Liverpool International Jazz Festival Artists
Meet the Artists
The Liverpool International Jazz Festival 2026 brings together six world-class acts defining the cutting edge of contemporary instrumental jazz.
1. Tim Garland & Geoffrey Keezer
Lyrical Post-Bop Duet, Modern Jazz Composition
Crystalline Lyrical Maturity, Incendiary Virtuosity
A rare transatlantic pairing of two Grammy-winning virtuosos. Garland (saxophones, bass clarinet, flute) and Keezer (piano) have collaborated for over 25 years. Expect profound musical conversation, drawing on their work with legends like Chick Corea and Sting. Keezer is known for his unrivaled technique, while Garland is hailed as a rare improviser and imaginative composer.
2. David Helbock & Julia Hofer
Contemporary Duo, Acoustic/Electric Jazz with Cinematic Flair
Playful Curiosity, Inventive Acrobatic Piano, and Groove-Driven Bass
Austrian pianist Helbock and bassist/cellist Hofer present a duo format stripped down to its emotional essence. Their album Faces of Night showcases a wide stylistic range, from Thelonious Monk to Prince and even classical composer Robert Schumann. The music is energetic, features Helbock’s famed acrobatic piano, and uses the electric bass to lay down an infectious soul-funk groove.
3. Zoe Rahman & Arun Ghosh
Futuristic Indo-Jazz Fusion
Percussion-led Rhythms, South-Asian Melodies, and Contemporary Minimalism
This collaboration features two pioneers of the British-Asian jazz scene. Zoe Rahman (piano/keys) is an Ivor Novello Impact Award winner known for her vibrant, distinctive playing rooted in jazz but reflecting her classical and Bengali heritage. Arun Ghosh (clarinet), a two-time Parliamentary Jazz Award winner, is an innovator of the Indo-Jazz style. Their performance is a musical conversation that masterfully blends South Asian traditions with modern jazz, creating a truly unique and electrifying sound.
4. Robert Mitchell’s Little Black Book
Power Trio Fusion (Rock, Fusion, Classical, Freeform)
High-Energy Synergy, Virtuosic Firebrand Performances
Led by the multi-award-winning pianist, composer, and poet Robert Mitchell (keys), this new power trio features the searing guitar brilliance of Zayn Mohammed (a Sky Arts Guitar Star winner) and the volcanic drums of Laurie Lowe. The band wears its wide-ranging influences on its sleeve, blending rock, fusion, classical, and jazz into a “cauldron of synergy” for a performance that is both technically dazzling and intensely cinematic.
5. Martin Taylor
Solo Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar
Intimate, Intricate, Melodic, and Harmonically Rich
Martin Taylor, MBE, is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost exponents of solo jazz guitar. He dazzles audiences by artfully combining melody, harmony, and bass lines into cohesive solo arrangements using his signature fingerstyle technique. Having spent eleven years touring and recording with the legendary Stéphane Grappelli (occupying the position once held by Django Reinhardt), his performance is an unmissable masterclass in musical storytelling and virtuosity.
6. Marius Neset Quartet
Maximalist Contemporary Nordic Jazz
Ecstatic Composition, Intricate Rhythms, Focussed Abandon
Norwegian saxophonist and composer Marius Neset is one of the most decorated and electrifying artists in modern European jazz. Known for his “maximalist” and orchestral approach, his music is complex, rhythmically challenging, and full of torrential melodic invention. Neset’s playing (tenor and soprano saxophones) combines the virtuosity of Michael Brecker with a melodic sense akin to Jan Garbarek, leading a quartet that is thrillingly dynamic and cohesive.