Join us for another amazing afternoon of free live music across Oxhey Village, as we wrap up this year's Watford Jazz Junction Festival 10-18 May.
Walk, talk, drink, eat, meet, dance and discover some wonderful music.
More than 25 acts and 250 musicians including grassroots, local artists, and professionals, performing multiple styles of jazz, blues, swing, funk, and soul.
Stages and venues:
Main Stage: Oxhey Green (on Lower Paddock Road, as we move from Watford Heath in previous years)
The Oxhey Bowls Club (plus tea and cakes!)
St Matthews Church Hall (new for 2025)
Plus inside and outside 6 of our family-friendly pubs:
The Load of Hay
The Railway Arms
The Rifle Volunteer
The Royal Oak
The Victoria
The Villiers Arms
Whether you're looking to settle into a seat at one of our participating venues for the day, or move around them all we promise you a super inclusive, family-friendly and safe event. And if you want to avoid being inside an environment with alcohol, do note that most of our stages are outside.
Tickets
There's no need to buy tickets because there aren't any! We do have free wrist bands at all venues to help you feel part of the event. And you can RSVP by 'registering for tickets' to help us in our planning.
Line-ups:
Main stage on Oxhey Green
12.30pm Ten Bells Rag Band (trad jazz with a modern New Orleans twist)
2.15pm Tony Kofi's 'A Portrait of Cannonball' (hard-bop modern jazz)
3.45pm Zayn Mohammed Trio (guitar-led fusion jazz)
5.30-7pm City Funk Orchestra (funk and soul)
Elsewhere on Oxhey Green
You'll find lots of food and drinks options, awesome activities for young people (including inflatables and an art circus), and a very special primary school performance featuring talented young jazzers from Bushey Manor (who'll be joining the Ten Bells at 1.15pm). We can't wait to hear them sing!
We're also presenting an inclusive Watford Community Space with a focus on health and wellbeing, providing information about lots of amazing local charities and community groups working in the town.
Across the Village
St Matthew's Church Hall - new for 2025 (1.30-5pm)
A traditional dance hall vibe with 2 big bands:
1.30pm Easy Street Big Band
3.30pm The Herts Big Band
Come along and dance!
The Load of Hay - hosted by John Watson (1.30-4.30pm)
Sensational Herts-based jazz pianist John Watson leads his consummate trio (The Langham, The Ivy) featuring Sophie Alloway (drums) and Neville Malcolm (bass). You'll hear a range of accessible and well-known jazz favourites, including a guest pop-up performance from Jazz Steps-favourite and singer Esther Bennett. They'll be playing 3x50-minute sets starting at 1.30, 2.30, and 3.30pm.
Royal Oak - hosted by Watford Jazz Workshop (12.30-5pm)
A rolling jazz jam led by local-bassist and band-leader Jorge Morales, incorporating lots of the best local jazz and blues musicians. Supported by Sanctuary Studios.
Oxhey Bowls Club (13.30-5pm) plus tea & cakes!
1.30pm Linda Muriel & Watling Street (soul & groove)
3.30pm The Out of Handers (modern jazz covers from Watford favourites)
Railway Arms - hosted by No Trixx (12.30-5pm)
A thrilling line-up of 3 emerging London jazz groups:
No Trixx
Beluga
Big Massive
All 3 collectives are making an impact on the capital's scene and are definitely ones to be watching for the future.
The Victoria - spinning jazz n' soul (12.30-5pm)
An afternoon of non-stop soul, funk and jazz groove from some very talented DJs including Emanuel Pavlova.
The Rifle (12.30-5pm)
12.30pm Blue Spark (local Latin-infused jazz quartet)
2pm The Fabulous Red Diesel (all sorts of funk and fusion jazz mayhem from southern England)
3.30pmThe Biscuit Brothers (blues specialists from eastern England)
The Villiers (2-6pm)
2pm Neil C Young Trio (blues/fusion from Manchester)
3.30pm Brass Bound (funk/ska from Harrow)
5pm The Hodad Swingers (from blues to bluegrass via Oxhey Village with 2 guest singers)
Planning your trip
Weather
As always, cross your fingers for fair weather but we will go ahead come rain or shine so bring a brolly if it looks dodgy. Heavy rain will deter some of our displays, and a tornado may deter all of us!
Travel and access
We definitely do NOT recommend driving with limited parking, but Oxhey Village is easily reached by traveling to Bushey Rail Station (based in Oxhey Village) with frequent mainline and Overground trains.
Parking is limited in the Village so we would recommend parking elsewhere and jumping on an Overground train (2 minutes from Watford High Street station) or a bus. The Village is served by the 142 and 258 bus routes.
If you have a Blue Badge, we can accommodate a very limited number of vehicles directly onto Oxhey Green BUT you must register with us before hand or you may be turned away by our stewards. Please email
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More about our Mainstage Acts
Ten Bells Rag Band (12.30pm, Oxhey Green): modern trad
'They play with a groove that swing dancers love and a freshness that excites.' The Syncopated Times
Returning to Jazz Steps after a foot-stomping performance in 2022, The Ten Bells Rag Band have continued to hold residencies across the capital leading to a memorable performance on the London Louisiana stage for the 2024 EFG London Jazz Festival. Expect an infectious mix of trad jazz with a modern twist.
Hailing from East London, the Ten Bells play hard swinging traditional jazz rooted in the streets of New Orleans. This is horn heavy vintage jazz It's NOLA jazz from the soul of Frenchman Street, via the Mile End Road!
Line-up: James Conway (trumpet), Simon Conway (trombone), Chris Newstead (clarinet), Paul Staples (guitar), Stefano Galaragga (bass), and Matt Danby (drums).
Tony Kofi's 'A Portrait of Cannonball' (2.15pm, Oxhey Green): hard-bop modern jazz
‘An absolute blast, one of the most exciting gigs of the year.’ London Jazz News
This acclaimed project, a loving celebration of the jazz giant Julian ‘Cannnonball’ Adderley has had a unanimous critical reaction: ‘Hard-bop heaven’ Jazzwise, ‘Breathtaking’ Northern Sky, ‘The best gig that I’ve seen at Progress’ Jazz In Reading. The band has played to capacity audiences at Ronnie Scott’s, The 606, The Hideaway, and The Vortex, as well as at the Swanage, Southport, Wigan and Ealing Jazz Festivals.
In May 2020 alto saxophonist Tony Kofi’s ‘A Portrait of Cannonball’ released the show's debut album Another Kind of Soul, winning the Presto Music Award for a best jazz album. The group traces the explosive music of Cannonball from his first session as leader in 1955 through work with Miles Davis to the soul-jazz of the 1960s. The repertoire includes Adderley brothers classics like Things Are Getting Better, Work Song, Del Sasser, Sack o’Woe and many others.
Line-up: Tony Kofi (saxophone), Andy Davies (trumpet), Alex Webb (piano), Hamish Moore (bass), and Alfonso Vitale (drums).
Zayn Mohammed Trio (3.45pm, Oxhey Green): guitar-led fusion jazz
'He shows what guitar is all about! A star.' George Benson
Zayn Mohammed is a London-based multi-award-winning guitarist. Mentored by George Benson and the late great Ahmad Jamal, he studied with the jazz greats Wayne Shorter and John Patitucci before graduating from the Berklee College of Music in the US.
He is influenced by Indian Raga, Turkish sufi music, and jazz-fusion, blending the ancient and the modern. Known for his unique phrasing & undiscovered melodic improvisation, Zayn steps into indefinable territories. This will be a rare genre-blending treat to hear a musician at the top of his game.
City Funk Orchestra (5.30pm, Oxhey Green): funk & soul
'City Funk Orchestra go out there and Do The Deed. They really are a party on legs!” Music Riot
The capital’s best loved and most popular funk & soul dance band, The City Funk Orchestra plays to packed houses throughout the South, having opened for the Average White Band and Kid Creole and the Coconuts. This year you'll also see them at the Saturday Love and Cropredy festivals.
CFO's sound centres around the ‘golden age’ of soul and funk from the 70s to the 90s featuring the most loved floor fillers of Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, Maze, SOS Band, Shalamar, Gap Band, and The Emotions.
Line-up: two of the best soul singers in the UK with Imaani (Incognito, Chaka Khan) and Mary Pearce (Culture Club, Primal Scream, Roy Ayres, Calvin Harris... yes, she’s the voice of Ready For The Weekend), plus Nial Tompkins (guitar), Carl Hudson (keys), Matt Pegg (bass), and Geoff Dunn (drums).
Support and funding:
Jazz Steps Around Oxhey Village is kindly supported by: Arts Council England, Watford Community Grants, Watford Community Housing, Watford Council , and the generosity of many people through our Crowdfunder campaign.
Our HUGE thanks to all.
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