Loose Tubes, The Necks and David Sanborn for Gateshead International Jazz Festival

The programme features a wide range of artists from the cutting edge to the likes of popular acid jazz Hammond crew James Taylor Quartet, soul-jazz singer Ruby Turner and rising star US singer/keyboardist Jarrod Lawson.

Anarchic 21-piece band Loose Tubes (above) made an emphatic return this year with a series of triumphant performances including dazzling headline concerts at Cheltenham and Brecon jazz festivals and a much-talked about week at Ronnie Scott’s. Their appearance at Gateshead goes some way to dispelling rumours that Brecon was going to be their last ever gig, and with the line up still featuring many founding members including Django Bates, Iain Ballamy, Ashley Slater, Chris Batchelor and Eddie Parker, and sounding better than ever, let’s hope 2015 sees more from them. The group headlines the closing night’s programme with support from Andy Sheppard and Rita Marcotulli.

Celebrated US saxophonist David Sanborn appears as part a double bill with American guitar guru John Scofield who is joined by British-born, New Orleans-based pianist Jon Cleary on a set of blues, gospel and jazz. Stellar sax man Joshua Redman also appears with his trio of Reuben Rogers and Greg Hutchinson, and superb hard-driving bebop septet The Cookers are another welcome addition to the programme.

There are plenty of top British names on the bill too with a performance of the late great Stan Tracey’s timeless take on Under Milk Wood led by his son Clark Tracey on drums and saxophonist Bobby Wellins, while virtuoso pianist Gwilym Simcock performs his ‘Move!’ suite with the Royal Northern Sinfonia. A new generation of leading female jazz artists also appear throughout the festival including rising star singer/violinist Alice Zawadzki (pictured), Northeast singer Zoe Gilby, a trio of saxophonists Cath Roberts, Rachel Musson, Julie Kjaer and cellist Hannah Marshall.

There are experimental sounds too from cult Australian trio The Necks, compelling Norwegian saxophonist turned operatic tenor Håkon Kornstad and his new project, the brilliantly irreverent Dutch trio Tin Men and the Telephone and edgy powerhouse UK big band Beats & Pieces play music from their hotly anticipated new album.  

The full programme is as follows

FRIDAY 10 APRIL

Hall One, 7.30pm

Double Bill: David Sanborn plus John Scofield and Jon Cleary

Hall Two, 7.30pm

Stan Tracey’s Under Milk Wood

Hall Two, 10.30pm

Jarrod Lawson

Northern Rock Foundation Hall, 10.45pm

Tenor Battle: Jazz vs Opera with Hakon Kornstad

SATURDAY 11 APRIL

Hall Two, 2 pm

Gwilym Simcock and Royal Northern Sinfonia

Northern Rock Foundation Hall, 2.30 pm

Tin Men and The Telephone Family Show

Hall One, 7.30pm

Double Bill: Ruby Turner and James Taylor Quartet

Hall Two, 8pm

Joshua Redman Trio

Northern Rock Foundation Hall, 7.45pm

Women Make Music Double Bill: Zoe Gilby and Alice Zawadski

Hall Two, 10.30pm

The Necks

Northern Rock Foundation Hall, 10.45 pm

Beats and Pieces

SUNDAY 12 APRIL

Hall Two, 2pm

The Cookers

Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, Jaleel Shaw, David Weiss, George Cables, Cecil McBee and Billy Hart Northern Rock Foundation Hall, 2.30pm

Tin Men and The Telephone

Hall One, 7.30pm

Loose Tubes plus Andy Sheppard and Rita Marcotulli

Northern Rock Foundation Hall, 7.45 pm

Women Make Music 2 Sloth Racket & Musson-Kjaer-Marshall

– Mike Flynn

For more info go to www.sagegateshead.com