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Marsden Jazz Festival
2024
11th-13th
October
Jazz In The Yorkshire Pennines

Chronotope

This year we’re doing things a little differently…

We’ve commissioned several musicians to conduct special performances in a number of iconic locations on Marsden Moor. The films of the performances bring the landscape into the foreground, blending the music with ambient natural sounds, to create something different and special.

Chronotope: Music in a Different Time and Place

Chronotope is a word which describes how time and place are represented in language. Marsden Jazz Festival speaks the language of music, and in the current climate, with so much change and uncertainty, we wanted to create music which explored time, place, and our position within it.

There will be five episodes in this project all of which will eventually appear below…


Keeley Forsyth & Matthew Bourne

Our first episode features three performances by musician, composer and actor Keeley Forsyth, singing pieces from her astounding album Debris, alongside pianist and composer Matthew Bourne who accompanied on a portable harmonium. For more information about Keeley & Matt’s performances and to watch the amazing videos, click to visit their project page


Tom Challenger

Our second episode features three performances by musician & composer Tom Challenger who has mapped the historic transport routes across Marsden Moor, and created a musical score to express this story. He performs alongside a composition from sound artist Jez riley French, that utilises sounds of data travelling through a fibre-optic cable which runs under Marsden. For more information about Tom’s performances and to watch the amazing videos, click to visit his project page


Tess Hirst & Daniel Casimir

The third episode in our Chronotope project features three fantastic performances from London-based duo, composer and vocalist Tess Hirst and composer and bassist Daniel Casimir. The pair performed around Close Gate Bridge on Marsden Moor and the films of their performances are a brilliant juxtaposition of rural landscape and urban jazz music. Tess & Dan both said they jumped at the chance to perform outside of London and take their sound into the wild moorland.


Maja Bugge & Sarah Nicolls

For the fourth episode of the Chronotope series, we present a series of astounding performances from cellist Maja Bugge and pianist Sarah Nicolls. In this episode we took Sarah Nicolls’ unique vertical, inside out, swinging grand piano out to Blakeley Reservoir where Sarah and Maja performed hauntingly beautiful pieces in the wild landscape.


Ruby Wood & The Naked Eye

The final episode of our Chronotope project features exceptional music from vocalists and composers Ruby Wood and The Naked Eye. Filmed at St Bartholomew’s Church in Marsden, known as the Cathedral of the Colne Valley. Ruby and Frenchie’s voices resonated in a hauntingly beautiful way around the gothic interior. The final piece, This Christmas, is our take on a Christmas single with a couple of very special guests.


If you’ve enjoyed these performances from world class artists and would happily pay to experience these performances live, why not make a gift of what you would have spent on tickets? We’ve set up an easy to use online giving page…