Baptiste Denys Battle Jazz Festival 22

Battle Festival Jazz Weekend

Battle Festival and Jazz Hastings have announced that they will be holding a revised and enlarged Jazz Weekend this year involving no less than 12 leading bands. It will take place from Friday 21 July to Sunday 23 July and will feature some of the finest jazz musicians playing in Britain today. Dominika Hicks writes.

The weekend will begin with two free concerts at The Bull on Battle High Street. On Friday evening highly praised trumpeter Robbie Robson will be playing with his sextet, while Saturday lunch time at 12 will feature long-established UK jazz singer, Liz Fletcher and her quartet.

The main event on Saturday will take place in Battle Memorial Hall and feature five stunning bands. Kicking the afternoon off at two o’clock will be trumpeter Byron Wallen and his band 4 Corners. Byron has travelled the world recording and performing with legendary musicians such as George Benson, Chaka Khan, Hugh Masakela and Courtney Pine.

They’ll be followed by veteran American pianist Kirk Lightsey, who recorded five albums with Chet Baker, playing with UK bass stalwart Steve Watts. After them will come Denys Baptiste, described by Time Magazine as an “icon of `British jazz”, playing with his quartet featuring Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year, Nikki Yeoh.

The final two acts of the evening are led by major international stars. Pianist Jason Rebello had three critically acclaimed albums under his belt by the time he was 23. He then travelled the world for six years as Sting’s keyboard player, followed by a further six years on the road with Jeff Beck. He’ll be joined by Tim Garland, who spent 17 years working closely with Chick Corea.

The evening will end with the Darius Brubeck Quartet. Like his legendary father Dave, with whom he toured for many years, Darius is a renowned pianist, composer and band leader. His special guest will be saxophonist Brandon Allen, a much-in-demand sideman who has played with the likes of Eric Clapton, Gary Barlow and Neil Diamond.

On Sunday the event moves outside to Six Penny Lawn in the grounds of Battle Abbey School. First up will be the Art Themen Quartet. Art has been a much-loved saxophonist on the British jazz scene for over 50 years, starting with pioneering group Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated and then playing in a whole range of bands including 25 years with Stan Tracey.

He’ll be followed by award-winning pianist, composer and published poet Robert Mitchell, who will be playing with his new electronic/song ensemble True Think, who combine improvisation, poetry and song. Robert has released 12 albums of his own, participated in over 100 projects as a sideman and performed in more than 40 countries.

Multi-award-winning trumpeter and composer Laura Jurd has made a huge impact on the British jazz scene since she emerged a decade ago. She’ll be playing with her regular band Dinosaur, which includes some of the best young jazz musicians in the UK. Their first album was nominated for the Mercury Prize.

Next will be Orlando le Fleming, a world-renowned bassist who had a highly successful career in London before moving to New York in 2003, where he became one of the most in-demand bass players on the scene. He’s back now here with his band, Romantic Funk, which reflects his international pedigree.

Bringing the afternoon to a close will be Elaine Delmar, one of the all-time great British jazz singers. Michael Parkinson described her as “one of the ageless evergreen singing stars that we have… she’s marvellous”. Humphrey Lyttelton said she “Truly defines the word class….” Her quintet will feature guitar legend Jim Mullen, a major figure in his own right.

All in all, an extraordinary weekend of jazz. Unmissable.

www.battlefestival.co.uk

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