18th August 2025
Don John: Jazz Story celebrates Southampton’s cultural legacy
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Southampton’s Jazz Story | Saturday 18 October
Southampton’s Jazz Story was a vibrant live music and storytelling event celebrating Southampton’s rich and diverse jazz heritage — and the social history it reflected.
The one-night-only event brought together a specially assembled 12-piece house band and a stellar line-up of guest vocalists for a powerful celebration of the city’s jazz legacy. Through unique musical arrangements, captivating narration and rare archival visuals, the show revealed how the development of jazz in Southampton — from the 1920s through the decades — mirrored the city’s evolving identity.
As a global port city, Southampton has long been a meeting point for people, cultures and ideas. The event traced this history through music, from the influence of New Orleans jazz and the swing era to post-war venues, civil rights movements and modern-day innovation, illustrating how jazz helped shape Southampton’s cultural story.
Blending live performance with heritage and storytelling, the concert offered a compelling experience for music lovers, history enthusiasts and anyone with a connection to the city.
Musical Style & Experience
Audiences were taken on a rich and soulful journey through Southampton’s vibrant jazz heritage. The musical programme moved through early New Orleans-inspired swing, traditional and big band jazz, bebop and free jazz, and into blues-infused jazz, soul-jazz and 1960s beat music rooted in jazz improvisation.
The show featured reimagined performances of iconic tracks associated with jazz legends including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Ben Webster and Charles Mingus — all of whom had historic connections to Southampton — alongside British jazz pioneers such as Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, and Jamaican-born innovator Joe Harriott, who lived and worked in Britain for much of his career.
The evening also explored the role of local venues such as the Bassett Hotel and the Concorde Club in shaping the UK jazz scene, celebrating Southampton’s position as a key port for both musical and cultural exchange.
The result was a powerful, moving and toe-tapping night of classic standards, lesser-known gems and fresh interpretations, all brought to life by a 12-piece house band and an outstanding line-up of vocalists and narrators.
Southampton’s Jazz Story formed part of a series of legacy projects delivered by Southampton Forward following the city’s shortlisted UK City of Culture bid. Developed to celebrate the rich and diverse history of jazz in the city, the project reflected the social and cultural movements that have shaped Southampton — from post-war migration and the civil rights era to the venues that brought people and communities together. The project was made possible through the collective support of cultural partners, community leaders and national funders working together to bring this important story to life.
The show was part of Jazz Focus Southampton, a city-wide event series celebrating jazz throughout October 2025. Other events in the programme included:
- Wednesday 15 October: Jazz legends Tommy Smith and Gwilym Simcock at The Concorde Club
- Tuesday 21 October: The J Fashole-Luke Trio with special guest Simon Allen at The Stage Door
- Saturday 25 October: Julian Joseph’s Atmospheres in Audio Theatre at Turner Sims
The series shone a light on jazz’s global and local reach, showcasing a wide spectrum of musical talent and creative expression across Southampton during Black History Month.
Vocalist Bios
Claire Martin
Claire Martin has established herself as a tour de force on the UK jazz scene gaining many awards, including winning the British Jazz Awards as best vocalist eight times during her career which spans almost 4 decades.
Claire has performed worldwide with her trio and worked extensively with the celebrated composer and pianist Sir Richard Rodney Bennett in a cabaret duo setting both in England and the US.
Claire also appears as a featured soloist with the Halle Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the RTE Concert Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the BBC Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Claire co-presented BBC Radio 3’s flagship jazz program ‘Jazz Line Up’ from 2000 to 2017 and interviewed many of her musical heroes such as Pat Metheny and the late Michael Brecker. Her 2009 CD A Modern Art prompted Jazz Times USA to claim: “She ranks among the four or five finest female jazz vocalists on the planet”.
Recent projects see Claire touring with Swedish pianist Martin Sjöstedt, appearing with iG4, her new intergenerational band of four of the UK’s finest jazz talents and appearing internationally with composer, arranger, and trombonist Callum Au, performing modern orchestral and big band arrangements of jazz standards and American Songbook classics.
David McAlmont
David is a much adored singer, songwriter, essayist and art historian. He came to prominence in the 1990s as a singer, in the duo McAlmont and Butler. Their biggest hit, Yes, reached the Top 10. His recent collaboration with HiFi Sean on the album Happy Ending was a Guardian top album of the year and charted in the Top 10. He has created projects and installations celebrating some of his personal icons such as James Baldwin and Billie Holiday.
Zara McFarlane
Zara McFarlane stands at the forefront of the UK’s British jazz scene, recognised as one of the most dynamic and genre-defying vocalists of her generation. A multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, composer and performer, she has cultivated a career that seamlessly bridges jazz, reggae, folk, nu-soul and electronic music earning her critical acclaim and international recognition.
Renowned for her eloquence and artistic depth, Zara consistently pushes creative boundaries, exploring new sonic landscapes while honouring the rich traditions that shape her artistry.
https://www.zaramcfarlane.com/
Isla Croll
Isla Croll is an emerging singer/songwriter whose attention-grabbing fusion of genres offers the audience her special brand of music.
Isla is currently studying BMus (Hons) Music – Jazz Vocal at Royal Welsh Collage of Music and Drama Conservatoire (https://www.rwcmd.ac.uk/).
Her early love of music was natured in the Hampshire County Youth Jazz Centre, at the local Locks Heath/Warsash schools and then at Barton Peveril studying Popular Music and Jazz.
Her music has been regularly featured on Radio and she has had the honour of performing on a BBC Introducing Stage.
Her soulful voice is clear, highly emotive and athletic.
https://www.islacroll.com/
Renato Paris
A BRIT School graduate, flourishing artist and a regular on the vibrant young London Jazz Scene, music has taken Renato Paris all over the world honing his craft on the road. He has worked with an array of artists, the likes of: Julian Joseph, Burt Bacharach, Jorja Smith, Nicola Piovani and Carleen Anderson to name a few. His passion for the art of song and improvisation knows no bounds. As well as leading his own band, he is a key member of -time MOBO award-winner Moses Boyd’s Exodus band.
12 – Piece Band Bios
Jay Phelps – Trumpet
London-based trumpeter who has performed with some of the world’s top artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Shabaka Hutchings, Amy Winehouse and Wizkid. With an instantly recognisable warm and projecting trumpet tone, Phelps is a household name on the international Jazz scene with worldwide streams exceeding 500k
J Fashole-Luke – Piano
A celebrated Southampton-based performer and a dedicated promoter of Southampton’s music scene who has worked with some top music artists including Usher and Alexandra Burke, and has appeared on BBC2’s Later…With Jools Holland.
Our Narrator
Professor Mykaell S. Riley
Professor Mykaell S. Riley is an award-winning creative and academic whose career spans over four decades in the UK music and cultural sectors. A founding member of the Grammy-winning British reggae band Steel Pulse, Mykaell has since shaped the landscape of Black British music as a producer, songwriter, curator, educator, and leading researcher.
As a producer and songwriter, his work has led to three UK number ones and over eleven Top 20 hits, collaborating with artists such as Mark Morrison, Soul II Soul, and E17. He also formed the pioneering Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, Britain’s first Black pop string section, and has composed for TV, film, and theatre, with credits spanning the BBC, ITV, SKY, Netflix and more.
In academia, Mykaell is the Director of the Black Music Research Unit (BMRU), which he founded at the University of Westminster in 2012. His leadership of the Bass Culture project – funded by the AHRC – culminated in a major exhibition, a documentary film, and the influential Grime Report, which contributed to changes in Metropolitan Police policy. The project was shortlisted for The Times Higher Education Awards in 2021 and played a key role in Westminster’s research being ranked #1 for impact in the UK by THES.
Recent highlights include his role as Music Director for the BBC hit
TV series Boarders (2024–25), generating over 35 IMDb credits for University of Westminster students, and his work as Curator of the landmark exhibition Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music at the British Library and National Sound Archive.
Mykaell serves on multiple academic and cultural boards including the Museum of London, Leeds Arts University, Trinity Laban, and the Tavaziva Dance Trust. He is a Fellow of both Arts & Business and the Royal Society of the Arts (RSA).
His ongoing work champions the cultural, historical, and social value of Black British music – from reggae and sound system culture to grime and beyond – inspiring the next generation of thinkers, creators, and changemakers.
Southampton’s Jazz Story is presented by Southampton Forward, with support from Mayflower Studios and in collaboration with event partners Black History Month South. It has been shaped by the expertise of Don John (Race & Diversity Consultant) and Peter Edwards (Musical Director), with programming support from Turner Sims and Kevin Appleby. The project has been made possible through funding from Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, People’s Postcode Lottery, the Hollick Family Foundation and the Mark Allen Foundation. Special thanks also go to Southampton Forward’s founding city partners: Southampton City Council, University of Southampton, Southampton Solent University, GO! Southampton, Paris Smith and Mayflower Theatre
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Founding City Partners
