Mark Nightingale & Alan Barnes Sextet

Across the last three years, The Mark Nightingale – Alan Barnes Sextet, featuring James Davison, have treated sold-out audiences to unique arrangements of some of the Great Jazz Tunes. With no hesitation, we invited their return in our Autumn 2026 Weekend Starts Here Series for this further concert to play another selection of the many Great Jazz Tunes.

In this hard driving concert, these two multi- award winning giants of British Jazz - Mark Nightingale on trombone and Alan Barnes on saxophones - lead an all-star sextet in new arrangements – created specially for these concerts, of just some of the original, Great Jazz Tunes, now recorded as a new album “Jazz Classic…with a Twist”.

The 20th Century spanned 100 years of Creative Great Jazz Tunes: original, unique, long lasting, jazz compositions.

Whilst jazz musicians were, and continue to be, ready to improvise and syncopate melodies and chord sequences, originally written as songs - and many from Broadway shows, the greatest jazz numbers were composed and arranged specifically as vehicles for instrumental jazz giants.

Normally you would be lucky to hear just a few Great Jazz Tunes in any one concert and would have to spend time, money and lots of energy across many evenings to hear several.

In this Friday lunch time concert, you can hear, from start to finish, nothing other than Great Jazz Tunes.

Here’s a few mouth- watering examples of what the Sextet have ready for you.

Satin Doll - Duke Ellington / Desafinado - Antonio Carlos Jobim / Round Midnight - Thelonius Monk / Moanin’ - Bobby Timmons / Cherokee - Ray Noble / Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock / Straight No Chaser - Thelonius Monk / The Duke - Dave Brubeck / It Don’t Mean A Thing - Duke Ellington - and several more Great Jazz Tunes