCELLED]
Chicago Gospel Music Festival (Millennium Park, Chicago) [CANCELLED]
Snarky Puppy (Ronnie Scott’s) [CANCELLED]
Harry Greene Quintet (Pizza Express) [CANCELLED]
Zeñel, again (New Cross Inn) [CANCELLED]

Nigel Price Organ Trio (Carpark of Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre, Walton-on-Thames)
Tom Seals Band, again (Ronnie Scott’s)

2021 (June +)
Vanessa Haynes, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Nigel Price Organ Trio, again, ft Alex Garnett (St Andrew’s Street Baptist Church, Cambridge)
Deschanel Gordon Quartet (606 Club)
James Hudson Quartet, again (Pizza Express)
Joe Downard Quintet (Pizza Express)
Harry Greene Quintet (Regents Park Bandstand)
Quinn Oulton (Dalston Curve Garden)
Will Cleasby Quintet (The Royal Albert, Deptford)
Noah Stoneman Trio ft Jason Brown (91 Living Room)
Alex Bone Band, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Miles Mindlin Trio (Arthouse, Crouch End)
Will Cleasby Quartet ft Mark Kavuma (91 Living Room)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (Pizza Express)
Alex Hitchcock “Dream Band” (Ronnie Scott’s)
Academy Big Band ft Jason Yarde (Royal Academy of Music)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (The Spice of Life)
Ella Hohnen-Ford and Noah Stoneman (Canada Water Theatre)
Quinn Oulton band ft Conor Albert (Canada Water Theatre)
Deschanel Gordon / Alex Hitchcock Quartet (Stapleford Granary, Cambridge)
Billy Marrows Band, again (The Vortex)
Ben Waters (Frensham Village Hall, Surrey)
Webb City (Hampstead Jazz Club)
Vanessa Haynes, again (Ronnie Scott’s)

(2022)
Tom Waters “Electric People” (Ronnie Scott’s)
Noah Stoneman ft Lily Bravery, Kasparas Mikužis. New music+Barber Sonata (Royal Academy of Music)
Tom Barford Organ Trio (The Vortex)
Abel’s Collective (Notting Hill Arts Club)
David Ferris / Sam Braysher / John Williamson / Will Cleasby (The Oxford Tavern)
Eliana Veinberger Quartet (Piano Smithfield)
The Flaming Alligators (Upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s)
Ben Wendel, Conor Chaplin, Marc Michel, Tom Ollendorff (St Andrew’s Street Church, Cambridge)
Nigel Price Organ Trio (The Charles Bradlaugh, Northampton)
The Flaming Alligators, again (Temple of Art and Music)
Nikki Iles and Stan Sulzmann (Stapleford Granary, Cambridge)
Webb City: Joe Webb, Will Sach, Dave Archer (Ronnie Scott’s)
Abel’s Collective, again (Voodoo Ray’s, Peckham)
The Blessed Rains: Max Mills Big Band (Ronnie Scott’s)
Dino Baptiste Band (606 Club)
Harry Whitty Band (Temple of Art and Music)
Alexander Bone Quartet, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Abel’s Collective, again (Notting Hill Arts Club)
Sam Braysher Trio (606 Club)
Quinn Oulton Band, again (Servant Jazz Quarters)
Royal Academy of Music final recitals: Sean Payne (Royal Academy of Music)
Dana Gillespie and London Blues Band (Temple of Art and Music)
Royal Academy of Music final recitals: Harvey Tongs, Harry Whitty (606 Club)
Harry Whitty band (Temple of Art and Music)
Guildhall School final recitals: Tom Potter (Silk Street Concert Hall)
Brad Mehldau Trio, ft Larry Grenadier, Jeff Ballard (The Barbican)
Vanessa Haynes band, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Fred Wesley, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Alex Hitchcock “Dream Band” (The Vortex)
Ella Hohnen-Ford band / Midori Jaeger (Dalston Curve Garden)
The Flaming Alligators, again (Temple of Art and Music)
Kirk Lightsey Quartet (Ronnie Scott’s)
Will Sach / Rob Luft (The Green Note)
Tom Waters Band, again (Pizza Express)
Resolution 88, again (The Portland Arms, Cambridge)
Linda May Han Oh (Pizza Express)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (The Spice of Life)
The Flaming Alligators, again (Upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s)
Joshua Redman/Brian Blade/Brad Mehldau/Christian McBride (The Barbican)
AZIZA: Chris Potter, Lionel Loueke, Eric Harland, Dave Douglas (Cadogan Hall)
Joao Caetano  (The Crypt, Camberwell)
Mackwood: Harry Ling Band (Ronnie Scott’s)
BBC Young Jazz Musician Final: Emma Rawicz, Euan Hastie, Luke Bacchus, Ralph Porrett, Nick Manz.  House band: Mark and Michael Mondesir, Nikki Yeoh (Queen Elizabeth Hall)
The Flaming Alligators, again (Temple of Art and Music)
Pete Churchill / Immy Churchill (Jesus College, Cambridge)
Academy Big Band (Music of Duke Ellington – Royal Academy of Music)
Dana Gillespie, again (606 Club)
Tom Seals band, again (Ronnie Scott’s)

(2023)
Nick Fitch Band (Ronnie Scott’s)
Noah Stoneman, Lily Bravery, Caius Williams, Kai MacRae (Royal Academy of Music)
Billy Marrows Sextet (The Vortex)
Alex Hitchcock, Ant Law Quartet (Stapleford Granary, Cambridge)
The Flaming Alligators, again (TAM Smithfield)
Trish Clowes’ “My Iris” Quartet (East Side Jazz Club, Leytonstone)
Chelsea Becker (The Harrison)
Harry Greene Quintet (Pizza Express)
The Flaming Alligators, again (TAM Smithfield)
Tom Smith Big Band (Pizza Express)
Larry Goldings/Peter Bernstein/Bill Stewart (Pizza Express)
Dana Gillespie & London Blues Band, again (Temple of Art and Music)
Will Cleasby Trio (The Vortex)
Chris Potter Trio (Ronnie Scott’s)
Vanessa Haynes, again (Ronnie Scott’s)
Lee Ritenour band (Ronnie Scott’s)
Gareth Lockrane Big Band, again (Pizza Express)
Tom Waters Band, again (The Guildhall, Dorchester)
Tom Waters Band, again (Cadogan Hall)

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