Federico Garcia Lorca is the most beloved and influential of all modern poets and one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Keith James and Rick Foot – acclaimed for their success with The Songs of Nick Drake – have now set his passionate, evocative poetry to music, mostly sung in English but with some verses in Spanish. The evening will also include material from those musicians who followed Lorca; Leonard Cohen (who set Lorca’s Take This Waltz to music originally), Joni Mitchell, Tim Buckley and of course Nick Drake, along with a short bio-documentary about Lorca entitled Death in Granada.
Sat 22 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £16.50
Jim Marshall Auditorium
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have created some of the most influential music of the last three decades, with hits such as Reelin’ In The Years, Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, Peg, Deacon Blues, Babylon Sisters and Hey Nineteen, and seven platinum albums including Countdown To Ecstasy, Gaucho, Aja and The Royal Scam. Formed in 1997, critically acclaimed Nearly Dan promise – and deliver - all the Steely Dan favourites in two hours of super-cool grooves and superb musicianship.
www.nearlydan.tripod.com
Sat 22 Nov 2008, 8:45pm - £9.50 in advance, £11.50 on the door
Stage 2
Singer-songwriter Yvonne Lyon is among the best and brightest emerging talent currently from Scotland. Her songs combine poignant lyrics with strong, creative melodies, demonstrating a voice that can be both fragile and intense. She has consistently drawn and stirred crowds across the UK with her emotive performances and has enjoyed support slots with Karine Polwart, Martyn Joseph, The Duhks, and Patty Griffin.
“Her well-crafted songs were delivered with panache and conviction in a compelling voice which displayed just the right balance between power and delicacy.” Americana UK
Spend a couple of hours discussing all things jazz in this series of weekly gatherings held in Stage 2 at The Stables. Hosted by Sir John Dankworth or an invited special guest, these informal sessions will be a great way for Stable-goers of all ages to learn more about jazz and share musical experiences and meet like-minded friends.
Special Guest: DIGBY FAIRWEATHER
Grab the chance to come and hear the facts about a decidedly un-dusty subject! The National Jazz Archive is Britain’s fantastic collection of books, periodicals, memorabilia—and much more.
Sun 23 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £17.50
Jim Marshall Auditorium
If music be the food of love… A programme exploring music written for or about some of Shakespeare's greatest masterpieces, including works such as Gounod's Romeo & Juliet Overture, Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and Duke Ellington's Such Sweet Thunder. Bones Apart Trombone Quartet is now in its 9th year and internationally recognized as a leading chamber ensemble. Formed in 1999, the all-female trombone quartet has expanded the boundaries of brass chamber music through commissioning works and new arrangements, thereby widening its appeal to an ever-increasing audience.
www.musicintheround.co.uk
Mon 24 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £21
Jim Marshall Auditorium
Tonight Swing Out Sister join us touring material from their ninth studio album, Beautiful Mess. The new album has an intimate jazzy sound that celebrates the eclectic cultural mix of the UK’s ever-changing music scene and its sound owes as much to hip-hop and jazz fusion as sixties pop and soul, with its typically well-crafted arrangements and a hint of electro along the way. A Beautiful Mess, indeed.
Swing Out Sister was formed in 1985. Their unique blend of cinematic jazz pop earned them several chart singles, including Breakout – a UK top 5 hit in late 1986 – Surrender and Twilight World. Their 1987 debut album It’s Better To Travel subsequently hit the No. 1 spot in the UK album chart and worldwide success followed. In 1988 they were nominated for two Grammy awards including Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Group or Duo for Breakout.
Eight studio albums, two live albums and over a decade of live shows have maintained this international momentum, along with themes and scores for television and short films.
Wed 26 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £19.50
Jim Marshall Auditorium
It’s an evening of exciting – and often moving – jazz and blues music as Chris leads his 11-piece band from his roots in New Orleans style with his signature tune Bourbon Street Parade to the early music of Duke Ellington and Sidney Bechet. Then it’s on to work from Bob Crosby and blues by Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, to soul from Joe Zawinul via all points from Miles Davis to When The Saints Go Marching In! Great entertainment for all.
Thu 27 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £25
Jim Marshall Auditorium
Beverley Craven is one of the UK's most highly regarded singer-songwriters, with a long chain of stunning hit singles including the hugely successful Promise Me, Holding On and Woman to Woman. Her self-titled debut album went on to sell over 2 million copies. Tonight we welcome her back to The Stables as she tours her long-awaited fourth album.
http://www.beverleycraven.net/
Fri 28 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £22.50
Jim Marshall Auditorium
Britain’s premier male soul vocalist, Andy found fame with the X Factor and followed this success with his first album The Impossible Dream, which quickly went platinum. Soul Man, his second album, similarly stormed up the charts, and he represented the UK in this year’s Eurovision. Tonight he performs classic soul hits from Unforgettable to Me & Mrs Jones, and covers artists such as Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and The Temptations, plus songs from his new album Even If. If you like soul you won’t want to miss this!
www.andyabraham.co.uk
Check out a clip of what you could expect on the night, just press play...
Sat 29 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £18.50
Jim Marshall Auditorium
This remarkable tribute band celebrates the music of Queen in all its glory. Magic don’t attempt to portray Queen visually – they simply allow their superb musicianship and harmonies to paint their own masterpiece and bring to you a stunning set of Queen’s greatest hits.
Sat 29 Nov 2008, 8:45pm - £9.50 in advance, £11.50 on the door
Stage 2
A co-headlining gig featuring up-and-coming artists from Bucks, Beds, Herts and Northants. Rachel is a 16-year-old singer-songwriter who has been singing since she could talk. Her influences range from Stevie Wonder to Kate Bush to Carol King.
Rachel has just been signed to to Universal on the Mercury label this week (1 Oct) so don't miss your chance to see a rising star!
www.myspace.com/rachelfurner
Greg Coulson writes, arranges and records most of his own music and loves doing it, too. He says he hopes he sounds like Ben Folds and Steely Dan we think he’s achieved his aim!
www.myspace.com/gregcoulson
Spend a couple of hours discussing all things jazz in this series of weekly gatherings held in Stage 2 at The Stables. Hosted by Sir John Dankworth or an invited special guest, these informal sessions will be a great way for Stable-goers of all ages to learn more about jazz and share musical experiences and meet like-minded friends.
Special Guest: BRIAN PEERLESS
A lunchtime potpourri of some things you’ve heard and some things you haven’t.
In association with the Young Concert Artists Trust
Sun 30 Nov 2008, 2:30pm - £9.50 in advance, £11.50 on the door
Stage 2
Including: Bach Partita no.3, Sainz de la Maza Platero y Yo, Dyens Libra Sonatine.
A Grand Finalist in this year’s BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, eighteen year old Jadran was born in Sheffield and began playing the guitar at the age of eight. Jadran attends Barratt Due Music Institute in Oslo where he studies in the Conservatoire Class in a programme for a handful of the best young musicians in Norway. he has won the Norwegian Youth Music Competition twice, not only in the guitar class but also in the duet class with his brother Emil, who competed in the Keyboard Semi-Final of BBC Young Musician.
Sun 30 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £18.50
Jim Marshall Auditorium
Magic - famed for their incredibly successful A Kind Of Queen concert - have done it again with Magic A Kind Of ELO. They perform with breathtaking precision the legendary songs of the Electric Light Orchestra, with their outstanding vocal and musical talents reproducing the complex orchestral sounds that are part of the ELO legend.
Sat 21 Feb 2009, 10:00am - Course fee £25
Jim Marshall Auditorium
Con O’Neill and Joff Watkins return for a choice of our popular one-day sessions.
The Beginners’ Workshop will cover the basics of tune-playing, chord-playing and blues improvisation and is suitable for all interested participants. No prior experience necessary!
Beginners PART 2 will consolidate the work you have already done on improvisation, tune playing and chugging at the first workshop and move on to the fundamental blues technique of note bending.
Participants will need a 10-hole harmonica in C. Please bring a packed lunch.
You can see Con and Joff in action later in Stage 2 with Con O’Neill’s Big Cigar for an evening of top-quality blues, bluegrass and jazz harmonica
Sat 21 Feb 2009, 8:00pm - £15, Meal Deal £25
Jim Marshall Auditorium
The UK’s finest salsa big band present a night of hot Latin music for the dancefloor, bringing to mind the great Cuban dance bands of the 40s and 50s. From rumba to cha cha and salsa to mambo, the 12-strong Bacalao know how to get the party started! Playing classic son, cumbia and bomba, with full brass section, they have developed into one of the biggest and most colourful salsa shows in the country, wowing audiences wherever they appear. Dance the night away on the specially created dancefloor for the event, or simply sit back, relax and enjoy the music!
Sat 21 Feb 2009, 8:45pm - £9.50 in advance, £11.50 on the door
Stage 2
Hear two of London’s finest harmonica players tonight, as duo Con O’Neill’s Big Cigar (Con O’Neill and Joe Green) are joined by Joff Watkins for a night of high-powered rhythm and blues entertainment. It’s going to be jazz blues, soul blues, Chicago blues, New Orleans blues and bluegrass. “We play both types of music: rhythm and blues - well, actually, we play all four, if you include Country and Western!” says Con.
Spend a couple of hours discussing all things jazz in this series of weekly gatherings held in Stage 2 at The Stables. Hosted by Sir John Dankworth or an invited special guest, these informal sessions will be a great way for Stable-goers of all ages to learn more about jazz and share musical experiences.
In association with the Young Concert Artists Trust
Sun 22 Feb 2009, 2:30pm - Under 25s £5, £9.50 in advance, £11.50 on the door
Stage 2
Including: Bartok Rumanian Dances, Piazzolla L’Histoire Du Tango, Manuel Ponce Estrellita
In 2002 flautist Adam Walker became the youngest ever winner of the British Flute Society Competition and in 2004 was a Concerto Finalist in the BBC Young Musician competition, performing Nielsen’s Flute Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Since winning the 2002 National Guitar Competion in Mexico, Morgan Szymanski has appeared as soloist in over 15 different countries and over the last year has given recitals at Wigmore Hall and the London International Guitar Festival.
Sun 22 Feb 2009, 8:00pm - £16
Jim Marshall Auditorium
The world's No1 Eric Clapton tribute band, Classic Clapton features front-man Mike Hall who not only looks like Eric, he sings and plays guitar like him too! The band comprises 4 excellent musicians who stunningly recreate Slowhand's electrifying stage performances, and the whole of his career is covered including The Bluesbreakers, Cream, The Yardbirds, Derek & The Dominos and the solo years. The show is a 2-hour journey through all of the hits - Wonderful Tonight, I Shot The Sheriff, Lay Down Sally, Crossroads, Tears in Heaven, Layla and even an Unplugged segment.
Tue 24 Feb 2009, 8:00pm - £19.50
Jim Marshall Auditorium
Dillie Keane formed Fascinating Aida 25 years ago and has tried to shake it off ever since, but it keeps coming back to haunt her. Britain’s top female comedy trio – Dillie, Adele Anderson and Liza Pulman - are back, celebrating their quarter-century with new songs, just for the fun of it, and playing to an audience even older than before, so shuffle to get a ticket! Grumble at the steepness of the stairs! Thrill to the beauty of the harmonies and marvel at the wit of the rhymes!
Fundraising concert in aid of the Wavendon Allmusic Plan Ltd
Wed 25 Feb 2009, 8:00pm - £14.50
Jim Marshall Auditorium
At the age of 21 Jim Moray was hailed as the greatest leap forward in folk for 30 years, with his debut album Sweet England being called the most significant development in English folk music since Fairport Convention’s Liege and Leif. Now aged 26 his latest album Low Culture link traditional songs seamlessly into modern popular culture, defining exactly where English folk music is at in the early 21st century.
“Trademark inventiveness combined with life-affirming freshness and confidence.” Maverick
Thu 26 Feb 2009, 11:00am - £6
Jim Marshall Auditorium
Come along and join in the Music Mites fun! Choose from one of 3 sessions aimed at children aged 2-5 and their carers. Led by Cathy Kelly and young musicians from the Birmingham Conservatoire, the workshops include lots of music-based activities along with the opportunity to meet musicians and learn more about the instruments they play. Places are limited and early booking is advisable.
Thu 26 Feb 2009, 10:00am - £6
Jim Marshall Auditorium
Come along and join in the Music Mites fun! Choose from one of 3 sessions aimed at children aged 2-5 and their carers. Led by Cathy Kelly and young musicians from the Birmingham Conservatoire, the workshops include lots of music-based activities along with the opportunity to meet musicians and learn more about the instruments they play. Places are limited and early booking is advisable.
King Pleasure & the Biscuit Boys are more than just the world’s greatest swing band, they’re an institution! They’ve been on the road for two decades, played every European country as well as the USA and Russia and recorded 10 CDs. Dazzling musicianship, riveting stage performances, more than 50 TV appearances (including, bizarrely, five episodes of Teletubbies!) and 75 radio broadcasts has established them as the Kings of Swing.
“The hardest act to follow since the parting of the Red Sea.” Paul Jones, BBC Radio 2.
Artist's website www.bigbearmusic.com
Tonight the M1’s got the funk. Nicky Prince was brought up on a hi-fi diet of Stevie Wonder, Millie Jackson, Gladys Knight, Sly Stone, Parliament and Funkadelic – and it shows! Singer Nicky has supported Roy Ayres, Courtney Pine and the late great James Brown and soul is where her heart is.
www.nickyprince.co.uk
Tom Gamble is a gifted jazz/acoustic fingerstyle and classical guitarist who mixes styles into a unique fusion of jazz and ambient acoustic, delicate and Metheny-esque then cool and groovy by turns, creating an amazing live sound.
www.myspace.com/tgamblemusic
Sat 28 Feb, 8:00pm - From £10
Ola Onabule is arguably one of the finest soul-jazz singer-songwriters of his generation, with a four-and-a-half octave range voice that captivates his audiences with its sheer power and has lead to guest appearances with Al Jarreau, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Roberta Flack and many others. His music encompasses his African roots as well as the soul, jazz and funk he heard in his childhood, and his recent album The Devoured Man took him on tour dates to theatres and jazz festivals across the world.
“A stunning voice of enormous range and emotional clout.” Proper Music Distribution.
www.olasmusic.com
Adriano Adewale Group
Tue 5 May, 8:45pm
From £9.50
An Evening With Gervase Phinn
Wed 6 May, 8:00pm
£16
The Manfreds
Fri 8 May, 8:00pm
£22.50
Rachel Harrington
Sat 9 May, 8:45pm
From £9.50
Solas
Thu 14 May, 8:00pm
£15
Nikki Iles & Norma Winstone
Fri 15 May, 8:00pm
£14.50
Salarosa
Sat 16 May, 8:00pm
£15
Screaming Blue Murder
Wed 20 May, 8:45pm
From £9.50
Counterfeit Stones
Thu 21 May, 8:00pm
From £19.50
Glenn Tilbrook
Sat 23 May, 8:00pm
£17
Fruteland Jackson
Tue 26 May, 8:45pm
£12
Gretchen Peters, Suzy Boggus & Matraca Berg Wine Women & Song
Wed 27 May, 8:00pm
£25
Elkie Brooks
Sat 30 May, 8:00pm
£30
Zoox
Sat 30 May, 8:45pm
From £9.50
Fri 21 Nov 2008, 8:45pm - £12
Sat 22 Nov 2008, 8:45pm - £9.50 in advance, £11.50 on the door
Mon 24 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £21
Thu 27 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £25
Sat 29 Nov 2008, 8:45pm - £9.50 in advance, £11.50 on the door
Sun 30 Nov 2008, 8:00pm - £18.50
Beginners and Beginners PART 2 Adult/15+ Workshop 
Sat 21 Feb 2009, 8:00pm - £15, Meal Deal £25
In association with the Young Concert Artists Trust
Tue 24 Feb 2009, 8:00pm - £19.50
Fri 27 Feb, 8:45pm