Published: 14 Mar 2023
Fergus McCreadie, Atom Eyes, Helena Kay (photo by Benjamin Ealovega), Rachel Duns, Juliette Lemoine, Sebastian Rochford.
Aberdeen Jazz Festival returns to the city this spring with a joyous celebration of fantastic live music that runs the jazz gamut from smooth, to raucous, trail-blazing to traditional. Across its twenty-year history, the ten-day spring event has grown to become Scotland’s second largest jazz festival.
From the 16th to the 26th of March this year, the festival will bring the granite city to life in characteristic style, packing its venues with eclectic live music that will push boundaries, lift spirits, and feed the soul. Festival-goers will have the opportunity to hear innovative music from top local, national, and international performers, while budding performers can immerse themselves in the action by taking part in workshops and open jam sessions. Venues like The Blue Lamp, Cowdray Hall, Resident X, Queen’s Cross Church, The Lemon Tree, Bon Accord Baths, as well as community venues: community centres and care homes and more, will come alive with standout festival performances.
From intimate to epic and shades in between. Notable performances include: a poignant duo between celebrated Aberdeen drummer Sebastian Rochford and pianist Kit Downes; Mercury-nominated Fergus McCreadie in duet with Matt Carmichael; Martin Kershaw’s critically acclaimed octet; Dutch violinist Tim Kliphuis’ jazz-tinged re-imagining of Vivaldis Four Seasons and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra who perform Tommy Smith’s swinging big band arrangement of Peter and the Wolf - narrated in Doric.
Exploring around the edge of jazz and other genre boundaries is a particular theme this year. The award-winning Berlin-based drummer and producer Magro, Edinburgh’s Atom Eyes, and the festival-commissioned Dee Don Danube take audiences on musical expeditions artfully traversing the common terrain between jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. The intersections and overlaps between Scottish traditional music and jazz will also be sensitively interrogated in the music of festival artists such as well-known pianist Dave Milligan and James Lindsay’s Torus. Alongside these genre-blurring performances, audiences can expect high-octane blues performances by Gerry Jablonski and Kyla Brox, a fiery salsa fiesta with Son al Son, smooth and contemporary swing concerts by celebrated trumpeter Colin Steele and others, soulful vocals by Georgia Cecile, tributes to the jazz greats Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, and much more.
Another of the festival’s more unusual and highly anticipated events is SoundBath: a series of site-specific performances in the historic Bon Accord Baths. Closed to the public since 2008, the vast, light-drenched, atmospheric cathedral-like space will form an atmospheric backdrop to two new and specially-commissioned short performances by cellist Juliette Lemoine and saxophonist Helena Kay.
The Aberdeen Jazz Festival is the current winner of the ‘Outstanding Cultural Event or Festival’ category at the 2022 Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism awards and is a finalist in the prestigious Thistle Awards 2023 alongside Glasgow’s Celtic Connections and the Edinburgh International Festival. With the outcome due to be announced on the 9th of February 2023, festival organisers hope to add to their recent success and bring the title home to the North-East.
The Aberdeen Jazz Festival is funded by Creative Scotland and Aberdeen City Council
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotland said: “Over the past 20 years, Aberdeen has developed a jazz scene that is distinctively its own. The Aberdeen Jazz Festival has played a key role in this, bringing international stars to the city while nurturing local talent and giving high-profile platforms to emerging artists. Jazz is a genre that refuses to be easily categorised, so it’s great to see the programme reflect the threads of hip hop, R&B and world music that now feed into Aberdeen’s vibrant cultural identity.”
Cllr Martin Greig, Culture Spokesperson for Aberdeen City Council said: “It’s good that Aberdeen City Council has been able to provide funding for Aberdeen Jazz Festival in its 20th year. The latest programme offers a splendid musical celebration which will be enjoyed by so many. The Jazz Festival is an important part of our city’s vibrant cultural scene and helps us with our aspirations to be a place where music is increasingly enjoyed and valued.”
Aberdeen Jazz Festival is funded by Creative Scotland and Aberdeen City Council and is Scotland’s second largest jazz event. Presented by the leading jazz promoter, Jazz Scotland, it takes place annually in March and attracts leading musicians from all over the world, in a programme that spans jazz, blues and more.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot
The Aberdeen Jazz Festival runs at various venues in Aberdeen City from the 16 - 26 March 2023.
Ticket prices range from free to £16.
Coralie Usmani: coralie@jazzscotland.com / 07399 457 659
