After 26 years as a band, the Leeds, UK-bred international funk group The New Mastersounds has decided to retire gracefully from international touring. They have announced the TTFN Tour to mark the end of their US touring activities, with New York shows at Buffalo Iron Works, Blue Note NYC, Lark Hall and The Stephen Talkhouse on Long Island.
TTFN is an abbreviation for “Ta-ta for now,” the informal British way of saying goodbye, an appropriate sentiment as the band embarks on their last tour dates across the USA.
The New Mastersounds said in a group statement, “We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who’s supported us and joined us on this incredible journey over the years. To say a proper goodbye to you all, we have put together an extensive tour throughout the rest of the year. We begin the farewell tomorrow (April 16) in St. Louis, Missouri, and it will conclude at our home-away-from-home at Denver’s Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom for two nights of NYE shows on December 30th & 31st. Come join us on this farewell tour, and we hope to see you in a city near you!”
After an April run leading into the band’s annual two-night stand at House of Blues in New Orleans during Jazz Fest, the group picks back up in July starting with a pair of shows at the iconic Blue Note in New York City before heading down the east coast. In October, the band begins the west coast leg of their TTFN tour with stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, and more before heading back east to make the rounds in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and more. The band is slated to play two shows in Chicago at the Ramova Theatre on November 14 and the newly-opened Garcia’s on November 15.
The New Mastersounds have been delighting audiences with their infectious brand of funky soul-jazz since they formed in Leeds, England in 1999. For the first five years of the band’s career they were regulars at the Jazz Café in London, before they began to turn heads on the funk scene in the US, where guitarist/producer/bandleader Eddie Roberts now lives.
For over a decade they have been a staple act of the late-night scene during New Orleans’ annual Jazz Fest. Always happy to hit the studio between tours, this veteran band now boasts a rich recorded catalogue that includes fifteen original studio albums, four live albums, several compilations, and a remix album, with multiple placements on the Billboard charts.
Though they have collaborated over the years with such musical luminaries as Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Corinne Bailey Rae, Art Neville, Bernard Purdie and Lou Donaldson, they are at their best on stage as a tightly-packed quartet – bass, drums, guitar and keyboards – firing off scorching grooves and feeding on the energy of the dancers in the front row.
While the band concludes their US touring as they started in their polished original quartet form, they will be joined by vocalist Lamar Williams Jr. (Trouble No More, Oteil & Friends) and horn regulars Mike Olmos on trumpet and Jason Mingledorf on saxophone at their Cervantes’ New Years Eve shows and plenty of guests along the way.
Local pre-sale for the The New Mastersounds TTFN Tour goes on sale at 10 AM local time on Thursday, April 17. General on-sale is Friday, April 18 at 10 AM local. For tickets and additional information, click here.
TTFN TOUR DATES
4/16/25: Delmar Hall – St. Louis, MO
4/17/25: Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – Back Room – Kalamazoo, MI
4/18/25: Moontown Brewing Company – Whitestown, IN
4/19/25: Thunderbird Music Hall – Pittsburgh, PA
4/20/25: Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY
4/21/25: The Axis Club – Toronto, ON
4/25/25: House of Blues – New Orleans, LA
4/26/25: House of Blues – New Orleans, LA
7/15/25: Blue Note Jazz Club – New York, NY
7/16/25: Blue Note Jazz Club – New York, NY
7/17/25: Lark Hall – Albany, NY
7/19/25: 4848 Festival – Snowshoe, WV
7/20/25: Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH
7/23/25: The Stephen Talkhouse – Amagansett, NY
7/24/25: Beachcomber – Wellfleet, MA
7/25/25: Bayside Bowl – Portland, ME
7/26/25: The Range – Mason, NH
7/27/25: Park City Music Hall – Bridgeport, CT
10/23/25: Moe’s Alley – Santa Cruz CA
10/24/25: The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
10/25/25: Mystic Theatre – Petaluma, CA
10/28/25: The Venice West – Venice, CA
10/29/25: Belly Up – Solana Beach, CA
10/31/25: Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA
11/1/25: Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA
11/2/25: Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
11/5/25: Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
11/6/25: The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC
11/7/25: Colonial Oak Music Park – St. Augustine, FL
11/8/25: Terra Fermata – Stuart, FL
11/9/25: Terminal West – Atlanta, GA
11/11/25: Asheville Music Hall – Asheville, NC
11/14/25: Ramova Theatre – Chicago, IL
11/15/25: Garcia’s – Chicago, IL
11/16/25: High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI
11/18/25: Higher Ground Ballroom – South Burlington, VT
11/19/25: Somerville Theater – Somerville, MA
11/20/25: Ardmore Music Hall: Ardmore, PA
12/30/25: Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom – Denver, CO
12/31/25: Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom – Denver, CO
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