Sunday 19 July 2026
Location: Wood Street Village Green, GU3 3EU
Guildford Jazz and Challengers are delighted to invite you to Wood Street Jazz Festival for the return of some soul-stirring jazz in 2026! On Sunday 19 July we will be welcoming you to a wonderful afternoon on Wood Street Village Green, all in support of Challengers.
We are excited to be launching our full lists of acts soon – keep your eyes peeled for an exciting announcement – for now, tickets are on sale at the bottom of this page! Don’t miss our EARLY BIRD offer which ends the morning of Tuesday 7th April.
Come along and enjoy an amazing afternoon of live music, from 1.30pm to 6pm (Gates open from 12.45pm). The timeline for the day will be the following:
- 12.45pm – Doors open, welcome!
- 13.30pm – The amazing performances begin.
- 16.45pm – Interval and Raffle drawn
- 16.50pm – Our last act.
- 18.00pm – Event close, thank you for coming!
Who’s Playing?
Liane Carroll Trio
Liane Carroll is one of the most popular and dynamic vocalists in the UK. Multiple times winner of the BBC Jazz Awards for Best Vocalist, Marston Pedigree Jazz Award for best vocalist, Jazz Musician of the Year and Jazz Album of the Year in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, plus a Gold award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). Liane has dedicated her life to creating a deep and abiding connection with audiences all over the world through her exceptional talent, versatility and ability to interpret a song.
The musical interplay and evident good humour and camaradarie between Liane and her husband/bass player Roger Carey, and drummer Russell Field, makes for a wonderful performance of entertainment, jazz mastery and emotions. This is bound to be a very popular highlight of the Festival!
James Davison & Callum Au Quintet
An exciting quintet led by two highly regarded, award-winning young jazz musicians, trumpeter James Davison and trombonist Callum Au, bringing the atmosphere and vibe of 50’s and 60’s jazz to life for the modern day!
Broadly inspired by the music of the classic 1960s Clark Terry/Bob Brookmeyer Quintet, the band plays a selection of hard-swinging originals and covers of some of the best of the Terry/Brookmeyer repertoire. Expect a set of joyous, soulful, swinging music, at which you can’t help but smile!
Somethin’ Else Big Band
The ever-popular and much loved Somethin’ Else Big Band are back – bringing you a tasty selection of Latin dance rhythms from Cuba to Brazil, afro jazzy beats from Gillespie and funk from Earth Wind & Fire, it’s going be a party!
We also can’t wait to welcome Alice Milburn Quartet to our Newcomer’s stage! Hampshire-based composer and vocalist Alice Milburn recently released a debut jazz album called ‘First Expressions’.
Food and Refreshments
Thanks to the ongoing and wonderful generosity of the Shahin Restaurant who have donated all the curry platters to Challengers again this year. You can pre-order a curry platter with a choice of a chicken or vegetable curry, complete with onion bhaji, pilau rice and naan bread.
Please do place your curry orders in advance as due to high demand, we cannot guarantee there will be additional on the day.
There will also be a Fish and Chips vendor selling their meals on the day if you would prefer. No pre-order necessary.
Challengers also run a Bar, and Tea, Coffee and Cake stall where all the proceeds from these support our vital work.
Every penny raised from the day goes directly to Challengers with 100% of all ticket sales supporting this wonderful cause, transforming the lives of local disabled children and their families. Thank you very much for your continued support, we look forward to you joining us for an afternoon of Jazz on the green.
If you would like to sponsor our Jazz Festival or get involved in another way, please contact Becky (beckycox@disability-challengers.org).
Everyone is welcome at our events, please do contact us at fundraising@disability-challengers.org to discuss your specific accessibility needs – we will be very happy to help.