Roll up, Roll up! Here we are again with our monthly Bulletin, the second in the series at our brand new home at the Bull and Gate where all talk of The Parakeet has been put out to pasture and is very much a moot point by now 🐂 .

With the sun making it’s first appearances of the year, Spring in full swing, and bovine puns aplenty, we welcome another fine array of talent to the Bull and Gate and we know you won’t be disappointed!

See below for the full details of our listings this month and the links for purchasing tickets. We can’t wait to see you 🙂.

As usual, we’d like to extend a huge thank you for your continued support; we’d be nothing without our audiences, and the musicians really thrive when we manage to fill the room! So tell your friends and family, and share our posts far and wide to help us continue to bring our brand of high-level live creative music to our humble home above the Bull and Gate pub each and every Monday night.

We’ve rebranded so you can now find us on Facebook and Instagram as @jazzinkentishtown; please share and tag us in all of your photos and videos!

 P.S. WeGotTicket sales will show as “Sold Out” a couple of hours before doors open at 8pm but please still do come down as there will most likely be tickets available on the door.

Ashley and Kasper x

7/4/25 – Mario Bakuna
https://wegottickets.com/event/655480

Doors: 20:00pm
Start: 20:30pm

Mario Bakuna – Acoustic Guitar
Fernando De Marco – Bass
Caio Mamberti – Drums 

Mario Bakuna Band – Brazilian Landscapes 

After a very successful season performing at international festivals and prestigious music venues worldwide, Mario Bakuna brings his latest project ‘Brazilian Landscapes’ to the Bull and Gate.

Following his first album ‘Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia’, Mario’s most recent release is ‘Brazilian Landscapes’ which features new arrangements of material by great composers such as Marcos Valle, Claudio Bertrami, Rique Pantoja, Gilberto Gil, Djavan, João Bosco, Arismar do Espirito Santo, and the ‘forrozeiros’ Dominguinhos and Luiz Gonzaga. The album is a tribute to the culture and memory of Brazilian people and it’s the result of years of inspiration Mario Bakuna drew upon while travelling through Brazil, experiencing its rhythmic and harmonic richness. From the arid landscape of the northeast, which is reflected in the chorus of songs of Forró, Baião and Xaxado, to the African influence found in Ijexá, the popularity of Samba and the sophistication of Bossa Nova, Mario Bakuna and his musicians celebrate the most musically rich territory on Earth.

Mario Bakuna is a Brazilian composer, arranger, singer and guitar player currently based in London, UK. Over the past few years, he has emerged as a leading figure and a reference in the Brazilian Jazz Music scene in the UK. 

Celebrated for his captivating performances in Bossa Nova, Brazilian Jazz, Samba, Latin Jazz, and Jazz standards, blending modern and groovy sounds to create a unique musical experience

Bakuna has extensive experience in Europe and beyond and the concerts of his two albums ‘Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia’ and ‘Brazilian Landscapes’ toured 20 European countries, Brazil, Canada, Madagascar, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, with sold-out nights and great acclaim.

“Mario Bakuna, a sparkling guitarist, plays with palpable feeling – his virtuosic fluency on the fretboard is controlled and flourishes are perfectly placed. His voice has a texture like heavy cloth” – Songlines Magazine

“Mario Bakuna, a man who exudes music. (…) ‘vocals’ doesn’t begin to do him justice: his expressive range and the precision with which he was able to deploy it was truly the band’s fifth instrument.  (…) And he did this while playing guitar with precision and finesse. (…) his solos were a further source of amazement, his technique somewhere between finger-picking style and classical. His solo introduction to a Baden Powell number made a hash of any attempt at a definition.” – The Whitman Review, Wakefield Jazz

14/4/25 – Simeon May
wegottickets.com/event/655987/

Doors: 20:00pm
Start: 20:30pm

Simeon May – Saxophone
Dan Kemshell – Guitar 
Theo Guttenplan – Drums
Kinzan (Harry Pearce)- Double Bass  

Bringing together sounds from American and European contemporary jazz, freely improvised music, folk and contemporary classical music, this group bring their diverse talents together to showcase Simeon’s lyrical and dramatic original compositions and explore pieces by some of their heroes.

21/4/25 – Édouard Monnier
wegottickets.com/event/655970/

Doors: 20:00pm
Start: 20:30pm

Edouard Monnier – Trumpet
Scottie Thompson – Piano
Niklas Lukassen – Double Bass
Ananda Brandão – Drums

Édouard Monnier is a French trumpeter, composer, and bandleader active on the French, UK, and European jazz scenes. He began playing trumpet at age 5 and honed his skills under jazz saxophonist Rémi Biet at the CRR of Rouen. In 2016, he earned DEMs in both jazz and classical music, then studied at the CMDL with Claude Egea, André Charlier, Benoit Sourisse, and Stéphane Guillaume. Édouard has performed at top Parisian jazz clubs like the Sunset/Sunside and the Baiser Salé, and in 2019, he joined the National Orchestra of Youth Jazz, performing at festivals like Crescent Jazz Festival. In 2022, he pursued a Master’s at the Royal Academy of Music in London with renowned mentors like Nick Smart and Gareth Lockrane. His style blends influences from Kenny Wheeler, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, and Freddie Hubbard. Recently, his “Mario Kart” project, which combines live music with the video game, went viral, garnering 3 million views on Instagram. 

His music makes each instrument an active participant in the creative process, deconstructing the conventional roles of melody-making and accompaniment expected of its instrumentation. Stemming from his experience and interest in brass ensembles, Edouard also takes pleasure in highlighting the horns that he raises as the light of the writings which guides the group towards a common direction. His artistic statement is informed by the formative encounters with people and places that have shaped me as a musician. The result of this composing process engages the band in a spiral of modern Jazz, Funk coated with a Pop-Folk feeling. This reveals influences from artists such as Ezra Collective, Shai Maestro, Kenny Wheeler, Ben Wendel, Christian Scott, and others… 

28/4/25 – Tom Smith
wegottickets.com/event/655972/

Doors: 20:00pm
Start: 20:30pm

Tom Smith – alto sax/bass clarinet
Tom Cawley – piano
Conor Chaplin – bass
Luke Tomlinson – drums

Tom Smith is an award-winning saxophonist, bass clarinettist and composer hailing from London. Renowned for his virtuosic performances and unique swaggering blues tendencies, Tom’s music aims to thrill and energize audiences across all genres. Drawing inspiration from films and stories and combining that with group improvisation, his risk-taking music takes listeners on journeys filled with soaring melodies, gospel grooves, dirty swing, and atmospheric soundscapes. Since graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, he has become a familiar face on the UK jazz scene, regularly performing at some of London’s most iconic clubs and festivals, as well as across Europe. John Fordham at Jazzwise wrote that “… the hyper-savvy Tom Smith sounds as if he’s eagerly lived plenty of diverse jazz lives already”.

Most known for leading the Tom Smith Big Band, Tom showcases original music that captures the vibrant spirit of London, featuring a roster of the UK’s most beloved performers. He can also be found in smaller ensembles, such as his award-winning chamber jazz trio Gecko, alongside vibraphonist Jonny Mansfield and pianist Will Barry. Additionally, Tom is the creative force behind Queertet, an LGBTQ+ band celebrating all the queer composers and musicians in jazz.

Tom has released two critically acclaimed albums: “Gecko,” produced by Tim Garland, and “A Year In The Life” with his big band, which received a 4* Editor’s Choice review in Jazwise. As a sought-after sideman, he is also a member of Britain’s most celebrated jazz ensembles, including Resolution 88, Patchwork Jazz Orchestra, the Misha Mullov-Abbado Group, Tomorrow’s New Quartet and the Gareth Lockrane Big Band. He has also had the privilege of performing alongside personal hero, Maria Schneider, and saxophonist Donny McCaslin (of David Bowie’s Blackstar).