Live Music at Zeffirellis in Ambleside
Zeffirellis offers contemporary jazz and world music performances most Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights upstairs in our Jazz Bar. Most of our live music events are free and start around 8pm.
Food is served in the Jazz Bar from 4pm but please note that children under 12 years of age are not permitted in the bar areas after 9pm.
Our next live music event
Jilly Jarman
Sep
03
"We have been working on a set of songs which we have been looking at in a variety of ways. Most of the material is generated by me, but we also use songs from the classical, jazz and world repertoire"
- Free
- 8:00 pm
- Artist Website
Other Events
Nat Birchall Quartet
Sep
04
With a new album out since his last visit, together with appearances at Brecon Jazz Festival & Ronnie Scott's, Nat presents his refreshing and heartfelt music, much influenced by the spirit of John Coltrane.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Trio Gitan
Sep
10
Trio Gitan play are in part reminiscent of the hot club music of Stephane Grappelli and Django Rheinhardt, but also flavoured with with soulful tangos, exotic gypsy tunes from eastern europe, and classics of the swing era from the great American songbook. .Evocative and poignant Violin from Andy Lawrenson, exciting and skillful acoustic guitar work from Jack Burge, underpinned by accomplished and tasteful Double Bass lines from Rob Steels/Dominic Rivron.
From frenetic full on swing jazz to atmospheric and soulful Tangos and Gypsy tunes, this is Exciting, Exotic and Dynamic stuff at it’s best!
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
The Moss Project
Sep
11
Guitarist Moss Freed was a composition major at both Edinburgh University & Berklee, Boston. His writing for this band is much influenced by the great jazz-rock crossover music of British players like Allan Holdsworth & Bill Bruford, and the likes of Pat Metheny in the USA, but also displays elements of contemporary chamber music and folk tradition. Fresh, absorbing & finely-crafted music skillfully played.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Mountain Open Mic with music from Stevie Williams and Jon Kenzie
Sep
17
As part of the Ambleside Outdoor Festival we will be holding an Open Mic in the Jazz Bar. This is a chance for anyone to share their experiences or ask questions. There will be climbers, runners and walkers there so we should cover just about every type of outdoor activity.
Steve and Jon will provide some great musical entertainment. Please note the music will start around 9.30pm.
- Free
- 8:00 pm
Steve Oakes Quartet
Sep
18
Guitarist Oakes, always well-received at the venue, leads his well-rehearsed band through the contemporary repertoire, featuring the sweet saxophone & flute of Harold Salisbury, one of the North-West's most experienced & respected jazz musicians.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
Phil Saunders
Sep
24
Solo blues man. Kendal based sometimes to be busking other times with his band Uncle Carbuncle but tonight all on his own, with his guitar.
- Free
- 8:00 pm
Magic Hat Ensemble
Sep
25
One of the finest new jazz groups to emerge in the UK in recent years. Fronted by Steve Chadwick's distinctive trumpet-playing, the band has a very unusual and utterly refreshing take on the standard repertoire. Click the web link below to read great reviews of their recent album and live work, and to hear what the fuss is about.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
LWT
Oct
02
Fine trio led by pianist Lawrence Woof, with a strong emphasis on latin rhythms.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Matt Nickson’s Riot
Oct
09
No-nonsense piano-less trio led by powerhouse Manchester saxophonist Nickson, founder of the legendary Matt & Phred's club, with drummer Rob Turner & bassist Frank Grime.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Stevie Williams
Oct
15
Stevie Williams – ‘Soul Trio’
Stevie Williams founder and promoter for Bass Day UK bring his band to Zeff’s. Playing old soul, blues and reggae tunes. It’s groove fuelled and so cool they should be arrested!
Featuring:
Stevie Williams - bass / vocals
Jon Kenzie - guitar and vocals
Eryl Roberts - drums and vocals
And special guests!
- Free
- 8:00 pm
Freddie Garner Quartet
Oct
16
Serious old-school chops from veteran Stockport pianist Garner, for many years a mainstay of North-West England's jazz circuit, playing straight-ahead grooves with his excellent band.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
Zoe Gilby Trio
Oct
23
Welcome return for fine Newcastle-based singer rapidly establishing a national reputation.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Magic Beans
Oct
30
Two of the North-West's most inventive jazz players combine in a trio with one of its most distinctive vocalists in a unique jazz-pop crossover, covering a very unusual but instantly recognisable repertoire. Let this 5-star press review of their recent album say the rest;
The Magic Beans are a trio of guitar, bass and vocals. Uli Elbracht (guitar) and Matt Owens (bass) are self-effacing accompanists: they provide minimal velvet for the jewel of Zoe Chiotis’ voice, which is magical (the right word) in its smoothness, nuance and tenderness. This exquisite vocal instrument is deployed on an eclectic song selection. She charms on It Must Be Love, sparkles on The Beat Goes On, and removes the sting of For All We Know with breathy, light sweetness. Most surprising of all, Chiotis transforms a desert into paradise on a wonderfully lilting Horse With No Name. (Al Brownlee, Manchester Evening News)
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Stevie Williams
Nov
05
Stevie Williams – ‘Soul Trio’
Stevie Williams founder and promoter for Bass Day UK bring his band to Zeff’s. Playing old soul, blues and reggae tunes. It’s groove fuelled and so cool they should be arrested!
Featuring:
Stevie Williams - bass / vocals
Jon Kenzie - guitar and vocals
Eryl Roberts - drums and vocals
And special guests!
- Free
- 8:00 pm
Chameleon
Nov
06
Started in 1982 in the North-East of England, now pursuing its low-key campaign for world domination from a base in the North-West, Chameleon specialises in a brand of feel-good groove-orientated jazz-funk for which it has established a solid reputation in the UK and abroad. Mixing inventive arrangements of the work of the masters with original material from current and past members, the band combines disciplined musicianship with a sense of fun.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Hunter Muskett
Nov
12
After having released excellent albums in 1971 and 1973 the band disappeared. Great multi-part harmonies, fluid electric guitar and strong songs with a rustic vibe and twist of West Coast rock (a bit like Decameron). Their second album, was produced by Keith Relf of the Yardbirds/Rennaisance. And Michael Giles (ex. King Crimson) appears as guest drummer.
One of the better British folk rock rarities of the classic '70's folk rock era..
- Free
- 8:00 pm
Nat Birchall Quartet
Nov
13
With his recent album 'Guiding Spirit' receiving excellent reviews, and a number af major venue and festival appearances this year, Nat is at last starting to achieve the recognition he deserves for his refreshing and heartfelt music, much influenced by the spirit of John Coltrane.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Threeway
Nov
20
Bassist Ben Crosland leads this exquisite trio featuring top UK trumpeter Steve Waterman and pianist Steve Lodder, best known as a long-serving member of Andy Sheppard's band. Expect an evening of exquisitely crafted music, strong on lyriciism, dynamics and sheer virtuosity.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
John Etheridge’s Sweet Chorus
Nov
24
A special one-off concert. Ticketed.
This Autumn John Etheridge’s Sweet Chorus undertakes a tour of the UK which celebrates not only John’s association with Stephane Grappelli and the 12 years that Sweet Chorus has been together, but also the centenary of the birth of Django Reinhardt and Etheridge’s own 40 years as a professional musician; 40 years which has seen him work in the most diverse surroundings from the fusion-rock of Soft Machine to duets with John Williams and 5 great years with Grappelli. Underpinning it all has been lifelong devotion to the music of the great Django, discovered at the age of 15 and a source of inspiration ever since.
Sweet Chorus features the John’s well established virtuosity, alongside the dazzling violin of Chris Garrick, and their relationship has been described as “one of the most creative in European Jazz" (Jazzwise).The music is propelled by one of the best rhythm teams in the business; Dave Kelbie (guitar), and Andy Crowdy (bass).The repertoire has the Hot Club at its core, and the band produces breathtaking sallies through this and more contemporary areas. A must for all fans of melodic, driving, acoustic Jazz.
"It is music that demands you close your eyes and listen,for only then can the ethereal nature of what is being played stand separate from the physical reality of darting fingers and blurred plectrums" (The Guardian)
- £12. (All)
- 8:00 pm
- Artist Website
Gary Boyle Band
Nov
27
Back to his jazz-rock fusion roots and loving it, guitarist Boyle revisits the genre with which he first made a big impact in the seventies touring worldwide with his band Isotope. This new quartet features some of the North's most accomplished younger players
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Claude Werner Quartet
Dec
04
Intelligent & subtle music from the pen and saxophone of ex-pat Chilean saxophonist Werner, with a multi-national quartet featuring Barbadian drummer David Carnegie.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Stevie Williams
Dec
10
Stevie Williams – ‘Soul Trio’
Stevie Williams founder and promoter for Bass Day UK bring his band to Zeff’s. Playing old soul, blues and reggae tunes. It’s groove fuelled and so cool they should be arrested!
Featuring:
Stevie Williams - bass / vocals
Jon Kenzie - guitar and vocals
Eryl Roberts - drums and vocals
And special guests!
- Free
- 8:00 pm
Magic Beans
Dec
11
Two of the North-West's most inventive jazz players combine in a trio with one of its most distinctive vocalists in a unique jazz-pop crossover, covering a very unusual but instantly recognisable repertoire. Let this 5-star press review of their recent album say the rest;
The Magic Beans are a trio of guitar, bass and vocals. Uli Elbracht (guitar) and Matt Owens (bass) are self-effacing accompanists: they provide minimal velvet for the jewel of Zoe Chiotis’ voice, which is magical (the right word) in its smoothness, nuance and tenderness. This exquisite vocal instrument is deployed on an eclectic song selection. She charms on It Must Be Love, sparkles on The Beat Goes On, and removes the sting of For All We Know with breathy, light sweetness. Most surprising of all, Chiotis transforms a desert into paradise on a wonderfully lilting Horse With No Name. (Al Brownlee, Manchester Evening News)
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
The Moss Project
Dec
18
Guitarist Moss Freed was a composition major at both Edinburgh University & Berklee, Boston. His writing for this band is much influenced by the great jazz-rock crossover music of British players like Allan Holdsworth & Bill Bruford, and the likes of Pat Metheny in the USA, but also displays elements of contemporary chamber music and folk tradition. Fresh, absorbing & finely-crafted music skillfully played.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
No jazz performance tonight.
Dec
25
Christmas Day. No performance
- No event
- 12:00 am
New Year’s Eve event to be announced.
Dec
31
Please check back. This will be a ticketed event.
- Tbc
- 9:00 pm
LWT
Jan
01
Fine trio led by pianist Lawrence Woof, with a strong emphasis on latin rhythms.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Steve Oakes Quartet
Jan
08
Guitarist Oakes, always well-received at the venue, leads his well-rehearsed band through the contemporary repertoire, featuring the sweet saxophone & flute of Harold Salisbury, one of the North-West's most experienced & respected jazz musicians.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
Trefor Owen Quintet
Jan
15
First and much-anticipated visit to Zeffirelli's for Wales' leading jazz guitarist, covering the classic repertoire with a great band featuring saxophonist Mike Hall and bassist Dave Turner.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Palladium
Jan
22
Fine band strongly immersed in the jazz standards repertoire, led by saxophonist Paul Palmer, himself much influenced by Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins & Dexter Gordon.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Magic Hat Ensemble
Jan
29
One of the finest new jazz groups to emerge in the UK in recent years. Fronted by Steve Chadwick's distinctive trumpet-playing, the band has a very unusual and utterly refreshing take on the standard repertoire. Click the web link below to read great reviews of their recent album and live work, and to hear what the fuss is about.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Unfurl
Feb
05
Marvellous, intricate and subtle music written by violinist Olivia Moore, who leads this unusual ensemble featuring guitarist Jim Faulkner, bass, and ethnic percussion. Olivia's playing and writing is much influenced by the time she regularly spends studying in Mumbai with leading Indian musicians; she cites tabla master Zakir Hussain's classic ECM album 'Making Music', featuring John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek & Hariprasad Chaurasia as her favourite album. That tells you all you need to know!
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Chameleon
Feb
12
Started in 1982 in the North-East of England, now pursuing its low-key campaign for world domination from a base in the North-West, Chameleon specialises in a brand of feel-good groove-orientated jazz-funk for which it has established a solid reputation in the UK and abroad. Mixing inventive arrangements of the work of the masters with original material from current and past members, the band combines disciplined musicianship with a sense of fun.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Freddie Garner Quartet
Feb
19
Serious old-school chops from veteran Stockport pianist Garner, for many years a mainstay of North-West England's jazz circuit, playing straight-ahead grooves with his excellent band.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
Sally Doherty
Feb
26
Sheffield-based singer returns with her band and inimitable interpretations of unusual material, much of it hispanic & lusophone in origin and sung in Spanish & Portuguese, interspersed with jazz standards.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Performers to be confirmed
Mar
05
Please check back.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
Marley Chingus (tbc)
Mar
12
Liverpool's finest venture North with their energetic and thoroughly entertaining brand of contemporary jazz, with a heavy nod to the man responsible for the spoonerism. Please note that this performance will not be confirmed until September 2010; please check back then.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Performers to be confirmed
Mar
19
Please check back.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
The Moss Project
Mar
26
Guitarist Moss Freed was a composition major at both Edinburgh University & Berklee, Boston. His writing for this band is much influenced by the great jazz-rock crossover music of British players like Allan Holdsworth & Bill Bruford, and the likes of Pat Metheny in the USA, but also displays elements of contemporary chamber music and folk tradition. Fresh, absorbing & finely-crafted music skillfully played.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Claude Werner Quartet
Apr
02
Intelligent & subtle music from the pen and saxophone of ex-pat Chilean saxophonist Werner, with a multi-national quartet featuring Barbadian drummer David Carnegie.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
- Artist Website
Saturday Jazz Programme April 2011- March 2012.
Apr
09
Details of the programme for the year from April 2011 will be posted here from February 2011.
- Free
- 8:30 pm
