The Cheltenham Jazz Festival returns from April 27th – May 2nd 2016 with its trademark mix of international jazz stars, homegrown talent and up-and-coming new artists.
With the majority of the programme still to be announced, the festival has released details of the first wave of acts confirmed to perform at next year’s event.
Making his Cheltenham debut is the Grammy-nominated US trumpeter Christian Scott aTundeAdjuah, who brings a 9-piece band to the festival to perform music from groundbreaking new album Stretch Music. Also making the trip across the pond are Tim Berne’s Snakeoil, a dynamic, New York-based band led by influential saxophonist Tim Berne, and the Becca Stevens Band, a group led by the rising star singer-songwriter.
The festival will also host the UK premiere of Let It Be Told, a new project by saxophonist Julian Arguelles. Featuring the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, fellow Loose Tubes alumnus Django Bates on piano and Julian’s brother Steve on percussion, the project explores the music of South African exiles. The recently released Let It Be Told album was hailed by The Guardian as an “effervescent and delightful tribute to South African jazz”.
Other artists confirmed to perform include the Giovanni Guidi Trio, a piano trio tipped by many for international success, Omar Sosa’s QuartetoAfroCubano, the afro-Cuban quartet led by inimitable pianist Omar Sosa, and Rom Schaerer Eberle, a ‘profoundly original’ trio who will perform new material to launch their forthcoming album ‘Après nous le déluge’.
"We’re extremely happy to have been able to follow on from the success of last year’s festival and include such a broad array of incredible artists in our initial announcement for CJF 2016. We’re once again looking to engage with as wide an audience as possible and will present a varied programme that offers a series of exciting performances from some of the best artists and groups the genre has to offer.” Festival Director Ian George
The 2016 Cheltenham Jazz Festival takes place from April 27th – May 2nd and is hosted in a tented festival village in Cheltenham’s Montpellier Gardens, featuring a Big Top stage, the Jazz Arena, and a food, drink and market area. The festival will continue to use nearby venues the Parabola Arts Centre, Cheltenham Town Hall and the Daffodil restaurant.
The full Cheltenham Jazz Festival line-up will be announced in early 2016.
Published on 26 November 2015 by Ben Robinson
