A major line-up has been announced for the 2025 Northumberland Jazz Festival, taking place in Hexham on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May, building on the success of last year’s inaugural event.
Presented by Queen’s Hall Arts, the festival gets underway on Saturday 24 May as the Dean Stockdale Quartetand Mingus Sings kick off proceedings with a truly unmissable night of jazz from 7pm.
The Dean Stockdale Quartet brings together four of the UK’s finest jazz musicians as pianist Dean Stockdale is joined by Tim Williams on Guitar, Gavin Barras on Bass and Gaz Hughes on drums. The special concert will showcase the music of the great Canadian Pianist Oscar Peterson, to honour and celebrate the centenary year of the legendary jazz pianist.
As part of the same evening, Mingus Sings: Celebrating the Legacy of Jazz Icon Charles Mingus, by renowned jazz vocalist Sara Oschlag and acclaimed bassist Arnie Somogyi, features Charles Mingus' timeless compositions with added lyrics - some written by Mingus himself, others by Sara Oschlag and some by Joni Mitchell on her 1979 album, Mingus. Expect to hear classics such as Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love, and Mingus Fingers like never before. Sara and Arnie will be joined by Alan Barnes on Sax and Tim Lapthorn on Piano.
Other highlights include multi-instrumentalist Catriona Bourne who will play Hexham Library on Sunday 25 May. Catriona marries technical virtuosity with unique sound-worlds to create exciting programmes, often featuring her own original music. Her performances on flute and harp blend elements from classical, folk and jazz traditions, carefully curated around themes of nature and mythology.
A takeover of a Hexham Bandstand Session is also planned on Sunday 25 May - with more updates on the line-up to come!
Finishing off the weekend on Sunday 25 May in Queen’s Hall’s Main Theatre at 7pm is Joe Steels Group and a performance from Norma Winstone, Nikki Iles, Mike Walker & Steve Watts.
Joe Steels Group draws together some of the most exciting musicians from the North East to perform an eclectic array of music which fuses jazz with elements of folk, rock and more. Joe plays with a deep consideration of the tradition in jazz, mixed with innovation and a strong melodic sensibility. Joined by Ferg Kilsby on Trumpet, Ben Lawrence on Piano, Paul Susans on Double Bass, and John Hirst on drums, this band deliver a vibrant and joyous performance.
That’s followed by an exciting ensemble featuring award winning pianist composer Nikki Iles, Grammy nominated and ECM recording artist Norma Winstone, Mike Walker who is rightly regarded as one of Europe's most exciting guitarists and bassist Steve Watts who has been the all important linchpin in many significant bands in British Jazz. This is an ensemble with a vast emotional range, brought together by their collective love of song and a powerful spirit of collaboration.
Joe Steels, Northumberland Jazz Festival Programmer, commented: “Very excited about the line up this year, we’ve have international jazz greats gracing the stage including Toni Kofi, Norma Winstone and Nikki Iles, as well as a celebration of Oscar Peterson on the centenary of his birth. This year is a culmination of jazz in Hexham, building upon the success of our Sunday jazz sessions at Queens Hall, as well as fringe events at the Tannery.”
Katy Taylor, Queen’s Hall’s Artistic Director & Chief Executive explained: “Building on the success of last year and our regular Sunday Jazz sessions, we’re delighted to be bringing Northumberland Jazz Festival back for 2025. We know there’s a real appetite for Jazz locally and it’s great to be able to cater to that with a weekend of incredible and varied performances. We’d really encourage people to get involved and show their support for this year’s programme in the hope that the festival can come back again, and even bigger in 2026.”
Ticketing information:
Prices for individual events range from FREE (and un-ticketed) to £30 and festival passes are also available:
Sunday Day Pass
Get a Sunday Pass for Northumberland Jazz Festival and get entry to Catriona Bourne and Joe Steels Group + Norma Winstone, Nikki Iles, Mike Walker & Steve Watts on Sunday for £35. Discount applied in basket when adding tickets for all events.
Weekend Pass
Get a Weekend Pass for Northumberland Jazz Festival and get entry to Saturday's Dean Stockdale Quartet + Mingus Sings and Catriona Bourne and Joe Steels Group + Norma Winstone, Nikki Iles, Mike Walker & Steve Watts on Sunday for £60. Discount applied in basket when adding tickets for all events.
