Guildford Jazz & Soul Festival

Karen Neville

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jazz

Karen Neville

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Guildford Jazz & Soul Festival features 16 events across 14 venues and is celebrating the best in UK and local jazz and soul from September 4th through to October 17th

Guildford Jazz has always been about bringing the best, established UK jazz artists to Guildford. Why go to Ronnie Scott’s when you can have the same experience in Guildford?

Its first jazz and soul festival naturally includes many of the sort of artists who you could see at major venues and festivals across the UK. Headline acts include Natalie Williams Soul Family, who make a rare appearance outside their monthly sold out residency at Ronnie’s, and Bill Laurance, the five times Grammy award-winning pianist and founding member of Snarky Puppy.

Other national artists already booked to appear include jazz pianists Jason Robello and Gwilym Simcock, award-winning saxophonist Tony Kofi and the Organisation, rising jazz stars vocalist Emily Masser and saxophonist Alex Clarke, BBC Radio Jazz Records Requests presenter Alyn Shipton talking about his latest book and performing music from the Jerry Mulligan Quartets as part of the Guildford Book Festival, The Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir and guitarist Pete Roth.

Guildford Jazz’s founder, jazz bass player Marianne Windham explains why now is the right time for the festival. It was decided four years ago to organise the first locally curated Guildford Jazz Festival but just a week before it started lockdown hit. Since then Guildford Jazz has continued to grow and thrive.

It has teamed up with venues such as the Boileroom and The Stoke and attracted audiences at outdoor events and festivals and prides itself on being part of the community and having a reputation as one of the leading jazz clubs in the country.

She continues: “There are many lovers of live music locally who are still unaware of the world class music available on their doorstep. Rather than sit back and wait for them to stumble across us, we thought we would take the plunge and commit to a major high-profile festival to bring great live jazz and soul directly to music lovers who may not have heard of us, in venues across Guildford and in the streets, churches, restaurants, cafes and bars, wherever they normally hang out.

“We hope that the festival will bring the joy of live music to new listeners, bring more people back into the centre of town and be the next step in our journey to make Guildford a UK hub of creative live music.”

Many of the events are free. More information about Guildford Jazz, the festival and how to book tickets at Guildford Jazz

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Jazz & fizz at High Clandon

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Drink in the view and the music at Cherry Trees fundraiser at High Clandon

Join Cherry Trees charity at High Clandon for Jazz in the Vineyard on Saturday 8th June for a sparkling celebration of cool jazz.

Bring along a picnic or tuck into one of the stone-baked pizzas as you sip a complimentary glass of Gloriana Cuvée, sit back, drink in the views and chill listening to the sweet sounds of The Sue Richardson Quintet at either the matinee, 1pm start, or evening performance which begins at 6.15pm.

Your feet will tap as you celebrate the unsung heroes of jazz, led by Sue with the quintet’s feel-good show, Bird.

Feel free to take along anything else you may need to make your evening comfortable, such as tables, chairs and cushions. Why not upgrade your experience and pre-book one of the cabaret-style seats. Chairs cost £10 per person and will be spread around shared tables. This can be added to your booking when purchasing your tickets below. Tickets are £45 per person with all proceeds supporting the children and families who rely on Cherry Trees.

Cherry Trees helps to keep families together by providing home from home care for children with complex disabilities and a meaningful break for their families. Supporting children and young people up to the age of 19 with learning, physical and sensory impairments, Cherry Trees provides care after school, for a few hours, overnight or for a longer stay.

Book tickets for Jazz in Vineyard at Jazz in the Vineyard | Cherry Trees

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Move to the Boileroom Beat

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The new jazz scene comes to Guildford with a series of gigs by new exciting artists, starting on October 21st with Camilla George

Visionary saxophonist Camilla George kicks off the Beat series at the Boileroom with a heady mix of afrobeat, hip hop and jazz.

Expect an up-tempo feast of stunning jazz horns, polyrhythmic drums, guitar and keys and Camilla’s sax flying effortlessly between lush afrobeat and jazz melodies.

Camilla has carved out her own unique identity in the vibrant London scene, with her strong cultural roots and love of fusing African and Western Music. Following her critically acclaimed debut album Isang and much lauded follow up The People Could Fly in 2018 Camilla launches her third album Ibio, Ibio at London’s Jazz Café on 16th November.

Camilla studied with several jazz greats including sax giant Jean Toussaint. Her band have supported Courtney Pine and Femi Kuti and played many festivals including EFG London Jazz Festival, Cheltenham Jazz and We Out Here. She has also been a member of celebrated group Jazz Jamaica since 2009.

Check it out and move to the beat

Over the last few years the UK has become home to a diverse, accessible and newly confident new jazz scene whose innovative sounds are liberating the genre for new audiences. That vibrant UK new jazz scene is now coming to Guildford as Guildford Jazz teams up with the Boileroom to present some of the best and hippest new UK jazz, funk, afro sound, and blues fusion artists.

The Beat series, which is co-funded by Arts Council England, kicks off on October 21st with visionary saxophonist Camilla George’s up tempo feast of afrobeat hip hop and jazz. Other artists appearing in the series are Mark Kavuma’s Banger Factory, Yolanda Charles Project Ph, Xhosa Cole, Alex Hitchcock and Rosie Frater -Taylor.

Come along, check it out and move to the beat

Find out more

Tickets are £12 and available at guildfordjazz.org.uk/ and www.theboileroom.net/

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Guildford Jazz Fest

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The team behind Guildford Jazz are getting ready to hold their first festival this month
with a variety of jazz –as well as funk and Latin – on the bill

Guildford Jazz are getting ready to blow their own trumpet as the first Guildford Jazz Fest is set to take place between 20th and 22nd March.

The three-day event at Guildford’s Electric Theatre will feature music from leading UK jazz, Latin and funk artists and begins on 20th by putting some of the best young jazz musicians from across Surrey in the spotlight, from small ensembles to big bands.

Ease yourself into Saturday with a New Orleans jazz brunch with live music from clarinet maestro Duncan Batchelor and his quartet. Follow that with a wide choice of jazz styles including rising star of the British jazz scene Nicolas Meier who is influenced by his love of Middle Eastern and Turkish music; funk and world-music roller coaster from renowned trombonist Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio and Sandy Burnett reliving The Age of Jazz.

Rounding off Saturday, Pete Churchill sings jazz before headliner Iain Ballamy performs 21st Century Pastoral, an arrangement for big band of music by Ballamy spanning his 30-year career.

Sunday brings Alan Barnes and Dave Newton before a Creole jazz lunch spices things up ahead of the afternoon offerings featuring a tribute to the music of Henry Mancini from The Mark Nightingale/Alan Barnes/Steve Waterman Sextet before a showing of classic Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill, Jr featuring live musical accompaniment by Gareth Williams, one of the country’s leading modern jazz pianists.

Photos from left: Ian Ballamy, event poster, Marianne Windham

The festival finishes with Latin jazz salsa 
courtesy of Heads South combining Cuban and other Latin rhythms.

Founder of Guildford Jazz which is behind the festival, Marianne Windham is excited about the first for the community-based arts organisation.

She said: “The festival represents a celebration of all that Guildford Jazz is about: bringing the finest UK jazz musicians to Guildford to play a wide spectrum of accessible music in a friendly-club like atmosphere. There is something for everyone in the programme whether you are just looking for great live music or are a committed jazzer.”

Guildford Jazz has been running regular events since 2011, has organised more than 250 gigs, holds two outdoor concerts a year as well as hosting a monthly jam session.

All profits from the festival will go the local charity partner Guildford Philanthropy which helps local people disadvantaged by disability, poor education, mental illness or caring responsibilities.

Find more details

For more details and to book tickets click below or call 01483 501200.

Click here

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Abingdon Jazz Festival

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Jumping for joy at Abingdon Jazz Festival

Jazz is alive and well in Abingdon this month when the town plays host to the Abingdon Jazz Festival courtesy of the Friends of Abingdon and Music at the Unicorn.

The festival will take place throughout the town centre including the ancient Long Gallery of the old Abingdon Abbey Buildings from 10th to 12th May. The festival will include at least eight main concerts in the centre of town.

This year’s artists will include Art Themen, Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble, Fleur Stevenson Trio, Funk Bake, New Jazz Sextet and many many more.

Themen will be well known to many music fans of all genres, over his long career he has played with Rod Stewart, Alexis Korner, Joe Cocker and Long John Baldry among others.

Gilad’s music is more of a cultural hybrid, he merges the music of the Middle East and Eastern Europe with jazz and contemporary music.

Exciting modern jazz ensemble Thixoitropy will play new compositions as well as some of the standards; the Fleur Stevenson Trio features one of the new breed of jazz singers and with the Alvin Roy Quartet, The Heavy Dexters, Funk Bake and the New Jazz Sextet there really something to suit every jazz buff.

Chairman of Friends of Abingdon, Brian Brown said they are delighted to be preseting the festival. He added: “The festival will be centred in the Friends’ medieval and atmospheric Abbey Buildings plus other buildings throughout the town. Great musicians, wonderful acoustics ad lots of fun.”

Michael Ward, chairman of Music at the Unicorn called it a “celebration of brilliant live music with something for everyone”. He said: “A third of the events are free so if you’ve never experienced live jazz before this is the event for you.”

Art Themen

a celebration of brilliant live music with something for everyone

For more information and to book tickets visit www.abingdonjazzfestival.org.uk 

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