Jazz breaking news: Hull Jazz Festival Marks 20th Anniversary With Strong Line-Up

Saxophonist Watson (main picture), a former member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the late-1970s and 80s will appear as part of a double header on 29 July at the Hull Truck Theatre with on the other half of the bill New Orleans trumpeter Abram Wilson who this year celebrates his tenth year as a UK-based artist. Wilson is appearing with a septet, which features another Jazz Messengers alumnus in fellow saxophonist Jean Toussaint and UK alto sax great Peter King among the band’s line-up.

Hull this year celebrates its twentieth running in the summer at venues including the Hull Truck Theatre and Pave, which was just voted pub/bar of the year at the Jazz Yorkshire awards held in Halifax. Special features of the festival programme, which is presented by promoter J-Night, also include the appearance of the mighty Jazz Jamaica joined by special guest lovers rock doyenne Myrna Hague who come to Hull just ahead of the celebrations of 50 years of Jamaican independence, which take place in August.

Also for Hull are clarinettist Evan Christopher’s Django à la Creole; Funmi Olawumi and the Yoruban Women’s Choir; Christine Tobin singing the songs of Leonard Cohen; and a Freedom Chorus Does Jazz two-day event for 120 local singers.

The main concert details are: Django à la Creole (Truck, Friday 20 July); Christine Tobin (Truck, Saturday 21 July); Michael Cretu Trio (Pave, Sunday 22 July); Yoruban Women’s Choir (Truck, Sunday 22 July); Bossa Revista (Truck, Monday 23 July); Jazz Jam (Pave, Tuesday 24 July); Eclectic 4 (Goodfellowship Inn, Wednesday 25 July); Owl Ensemble (Pave, Thursday 26 July); Jazz Jamaica (Truck, Saturday 28 July); Abram Wilson’s Junior Jazz Warriors (Truck, Sunday 29 July); The Give A Little Love Jazz Orchestra (Pave, Sunday 29 July, 2pm); Abram Wilson Running the Flame (Truck, Sunday 29 July, 5pm); and the Bobby Watson International All Stars (Truck, Sunday 29 July, 8.30pm).

– Stephen Graham