Music / Jazz
Bristol’s month in jazz – January 2026
It’s a jazzy new year that pretty much hits the ground running, starting with some good news.
Despite having wound up their final gig in December the FringeJazz sessions at Bristol Music Club will be carrying on after all. It seems that someone has offered to step forward and fill the shoes of retiring organiser Jon Taylor and the weekly programme will resume in February.
More immediately, the Bebop Club restarts with a Tribute to Wes Montgomery (Thursday 15) from tenor sax powerhouse Craig Crofton with Matt Hopkins on guitar while the JFS (Jazz Funk and Soul Society) sessions reopen with the formidable Get The Blessing (Tuesday 20, Mr Wolf’s).
It’s good to see high-energy funk’n’Latin collective Meet Your Feet make a rare appearance at Thekla (Saturday 10) proving that their 2013 album title Unfinished Business really was a statement of intent.
The all-star Buena Bristol Social Club seems set to sell-out a three-day run at Jam Jar (Thursday 8 -Saturday 10) – grab a ticket now if you can.
The big thing this month, however, has to be the Bath Jazz Weekend (Widcombe Social Club, Friday 9 – Sunday 11). As ever, the annual mini-fest crams a ridiculous amount of top quality contemporary jazz into one weekend with this year’s highlights including pianist Elliot Galvin’s electro-acoustic suite The Ruin, trombonist Raph Clarkson’s ebullient South African jazz project Equal Spirits and bassist Alison Rayner’s ARQ quintet.
The inclusion of international bass clarinet supremo Louis Sclavis’ duo with cellist Bruno Ducret will be a real feather in the cap for programmer Nod Knowles.
Jazz-rock guitarist Pete Roth’s trio (Lantern, Sunday 18) features a familiar face to prog fans, namely former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford, with bass player Mike Pratt making up the threesome for an eclectic set of originals and standards.
There’s fusion guitar at Mr Wolf’s from Hallam Kite Quartet (Tuesday 6) and versatile jazz guitarist Will Edmunds also brings his trio there (Tuesday 13).
Jakub Klimiuk’s guitar style is an exciting blend of contemporary influences and improvisation and his highly rated quintet come to the Bebop (Thursday 22).
The ever-impressive guitarist Jerry Crozier Cole reveals yet another stylistic direction in his Western swing duo with violinist Clare MacTaggart (Fringe, Sunday 11/Grain Barge, Tuesday 13) and the Fringe also has Gypsy jazz duo Gitano (Sunday 4).
Get the Blessing sax tyro Jake McMurchie starts off a busy month in a quartet with Sophie Stockham Brown (Spirited Bristol, Sunday 4). He then heads across town to join GTB bandmates Pete Judge and Jim Barr in a drumless trio at the Old Fish Market (Sunday 4).
Jake appears at the Bath Jazz Weekend in trumpeter Nick Malcolm’s contemporary quintet Out Front (Saturday 10). The whole GTB quartet assemble for the aforementioned JFS session (Mr Wolf’s, Tuesday 20) and then Jake leads off the Stag & Hounds jam on Sunday 25.
The Stag & Hounds programme also features fellow reed-wrangler Greg Sterland (Sunday 11) and trombonist Raph Clarkson (Sunday 18) while Spirited Bristol has saxophonist Dan Newberry’s Trio (Sunday 11), the Andy Hague Quartet (Sunday 18) and drummer Paolo Adamo bringing his trio (Sunday 25).
Another highlight of the Bebop’s month is the visit of QOW Trio (Thursday 29), a sizzling sax-led contemporary threesome that brings together rising Irish tenor-playing star Riley Stone-Lonergan with highly-respected veterans Eddie Meyer (bass) and Spike Wells (drums). Spike’s 65 years in the trade started with Tubby Hayes in the 60s and his sound remains as fresh and dynamic as ever.
Singer/percussionist Tammy Payne can’t claim that long-service medal, though her debut single was a hit in 1991. Her Tammy Payne Quintet (the Bell Inn, Monday 26) is a fine gathering of local jazz talent playing her original songs and compositions.
The Old Market Assembly celebrates its tenth birthday this month with the Bristol Horn Stars (Friday 23) getting the party started with soul, funk and swing.
The Big R Big Band will be squeezing into the Canteen (Wednesday 21) for some classic swing and the Fringe has the Bill Frampton Trio (Thursday 22) and Jack Calloway’s Midnight Creepers (Thursday 29).
Spanning swing and jump jive eras, hot jazz quintet Eliza and the Pinstripes are at the Canteen (Thursday 15).
If there was one record that really brought Brazilian style and rhythms to the attention of the wider world it would be 1965’s Getz/Gilberto. The collaboration of US saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist Joao Gilberto made Bossa Nova an international phenomenon and Brazilian guitarist/singer Mario Bakuna‘s trio perform the album in its entirety (Jam Jar, Wednesday 21).
Things will be a lot more funky when James Morton & Friends hit the stage at the Bell (Wednesday 7) and the funk groove goes on with Stone Cold Hustle (Canteen, Friday 9), Funk Dungeon (Mr Wolf’s, Saturday 10) and Plymouth’s eight-stong Freshly Squeezed (Mr Wolf’s, Sat 17).
Improv-wise there’s no SWIG session this month – back in February – but the scene at St Anne’s Church, Greenbank has two gigs starting with the free jazz trio of Musson Sanders Davis (Thursdat 8). Saxophonist Rachel Musson is fast becoming one of the biggest stars on the UK improvisation scene, a status already held by drummer Mark Sanders for over thirty years, and fiery trumpeter Matt Davis.
The church also has its bi-monthly improv collective Rah! (Wednesday 14). Free jazz veterans Broken Numbers have their afternoon residency at the Exchange (Sunday 11).
The Exchange also has a Transexual Noise Jam (Thursday 15) – bring your own noise machines and broken instruments – and promoters Eggy Tapes offer their night of ‘auditory violence’ at Cafe Kino (Friday 16) with ‘pain electronics’ from Distraxi headlining.
For a more relaxing experience, however, there’s the Ambient Cafe (Bar 57, Saturday 3) and the Haze Session (the Arc, Sunday 18) the latter bringing Gamelan-infused ‘Indonesian downtempo vibes’.
East-West collaborations underpin the contemporary classical Shui Mo Ensemble (Arnolfini, Saturday 24). The group commission new music deploying ideas and instruments from across East Asia and Western Europe.
The Fringe In The Round session offers reflective chamber jazz with JudgeJamesJOW bringing solo sets from trumpeter Pete Judge and cellist James Gow before they play as their duo JOW.
Pete’s solo keyboard alter-ego will also take part in Piano for Palestine (the Cube, Wednesday 14) as well as Sandie Middleton and Huw Morgan.
And, finally, the We The Curious planetarium is hosting a Pitchblack Playback listening experience with Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports. – you get an eye mask for extra darkness!
For a full calendar of Bristol jazz dates check the Bristol Jazz Live website.
Jams? Stag & Hounds have their Sunday session, Mr Wolf’s has Tuesday Donut Filler, the Old England has Tuesday Community Jams.
The Fringe has Hot Club Jam (Monday 5), Jazz Rapport Jam (Sunday 11), Peanut Butter Jam (Monday 12), Jazz Rendezvous Jam (Monday 19), Let’s Talk Jam (SEED session, Monday 26).
The Canteen has Slapdash (Monday 12), Canteen Jazz Session (Tuesday 13), Beat Cleaver Cypher Space (Monday 19), Canteen Latin Descarga (Tuesday 20) and Riddim Reggae Jam (Tuesday 27).
The Attic has Suntrap NuSoul Jam (Thursday 15, 29); the Dark Horse has Free Jazz Gachapon (Thursday 8); Cafe Grounded Fishponds has Hot Jazz Jam (Thursday 29).
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
