Date: Saturday 23 May

Manchild

Band on the Wall (The Copper Bar)

Charlie Davies saxophone / Toby Freeman keyboards / Scarlett Baxter drums 

Manchild is a Leeds-based electronic jazz trio whose music was born of late-night sessions in the city. Using a convoluted mixture of cassettes, field recorders and voice memos, they embrace tape and digital artifacts in their music. Expect theatrics, and nods to contemporary artists Knower, corto.alto and Herbie Hancock for this, their mjf debut.  

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Price: Free

m&p’s Jazz Brunch ft. Grant Russell Quartet

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Matt & Phreds

Lineup TBC

Spend your Saturday afternoon in style with live jazz and a curated brunch pizza menu at Matt & Phred’s. 

Join us for our Jazz Brunch, featuring the Grant Russell Quartet performing classic swinging melodies from the Great American Songbook. Timeless, melodic, and guaranteed to get your toes tapping. 

An intimate and uplifting jazz experience, with vibrant, melodic arrangements that are sophisticated yet approachable, this is the perfect soundtrack for brunching, chatting, and soaking up the city’s weekend energy. Whether you’re a jazz aficionado or a casual listener, this is your ideal Saturday soundtrack. 

Accompanying the live jazz is a tasty brunch pizza menu. Enjoy brunch favourites given a pizza twist, from Meaty, to Shakshuka, to Smoked Salmon, and more. 

Book early; space is limited to keep the experience intimate! 

 

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm

Price: £5 - £7

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Suboptimal

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Matt & Phreds

Tim Hurst vocals, trombone, beats & loops 

Suboptimal is the immersive, brass and vocal led, live-looped extravaganza you never knew your life was missing. Starting with only pre-recorded drums, watch in awe as your favourite bangers are created and performed in front of your very eyes. 

From the bass lines to the raps, from the vocal harmonies to the solos, utilising the latest in loop machine technology alongside a decade of performing expertise, Suboptimal is not only an experience that you will never forget but an experience you will find yourself wanting to relive again and again… 

Prepare yourselves. This afternoon’s show will take you on a live-looped journey through dance. Expect garage anthems intertwined with some of your favourite 90’s and 00’s bangers, presented by the hype extraordinaire: Suboptimal. 

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Price: Free

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Alligator Gumbo

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Matt & Phreds

Tim Hurst vocals, trombone / Greg Surmacz clarinet, saxophone / Chris Williamson trumpet / Mike Rudland-Simpson steel guitar, vocals / Chris Lloyd piano, vocals / James Paylor double bass, vocals / Jose Williamson drums, washboard, bells, whistle  

Alligator Gumbo is a 7-piece New Orleans band from Leeds, formed in 2011. Having played extensively around the country, and often packed-out Matt & Phred’s, we can’t wait to see them again. 

A gig with Alligator Gumbo sees jazz from the hey-day of the New Orleans swing/jazz era, when music was raw and largely improvised, with melodies and solos happening simultaneously, which has now become defined as the ‘New Orleans’ sound. 

As well as the band’s signature fast-tempo treatment of classic tunes, Alligator Gumbo takes this distinctive style and applies it to their arrangements of more modern and popular songs – songs that everyone will recognise and happily head to the dance floor upon hearing.

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 9:30 pm - 12:30 am

Price: £7-10 (seated)/ free (standing only)

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Jon Onabowu

Band on the Wall (The Copper Bar)

Jon Onabowu drums / Francois Fasano guitar / David Mrakpor keyboards / Leslie Essel bass 

Jon Onabowu is a London-based drummer, composer, and bandleader whose work centres on high-energy live performance, deep groove, and collective improvisation. His contemporary jazz project is driven by feel, intensity and musical conversation, shaped in real time on stage. 

His live band features players from bands such as Blue Lab Beats, INSXGHT, Sugababes and Stormzy, creating a fluid line-up built around trust, interplay, and rhythmic clarity. 

Jon performs regularly as a bandleader at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and has appeared at major festivals including North Sea and Montreux Jazz Festivals. 

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Price: Free

Somewhere Soul Club Night

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Band on the Wall (The Venue)

Tickets available on the door for this event, see here for more information. 

Josh Mason-Quinn is a London-based DJ, label A&R, event programmer and founder of new music discovery platform Somewhere Soul.  

Obsessed with the idea that his favourite music is still out there waiting to be discovered, he’s garnered an online following of over 1 million music fans who are locked into his music selections that span Jazz Fusion, Psychedelic Soul, Afro-Funk, Global Groove & more. 

Cutting his teeth behind the decks at University, Josh quickly became a regular on the club circuit in Nottingham holding down multiple residencies and supporting household names such as Maribou State and FKJ. After moving to London and launching Somewhere Soul, Josh expanded his music curation into live shows and 2024 marked the launch of his ‘Music to Expand Your Horizons’ live event series with sold out dates at both 91 Living Room and Jazz Cafe. 

Whether curating the music for clothing brand launches, guesting on radio shows such as Balamii or Soho Radio, performing at festivals such as Love Supreme or simply sharing music recommendations on Instagram, Josh has always felt compelled to enrich the lives of others through music.  

Precise start and finish times for this event are liable to change; for details, please check the mjf website on the day. 

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 10:00 pm - 3:00 am

Price: £10-£15

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Nout

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Band on the Wall (The Copper Bar)

Unfortunately, due to airport delays, harpist Rafaelle Renaud will be unable to perform in this evening’s performance of Nout. Delphine Joussein (flute) & Blanche Lafuente (drums) will perform as a duo instead. We apologies for the unavoidable late change to the programme and we are excited to welcome you to Band on the Wall as Nout make their UK debut.

Please note, tickets go off sale on at 5pm via Eventbrite on the day of the event, but tickets are available to buy on the door at Band on the Wall.

Delphine Joussein flute, fx / Rafaëlle Rinaudo electric harp / Blanche Lafuente drums

“A riot of musicianship, foundation-shaking noise and fearless originality.” – All About Jazz

Flute, harp, drums: a rare combination turned upside down by this explosive, effervescent French trio on their UK debut. The missing link between Nirvana and Sun Ra, Nout pushes those instruments beyond their limits with the enthusiasm of a mad scientist in front of his vials.

Following in the wake of John Zorn’s experiments at the border of jazz and noise, Nout’s music thrusts you through surprising twists and turns: starting, eyes shut, on the red seat of a movie theatre, and ending up rocking in a mosh pit.

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 10:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Price: £7.50 (*plus fees)

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Lau Noah

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Band on the Wall (The Venue)

Please note, tickets go off sale at 12pm via Eventbrite on the day of the event, but tickets are available to buy on the door at Band on the Wall.

Lau Noah voice, Spanish guitar / Evan Tyor voice, guitar / Jamie Ellington visuals 

From the heart of Catalonia to the vibrant streets of New York City, Lau Noah captivates as a self-taught composer and virtuoso guitarist. 

Praised by countless distinguished musicians – from Phoebe Bridgers to Jackson Browne – for her poetic compositions and the masterful guitar-voice counterpoint in her music, Noah has become one of the most compelling independent artists in her generation. 

For her Manchester debut, she brings her latest multi-disciplinary project to mjf.  

Noah played a Tiny Desk Concert in February 2019, making her the first Catalan to perform in the prestigious series. She has given lectures in Ivy League universities and conservatories around the world and scored multiple award-winning films.  

Noah has been featured on the BBC, the Recording Academy and Billboard Magazine and has performed in legendary venues including the Royal Albert Hall and NYC’s Summer Stage and Carnegie Hall in December of 2025. 

In the past two years she has supported Chris Thile, Ben Folds & Jacob Collier on tour. 

In 2024, she released her first LP A Dos, duetting with some of the most influential musicians of our time: Jorge Drexler, Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Jacob Collier, Gaby Moreno and Cécile McLorin Salvant, amongst others.  

In the same year, she was a finalist in the American Songwriter Competition and won the award for Best New Artist in the acclaimed Cartagena Music Festival in Spain.  

“Lau is one of the most special storytellers on earth” – Jacob Collier 

“She’s one of my heroes” – Chris Thile 

“She’s a genius” – Moses Sumney 

“An absolutely extraordinary musician” – Jamie Cullum

Please note this is a seated event with limited standing. 

mjf and Band on the Wall gratefully acknowledge the support of Instituto Cervantes Manchester in making this concert possible . 

 

 

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Price: from £15 (*plus fees)

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Legacy – Coltrane and Cannonball: Tony Kofi & Denys Baptiste Quintet

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RNCM Theatre

Please note, tickets go off sale on Friday 22 May at 3pm via Eventbrite on the day of the event, but tickets are available to buy on the door at RNCM.

Tony Kofi alto & baritone saxophone / Denys Baptiste tenor saxophone / Rick Simpson piano / Mikele Montolli double bass / Winston Clifford drums

Two of London’s premier saxophonists, Denys Baptiste and Tony Kofi, reunite to present a powerful new project to pay tribute to the legendary partnership of Julian “Cannonball” Adderley and John Coltrane.

Denys Baptiste’s colossal talent – based on a powerful technique and an ability to improvise fluently and effortlessly across a wide range of musical styles – is matched only by his unfettered energy, which takes him and his audiences into the musical stratosphere. Over the years, Denys has evolved into what the Time Magazine describes as “the icon of British jazz”, with a most distinctive and immediately recognisable sound.

Tony Kofi is a British jazz multi-instrumentalist born of Ghanaian parents, adept at the full family of saxophones and flute. Having ‘cut his teeth’ in the Jazz Warriors of the early 90’s, award-winning saxophonist Kofi has gone on to establish himself as a musician, teacher and composer of some authority. His fluent and fiery hard-bop style ensure he is constantly in demand across and beyond the UK’s stages.

“These two have a particular talent for capturing the magic of these two jazz legends. A treat for any Coltrane or Cannonball Adderley fans.” – Nigel Williams, Jazz FM

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Price: £25

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Somewhere Soul presents: Cotonete

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Band on the Wall (The Venue)

Please note, tickets go off sale on at 5pm via Eventbrite on the day of the event, but tickets are available to buy on the door at Band on the Wall.

Florian Pellissier piano, keyboards / Frank Chatona saxophones / Paul Bouclier trumpet, acoustic guitar / Christophe Touzalin trumpet, keyboards / Benoit Giffard trombone / Farid Baha electric guitar / Jean-Claude Kebaili electric bass / David Georgelet drums, percussion  

Paris-based eight-piece disco-funk band Cotonete return to the UK for the first time in two years. 

Cotonete built their reputation through a series of rare singles and collaborations, notably with Dimitri from Paris, before releasing their first album in 15 years, Super-Vilains, in 2019 on Heavenly Sweetness. That record’s moody grooves and live shows across France and the UK—especially their Dingwalls appearance hosted by Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge—cemented their reputation. Along the way, a creative connection with Brazilian legend Di Melo produced Atemporal, an eight-track blend of funk and Brazilian soul later sampled by Drake on his 2023 album For All the Dogs Scary Hours Edition.

Rolling into 2024, the band returned with their second full-length album, Victoire de la Musique, guided by producer Guts. The album celebrates global rhythms and playful energy, drawing inspiration from 70s French cinema and jazz-funk scenes worldwide. Tracks like Venezuela and Cinq Pour L’aventure showcase their adventurous spirit, while guests such as Sabrina Malheiros (on a Jorge Ben cover), Leron Thomas, Omar, and Gystere Peskine add rich international textures. With its fusion of Brazilian, Caribbean, and soul influences, Victoire de la Musique stands as both homage and manifesto—a vibrant “victory of music” uniting diverse sounds, cultures, and generations.

Precise start and finish times for this event are liable to change; for details, please check the mjf website on the day. 

Date: saturday 23 may

Time: 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Price: from £23 (*plus fees)

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