Review: Jazz Stroud, various venues, Stroud – well, that was fun!

Well that was fun! After last year’s low-key event the 2026 Jazz Stroud festival kicked off with a bang and pretty much kept going until late on Sunday night. The festival combined livewire headline evenings in the cavernous Goods Shed – all sold out in advance – with more restrained afternoon sessions in the atmospheric St Laurence Church. Meanwhile, around town, a free programme of jam sessions, live bands and DJ performances gathered crowds in record shops and bars with the SVA Arts Centre at its hub.

Jazz Stroud: New Regency Orchestra

The Goods Shed had some banging groove sessions, powered by the fabled D&B surround sound system that delivered impeccable sonic quality for the likes of Danalogue, Neue Grafik and various DJ collectives. A WOMAD-curated evening featured Guinean singer-songwriter Falle Nioke’s set mixing bubbly French synth-pop numbers with intense Fulani ballads, the latter revealing an expressive vocal range. He was followed by the New Regency Orchestra, a blasting celebration of Nu Yorican Latin styles delivered by their 13-strong brass section and snappy percussion trio.

Jazz Stroud: Allysha Joy

Singer-songwriter Allysha Joy’s take on R’n’B was mercifully melisma-free. Her old-school vocal style gave clarity to heartfelt personal songs enhanced by her skills on Fender Rhodes. Impressive trumpet interjections from fellow Australian Audrey Powne (hiding among the backing vocalists) were a bonus. While primarily a harpist Marysia Osu also switched to Fender keys during her meditative set performed in the round with alto flute player YUIS. Back on the harp, however, she deployed loops and FX pedals on songs like Memento Mori to create a dramatic undertow with floor shaking bass beneath minimalist arpeggios.

Jazz Stroud: Cassie Kinoshi (sax) in seed.

The Goods Shed weekend rounded off with a brilliant performance from the newly reformed seed. still led by Cassie Kinoshi despite her having relocated to Berlin. The 11-strong line-up, now including turntablist Niknak, were firing on all cylinders with Cassie content to share out the limelight in realising her pleasingly varied compositions. That said, tenor sax player Camila Nebbia – a newly acquired friend from Berlin – really stood out both for scorching solos and empathetic duets.

Jazz Stroud: Cassie Kinoshie & Bex Burch

Cassie’s subtle duo with percussionist Bex Burch had  opened the weekend in St Laurence Church, a varied set of soundscapes using field samples and gentle combinations of acoustic instruments. Young singer Bel Cobain (pictured at top) followed with a set of emotionally charged songs that showed her real vocal control, albeit with increasingly tipsily delivery, and was especially appreciated by a clutch of young fans.

The trio of producer/vocalist Jason Singh, wind player Tamar Osborne and double bassist Rosa Brunello followed: a one-off combination that produced fascinating exchanges of ideas within textural soundscapes. One piece featured konnakol-style percussive vocals in a groove with the bass topped by sinuous flute, another pitched vocal sweeps against gymnastic bass lines and foghorn baritone sax.

They were followed by the rather more simplistic The Vernon Spring’s solo piano and electronics, emerging from the dry ice cloud with gently undulating restraint.

Jazz Stroud: Let Spin

For the serious jazz fan it was probably Sunday afternoon in the church that provided the most satisfaction starting with tenor sax player Allexa Nava’s captivating duo with pianist Emile Hinton that revealed her intelligent post-bop technique and creative flair. It set the stage for Let Spin’s slow-burning set, with Ruth Goller’s elusive vocals preceding a poised and weighty bass solo that unleashed a stabbing four-way exchange with guitar, alto sax and drums that shook the place awake. Later Chris Williams would switch to baritone for a Prog-nodding swagger in 11-time, Moss Freed’s layered guitar and Finlay Panter’s restless drums bringing things to a staggering halt.

Jazz Stroud: Ancient Infinity Orchestra

Ruth stayed on to join Laura Jurd’s Quartet with Corrie Dick on drums and Corrie Smith’s viola in a run through of their folk-informed Rites and Revelations album. A highlight would be the folk-rock jig of You Again followed by a slow and solemn St James’ Infirmary that provided a collective catharsis as the drummer wigged out against machine gun bass and viola howls recalling the Velvet Underground. And then – in an impressively short changeover time – the 13-member Ancient Infinity Orchestra finished the afternoon with their multi-textured set taking full advantage of their wide range of instruments. The rolling easy riff of Equanimity was perfectly off-set by Khemi Shabbazz’ delicate oboe solo, followed by Georgie Buchanan’s harp feature reflecting their spiritual jazz set’s melodic strength that even shone through the looser blow out of Old Friends.

(all photos: Tony Benjamin)