Long-term collaborators Sarah Gillespie and Chris Montague present the first live debut of a brand-new body of work at Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

This new repertoire forms the basis of a forthcoming duo album, recorded in a remote cottage on Loch Fyne, Scotland and due for release in October 2026. Stripped-back, raw and story-rich, the songs blend jazz, Americana, beat poetry and rootsy blues, pairing Gillespie’s incisive, poetics with Montague’s inventive, genre-crossing guitar work on electric, acoustic and mandolin. Their duo performances balance intimacy with risk, lyricism with improvisation. 

Sarah Gillespie is a critically acclaimed Anglo-American singer-songwriter and guitarist described by The Guardian as “an incandescent presence with superior lyrics,” With five albums, a collection of poetry and over 15 years of international touring, she has performed at CBGB’s (NYC), Blue Note Milan, Ronnie Scott’s and the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room, as well as playing live on BBC Woman’s Hour and Loose Ends. 

Chris Montague is one of the UK’s most distinctive guitar voices. He has been called: “The UK’s greatest jazz guitarist since John McLaughlin” (Marlbank) “Rootsy, adventurous… like Tom Waits guitarist, Mark Ribot” (Jazzwise) and received plaudits from Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Known for his adventurous harmonic palette and improvisational fearlessness, Montague co-wrote five tracks on Gillespie’s last album Half Cut and brings an edge of rawness and unpredictability to the duo’s live show.