Jazz Gigs in Bristol

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Bristol's Jazz Scene

There are two distinct sides to Bristol's jazz scene and in the middle a line that's rarely crossed...

Jazz in Bristol's Large Venues
On one side are the (usually larger) international jazz events, typically at venues like Colston Hall and St Georges. These are great venues to see contemporary jazz in Bristol with recent (2009 - 2010) highlights including Portico Quartet, Cinematic Orchestra and the Neil Cowley Trio. Live jazz in these Bristol venues has more of a concert feel, almost always seated and usually around the £15 mark depending on the seats. Bristol is fortunate to be a key stop over in most UK jazz tours and it is always worth keeping an eye on who's playing when and where and get jazz tickets early for decent seats.

Jazz in Bristol's Small Venues
The otherside of Bristol's live jazz scene couldn't be more different. Bristol is home to some awesome jazz musicians, many of international standard playing international gigs. What's great about Bristol is you can often catch these artists while they're at home often for free. Notable examples include Daisy Palmer (drummer - Goldfrapp), James Bateman (sax - Badbone & Co, Ronnie Scotts) and James Morton (sax - Pee Wee Ellis, The Herbaliser). Unlike the large tours at the bigger venues jazz gigs in Bristol pubs are more organic and unpredictable. With so many quality musicians playing in so many different bands or improvising with different artists, live jazz in Bristol is constantly evolving. When looking for whats on jazz in Bristol it's often more important to consider which individual musicians are playing where, rather than browsing by band or headliner. At live music events in Bristol pubs for the best views you'll need to stand but sometimes tables if you're lucky enough to get one.. ***** Where to see live jazz in Bristol
The whats on listings to the left show all upcoming jazz gigs in Bristol but it's still worth mentioning some consistent venues. Always check whats on at the Coronation Tap on Tuesdays and Sundays, (usually jazz or blues, always free). Other key jazz venues in Bristol include the Old Duke (live music every night, always free) and the Grain Barge (gigs every Friday, around £3).

We also have whats on info and listings for gypsy jazz, which we have decided to keep separate.

Is there a new generation of jazz?

Many people who lived through the golden era of jazz will tell you it's dead. But many international publications say jazz is having a new dawn in the UK and that the genre is evolving because of multiculturalism. Some of this can be seen in the Bristol jazz scene, the non-purist outlook of Worm Disco Club and Bristol Jazz and Blues Fest. With a new generation of jazz fans, comes a new outlook on jazz - Bristol has always had young and adventurous music makers from it’s local community and insurgent student population. Will Bristol be the new centre of a new kind of jazz in the UK? Only time will tell.

Buy tickets for jazz events in Bristol

Our recent jazz recommendations

East meets West in a cosmic jazz fusion of John Coltrane’s spirit and the ancient sounds of the nay reed flute, as played by the Palestinian master Faris Ishaq. An unmissable collaboration with Bristol European Jazz Ensemble FFO: Yusef Lateef, Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Dhafer Youssef, ECM. IN THE SPIRIT OF 'TRANE at St Paul's Church, St Paul's Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1LP.

Ethereal nu-jazz spiritualism from Leeds with alto-sax sensation Jasmine Myra, leading a transcendent 8 piece band including flute, harp, keys and double bass. Unmissable meditations FFO: Shabaka Hutchings, ECM, Chip Wickham, Matthew Halsall, Mammal Hands. Jasmine Myra & NONUNONU at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! Irresistible pagan dream-folk evocations of Cornish megaliths and wistful faeries through fingerpicked guitar, sitar drones and Daisy’s hypnotic contralto. Unforgettable pastoral rebirth FFO: Shovel Dance, Incredible String Band, OG Jigg, Alison Cotton, Karen Dalton. Daisy Rickman at The Cube.

Sell out warning! Alex Veitch’s Yetii trio continues a stellar run of world leading guests and intimate jazz excellence at the Greenbank. This round they’re joined by the skronkin’ clarinet fusion of Arun Ghosh - effortlessly straddling styles between blues, rock, South Asian classical and spiritual bop. Yetii ft. Arun Ghosh at The Greenbank Pub, Easton.

What our editors say

“In 2004, Bellowhead burst onto the British folk scene like nothing before or since. Famously conjured up by duo Spiers & Boden whilst sitting in a traffic jam, they roped in friends, and friends of friends until the big band was born.”
From: Bellowhead + The Longest Johns

“A gig held at The Thunderbolt on Friday 22rd June. The event starts at 19:30. The event has been tagged in the acid jazz, experimental rock, post-punk and art rock categories.”
From: BLURT

“Since the late 1970s @adamsonbarry has carved out his own idiosyncratic path in music, composing, photography and film-making. Emerging from the punk/ post punk scene on bass guitar, first with Magazine and then as a founding member of Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds, he has since amassed a huge solo music & soundtrack oeuvre spanning decadent big band jazz, sinuous funk, hip hop grooves, Sixties thriller themes, classic strings, rock, trip-hop and soulful gospel⁠”
From: Barry Adamson + Nadine Khouri

“Described by The Guardian as ‘the finest instrumental duo on the traditional scene’, John Spiers & Jon Boden first rocketed onto the music scene in 2001, quickly winning a clutch of BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards & going on to form & front the extraordinarily successful folk big band Bellowhead, which sold out The Royal Albert Hall several times, provides the theme tune for Radio 4’s The Archers & were recently heard on the soundtrack of BBC 1’s ‘Beyond Paradise’.”
From: Spiers & Boden + Frankie Archer | Bristol FolkFest

“Expect blistering bebop, heartbreaking ballads and hard-swinging goodtimes all round. Jonny will be joined by Adam Stokes, Chris Jones and Ryan Thrupp, the houseband will play a set at the later time of 5:30 folllowed by a Jam session. Get down early to secure a table, entry is free, £5 suggested donation!”
From: Jonny Bruce + Jam Session