The jazz feel-good vibe on Westside will not be ending anytime soon this summer.
For almost as soon as the 38th Birmingham, Sandwell & Westside Jazz Festival goes out with a bang on 24 July, along comes a new kid in town in the form of the B:JazzFest.
The toe-tapping music from B:JazzFest runs from 22 to 26 August in what is only its second year – a mere toddler in comparison to the main jazz festival.
Organised by music charity B:Music, the city’s second jazz festival will predominantly perform on the main Symphony Hall stage, or within the venue’s new Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space.
B:JazzFest will showcase the full spectrum of jazz and includes performances from international touring artists to local community bands.
Among the artists announced for the festival include Ukrainian jazz harpist and Jazz FM Award nominee Alina Bzhezhinksa with her Hip-Harp Collective, who will be staging Concert for Ukraine at Symphony Hall.
In addition, Symphony Hall will stage a double bill on 24 August comprising British jazz trumpeter Byron Wallen and saxophonist and composer Trish Clowes. Wallen is a previous winner of the BBC Jazz Innovation award and has been nominated several times for the MOBO award.
Also on show during the festival will be ‘Boing!’, a first-time pairing of like-minded musicians Leafcutter John and Bex Burch who began playing together using Zoom during the first lockdown of 2020.
Alex Carr, B:Music’s emerging talent producer, said: “We want to deliver a programme that challenges artists who have never worked together before to come together on projects, to explore and share their experience of jazz music.”
The B:JazzFest programme consists of just 10 concerts, in contrast, this month’s Birmingham, Sandwell & Westside Jazz Festival which boasts almost 200 performances across more than 90 venues.
Organised by Big Bear Music, main the jazz festival will be officially launched this Friday 15 July at The Rep Bar & Café.
For more information, and to book tickets, visit: www.birminghamjazzfestival.com
Tickets for B:JazzFest are available at: https://bmusic.co.uk/bjazzfest
Main image: Alina Bzhezhinska – Concert for Ukraine
