Get booking for the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival!
The season of Edinburgh’s summer festivals is really starting to ramp up! Not to blow our own trumpet, but during the summer months nowhere in Scotland is better, has more events, or has a bigger buzz. The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival is one of the largest festivals of its kind and one of the most popular.
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival transports you to New Orleans!
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival brings the deep south to Scotland
Running July 17-26 at venues across the city, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival is the oldest Jazz Festival in the UK. Its strength lies in its refreshed programme and uniquely presents jazz and blues of all styles with equal weight. This year you’ll hear the traditional sounds of New Orleans jazz and Mississippi blues but also the cutting edge from the New York and European jazz scenes and of course the best of the Scottish jazz and blues scene.
So many amazing acts, it’s tough to choose!
Lil Ed and The Blues Imperials is just one of the amazing acts at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
This year at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival the list of acts is seriously impressive! Not only are the BBC Big Band playing a Sinatra Centenary Concert, but there is a host of major blues names including Lil Ed and The Blues Imperials, Moreland and Arbuckle, Grainne Duffy and Royal Southern Brotherhood and a Willie Dixon Centenary Concert featuring Maggie Bell and Tim Elliott. There’s also a great contemporary jazz line up, including Antonio Sanchez Migration, Ambrose Akinmusire, Enrico Zanisi, Trio Red, Jim Mullen with Tommy Smith, Kim Macari, Colin Steele Quintet, Stefano Bollani, Zoe Rahman Trio and Troker.
Expect a host of swinging jazz concerts, with Brian Kellock’s Dream Band featuring Scott Hamilton and Warren Vache, Enrico Tomasso and Ian Bateman playing Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer, John Burgess remembering Alex Welsh, Tom Gordon’s Basie 7 and Ryan Quigley and Paul Towndrow recreating the Clifford Brown and Charlie Parker “with Strings” recordings.
Ready for some serious soul?
Soul master George Benson will be playing
Crossing over to soul, alongside the feature George Benson concert, there’s a recreation of Average White Band’s classic album “Soul Searching” with a new band, Person To Person, with three original AWB members and Brooklyn soul star, Naomi Shelton and gospel superstars – The McCrary Sisters. There’s also beatboxer Butterscotch, Songhoy Blues crossing traditional Malian music with blues and “circus swing” from Gabby Young.
Traditional New Orleans band, The New Orleans Swamp Donkeys, will also bring their authentic Crescent City sound and other young groups will bring new life to the oldest jazz styles – Alligator Gumbo, Oriental Jazz Band and Shreveport Rhythm. There’s also a mini-Australian invasion including contemporary jazz stars, The Vampires, two great singers Briana Cowlishaw and Anita Wardell, the top saxophonist Sandy Evans and the young swing/roots hybrid Bearded Gypsy Band.
So what are you waiting for?
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival is one of the hottest events of the year. Fans, musicians and enthusiasts travel from all over the workd to attend!
Ticket information can be found at www.edinburghjazzfestival.com.
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