Since its launch in May 2015, RE:SOUL quickly became an essential part of Leeds' unique underground jazz/soul/global beats music scene. It began as a monthly jam session in 2015 but after a year, it was also doing regular stand alone shows often featuring bands and musicians who were regulars at the jam. The jam, which started at Hirst's Yard, would move to another 2 venues before the end of 2019
until it stopped. The live gigs and stand alone shows would continue until March 2020 and then they stopped due to the pandemic. DJ Lubi restarted live gigs in May 2021 using RE:SOUL as a co-host and featuring several RE:SOUL showcases with today's jazz/soul generation including shows with Secret Night Gang, Lovescene, Laura Kindelan, B-ahwe, Space Dolphin, Mamilah and Wise Willis. The monthly jam session began in May 2015 at Hirst's Yard Leeds and was organised by DJ Lubi Jovanovic and alto sax player Jonny Faull. For 2 years, this tiny venue was rammed with young emerging musicians and bands united by there love of jazz/soul/hiphop/global beats. With a killer house band of Leeds College Of Music alumni and students, an early doors showcase set for new artists and loads of great musicians/singers/MCs sitting in, the session became a bit of a local legend. It gave first or early shows to many of today's established Leeds/UK artists including Tetes de Pois, Jasmine, Mali Hayes, Necktr, KONL, Alice Higgins, Tim Cook (TC & The Groove Family), Slow Loris, Olivia Bhattacharjee (Noya Rao), Alex Robinson, Gracie, The Freese Trio and Vanessa Jamie. In autumn 2017, the original venue closed and RE:SOUL moved to the legendary Wardrobe hosting the jam up in the bar. Jonny Faull left and Lubi took over hosting the night solo. A new MD came in - saxophonist Harry Fowler from Tetes de Pois - and more great new bands and artists were featured in the showcase sessions and jam including Project Hilts, Grifton-Forbes Amos, The Space Antics, Wise Willis, Narcle, Lizzie Berchie and Shaniah Williams. September 2019 saw the jam move for the last time, this time to another legendary venue - The Hifi Club - and it became a monthly feature at the long established Sunday Joint live music sessions. DJ Lubi was the new booker for Sunday Joint and so he relaunched RE:SOUL at the venue. The new house band was drawn from Tetes De Pois's rhythm section plus drummer Theo Goss (KOG & The Zongo Brigade) and original RE:SOUL house band member Martin Longhawn on keys. There would be a few RE:SOUL sessions in autumn 2019 and spring 2020 at Hifi Club and then the venue and weekly night closed due to the pandemic. Sunday Joint would return in September 2021 with Lubi booking bands and hosting the night but RE:SOUL has not come back. However, Lubi has put together a new Sunday Joint house band that features Jonny Lodder (drums), Amanda Nossen (bass) and Eve Creighton (guitar) and twice a month, they open the night with guest singers, MCs and instrumentalists so the spirit of the RE:SOUL jam lives on! RE:SOUL, under DJ Lubi, has continued as a live gig promotions entity and over the last 3 years has featured shows with such amazing bands and artists such as Ezra Collective, Kokoroko, KOG & The Zongo Brigade, TC & The Groove Family, Pyjaen, Secret Night Gang, Tetes De Pois, The Haggis Horns, SEED Ensemble, Cykada, Awen Ensemble, B-ahwe, Rosie Frater-Taylor, Jarrod Lawson and many more top artists from near and far. The jam session may be temporarily dormant but the impact RE:SOUL had in building today's current amazing Leeds jazz/global beats scene is without question. So many bands and promoters doing great things today passed through RE:SOUL in their early days and the spirit of the night lives on in the live music gigs hosted by Lubi under the RE:SOUL banner as well as the resurgent Sunday Joint sessions at Hifi Club. And long may it continue
As the old saying goes : "jazz is for life not just for Christmas".....
