Jazz at Wolverhampton Arts Centre

07/06/2026

Weren't the Pete Roth Trio - PRT the bee's knees last night? 💥💥💥

Soft launch, here, of our new season in the theatre at Wolverhampton Arts Centre...

For tickets, visit https://wolverhamptonartscentre.co.uk/guides/jazz-wolverhampton/

06/06/2026

The day is here, as we welcome a bona fide music legend to Wolverhampton Arts Centre as part of an explosive jazz-without-borders outfit. 💥💥💥

Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Bill Bruford joins guitar ace Pete Roth and deputising bassist Stefan Redtenbacher in the thrilling, no-holds-barred Pete Roth Trio - PRT, fresh from a triumphant Canadian tour. 🔥🔥🔥

Former Yes and King Crimson sticksman Bill, number 16 in Rolling Stone's list of all-time best drummers, emerged from a near 15-year retirement to join Pete in this new project a couple of years ago, initially for fun.

But as the music developed - always pushing forwards, always improvising - the fledgling band started arranging dates outside their south-east base, their first coming at our venue in January last year. 💛🖤

Since then they have gone on to play bigger and bigger venues, touring Japan and most of Europe as well as playing on the mighty Cruise To The Edge out of Miami.

But they were mad-keen to come back to Wolvo.

"There was not even a question – we would have come back any time," Pete told WAC jazz development officer Steve Bradley.

Aww, shucks!

We're already really busy, but a few tickets remain.

Buy in advance, to save money, for Pete Roth Trio feat Bill Bruford, presented with Jazz At Wolverhampton, in our marquee. Link in Comments.

05/06/2026

Stefan Redtenbacher goes on stage with guitarist Pete Roth and drum legend Bill Bruford for the last time tomorrow (Saturday) after a magical few months depping for regular bassist Mike Pratt.

The Jaco Pastorius-oriented Austrian monster-musician and groovemeister, leader of Funkestra and recent Rumer accompanist, stepped in after Mike took time out for shoulder surgery, and has just returned from a triumphant Canadian tour with this explosive unit.

The Pete Roth Trio - PRT unleashes fearsome improvisations, some echoing Bruford's work with 70s King Crimson, in a no-holds-barred, jazz-without-limits maelstrom.

Pete told WAC jazz development officer Steve Bradley:

"Stefan and Bill were both at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford lecturing when I was a student there! But Stefan – he’s an absolutely ridiculous musician. His level of technical ability and musical knowledge is scary, so for us it’s great, having him filling Mike’s shoes, which are big to fill. Stefan has an incredible wealth of knowledge in harmony and great technique. Mike has a great soundscaping ability, so Stefan had a lot of work in order to get the sounds to continue Mike’s sound-vision, so there were a lot of recordings being sent around. But Stefan is one of those guys: he can learn a set and then turn up and play it without any music or anything, he has those ears and that type of technique and ability – quite impressive.

"He’s a super-creative soul, very positive like Mike – all of the band are very positive forces, and everything is accepted, there’s no preconception, there’s no judging. It is three equals stepping on stage at that moment, we decide to be equals at that moment – that doesn’t mean we are necessarily, in reality! And therefore we accept each other’s ideas as the full truth and run with that – that takes a lot of trust. I’ve known Stefan for 24 years now and I’ve played with him a lot over the last five years."

Last call, then, to fill the small gaps in the marquee for Pete Roth Trio feat Bill Bruford, presented with Jazz At Wolverhampton. Link in Comments.

📷 by Jason Gilchrist

05/06/2026

🔥🔥🔥

Join us tomorrow at Jazz at Wolverhampton Arts Centre for Stefan Redtenbacher’s final show with the trio.

Stefan is a remarkable musician and one of the most distinctive bassists on the scene today. When Mike Pratt needed time away to recover from surgery, Stefan stepped in and embraced our deliberately unorthodox approach with great skill, sensitivity and commitment.

Mike set a very high standard, and Stefan not only honoured that foundation but also brought his own musical voice to the band. It has been a privilege to share the stage with him.

So tomorrow is both a sad and happy occasion. Sad because Stefan has been such a wonderful addition to the trio, but happy because Mike has made a full recovery, is playing brilliantly, and will be back at The Stables MK.

We hope you can join us for this special evening. Pete Roth Trio featuring Bill Bruford in Stage 2 at The Stables, Milton Keynes! fans Bill Bruford Pete Roth Tama Drums Fender D'Angelico Guitars ProgJazz Prog Radio The Progressive Aspect Bill Bruford fans Steve Bradley

04/06/2026

Come and see returning drum icon Bill Bruford powering the ferocious Pete Roth Trio at Wolverhampton Arts Centre this Saturday (June 6) at 7.30pm.

A few tickets remain for what promises to be another no-holds-barred, jazz-without-borders gig, driven on by the legendary Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee (Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Earthworks).

Expect blistering improvisations as Bill, in the top 20 of Rolling Stone's best-drummers list, joins explosive guitarist Pete Roth and, fresh from accompanying Rumer in London with his storming Funkestra, dep bassist Stefan Redtenbacher, for some spur-of-the-moment interplay.

Pete recalled how the band's sell-out gig here in January 2025 kicked off something huge. 🧡🖤

He told WAC jazz development officer Steve Bradley:

"You were the start of the world tour! It’s very true. After that we went to Portugal, and then we went to Japan, we went to Spain – we did the Donostia jazz festival where Bill received a lifetime award, at Jazzaldia – an enormous festival. We were on live, national television.

"Then we did Paris, then we did the Scandinavian countries (other than Denmark). Then Estonia, and we've not long come back from Miami doing the Cruise To The Edge, and all of this really shaped the band and we sort of seemed to move on, in terms of audience size; you grow with it.

"Every time you reach something where you think yeah, that’s good, that doesn’t become your standard, it becomes your new ground-zero. That’s a really interesting concept - Bill is really great at that. He doesn’t accept any complacency – not that we are like that. So it’s always, OK, this is good, we’ve done this now, what’s the next step? How can we improve? It’s a great drive and a great energy." 💥💥💥

Join us for Pete Roth Trio feat Bill Bruford, presented with Jazz At Wolverhampton. Link in Comments.

📷 by Garry Corbett

03/06/2026

He's probably in the top two of the biggest names in music (Blur being the others) to have graced the Wolverhampton Arts Centre stage, and he's back this Saturday (June 6), powering the Pete Roth Trio - PRT. 💥💥💥

Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Bill Bruford, number 16 in Rolling Stone's list of greatest drummers of all time, displays his jazz side with Pete Roth (guitar) and Stefan Redtenbacher (bass), a storming, freewheeling power trio that occasionally evokes the fearsome improvising of King Crimson-era Red - one of iconic Bill's greatest accomplishments.

After developing a prog-rock CV to die for, through landmark work with Yes, Crimson and, briefly, Genesis, Bill spiralled magnificently into the jazz universe with his own captivating band Earthworks, featuring at various times Django Bates, Iain Ballamy, Tim Garland and Gwilym Simcock.

Pete told WAC jazz development officer Steve Bradley that Bill - never one for nostalgia - had turned down the lucrative opportunity to play with Beat, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin's vibrant celebration of 80s Crimson:

"I think [Beat drummer] Danny Carey has got to go off to do something somewhere, and they just asked him recently if he wants to come and do a bunch of gigs, and for whatever reason Bill goes 'oh, no, I’m happy to play with Pete'. He did turn it down, absolutely! He’s just going 'nah, I’m not interested'.

"He’s an artist through and through – he’s only interested in the art. And I thought it’s easy to say, but once you start working with him, this is true, there’s no doubt that absolutely number one for him is to create good art. He’s not interested in the financial implications or anything else."

Don't miss Pete Roth Trio feat Bill Bruford, presented with Jazz At Wolverhampton. Link in Comments.

📷 by Garry Corbett

02/06/2026

A special message from Pete Roth! Join us at Wolverhampton Arts Centre this Saturday! Just a few tickets remaining for Pete Roth Trio feat Bill Bruford... 💥💥💥

01/06/2026

Pete Roth Trio - PRT, featuring the mighty Bill Bruford, rapturously received by 700 fans in Quebec last night! 💥💥💥

Witness their return to Wolverhampton Arts Centre this Saturday. 🧡🖤

https://wolverhamptonartscentre.co.uk/events/pete-roth-trio-bill-bruford/

01/06/2026

Pure coincidence, this, but an extraordinary King Crimson double bill awaits fans in Wolverhampton this weekend! 🧡🖤

This Saturday (June 6), we welcome Pete Roth Trio feat Bill Bruford to Wolverhampton Arts Centre, following their triumphant sell-out gig for us in January 2025.

The very next night, the frankly extraordinary Beat, featuring Bill's 80s Crimson bandmates Adrian Belew and Tony Levin, plus Steve Vai and Danny Carey, play at The Halls Wolverhampton!

Can you resist this remarkable opportunity?

Superb German guitarist Pete Roth fronts the explosive jazz-without-borders trio at our venue, featuring deputising bassist Stefan Redtenbacher and legendary sticksman Bill, number 16 in Rolling Stone's list of all-time top drummers.

Pete told WAC jazz development officer Steve Bradley about the Beat match-up:

"They’re the night after? Oh yeah, that might be quite interesting! Maybe people will do that.

"We met Adrian Belew at Cruise To The Edge on the ship. Adrian is just about the nicest person on the planet – what a sweetheart! We spent a lot of time talking about effects pedals, having a really boring conversation to the rest of the world, but we loved it! Of course he’s the master – he’s the original guy with all of that. I’m a huge Steve Vai fan as well, absolutely one of my heroes. He’s the reason I got into technical guitar playing, I love a lot of blues players, but I don’t consider that technical in the Steve Vai sense, that’s sort of next level, which then set me up to play high-level jazz! Because that sort of gave me the facility. I owe him a lot."

Don't miss Pete Roth Trio - PRT, presented with Jazz At Wolverhampton. Link in Comments.

📷 by Garry Corbett