Explosive, anything-goes music from inspiring bass player John Pope and a compelling quintet drawing on 60s free jazz and hard bop with a contemporary 'vibe-hopping' sensibility. Always searching and generous, their music is beautiful and fiery, teetering splendidly on the edge.

An outstanding ensemble of some of the finest Northern improvisers, with Jamie Stockbidge (Taupe, Agbeko) on alto sax, Faye MacCalman (Archipelago, Anenome Quartet) on tenor sax/clarinet, Graham Hardy (Northern Monkey Brass Band, Ushaw Ensemble) on trumpet, Johnny Hunter (Sloth Racket, MoonMot) on drums, their music is open-hearted, joyous and fearlessly intuitive.

"…beautifully laid out avant-jazz pieces that connect like a first rate puzzle, effortlessly executed" - BigBeautifulNoise.com

"Irresistable joie de vivre" - Jazzwise

Exuberant and creative bass player John Pope has collaborated with violinist John Garner, and toured with Archipelago, Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Johnny Hunter, and Michael Moore, as well as appearing at festivals and venues including London Jazz Festival, Lancaster Jazz Festival, Manchester Jazz Festival, Gateshead International Jazz Festival, and the Bimhuis in Amsterdam.

A fiery and exciting musician, alto sax player Jamie Stockbidge has performed at venues and festivals across the UK and Europe both as band leader of Manchester's 12-piece ensemble Agbeko and as co-leader of Taupe.

Described as "one of the most envelope pushing jazz artists today" (Crack Magazine), Newcastle-based Faye MacCalman (tenor saxophone, clarinet) is bandleader of Archipelago, nominated for UK Jazz Act of the Year by Jazz FM. An artist in residence at The Glasshouse ICM, she has also worked with Maximo Park, Zoe Rahman, Arun Ghosh, The Unthanks, David Brewis, Daniel Casimir, and Me Lost Me.

An expressive and versatile trumpeter Graham Hardy has performed with Ushaw Ensemble and the Northern Monkey Brass Band as well as leading his own quartet.

Drummer Johnny Hunter has worked with musicians including Ingrid Laubrock, Liam Noble, Gerry Hemingway, Laura Cole, and Alicia Gardener-Trejo. As both a drummer and a composer, he's an inspiring presence who's music always pushes forward and develops in original and unexpected ways.

Restlessly inventive and vibrant new music fusing modular electronics, saxophone and improvisation into fractured ambient landscapes and glitch-infused grooves.

Swiss keyboardist Oli Kuster and UK saxophonist Dee Byrne originally collaborated in UK/Swiss ensemble MoonMot, as well as their acclaimed trio project Motherboard Pinball.

Their new duo project DOX takes that collaboration in a striking new direction, with atmospheric and unpredictable music that draws together Oli Kuster's textures, dissonance and electronic pulses and Dee Byrne's incisive improvisation, creating a sound that is at once abstract and visceral, challenging the boundaries between jazz, improvisation and electronic music.

Following the release of their debut album, 'Drowned Circuits' on Efpi records, they're joined for this tour by Swiss drummer Xavier Kaeser, bringing an extra kinetic energy and a sharp edge to the duo's immersive soundworld.

Here's some of their music, recorded live earlier this year: https://youtu.be/TOKK79jtmbI?si=B0KXkVgsHLHGqfU-

Dee Byrne (alto sax / effects) collaborates with artists from across the UK and Europe and has been involved in so many of our best nights at The Lescar over many years, from the Lume and Favourite Animals gigs with Cath Roberts, to her own band Entropi and the electronic experimentation of Motherboard Pinball. She's also a member of brilliant UK/Swiss sextet MoonMot and visited us earlier this year with Tullis Rennie's Safe Operating Space.

Bern-based pianist, keyboardist and composer Oli Kuster (modular synths / keyboard / effects) focuses on the tension and overlap between jazz and electronics, including with electro-pop duo Pola, and with his band Menschmaschine Kuster performing jazz interpretations of Kraftwerk songs. He has also composed music for film and released three albums with his own band, Oli Kuster Kombo.

Xavier Kaeser (drums) is also based in Bern, and has performed across Europe including More Than Jazz Festival (Udine), Cully Jazz Festival (Cully), Moods (Zürich), AMR (Geneva), and BeJazz (Bern), as well as performing and recording with artists including Enrico Pieranunzi, Ralph Alessi, Django Bates, Bert Joris, Andreas Schaerer, Colin Vallon, and Alexandra Grimal.

An inventive and exploratory piano trio comprising three of most in-demand players on the Manchester creative scene, Richard Jones (piano), Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley (bass), and Johnny Hunter (drums).

Angle Shades explore the cracks between composition and improvisation, with focussed yet unpredictable and exciting music that's dynamic, spontaneous and searching; a piano trio with a truly distinctive identity, visiting us following the release of their second album on Efpi records 'Twirler'.

Here's some music: https://youtu.be/Bl-WuvFdDws?si=7Hc6vRTOb20dil8-

"They dance deftly between harmony and dissonance" Soweto Kinch - 'Round Midnight, BBC Radio 3

Richard Jones (piano) toured the world with the award winning Beats & Pieces Big Band and can be seen regularly with groups such as Nishla Smith Quintet, Emma Johnson's Gravy Boat and Graham South Quartet. He has also been involved in projects including with Manchester Camerata and Manchester Collective.

Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley on bass is a leader in his own right, as well as a an in-demand sideman who has played, toured, and recorded with Nishla Smith Quintet, Caoilifhionn Rose, and Janileigh Cohen amongst many others. His first album 'Joy in Bewilderment' (Ubuntu, 2021) featured guests Chris Potter and Caoilfhionn Rose, and his latest recording, released in August will feature Olivia Cuttill.

An energising and creative drummer, Johnny Hunter has worked with musicians including Ingrid Laubrock, Liam Noble, Gerry Hemingway, Laura Cole, John Pope, Michael Moore and Alicia Gardener-Trejo. As both a drummer and a composer, he's an inspiring presence who's music always pushes forward and develops in original and unexpected ways.

A mix of adventurous jazz improvisation, contemporary classical and grooves, J.A.M. String Collective bring a distinctive sound to the improvisational string world.

Jan Halen (violin), Julia dos Reis (viola) and Miranda Lewis-Brown (cello) will be performing music from their acclaimed debut album 'She Looks Up at the Trees', beautiful and atmospheric music that occupies a fluid space between jazz and contemporary string sound worlds, and with a strong thread of improvisation running through it.

"simultaneously beautiful, brash and starkly fragile." - Jazzwise

"sinuously entwined ensemble inventiveness, succinct solo breaks and cruising grooves" - The Guardian

"incredible range of mood and textures, you can really hear them thinking and storytelling." - BBC Radio 3, Soweto Kinch

Part of their set will feature new music by Oleta Haffner. Haffner's 'Elemental Suite' depicts the devastation of the Climate Crisis, full of dramatic and virtuosic melodies and expansive cinematic improvisations, punctuated by a rich percussive palette of looped beats.

Here's some music: https://youtu.be/qxnBPVRqaAY?si=ZqTu4DfAX5NUgfwi

The three musicians in J.A.M. String Collective have worked and collaborated with artists including The Rooftop Assembly, The Nu Civilisation Orchestra, Jazz Jamaica All Stars, and the BBC Concert Orchestra, Courtney Pine, Steve Williamson, Hilary Skewes, Howard Goodall, Will Todd, Marie Naffah, Dodie, Ella Hohnen-Ford, Alex Bone, Theo May's Odd Unit, Millbrook and many others.

Music combining grooves, interaction and improvisation, and the rich and multi-faceted sonorities of a string trio. We're so excited to hear them again at The Lescar.

Spellbinding music from one of the most exciting bands emerging on the UK scene right now, joining us as they release their debut album, and led by one of the most distinctive saxophonists around, Luke Chakrabarti.

in//motion effortlessly mix contemporary jazz improvisation with the sounds of folk and post-rock, and influences ranging from Brian Blade's fellowship band to Godspeed You! Black Emperor. This band of five distinctive musical voices, Luke Chakrabarti (saxophone), Julien Durand (guitar), Daniel Kemshell (guitar), Josh Vadiveloo (bass) and Matt Holmes (drums) create a powerful band sound with personal expression at it's heart and a strong sense of collective communication. We're so excited to welcome them back to The Lescar.

Here's some of their wonderful music: https://youtu.be/qayc5VEiEoA?si=bX5ZfvozRyYZVgx5

Luke Chakrabarti (alto sax) is originally from Sheffield and has been performing regularly with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra at venues including Ronnie Scotts, and Lancaster Jazz Festival; an inspiring musician with a powerful and engaging sound.

London-based Julien Durand (guitar) is a distinctive and exciting guitarist who's really making an impact performing with musicians including Soweto Kinch, Arnie Somogyi, Percy Pursglove and John O'Gallagher.

Dan Kemshell (guitar) brings an explorative and dynamic approach informed by jazz, rock, noise and experimental music, performing with bands including avant-jazz-rock group Snackwall, acclaimed UK trumpeter Byron Wallen's Hurricane Bells, George Garford's Ideasthesia, Olivia Murphy's Jazz Orchestra and multiple groups with close collaborator, pianist Olly Chalk.

You may have seen Josh Vadiveloo (bass) previously at The Lescar in the bands of Xhosa Cole and David Austin Grey, a perpetually lyrical, creative and thoughtful presence, he's also performed with Soweto Kinch, Rachael Cohen, Jean Toussaint.

Originally from South Yorkshire, Matt Holmes (drums), has performed at venues including The Barbican Hall, Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, Pizza Express Soho, The Southbank Centre and Cafe OTO, as well as festivals across Europe including Gent, Tampere Jazz Happening, Sienna, and Northside Festival (Denmark), Paris and Cork, and with artists including Hermeto Pascoal, Brian Jackson, Soweto Kinch and Alina Bzhezhinska.