The Birmingham International Jazz Festival celebrates its 25th Silver Anniversary this evening, with an All Star Jam Session at the city’s Botanical Gardens. It was a jam session in 1984 – fronted by the late Humphrey Lyttleton - that directly led to the very first festival , and went on to become  the Sunday Times’ ‘jazz record of the year’. The show tonight will be packed with some of the biggest names in British jazz, and will feature two interchangeable front lines. The full line up is:

1. Digby Fairweather (trumpet). Festival Patron and the only one of the Team of 1984 to play in this year’s version.
2. Enrico Tomasso (trumpet). Trumpet player with an authentic jazz pedigree, as a 7 year old famously played to Louis Armstrong on the tarmac at Leeds Airport. ‘I’ve not seen so much talent anywhere’, commented the great man.
3. Robert Fowler (tenor sax). Original and powerful soloist on tenor sax, baritone sax and clarinet. Played with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra and Alan Barnes’ Octet.
4. Art Themen (tenor sax). British Jazz Award winning, ex-orthopaedic surgeon (!), played with Alexis Korner, Mick Jagger and Jack Bruce.
5. Mark Nightingale (trombone). Ex MYJO and NYJO trombonist who has worked with international stars including Ray Brown and Clark Terry.
6. Ian Bateman (trombone). Versatile trombonist and member of Acker Bilk’s Paramount Jazz Band. Regular player with the Ronnie Scott Big Band.
7. Jim Hart (vibes). Talented drummer, pianist and vibes player. A regular with Sir John Dankworth’s bands.
8. David Newton (piano). One of the country’s most versatile and talented pianists. A regular winner of British Jazz Awards.
9. Dave Green (double bass). Freelance bassist and member of the Chris Barber Band. Played with Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins.
10. Ralph Salmins (drums). One of the country’s most accomplished jazz drummers. Played with everyone from Madonna and Bob Dylan to James Moody and Jimmy Wetherspoon.
11. Val Wiseman (vocals). West Bromwich born singer, closely associated with the Billie Holiday tribute ‘Lady Sings the Blues’. Numerous recordings under her own name.

Tickets £10 (0121 454 7020 or 0121 454 1860)

Pee Wee Ellis turned in an incredible perfomance at Birmingham’s Star City last night. I hadn’t heard him play before but was well aware of his musical pedigree – ex James Brown MD (where he picked up the title ‘The Man Who Invented Funk’), sideman to Van Morrison etc. He didn’t disappoint for a moment and played two great sets, made up almost exclusively of jazz numbers. Pee Wee studied with the great Sonny Rollins way back in 1957 and his R&B re-working of jazz had a huge influence on the likes of George Clinton and Sly Stone. That the Birmingham International Jazz Festival was hosting him for free was a reminder (not that you’d need one) of just how special this festival is. 

His band last night was also extremely impressive. With Gareth Williams on piano, Laurence Cottle (I think!) on bass as well the hugely talented Mark Mondesir on drums, the crowd knew from the off that it was witnessing something very special. And it was great to see Pee Wee and band clearly enjoying themselves in the somewhat incongrous setting of Star City.

GREAT BRITISH JAM SESSION HEADS RECESSION-BUSTING BRUM JAZZFEST.

The Birmingham International Jazz Festival is set to celebrate its first quarter of a century in the same way it all started, with an All Star Jam Session.

Back in 1984 Birmingham-based independent record company Big Bear Records organised a jam session, in Cannon Hill Park, featuring the dozen top UK jazz musicians of the day. It was a sell-out, the recorded album won “Jazz Album of the Year” and before the sun went down, Big Bear and the City Council had agreed to launch the Jazz Festival the subsequent year.

So it is only to be expected that the main feature event of the 25^th Birmingham International Jazz Festival will see another amazing array of the top British jazz talent, eleven of them, onstage together at The Botanical Gardens on Thursday 9^th July at 7pm.

It has been many a year since such Jazz Galacticos, poll winners to a man, have been on one stage together. Digby Fairweather, Festival Patron and the only one of the Team of 1984 to play in this year’s version, will lead affairs on trumpet, alongside Enrico Tomasso, also on trumpet, Robert Fowler and Art Themen, tenor saxophones, Mark Nightingale and Ian Bateman, trombones, Jim Hart, vibes, David Newton, piano, Dave Green, double bass, Ralph Salmins, drums and Val Wiseman, vocals.

Between them, they have clocked up appearances alongside the biggest names in the music biz including those of Frank Sinatra, George Shearing , Henry Mancini, Benny Goodman, Humphrey Lyttelton, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Buck Clayton, Charlie Watts Quintet, Count Basie Orchestra, Van Morrison, Robbie Williams, Madonna, Bjork, Macy Gray, Sheryl Crow, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Diana Ross and Bob Dylan.

With 180 jazz festival performances in 70 venues across the City with 90% free to the public, then Birmingham is not the place to be this summer for anyone who doesn’t like jazz.

Europe’s biggest free jazz party will take place in shopping centres, arcades, bars, museums, hotels, cafés, on the streets, even on canal boats and the City’s tour bus while zany Chicago Beat Poet Steve Steinhaus will be making unscheduled appearances on commuter buses delivering his very hip, cool poetry.

Star City will be presenting three important jazz names whose normal environment is Symphony Hall or Town Hall, but it will be free to see Kenny Ball [Friday 3^rd], Alan Price Set [Saturday 4^th] and Pee Wee Ellis Band [Sunday 5^th].

                                                          For further information please call 0121 454 7020

Address: PO Box 944, Birmingham, B16 8UT 

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