The 30th Glasgow Jazz Festival starts…

Glasgow’s longest running music festival – the Glasgow Jazz Festival – kicks off tonight (Wed 22 June) with a fantastic array of gigs across the city.
 
New York jazz trio FLY, featuring Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier & Jeff Ballard, will take to the stage in the Old Fruitmarket supported by Glasgow’s own, New Focus.  Ground breaking saxophonist, MC and composer Soweto Kinch will play brand new festival venue, St. Luke’s in the city’s east end, bringing his unique style of jazz, rap and spoken word to the iconic Glasgow church turned music venue.
 
Jazz fans in the city centre can see legendary guitarist George Benson play the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Funk Nation at Wild Cabaret, Brasstracks at King Tuts or David Patrick’s stunning jazz reinterpretation of The Rite of Spring in the Recital Room at City Halls.  Fans in the city’s west end can catch Pete Josef at the Hug and Pint or head down to the Rio Café for Jazzy Wednesday’s with Lorne Cowieson.  Basically, wherever you are, you won’t be far from some brilliant live jazz!
 
Highlights to look forward to throughout this year’s Glasgow Jazz Festival include Glasgow songbird Carol Kidd’s performance in St Luke’s on Saturday 25 June.  World-renowned vibraphonist Joe Locke and his Quartet at the Old Fruitmarket on Sunday 26 June and tenor sax extraordinaire and Grammy nominee, Kamasi Washington at the Queen Margaret Union on Monday 27 June.
 
Legendary James Brown band saxophonist, Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis’ will be collaborating with Glasgow Jazz Festival fan favourites, old school funk outfit Federation of the Disco Pimp at the Old Fruitmarket on Thursday 23 June. Another unmissable collaboration will be jazz trumpeter Ryan Quigley and his Big Band joined by Hamish Stuart, of Average White Band fame, for a very special one-off collaborative concert at the Old Fruitmarket on Friday 24 June.

Jill Rodger, Glasgow Jazz Festival Director said,
 
 “We can’t wait for this year’s festival to get underway, it’s such an achievement to reach our 30th edition and we are now Glasgow’s longest running music festival! I’ve worked on the event since the first year, so I’ve watched it grow.  We’ve had some amazing performers such as Nina Simone and Miles Davis but the one thing that has always stood out for me is the crowd.  Their enthusiasm and appetite for such a rich variety of jazz music has allowed us to get the festival to where it is today and I can’t wait to see the crowds at this year’s gigs!”
 
For full information of this year’s Glasgow Jazz Festival programme and to buy tickets go to www.jazzfest.co.uk