Bristol’s month in jazz – August 2025

Can it really be 10 years? The excellent Jazz Defenders (pictured above) are celebrating their first decade this month with a gig at the Fringe (Wed 27), the venue that housed their earliest appearances. Since those first sets of Blue Note covers the band have won acclaim for their own hard bop-style compositions which they continue to perform far and wide. So happy birthday, indeed!

Being August there’s another annual celebration in King Street, namely the Old Duke Jazz Festival (Fri 22-Sun 24). Details are yet to be announced but it’s sure to be a great showcase for the swing, trad, blues and jazz the venue supplies us with all year round. This year it’s also linked with Old City Sounds (Sat 23), a one day festival of on-street music around St Nick’s.

Slightly further afield, the Brecon Jazz Festival (Fri 8-Sun 10) continues to grow back towards its former glory, with hip pianist Sultan Stevenson, powerhouse vocalist Ruby Turner and saxophone colossus-turned-Radio 3 presenter Soweto Kinch among the bigger names. Looking even further – in Wimborne, Dorset – Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here festival (Thur 14-Sun 17) is a cavalcade of the ‘jazz adjacent’ with the likes of Incognito, Emma Jean Thackeray and Nubyan Twist alongside Brazilian percussion legend Hermeto Pascoal.

Back in Bristol it’s a month of many threesomes, with pianist Gabriel Latchin’s trio coming to the Lantern (Sun 17) to showcase their new Gershwin-themed album The Man I Love. London-based Latchin has a classic touch and a tight trio with Calum Gourlay’s bass and Steve Brown drumming. Andy Hague’s trumpet-led trio are in Latin mode at the Tobacco Factory (Sun 10) and Andy also turns up leading the Stag & Hounds Sunday session (Sun 3) alongside the Adam Stokes Trio. Andy’s followed there by saxophonists Dan Newberry (Sun 17) and Terry Quinney (Sun 31) – both favourites at the Bebop Club – and trumpeter James Guilford (Sun 24) who relocated from New Zealand to Bristol last year.

Time was when pianist Andy Christie was a regular on the Bristol scene but his increasing work as a film composer means that it’s a welcome return when his trio pops up at The Crafty Egg in Fishponds (Fri 8). Saxophonist Craig Crofton is a more familiar face, of course, and his trio are at Mr Wolf’s (Sun 3). And there’s a trio of trios offering the classic boogaloo combination of guitar/organ/drums – The Hatch Organ Trio (Tobacco Factory, Sun 3), Manuals of Fire (Old Fish Market, Sun 17) and the Martin Mexme Trio (Fringe, Thur 21).

Contrasting vocalists are on offer at the Fringe: super smooth swingster Marvin Muoneké does the Great American Songbook (Thur 7), the Kay Grant Group (Sun 10) sees the improv vocalist reinterpret jazz standards and Chloe et Al (Fri 22) explore more Neo-soul material. The blues-drenched Kirris Riviere and the Delta de Bruit are at Mr Wolf’s (Fri 1) and the swing-inflected Elly Hopkins takes her turn at the Stag & Hounds (Sun 10).

There’s a few unclassifiable new things coming through: Brighton’s theatrical ‘prog-skronk’ Codex Serafini evoke 70s fusion sounds (Cafe Kino, Fri 22), while Leeds-originated quintet Fake Scenario (Fringe, Wed 20) make elaborately composed but improv-heavy jazz with familiar face Greg Sterland’s sax in the mix. Another familiar face – Snazzback drummer Chris Langton – has a new ‘art rock’ duo D/RK-HMR with guitarist Michael Gianan (another NZ blow-in Bristol is glad to welcome). They are at Canteen (Thur 28). Upbeat grooves underly the jazz/electronica of Fabio Ferri, who releases new single Cave Tree at Cafe Kino (Wed 13).

Of course there will be brass – we love it round here, no? Hot 8 Brass Band are the big name visitors (Thekla, Sat 9) and of course our own Brass Junkies rock Canteen (Fri 15) where Jack Mac’s Funk Pack (Fri 22) and the Soul Strutters are further Friday party nights (Fri 29). Shake Your Brass will deliver their horn-driven take on drum and bass classics at Mr Wolf’s (Fri 29) and Bath University’s brassy Funky Ducks are also there (Sun 24). Mr Wolf’s rounds off their month with guitarist Jonah Hitchens’ funky stuff (Sun 31).

In a more classic swing mode, the Little Big Band will entertain Picnic In The Park in Staple Hill’s Page Park (Sat 23) and jump-jivers Tight Lipped Combo are at Canteen (Thur 7)

There’s another Weighted My Hand night at the Cube (Fri 22) with a five act programme of ‘aberrant solo artists’ from the UK electronic underground. Headliner A/V artist KOP-Z blends improvisation with live and electronic elements. They’re really going over the top at the Thunderbolt (Sat 2) with Kiyasu Fest, a nine-hour orgy of ‘grinding electronic weirdness’ headlined, of course, by frenzied solo drummer Ryosuke Kiyasu. Over at the Old England (Sat 9) a more restrained left-field evening combines trance-inducing post-rockers Cities with prog-math band Inscape and the powerful improvisatory prog-jazz  of Swansea’s Z Machine.

Jam-wise, the Gallimaufry welcomes a new weekly Neo Soul jam session on Wednesdays: Like Honey is especially keen to be an inclusive platform for young emerging musicians. The Stag & Hounds has its weekly Sunday session (guest soloists listed above), the Old England’s Community Jam Collective is every Tuesday and Mr Wolf’s Donut Filler Jam is every Wednesday. The Bootlegger’s Speakeasy Jam sessions are alternate Thursdays (14, 28).

The Fringe has Hot Club Jam (Mon 4), Peanut Butter Jam (Mon 11), Jazz Rapport Jam (Mon 18) and Seed Sessions (Mon 25).

Canteen has Beat Cleaver Hip-hop jam (Mon 4, Mon 18), Stone Cold Funk Jam (Tue 5, Tue 19), Canteen Jazz Session (Wed 6), Slapdash (Tue 12), Canteen Latin Session (Wed 20), Kole Tang (Tue 26).

Grounded Cafe, Fishponds has a Hot Jazz Jam (Thur 28) and the Elmer’s Arms has their free improv session Byrfyfyr (Sat 9)