The Liverpool International Jazz Festival returns in February, and the first wave of performers for the five-day event has been announced.
The Capstone Theatre will host some of the best local and international jazz musicians on the scene from Thursday, February 22nd, 2024 to Sunday, February 25th, 2024.
Tommy Smith and Gwilym Simcock will collaborate on the festival’s opening night, bringing two generations of UK jazz mastery to the stage. Their intimate and intense duets have delighted audiences at events across Scotland and the UK, with a repertoire drawn from many musical avenues.
Tommy Smith, OBE, is a world-renowned saxophonist who has collaborated with artists such as Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, and Dame Cleo Laine, to name a few. Simcock, meanwhile, has established himself as one of Europe’s most gifted pianists and imaginative composers.
As David Helbock and the Austrian Syndicate take the stage on Friday night, the “young lions” of Austrian jazz will meet one of the most sought-after sidemen in the international jazz scene in recent decades.
Expect plenty of percussion, groove, and keyboards in the style of Joe Zawinul, Austria’s most successful jazz musician.
A collaboration with Liverpool’s own Indian arts and culture company, Milap, will take place on Saturday afternoon of the festival.
The Attuned Quartet will perform a jazz-Indian classical music fusion using electric violins, guitar, tabla, and cello to create melodic material based on Raags from North and South India, with Latin and jazz tradition influences.
Then, on Saturday evening, audiences will be treated to a performance by internationally renowned bassist and songwriter Yolanda Charles.
In his thirty-year career, Charles has collaborated with artists such as Hans Zimmer, Paul Weller, Robbie Williams, BB King, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Van Morrison, Mick Jagger, and Michael Jackson.
Charles will perform with her Project pH Instra-mentals group, which has drawn comparisons to Parliament/Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, and Yes.
Denys Baptiste, a saxophonist and UK jazz scene giant, will close the festival on Sunday night.
Baptiste reimagines and reworks compositions from John Coltrane’s late music (1963-1967) in a fresh and modern interpretation, perfectly balancing Baptiste’s unique artistic vision with the visceral emotions and cosmic references that comprise Coltrane’s late music.
Liverpool International Jazz Festival will take place from Thurs 22nd Feb to Sun 25th Feb 2024 at Liverpool Hope University’s Capstone Theatre and will be the eleventh incarnation of the Festival.
You can purchase tickets to any of the shows or a full festival ticket here or tickets for the Jazz Festival & What’s on at The Capstone Theatre visit the official website here.
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