To accommodate other important events we have an early start - 7:30 - slightly shorter sets and a short interval, aiming to finish about 9:30pm.

£14 Non-Member and Member tickets. Online upto 5:30, on the door from 7:00.

Witness and discover two of the country’s top emerging young jazz artists - one sax, one trumpet – with a burnin’ organ trio backing, playing well-known swingin’ standards and more!

Building on the success of previous years’ July concerts, we will feature 2 young emerging artists - RJ Gilbert & George Hilliam - across 2 sets, backed by the Arran Shanghavi Organ Trio.

The Arran Shanghavi Organ Trio: Arran Shanghavi (o,p), Jamie McLeish (gtr), Michael MacCourt (dr) ;

Running order:

Set 1: 7:30 RJ Gilbert (Alto Sax)

Interval 8:20

Set 2: 8:35  George Hilliam (Trumpet) 

Finale: aprox. 9:20-9:30 jam, inviting RJ back on stage to join George and the Band.

RJ Gilbert (Alto Sax) - 2024 BBC young jazz musician semi-finalist, currently in his final year at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. His unique melodic voice, luscious tone and highly complex bebop language has made him a very in demand player in the midlands jazz scene. This voice heavily draws inspiration from Dick Oatts, Mike Williams and Vincent Herring. RJ recently returned from a successful tour of China with his Doug Sides band, a band dedicated to the memory of their late mentor. Expect tasteful virtuosity and raw emotion (especially on the ballads!).

George Hilliam (Trumpet) is currently studying jazz at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He started playing the trumpet under Jon Eno in Derby with Hot House Music which first sparked his passion for jazz. He now studies under Nick Smart, Tom Walsh and James Copus just to name a few. At the Academy, he has been noticed for his high-quality composing and arranging - works of which have been heard in venues around the country. The ‘big picture’ outlook one gains from good arranging and composition George brings into his playing, creating well-crafted story-like solos which captivates any audience member!

The BJazz House Band – The Arran Shanghavi Organ Trio

Michael MacCourt (Drums):  An emerging figure in the UK and Berlin jazz scene, Michael MacCourt began his journey in big bands, eventually holding it down for the award-winning Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra from 2022-25. He elegantly delivers this exciting big band energy - in style, not volume - to the small group setting. This combined with his active listening makes him a top choice for many players and a very engaging watch and listen for audiences.

Michael attended the Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire receiving tutorage from the like of Mike Williams and Malcolm Garrett. He is currently reading Geography and Politics at Freie Universität Berlin on a Year Abroad from the University of Birmingham and already well involved in the scene there. He regularly attends the sessions at Zigzag and B-flat jazz clubs and has featured on recordings from students at JIB. Michael has been fortunate enough to have jazz recordings of him with BJazz' very own Arran Shanghavi. Their work featured on the ABC network with Conan O'Brien on a trailer for the Oscars. Most notably, Michael has also performed with Percy Pursglove and on Tom Ward Septet Album (Bouncin' & Barkin' with the Tom War Septet) - Tom Ward who featured himself at BJazz in a support act with Guilia Marro. Check that record out to get a taste of Michael’s exquisite brushes playing. Through connecting with a wide variety of musicians at home and abroad while playing an exciting array of genres, Michael aims to find a unique creative space fuelled by both his big band experience and love for the modern sound.

Jamie McLeish (Guitar):  Jamie McLeish is currently in his 3rd year studying Jazz guitar at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Attributed by colleagues as having ‘the finest ear in the Midlands’, Jamie’s rich harmonic and melodic sense has made him very stand out amongst guitarists in the midlands scene. He has been gigging in and around Birmingham for the past couple of years playing various styles of music such as funk, R&B, soul and jazz. He brings these other styles and experiences into his jazz playing, and doesn’t shy away from classic tropes of these genres’ that audiences love. Jamie is also making himself known as a composer and arranger, having recently had one of his arrangements played in his Conservatoire's Eastside Jazz Club. His influences include the likes of John Mayer, Mateus Asato and Pat Martino.

Arran Shanghavi (Organ): Arran Shanghavi is a freelance musician hailing from Berkhamsted but now residing in Birmingham. Recently he is being noticed for his specialization into the Hammond organ, less common nowadays among UK jazz pianists. Consequently, he is now is a member of the Detroitwich Funk Machine fronted by Tom Clarke-Hill (voice of Tony the Tiger) and Andy Shillingford and the Big Wolf Band (UK Blues Awards nominated band - Top 5 Best Blues Bands) first joining them on their 2025 European tour. Arran brings these funky and bluesy influences into his jazz playing, creating that naughty hammond organ style and sound we all know and love!

Arran read Philosophy and Politics at the University of Birmingham (UoB). Despite this, Arran integrated himself into the Conservatoire and local music scenes. He hosted a month of jam sessions at Jazz at the Spotted Dog (now Digbeth Jazz, the parliamentary award-winning club) - the first UoB student to do so. Arran was president of the UoB student jazz society (JFS) for two years. His serious journey in jazz and music started when he received a place on the Junior Jazz programme at the Royal Academy of Music, taught by UK jazz legend Gareth Lockrane. In 2022 Arran joined the Committee of BJazz helping with social media promotion and BJazz’s Showcasing Emerging Talent initiative, designing and hosting the club’s 13^th concert each year - a concert dedicated to the aim of exposing BJazz’s audiences to the top up-and-coming young jazz talents.