Ipswich Jazz Festival 2020

Posted by Ipswich Jazz Festival on 6 February 2020 | Comments

Ipswich Jazz Festival 2020 launched

Building on the success of past Ipswich Jazz Festivals, the fifth and biggest yet Ipswich Jazz Festival to be held from 26th to 28th June 2020 will feature eleven varied live music events plus workshops, film and lecture. 

The festival run by a local not-for-profit group, includes a whole day of free live jazz music on Ipswich Cornhill between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 27th June, with funding by Ipswich Borough Council and Arts Council England, in addition to ticketed gigs by some of the UK’s top jazz names. Ticketed gigs cost just £15 with some concessionary tickets for people on low incomes at £1.

Starting off in party style with Latin jazz band Picante led by Jools Holland’s saxophonist Derek Nash, the festival features jive and swing band The Jive Aces (with a jive and swing dance class beforehand to work on the moves!), exciting London band Kansas Smitty’s House Band, singer Tina May backed up by trumpeter Enrico Tomasso, saxophonist Mark Lockheart, Owen Dawson on trombone and the Chris Ingham Trio as well as the South Suffolk Youth Jazz Ensemble

Kansas Smitty’s House Band

Local nu-jazz trio Bigger than Home start the free live events on the Cornhill followed by a different and new band Motuz with a live contemporary dancer.  Singer Rosina Hepburn and her band brings American Songbook classics to life while the Jazz Dynamos will perform 80’s pop classics in a jazz style.  Finally, acclaimed jazz harp player Alina Bzezhinska and her quartet will round off the free event with her HipHarp show.

Ipswich Institute host a lecture on the links between Jazz and The Blues while Ipswich Film Theatre will show the film The Geordie Jazz Man and working in partnership, music venue The Smokehouse will host a new wave jazz performer.

There are workshops on jive and swing dancing, music photography, the links between the music of Bach and Charlie Parker, jazz singing with Tina May and jazz improvisation for beginners while the festival is funding workshop for the South Suffolk Youth Jazz Ensemble and the West Suffolk Youth Jazz Orchestra with sax player Mark Lockheart.

Full details, including how to buy tickets are on the Ipswich Jazz Festival website.

Festival Director Neil Bateman said:

“We have had tremendous support from Ipswich Borough Council, Arts Council England with sponsorship by Attwells Solicitors and Fred.Olsen Cruises which makes all of this possible.  The festival has grown each year and the line-up this year is really exciting and varied.  There’s so much music going on in this town, let’s celebrate it!”

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