From the Glasshouse x Jazz North East: John Pope Quintet, Moonfish and Faye MacCalman
Energetic. Illuminating. Enter your jazz era.
You can’t put a price on the buzz of a great gig. Or being able to say “I saw them live before they got big,” about that artist everyone’s just become obsessed with. But you can pay what you decide to find your future favourite artists at our ‘From The Glasshouse’ gigs.
Whether they’re getting local hype, or playing the North East for the first time, you’ll discover artists to get excited about.
Each From The Glasshouse has its own unique vibe. Sometimes it’s cosy with candle lit tables, string lights and chilled, ambient, or acoustic sounds. Other times there’s room to dance to faster and heavier sounds.
So, take the plunge and find out who’s going to be the next big thing.
This month’s line up: John Pope Quintet, Faye MacCalman and Moonfish
Need to know
Venue: Sage Two (Cabaret seating with bleachers)
Price: Pay what you decide – enter your own price per ticket at checkout.
Stage Times:
7:30pm Doors
8pm – 8.25pm Faye MacCalman
8.30pm – 9.05pm Moonfish
9.05pm – 9.25pm Interval
9.25pm – 10.05pm John Pope Quintet
Age: Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
John Pope Quintet
John Pope Quintet are an all-star lineup of dynamic Northern musicians featuring John Pope (Double Bass), Faye MacCalman (Tenor Saxophone and Clarinet), Jamie Stockbridge (Alto Saxophone), Graham Hardy (Trumpet) and Johnny Hunter (Drums). Their all-acoustic sound draws on the history of 60s free jazz and hard bop, but with a modern sensibility grounded in the sounds of today’s European scene, playing hard-grooving, anything-goes energy music that seeks to bring people together in a joyous racket.
2020 saw the band overcoming adversity to pull together for a whirlwind recording session in Newcastle upon Tyne, committing their debut album to tape. ‘Mixed with Glass’ was released in 2021 on the New Jazz and Improvised Music Recordings label and followed in 2023 by the much praised ‘Citrinitas’.
Moonfish
Moonfish is Maria Chiara Argirò (Keyboards / Synths / Electronics) and Riccardo Chiaberta’s (Drums / Bass Synth / Electronics) duo project. Both are an integral part of the London jazz and electronic community, appearing and recording individually with artists such as Rosie Turton, Kinkajous, Liran Donin, Bruno Heinen, Dugong and These New Puritans.
A lush dialogue between piano / synths and drums / bass synth, both the debut single “Drop of Water” and “Insomnia” feature layers of dark electronics and jazz offering a new perspective on the duo sonic palette.
Their third single “Mahi Mahi” features a mesmeric melody underpinned by layers of ethereal and a solid, beat-driven groove. They are currently working on new music and a new EP to be released in 2024.
Faye MacCalman
Faye MacCalman is a performer, composer, and improviser on saxophone, clarinet, voice, and electronics. She blends experimental songwriting with jazz, folk, and rock influences, drawing inspiration from emotional depths and merging magical realism with raw realities. Faye is a 2023-2024 Artist in Residence at The Glasshouse who brought her AV installation Invisible Real, which explores mental illness in a dreamlike space, to life in Sage Two earlier this year. Faye also leads the jazz-art-rock group Archipelago, nominated for UK Jazz Act of the Year at the Jazz FM Awards.. Faye has collaborated with artists like Maximo Park, Zoe Rahman, and Arun Ghosh.
Watch and listen
Presented with Jazz North East
Established 1966 as the first ever grant funded jazz organisation, Jazz North East remains the longest running jazz promotional body in the U.K. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne the organisation continues to champion new music from established and emerging musicians, enhancing Tyneside’s thriving arts and cultural scene through live performances, workshops and related events. It’s a great pleasure for Jazz North East to collaborate with Glasshouse International Centre for Music for a series of events throughout 2024.