If you thought things were hotting up this month already, brace yourself for the burning line-up we have at the Parakeet!

As usual, before we announce the line-up we have in store for you this month, we’d like to extend a huge thank you to all who came out to support Jazz at the Parakeet this month. We really appreciate any support you can give us by sharing social media posts, bringing friends and family to the gigs or just spreading the word about our line-up each month.

We’re on Facebook and Instagram as @jazzattheparakeet; please share and tag us in all of your photos and videos! It also makes a really big difference to us when you prebook the tickets for the gig so we can get an idea of numbers on the night. P.S. WeGotTicket sales will show as “Sold Out” a few hours before kick-off but please still come down as there will most likely be more tickets available on the door!

Monday 1st July – James Allsopp

www.wegottickets.com/event/625936/

James Allsopp- tenor saxophone and mellotron

Chris Batchelor- trumpet

Tom Herbert- electric bass

Zands Duggan- percussion

Dave Storey- drums

In a 20 year career James Allsopp has been a featured performer and recording
artist for an incredibly diverse range of musicians. James has played in concert
and on albums by legendary artists such as The Last Poets, David Axelrod, Dr
John and Mulatu Astake, for European jazz luminaries such as Django Bates,
Nostalgia 77, Kit Downes and Polar Bear, on more commercial albums by Jamie
Cullum and Jorja Smith and as featured soloist in a wide range of compositions
by composer Brian Irvine.
James’s debut album was nominated for BBC Jazz Award for Best Album 2007
and he won the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation 2008.

This gig will feature a never before performed set of compositions as well as repertoire from our as yet to be released album. This brand new lineup expands the sound world of the band and we are very excited to debut it at the Parakeet. This is joyous, life affirming music. Deceptively simple, deeply melodic, with a healthy dose of the other worldly.

Monday 8th July – Blue Town Trio

www.wegottickets.com/event/625938/

Zoe Francis – vocals

Jim Mullen – guitar

Ross Stanley – organ

Led by London vocalist Zoe Francis, featuring multi award-winning UK legend guitarist Jim Mullen, and the incomparable Ross Stanley on Hammond organ, have now recorded 2 albums together. “Somewhere in the Night” being there recent release. This trio combines Zoe’s love of hammond and guitar groups, with classic standards. Her love of a great lyric, set to fresh arrangements and tempos, amplified by the rich layers of sound from Ross’s Hammond and Jim’s melodic blues lines make this trio sound like a mini orchestra! 

Zoe Francis began singing jazz while living in New York, attending the workshops of Barry Harris and sittin’ in on jam sessions and gigging in Manhattan, Harlem and Brooklyn, giving her the opportunity to sing and work with many great musicians. Zoe moved to London in 2014 after recording her 1st album with multi award-winning pianist Dave Newton. Her 2nd album “The very thought of you” is a live recording at 606 club with great musicians Jim Mullen, Stan Sulzman, Gareth Williams, Enzo Zirilli, Mick Hutton. Zoe has performed at many venues in UK, Italy and Germany.

Jim Mullen has worked with many international artists including, Gene Harris, Jimmy Smith, Frank Wess, Johnny Griffin, Terry Callier, Brian Auger, Mose Allison, Georgie Fame, Claire Martin, AWB, and a 15 year partnership with great UK tenor saxophonist Dick Morrissey in much loved UK band Morrissey Mullen. Jim has recorded many organ trio, and quaryet albums under his own name.   

Monday 15th July – Ant Law and Chris Montague Quartet

www.wegottickets.com/event/625940/

Ant Law – guitar

Chris Montague – guitar

Conor Chaplin – bass

Jeremy Stacey – drums

Two of the most exciting guitarists to emerge for the UK in recent years, Chris Montague and Ant
Law have formed a quartet with brand new material written together. Ant and Chris have huge
mutual respect for each other’s playing and writing and decided to compose a set of material together, it will also feature the incredible Conor Chaplin on bass and Jeremy Stacey on drums.
Initially conceived after a duo performance several years ago, this is the debut performance of this thrilling new collaboration. Ant and Chris have expanded the concept into a quartet and the new music has a diverse mix of contemporary influences.
Chris Montague is widely recognised for his skills as a guitarist, composer and producer. As a founder member of Troyka he has garnered a reputation for his distinctive approach to the guitar and has received much admiration for his contribution to many contemporary recordings. In May 2020 Chris released ‘Warmer than Blood’ on Whirlwind recordings with Kit Downes (ECM) on piano and bassist Ruth Goller (Skylla) on bass to much critical acclaim.
Chris was born in Gateshead (UK) and began playing guitar at an early age. Some of the musicians and bands Chris has worked with have included; Troyka, Squarepusher, Benny Greb’s Moving Parts, Janek Gwizdala, Sarah Gillespie, Monocled Man, Charlie Watts, Darry Jones, Chuck Leavell, Dave Douglas, Django Bates, Shinya Fukumori, BJ Cole, Colin Town’s Blue Touch Paper, Nick Smart’s Trogon, Trish Clowe’s, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Chris is also a Spitfire Audio recording artist.
As a composer Chris has received several commissions to write for different musicians, including:
Royal Academy of Music Big Band, Threads Orchestra, EFG London Jazz Festival and several large
guitar ensemble pieces for Hull and London Jazz Festivals.
‘Its nimble music, the composing is original and as modern as the minute, and the virtuosity and power of the jamming makes your hair stand on end.’ – The Guardian
British guitarist Ant lives in London and is “a game changer” and “an innovator” according
to The Guardian. His 6th album ‘Ensconced’ is a collaboration with Milan-born Turkish
singer Brigitte Beraha and will be released (on Ubuntu Music) 16th August 2024. His
previous album ‘Same Moon in the Same World’ (Outside in Music) was released on 4th
November 2022.
Same Moon is an ongoing collaboration between Ant and the brilliant saxophonist &
composer Alex Hitchcock. Recorded in 2020/2021 across multiple continents, bridging the
gap between London, Amsterdam and New York, it brings together a stellar cast of guest
musicians performing new compositions: vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassists Linda May Han
Oh, Ben Williams and Jasper Høiby, and drummers Jeff Ballard, Kendrick Scott, Sun-Mi
Hong and Eric Harland.
The Same Moon quartet toured in Europe in December 2022: Ant, Alex Hitchcock
(saxophone), Conor Chaplin (bass) and Jeff Ballard (drums) who appears on the album. In 2023 Ant and Alex toured with Jasper Høiby (bass) and Sun-Mi Hong (drums), both of whom also feature on the album. Tour booking is underway for this lineup throughout 2024
and 2025, and this quartet have recorded a brand new album – stay tuned for more information!

Monday 22nd July – Mike De Souza

www.wegottickets.com/event/625942/

Guitarist Mike De Souza leads his quintet Rick Simpson (piano/synth), Tom Barford (tenor sax), Huw V Williams (bass), and Jay Davis (drums), on a tour celebrating his latest album Chrysalis (Fresh Sound New Talent). Written post-lockdown, the title alludes to the emergence from a state of isolation, having changed in a positive way, just as a butterfly emerges transformed from its chrysalis state.

Fierce moments of high energy and introspective periods of calm and impressionistic beauty blend with multiple melodic layers and juxtaposition between acoustic and electronic sound to create an uplifting set that at times evokes a mood reminiscent of alternative-rock bands such as Radiohead, or indie-folk bands such as Big Thief, yet retains the risk-taking, exploration, and language of jazz.

Press for Slow Burn (2019)

“Magnificent” – Chris Philips (Jazz FM)

“The writing is intelligent and multi-faceted” – The Jazz Mann

“An impressive show of musical innovation” – All About Jazz

Monday 29th July – Sam Jesson

https://www.wegottickets.com/event/626171

Sam Jesson will bring his all-star trio to the Parakeet. Expect some tunes by Monk, Giuffre, Ellington, Harry “Sweets” Edison,  Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, as well as some new originals written by the trio which they’ll be recording soon for a new release.