Music
Glasgow Jazz Festival announces 30th anniversary line-up
Glasgow Jazz Festival has just announced its 30th anniversary line-up and it looks like they’ll be celebrating in style.
With some of the biggest names in Jazz, the very finest of Scotland’s homegrown talent, some of the most well-known festival faces, and an array of one-off musical collaborations, the new line-up is sure to impress even the most ardent jazz fan.
Glasgow’s very own Carol Kidd, who performed at the very first Glasgow Jazz Festival, will be back in St Luke’s on Saturday 25 June, to celebrate 30 years of jazz music. Elsewhere, vibraphonist Joe Locke and his Quartet will be playing in the Old Fruitmarket on Sunday 26 June, supported by young jazz quartet Square One – best known for their free-spirited, energised performances. In addition, and fresh from a two week Coachella residency, tenor saxophonist extraordinaire Kamasi Washington will be playing the Queen Margaret Union on Monday 27 June.
The Glasgow Jazz Festival will take place in various venues across the city from Wednesday 22 June. The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, City Halls, The Old Fruitmarket, St Luke’s and The Hug and Pint will all come alive to help mark the festival’s landmark year.
Legendary saxophonist Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis – one of the key members of James Brown’s band in the 1960s – will join Glasgow’s modern funk pioneers Federation of the Disco Pimp, forming one of the many collaborations especially organised for the festival’s 30th year; the combination of Pee Wee’s legendary sound and FOTDP’s old-school funk promises to be an unforgettable partnership. They’ll be playing the Old Fruitmarket on Thursday 23 June.
Also on the bill are Scotland’s mighty jazz trumpeter Ryan Quigley and his Big Band, Hamish Stuart, of Average White Band fame, and Grahame Skinner, formerly frontman of Hipsway. Lastly, to especially mark the 30th anniversary, the festival is celebrating some of the up-and-coming musicians within the Scottish Jazz Scene today by naming 30 Under 30 – a collection of young Scottish Jazz musicians making waves in the global music scene, many of whom will perform at the festival.
To further celebrate this significant year, Glasgow Music City Tours have programmed a unique walking tour that will trace the history and the highlights of the city’s longest-running annual music event.
Jill Rodger, Director of Glasgow Jazz Festival, said: “We are very excited to be launching the 30th Glasgow Jazz Festival! I can’t wait to introduce the array of exciting big name artists to the Glasgow Jazz Festival stage, to welcome back old friends and showcase some fantastic new, one-off collaborations.”
Tickets for the Glasgow Jazz Festival are on sale now, get yours here.
