This year’s Jazzahead, the pan-European jazz conference, exhibition and performance showcase, will take place from 23-26 April in Bremen, Germany and is the biggest event yet to date.
This year’s Budvar Cheltenham Jazz Festival is now taking shape with a vibrant mix of young cutting edge UK artists, established names such as John Surman, Don Byron and Hugh Masekela, singer Madeleine Peyroux, who has a new album released in April, and return visits by two of the USA’s most creative minds, Dave Douglas and Jack DeJohnette.
Maceo Parker, Robert Fripp, Portico, Jacqui Dankworth and the Don Weller Big Band are some of the early bookings for this year’s Coventry Jazz Festival which takes place from 21-25 May.
The renowned Wigmore Hall in central London begins its jazz series with Brad Mehldau as curator with a solo concert by Mehldau on 9 April.
Following a live CD recorded at the Barbican in 2007 Courtney Pine reassembled the Jazz Warriors, now called the Jazz Warriors Afropeans for a memorable night at Ronnie Scott’s last year.
Desert blues exponents Tinariwen tour in the spring with experimental folk band Tunng for the Contemporary Music Network.
Baaba Maal, Oliver Mtukudzi and Extra Golden make up the bill for the annual African Soul Rebels tour.
Wayne Shorter makes his first appearance as a band leader on DVD with the release of Live At Montreux 1996, out on Eagle Rock Entertainment on 2 February.
The Worshipful Company of Musicians has announced that from this year on their annual prize will now be known as the Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition with the value of the individual prizes increased to £1,000 each courtesy of the Dankworth’s Wavendon Foundation.
One of the leading players of the 1980s Loose Tubes generation, saxophonist Julian Arguelles, goes out on tour later this week with a trio featuring leading US players Michael Formanek and Tom Rainey.