SJF 2027 - Saturday All Day Pass

Welcome to Super Saturday at Southport Jazz Festival - 4 amazing shows in one day!

Your Saturday Day Pass gives you the chance to see all of these amazing shows at a discounted price!

11.45am - The Alex Clarke Quartet

2.00pm - Dennis Rollins & Tony Kofi play Bob Brookmeyer and Gerry Mulligan

4.15pm - Nigel Price Quintet - Jazz Samba

8.30pm - Acantha Lang

The Alex Clarke Quartet

As a finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020, winner of the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards and three-time nominee in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, Alex is known to be one of the most in-demand and versatile saxophonists to have emerged on the British jazz scene.

Praised for her intelligent ear for harmony and a deep knowledge of repertoire across a broad spectrum of styles, Alex's sound is steeped in the tradition of bebop. Her total respect for the heritage of the music can be heard in a fiery, melodic approach inspired by the likes of Phil
Woods, Sonny Stitt and Cannonball Adderley. As a bandleader, Alex's quartet features some of the UK’s finest musicians: David Newton, James Owston and Steve Brown.

In Autumn 2025, she released her latest album Out of the Woods which celebrates the legacy of saxophonist Phil Woods. Her quartet has toured extensively around the country, appearing at jazz clubs, theatres and festivals including Swanage Jazz Festival, Pizza
Express Soho and Scarborough Jazz Festival.

As well as working as a bandleader, Alex performs alongside many notable names such as Alan Barnes, Alex Garnett, Mark Nightingale, Bruce Adams and Art Themen, and regularly works with prestigious larger ensembles such as the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra, the Simon Spillett Big
Band and Down For The Count. As a session musician, Alex has recorded for numerous projects ranging from Folk to Northern
Soul, including sessions at Abbey Road Studios. In musical theatre, Alex held the woodwind chair on the 2024 UK & Ireland tour of 101 Dalmatians.
As an educator, Alex worked in the Music Department at Warwick School for 3 years, as well as tutoring for organisations such as the National Youth Jazz Collective and the Royal Northern College of Music at workshops, Summer Schools and Saxophone Days across the country.
Alex is proud to be an official Vandoren Artist, using their reeds and accessories across all horns.

Dennis Rollins & Tony Kofi play Bob Brookmeyer and Gerry Mulligan

Dennis and Tony Kofi play the music of Bob Brookmeyer and Gerry Mulligan. Taking influence from these jazz masters in their varying ensembles. Jazz that's sometimes cool... at times melancholy... but ALWAYS swinging!

A passionate performer and educator, British trombone player Dennis Rollins MBE has established a reputation as an artist of excellence, and has lent his unique and stylish talents to some of this country's, and indeed the world's top jazz and pop personalities such as Courtney Pine, Maceo Parker, Jamiroquai, US3, The Brand New Heavies, Blur, Monty Alexander, Pee Wee Ellis and Jean Toussaint, amongst others.
In his hometown of Doncaster UK, Dennis was given Honorary Freedom of the Borough in recognition of his successful musical career and for his constant inspiration to the regions musical youth.As part of Her Majesty the Queen's Birthday Honours 2018, Dennis was honoured with an MBE for Services to music.

Tony Kofi is a British Jazz multi-instrumentalist born of Ghanaian parents, a player of the Alto, Baritone, Soprano, Tenor saxophones and flute. Having 'cut his teeth' in the "Jazz Warriors" of the early 90's, award-winning saxophonist Tony Kofi has gone on to establish himself as a musician, teacher and composer of some authority. As well as performing and recording with Gary Crosby's "NuTroop" and "Jazz Jamaica", Tony's playing has also been a feature of many bands and artists he has worked/recorded with include "US-3" The World Saxophone Quartet, Courtney Pine, Donald Byrd, Eddie Henderson, The David Murray Big Band, Sam Rivers Rivbe Big band, Andrew Hill Big Band, Abdullah Ibrahim, Macy Gray, Julian Joseph Big band, Harry Connick JR, Byron Wallen's Indigo, Jamaaladeen Tacuma's Coltrane Configurations and Ornette Coleman.

Dennis Rollins - Trombone

Tony Kofi - Saxes

Hugh Pascall - Trumpet

Paul Deats - Piano

Martyn Spencer - Bass

Andrew Wood - Drums

Nigel Price Quintet - Jazz Samba

Over a career spanning more than 25 years, award winning jazz guitarist Nigel Price has become widely acknowledged as one of the hardest working musicians in the business.

Musically, his blend of flowing bebop lines, deep blues sensibility and his mastery of chording continue to delight audiences and fellow musicians alike. His career highlights include a support show for Gladys Knight at The Royal Albert Hall and an appearance on Van Morrison’s recent album Keep Me Singing.

Starting his professional career in his early 20s, Nigel toured Europe with various reggae and funk bands before settling on a solo guitar career and turning his attention to jazz. Citing early influences as Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Nigel honed his craft by attending gigs and sitting in with the players of the time.

Nigel has played on more than 50 albums including 5 as a leader, spent ten years with acid jazz outfit The Filthy Six, was a member of James Taylor’s band for 3 years (with whom he recorded 5 albums) and performed with the legendary David Axelrod. He has also taught at The International Guitar Foundation at King’s Place, London.

He has worked tirelessly to organise his own tours (including a 56 date tour in late 2016) and has picked up a Parliamentary Jazz Award (Best Jazz Ensemble, 2010), a nomination for a British Jazz Award (Best Guitarist, 2014) and a British Jazz Award (Best Guitarist, 2016) along the way.

Nigel is a regular performer at London’s Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club where he has made more than 500 appearances. He released his fifth Organ Trio Album

This band features;

Nigel Price - Guitar

Mark Crooks - Tenor Sax

John Cervantes - Piano

Marianne Wyndham - Upright Bass

tbc - Drums 

tbc - Percussion

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Acantha Lang

We are so excited to welcome Acantha and her 7 piece band to Souhtport, we can't wait for this incredible show!

Acantha Lang is a New Orleans-born, London-based soul & jazz artist whose talent, resilience, and dedication have propelled her from a hidden gem to a rising star in the global music scene. Known for her powerful vocals and captivating stage presence, Lang has been compared to the likes of Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Gladys Knight. Her acclaimed debut album, Beautiful Dreams (2023), charted at #3 on the Official UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart and earned critical praise, receiving 5-star ratings in Echoes Magazine and Soul Bag Magazine (France). She has graced the covers of Blues & Soul and Echoes magazines and was celebrated as Album of the Month by tastemakers such as Soul Tracks, Relix, American Songwriter, and KCRW’s Top Tune. BBC 6Music’s Craig Charles has hailed her as “brilliant… destined for world domination.”

Lang’s journey was anything but conventional. Unlike many Southern soul singers, she didn’t find her voice in church but through her time in New York, where she connected with top R&B musicians at the iconic Harlem Grill. This vibrant hub, frequented by legends like Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys, became the foundation for Lang’s artistry, leading to her popular “Monday Night Blues” residency. After honing her craft there for nearly three years, she was recruited as the first female MC at Manhattan’s renowned cabaret, The Box, which ultimately led her to London to open the club’s UK counterpart. In London, Lang formed her own band, refined her unique voice, and launched her songwriting journey, crafting songs that blend Stax-inspired funk with the soulful grit of New Orleans.