THE 40th anniversary of Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival promises newcomers as well as music legends who have marked the event’s history.
Highlights include Kurt Elling, Davina & The Vagabonds, Mud Morganfield, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Jools Holland, Dave Holland with Zakir Hussain and Chris Potter, The Average White Band, Blind Boy Paxton, Curtis Stigers, Betty Lavette and Maggie Bell.
The event also features world premieres from Scottish musicians such as Seonaid Aitken, American clarinet player Evan Christopher with The Scottish Swing Orchestra, Haftor Medboe’s duet with Swedish pianist Jacob Karlzon and Andrew Robb joined by Norwegian saxophonist Petter Wettre.
To celebrate the Year of Young People, 20 year old bassist Mark Hendry, 20-year-old pianist Fergus McCreadie and 18 year old singer Luca Manning who leads a brand new band featuring Greek singer Irini Arabatzi.
European Jazz comes from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Norway, Italy, Sweden and England with Mobo Award winners Soweto Kinch, Zara McFarlane and Zoe Rahman, groups like Bratislava Hot Serenaders and Robert Balzar Trio, plus major new stars in Vit Kristan, Harald Lassen and Juno.
Jason Rust, chair of the festival, said: “We are celebrating our anniversary with a bang.”
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The festival provides another high-quality showcase of jazz and blues from across the world for national and international audiences.”
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