Bristol’s month in jazz – December 2025

Don’t forget there’s a full calendar of Bristol jazz events at Bristol Jazz Live

So – another year over and what have we done? Well, hopefully lots of great jazz gigs – and there’s still a chance to catch a few more before the break (and don’t forget the Bath Jazz Weekend in early January). But before that it’s farewell to the weekly FringeJazz nights at Bristol Music Club as promoter Jon Taylor finally retires after bringing great jazz to Bristol for nigh on fifty years. Their last gig is an all-star 13-strong version of drummer Tony Orrell’s Big Top (Bristol Music Club, Wed 17). And we’ll continue to celebrate another stalwart of the scene – Andy Hague whose Big 60 Big Band (Lantern, Sun 14) is an even bigger 16-headed affair. Andy’s more petite trio BS3 are at Tobacco Factory (Sun 7), while his Latin sextet Sexteto Gringo rock The Bell (Wed 10) and his Text Messengers tribute to Art Blakey closes the Bebop’s year (Thur 18). And if you’ve ever wondered what an Afrofuturist Christmas would sound like Mwenso & The Shakes are delivering it at St George’s (Tue 16).

FringeJazz have another coup in their final month – Swiss drummer Clemens Guilfoyle’s pan-European imaginative and improvisatory supergroup YDIVIDE (Wed 3) featuring Brits Elliot Galvin and Dee Byrne on keys and alto respectively. On the same night over at the Bell Hegemono Quartet offer a similarly free-ranging jazz-rock sound, albeit with shameless elements of prog, while guitarist Adrian Utley joins the mighty Modulus III at Strange Brew (Thur 4) for their fully improvised electro-acoustic grooving. There’s a free feeling to the James Allsopp Group (Fringe In The Round, Tue 2) with Loose Tubes trumpeter Chris Batchelor and Polar Bear’s Tom Herbert on bass.

Guitarist Eli Jitsuto joins Modulus III keyboard player Dan Moore and drummer Matt Stockham Brown at Spirited, Bristol (Sun 7) while trumpeter Pete Judge has a trio of duos on offer: with cellist James Gow as JOW (Lord Mayors Chapel, Fri 5 lunchtime), with drummer Paul Wigens as Eyebrow (El Rincon, Sat 13) and with pianist Jon Baggott as Invisible Apples (Sun 14, Spirited Bristol). Pete’s also back at Spirited Bristol (Sun 21) with Jake McMurchie, Riaan Vosloo and Matt Stockham Brown.

The Bebop Club has Exeter-based tenor player Harry Dowell’s post-bop Quartet (Thur 4) and Bristol’s Craig Crofton brings his sax-led Quartet to the JFS at Mr Wolf’s (Tue 16). The versatile Andy Hague crops up again as the drummer in pianist Jonathan Gee’s Trio (Bebop Club, Thur 11) while this month’s Ppianissimo evening makes use of the Bristol Music Club’s two grand pianos in a duet between David Gordon and John Law (Fri 5). Jingo Bang’s celebration of 70s jazz-rock is at Mr Wolf’s (Fri 12) and the Bristol Jazz Festival have another of their Jazz In The Loft gigs at Tobacco Factory, this time featuring the ultra-funky trombonist Dennis Rollins (Sun 14).

Rachel Lawrence’s poised voice leads the Gin Bowlers (Bristol Jazz Club, The Architect, Wed 3), swinging vocalist Marvin Muoneke has his regular night at The Fringe (Thur 4) and Lithuanian singer Karolina Griškutė’s Quartet take their blend of R’n’B and jazz to Grain Barge (Tue 9). Victoria Klewin takes on the legacy of the great Billie Holiday when she joins the Adam Stokes Trio (St George’s, Wed 17). Last year’s Christmas gig from the Kat Coles Trio was a big hit and the jazz and Bossa singer returns to El Rincon with Neil Smith (guitar) and Jake McMurchie (sax) (Thur 18).

Harder grooves are on offer from hip-hop jazzers Diddy Sweg (Mr Wolf’s, Tue 2) with the venue also hosting jazz-funkers Beatroot (Sat 13), modern New Orleans stylers Brass Junkies (Sat 20) and a New Years Eve party headlined by all-star funk outfit Stone Cold Hustle (Wed 31). Canteen has the self-explanatory Total Clusterfunk (Fri 5), The Bell has the mighty funk and R’n’B of Fatman Swings (Mon 15) and Good Stuff Hustle bring ‘horn-led grooves’ to The Star in Fishponds (Sat 13). Manuals of Fire’s John Paul Gard’s classic Hammond-driven boogaloo will rock the Old Fishmarket (Sun 7).

There’s some cool stuff at the Jam Jar across December, starting with the return of Ninja Tunes pioneers Up, Bustle & Out (Fri 5) and their high-production genre-bending sound. They’re followed by Da Lata, another eclectic outfit (Sat 6) and a tasty double bill of jazz-funk and Afrobeat flavours from Cousin Kula and Dr Chonk & the Nature Injection (Sun 12).

And there’s some fine swing nights around the town, notably the Swing From Paris Christmas Special (Westbury Village Hall, Fri 5) and the Sisters of Swing (Hanham Community Centre (Sat 13). Trumpeter and music director Jonny Bruce brings the mighty Bristol Community Big Band back to the Old Vic (Wed 17) for another Christmas special, too.

This year’s Bath Jazz Weekend saw the debut of SAROST, the formidable trio of Larry Stabbins, Paul Rogers and Mark Sanders, veteran improvising musicians of international repute. They will be at FringeJazz this month (Bristol Music Club, Wed 10) and there’s another equally reputable powerhouse improv trio at The Cube (Wed 3): Lifeline comprises pianist Pat Thomas, bass player Dominic Lash and drummer Tony Orrell with support from the guitar/drum duo of John Bisset and Dan Johnson. The Cube also has an acoustic mayhem night headlined by Jazz Lambaux’s deconstructed American primitive guitar (Thur 18) and a Mouthfeel XMAS party evening of ‘oddball sonics’ (Fri 19). Run Logan Run sax player Andrew Neil Hayes pops up in the Louisiana Basement (Thur 4) with idiosyncratic guitarist and singer Michael Gianan to launch their debut single (yes – a real 7” vinyl!) with solo sets and a duo.

Cornet player Harry ‘Iceman’ Furness has been at the heart of the ironically named Improvs Greatest Hits aka IGH for many years and now the project launches itself as a record label with events over two nights. Firstly at the IGH spiritual home of the Old England (Sun 7) with a headline set from New York avant-griot Sean Noonan and support from post-rockers Horsehair and, of course, the IGH Band. The there’s a night at Cafe Kino (Mon 8) with Harry joining noisy popster KELAN and electronic-wrangler Jackyboi for an improv set and the Toby Evans-Jesra Quartet in support plus a band representing the Old England’s weekly Community Jam Collective..

And some contemporary classical events: Cirenne and Wisp (El Rincon, Thur 11) are two electro-acoustic combos that blend elements of folk and classical chamber music, while Canadian composer Laurie Torres (Greenbank, Sun 14) reveals her post-minimalist piano compositions with support from JOW cellist James Gow making his debut on processed tenor guitar. And it turns out the mighty Fantasy Orchestra has a Recorder Ensemble – who knew? Their slogan is “For us it’s winter but always primary school Christmas”. They will be squeezing into El Rincon (Mon 8) and you have been warned.

Jams aplenty:  Mr Wolf’s has Donut Filler Jam (Wed 3, weekly). Stag & Hounds weekly Sunday session have not yet posted details of featured artists. Fringe has Hot Club Jam (Mon 1), Peanut Butter Jam (Mon 8), Jazz Rapport Jam (Mon 15). Canteen has Beat Cleaver Cypher Space (Mon 1), Stone Cold Funk Jam (Tue 2), Canteen Jazz Session (Wed 3), Canteen Latin Descarga (Tue 16), Riddim Reggae Jam (Tue 23).

Attic Bar has Bon Suis Suntrap Jam (Thur 4/18). Dark Horse has Free Jazz Gachapon (Thur 4). Elmer’s Arms has Byrfyfyr (Sat 13)