News for 2024

Hello

We’ve enjoyed a new programme of cool acts, hot jazz and some very special events including an International Women’s Day double bill, a new album from ARQ with a live recording at the Vortex and a mention to the wonderful Carol Grimes who celebrates her 80th Birthday this year! Watch this space for our Autumn 2024 events at St Matthias Halls N16.
Friday Dec 6th Xmas Party with MOJO Big Band featuring vocalist Giulia Marelli for some fab festive jazz. BOOK

The Non Conformists continue their residency at RYAN’S Bar in Stoke Newington Church Street every third Wednesday of the month. Last gig of this year on Dec. 18th. Cosy jazz bar, great atmosphere, craft beers, Yard Sale pizzas.

We also have a Blow the Fuse programmed season  for Lauderdale House, now in our fourth season. We’ve had a very successful start with some wonderful bands and nearly every gig sold out
With the superb team at Lauderdale House we’re hoping this season will be as splendid and popular as our first few seasons were. Thursday nights,

JAZZ IN THE HOUSE AUTUMN 2024

OCT 10 Nigel Price Organ Trio
Nigel Price Guitar • Ross Stanley Organ • Joel Barford Drums

OCT 24 Byron Wallen Hurricane Bells Project
Byron Wallen Trumpet Piano Shells •Daniel Kempshell Guitar • Jonny Mansfield Vibes Bells Percussion • Menelick Claffey Bass • Zoe Pascal – Drums

NOV 7 Pete Horsfall/Giacomo Smith Quintet
Pete Horsfall Trumpet • Giacomo Smith Clarinet/Sax •Joe Webb Piano •
Fergus Ireland Bass Will Cleasby Drums

NOV 21  Alex Clarke Quintet feat. Emily Masser
Emily Masser Vocals • Alex Clarke -Saxophones • Graham Harvey Piano •
Dave Green Bass • Steve Brown Drums

DEC 5 Liane Carroll solo
Liane Carroll Vocals | Piano

Award-winning musicians Deirdre and Alison have run their own jazz club for over 30 years and will carry forward ‘Jazz in the House’ in the spirit of Brian Blain and his tireless support for musicians and live music.
#jazzinthehouse

Blow the Fuse ‘On Air’ 
In 2020 – 2021, we were awarded funding by the Arts Council of England to produce a series of online concerts recorded exclusively by Blow the Fuse from the Vortex Jazz Club in Dalston plus archive film footage and interviews. We’d like to thank everyone who’s supported us through these extraordinary times and to all of you who became a BTF Patron through donations. Your support was crucial and helped us to produce TEN shows in all. A very steep but rewarding learning curve.

All shows can now be viewed anytime on our You Tube channel HERE

Carol Grimes • Deirdre Cartwright • Liane Carroll • Annie Whitehead
D’n’A present vintage Guest Stars • Martha & Eve + The  DaDa Dandies
Back to the 70s • The Casimir Connection + Add3io • Ian Shaw • ARQ

Please join our club by clicking here and receive links to the shows. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and look on our fb page for more updates. See you at a LIVE gig soon!

Many thanks to the Arts Council Of England for their support….

We’ve won the 2020 award for ‘Services to Jazz’ at the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
Thanks to everyone involved, it meant a lot to us, we’re really honoured.

Tomorrow the Moon, supported by PRS Foundation’s The Open Fund began in January 2020. We have finally been able to stage our last two events of this season this Autumn 2022 with Alex Clarke and ARQ + Balledestre.

We were delighted to have received funding to record the latest ARQ album ‘Short Stories’ and for a national tour promoting the album.

and to the equally wonderful people working at the PRSF for the Women Make music fund.

Thank you to all our supporters and watch this space for more news…

BTF we are..

C R E A T I V E    •   C U R I O U S
•  
E X P E R I E N C E D  •

In May 2019, Blow the Fuse celebrated 30 years. Started in 1989 by musicians and composers Deirdre Cartwright and Alison Rayner who were members of the internationally acclaimed jazz group The Guest Stars, BTF have played a crucial role in raising awareness about women jazz musicians and importantly giving them support, a space and opportunity to perform in times which have sometimes been very challenging.

BTF have been very much part of the new resurgence of jazz musicians, which contain many talented young women. Beginning in 2012, Blow the Fuse seasons Tomorrow the Moon one small step for women’ have featured groups led by composers Laura Jurd, Yazz Ahmed, Laura Cole, Dee Byrne, Shirley Tetteh, Lauren Kinsella, Roz Harding, Nikki Iles, Shama Rahman, Daphna Sadeh, Flo Moore, Chelsea Carmichael, Camilla George and Nubya Garcia.

BTF have managed many UK jazz tours with new musical works, innovative collaborations and educational projects and run the Blow the Fuse record label. In 2021 after lockdowns, we produced Blow the Fuse ‘On Air’ a series of online performances recorded live from The Vortex. We’ve had over 15,000 views for these shows on You Tube and Facebook.

Performances for the ‘Resistance’ and ‘Tomorrow the Moon’ seasons took place at the Vortex Jazz Club and the Old Church on Stoke Newington Church Street.
2022 to present regular events St Matthias Halls N16 8DD.
2023 to present Blow the Fuse programmes  ‘Jazz in the House’ Lauderdale House, Waterlow Park, Highgate, London.

See our gigs page for details on all our events.

ARQ New Album ‘SEMA4’

Thanks to all our generous supporters (ARQ Angels) who have helped us raise
over £10,000 towards our new live album ‘SEMA4’ and tour.
We sold out Ronnie Scott’s earlier this month and we’re looking forward to the new album tour dates starting in 2025.

2024
Thurs Dec 12 Cambridge Hidden Rooms

2025 SEMA4 tour

Fri 10 Jan Birmingham Jazz
Sat 11 Jan Shrewsbury The Hive
Sun 19 Jan Bristol Beacon

Sun 9 March  London Soho Pizza Express Jazz Club
SEMA4 ALBUM LAUNCH

Sat 15 March  Lincoln Blue Room
Sun 16 March Newcastle Globe
Thurs 20 March Coventry Jazz 

Fri  April 4 Brighton The Verdict

Bright, open jazz music that rejoices in human experience without sentimentalising it. A collection of eight perfectly formed originals that makes the most of three standout soloists.”
BBC Music Magazine ★★★★

‘A Celebration of life itself ‘ LondonJazzNews

LIVE songs from the album ‘Short Stories’


ARQ website HERE

‘Croajingolong Bushwalk’ from ‘Short Stories’ is available as a FREE download on
iTunes/ Apple Music and Spotify.