Aberdeen Jazz Festival has announced it will return to live performances with 18 concerts across the city this autumn.
The special 10-day event will run from September 30 to October 10 with some of the leading names in jazz performing at a range of venues and a range of styles from swing to big band, to funky/soul and folk-jazz crossovers.
It follows the festival’s successful online event in its usual March slot earlier this year.
Neil Gibbons, the festival’s director, said: “In the teeth of lockdown, we began Aberdeen Jazz Festival 2021 in March with a series of digital concerts which proved very popular. What a pleasure to be back to complete the festival with a programme of local and international music that we know audiences will love.
Spirit of Aberdeen Jazz Festival is very much alive
“The spirit of Aberdeen Jazz Festival is very much alive and we can’t wait to get started again and welcome audiences during our brilliant festival celebrating all that’s great in live jazz.”
The September series of concerts will start with a poignant tribute on the opening Friday at the Blue Lamp with a tribute to the city’s leading jazz musician, Bill Kemp, who died in April.
Bill was a mainstay of nearly every leading city jazz group from the 1960s to the 2020s and was a drummer who played with national and international stars.
Marisha Addison, who performed with Bill for more than 40 years, will present We Love You Bill where old and young musical colleagues will play together in different formats, with Bill’s great friend Fabrizio Conte; star-pupil Richard Glassby and leading UK drummer Alyn Cosker taking the maestro’s seat.
Also on the opening Friday will be one of the great European bands of today’s jazz world, pianist, Espen Eriksen brings his trio to the Blue Lamp.
Other musical highlights will be a new all-female group led by singer, violinist and broadcaster Seonaid Aitken, featuring five string players and saxophonist Helena Kay.
Meanwhile, the leading Glasgow soul-funk-nu jazz group Corto Alto will be on the bill as will Greek singer Irini Arabatzi in duo with piano wunderkind Fergus McCreadie.
How to get tickets for Aberdeen Jazz Festival
Also appearing will be a new double tenor saxophone-led band featuring two of Scotland’s hottest young musicians, Matthew Kilner and Matt Carmichael, plus the infectious grooves of Funk Connection; and the sultry soulful vocals of Niki King with her new project, Time.
There will also be a Lemon Tree party with the irrepressible Tom McGuire & The Brassholes.
The concerts will be at a range of venues, such as The Blue Lamp, Queen’s Cross Church, Spin, Revolution de Cuba, Lemon Tree and Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Eleven of the gigs will be recorded for a special online festival, to be held from October 15 to 22.
For more information and tickets go to www.aberdeenjazzfestival.com