5 Must-See Shows at The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival 2018
Edinburgh’s Jazz & Blues Festival is back and better than ever! The annual festival plays host to the finest jazz and blues talent from all corners of the globe. So whether you’re a seasonsed Jazz fan or dipping your toe in the genre, there’s something for everyone. To ensure you don’t miss out, we’ve had a chat to the lovely folks who arrange the festival and they have carefully selected 5 Must-See Shows at The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival 2018!
Also, don’t forget to look out for the free open air Mardi Gras (14th July) and Edinburgh Festival Carnival (15th July) events. For the full programme click here.
1. New to Jazz
- Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd July
- The Assembly Hall
- www.edinburghjazzfestival.com/new-to-jazz
New to Jazz? Let’s start at the birth of jazz. Louis Armstrong is widely regarded as one of the Founding Father’s of Jazz. James Williams is the leading New Orleans jazz trumpeter and singer of today and presents two homages to Armstrong, singing in his own voice, which is amazingly like the original Louis. Direct from Treme, Williams is a real show-stopper, charismatic, with all the swagger and relaxed cool of the master. A great show of classic New Orleans music is in store, with an all star band. He also plays with the New Orleans Swamp Donkeys Traditional Jass Band.
2. The Bratislava Hot Serenaders
- Wednesday 18th July
- Festival Theatre
- www.edinburghjazzfestival.com/bratislava-hot-serenaders.html
Moving to the jazz age – The Bratislava Hot Serenaders – evoke the era of the Great Gatsby. This simply sensational 21-piece band plays vintage swing and hot jazz and dance music from the 20s and 30s with extraordinary authenticity and pizazz.
Brass, reeds and violin players combine to play the sweet and hot music that dazzled pre-war Europe, transporting audiences with brilliant musicianship, period dress, and all the genuine style of the period. It’s a unique and completely intoxicating experience, especially when the harmony group, “The Serenaders Sisters” and their two male vocalist colleagues add classic crooning and beautiful balladeering.
3. Blues from Chicago
- 13th-22nd July
- Assembly Hall
- www.edinburghjazzfestival.com/blues-from-chicago
Blues from Chicago sparked the British blues boom in the 1960s – the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall, and hundreds more “blues-rock” bands – and it was Muddy Waters who personified Blues from Chicago. Now, his son and former musical director deliver a concert of two halves, Mud Morganfield Band and John Primer Band play the classic electric blues. The Festival also welcomes two exciting blues newcomers who are making waves internationally: Blind Boy Paxton and Marquise Knox. Both make their Festival debuts this year.
4. Keyon Harrold
- Saturday 14th July
- George Square Spiegeltent
- www.edinburghjazzfestival.com/keyon-harrold
Hailed as “the future of the trumpet” by Wynton Marsalis, and “one to watch” by Rolling Stone, Keyon Harrold has toured with some of world’s biggest names in jazz and pop (Beyoncé, Gregory Porter, Common). Keyon, finally earned a star turn as the voice of Miles Davis in Don Cheadle-helmed biopic “Miles Ahead”, for which he won a Grammy Award. Now he tours with his own music “a sonic blend of past, present and future” (Downbeat) and features his band in music that can be sweeping and cinematic, dense with contemporary beats, and true to the jazz tradition.
5. Davina and the Vagabonds
- Thursday 19th and Friday 20th July
- Festival Theatre
- www.edinburghjazzfestival.com/davina-the-vagabonds
Davina and the Vagabonds have created a stir with their high-energy live shows, brilliant musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism and commanding stage presence. Their shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments that evoke Kurt Weill, and tender gospel passages. Davina’s voice and stage presence have been compared to Etta James, Fats Domino, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday and Betty Boop, but comparisons don’t suffice; she is a true original.
When you need a break from all the fun…
This sanctuary in the city is tucked away down a lane just off Gilmore Place. From the moment you step through the private gate, you feel like it’s your home from home. Gilmore Place is situated in a fabulous location v close to Bruntsfield. See more photos from charming 29 Gilmore Place here.
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