NORTH WEST JAZZWORKS by Chris Ackerley CD OF THE MONTH ADAM FAIRHALL AND PAUL J RODGERS Second-Handed Blues While on the whole jazz is considered a forward thinking art form, with its generational breaks with the past and innovative shifts in style, it’s also true to say that many of even the most avant-garde players have looked back for inspiration. Think Thelonious Monk adapting J P Johnson’s stride technique and adding bebop, or Sun Ra borrowing from Fletcher Henderson’s big band arrangements to create some of the most ‘out there’ music with his Arkestra. There have always been musicians on the fringes looking over their shoulder in order to move forward, and it is within this fine tradition that Cheshire based pianist Adam Fairhall has firmly placed himself. Jumping from Scott Joplin, to McCoy Tyner, to Champion Jack Dupree, Fairhall’s style on Second-Handed Blues is hard to pin down at

Set in the Castle Hotel Pub in the Northern Quarter the video starts with a short interview with John after which he and the band perform ‘Little Bit Out’.

mjf welcomed an array of speakers to its latest fundraising event on 12th May at The Midland Hotel, each championing the dynamic contribution mjf makes to the cultural life in the city. Arlene McCarthy, Labour Member of the European Parliament for the North West Region, spoke to business leaders about the value the festival adds to the tourist economy, and of the knock-on effects of visitor trade has on the economic vitality of Manchester. Tony Lloyd, MP for Manchester Central, commended the quality and innovation of the event and the commitment of its staff and trustees, voicing his ongoing support for the organisation.

mjf is celebrating a double dose of good news this week – we’ve fought hard recently to retain our ongoing funding so that we can continue to bring you so much wonderful free music and support the world-class talent we’re lucky to have in our region.

If you are a staunch supporter of mjf and want to see us continue, you may like to register your support and let the Council know how much you value the festival at budget.enquiry@manchester.gov.uk

We are no longer accepting submissions for the 2011 festival programme.

Phil Bancroft’s “Home, Small as the World” was special when it started and became more interesting and diverse as the evening went on. With a hint of what the future must hold, Phil’s show integrated a live link-up over Skype,  with Mike Walker improvising from his living room at home. Audience participation followed with a musical girls vs boys housework challenge, before the piece turned to a more poignant exploration of home locally and globally, ending with a post-apocalyptic message from the home of the future. Amazing. More Information http://www.smallastheworld.com/

Manchester Jazz Festival 2010 kicked off at the Festival Pavilion in Albert Square last night — with  the pre-gig crowd creating it’s own composition. A very original piece emerged from willing folks sticking up some random notes on the mjf public music board. John Helliwell tried it out on the sax before the first gig … John Helliwell tries a public composition See the latest photos from the festival

Jon Clements talks to mjf Artistic Director, Steve Mead by manchesterjazz