STAJE in Concert

St Albans Jazz Ensemble (STAJE) are back at the Abbey Theatre on Thursday 7 January, their annual New Year concert. It's their biggest date of the year and, as they've noted, it tends to sell out quickly, so it's one to get in early if you're planning on going.

Directed by Andy Baddaley, the ensemble has been playing high-energy concerts for more than fifteen years. It's a collective that brings together local professional and serious amateur musicians and vocalists, and the repertoire they cover runs across a fair bit of ground. You'll hear Big Band Swing and Latin alongside Jazz-Funk and Soul, so the set tends to pull from several different corners of the jazz world rather than sticking to one particular style.

That mix is part of what makes the New Year concert their most anticipated night of the year. It's the one date they return to every January, and it's the one that usually fills the room fastest. If you've seen them before, you'll know the sort of thing to expect: a full band on the Main Stage, a broad range of jazz styles in one evening, and a local line-up at the heart of it.

Tickets are £15 full price and £12.50 for 15 and under. The concert starts at 8:00pm on Thursday 7 January at the Abbey Theatre, and since it's their main date of the year, it's worth booking sooner rather than later.