A line-up of VIP guest speakers joined a troupe of international musicians to sound all the right notes at the launch of the 40th Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival.
The Traveling Janes, whose members include musicians from the USA, Singapore and Norway, entertained special guests at the official opening of the festival at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Holliday Street on 19 July.
Over the 10 days of the festival, which continues until Sunday 28 July, music fans will be treated to 237 live performances – 228 of them free admission – across 115 venues. And Westside will continue its strong connection with 62 performances taking place at 23 locations.
Speakers at the launch included former Birmingham Northfield and Warley West MP John Spellar who paid tribute to jazz impresario Jim Simpson for his work in organising the festival over the last 40 years.
Mike Olley, general manager of Westside BID, one of the main sponsors of the festival, congratulated Jim on receiving his honorary Doctorate in Music from the University of Birmingham the day before the launch. He said it would be a “really great classic jazz festival”, and added: “Without Jim we wouldn’t have the 40th anniversary.”
You can watch highlights from the festival’s launch and first weekend here:
This year’s jazz and blues festival, which continued during the two years of Covid lockdowns, promises to be better than ever, despite losing its regular Birmingham City Council sponsorship due to financial constraints.
Coun Saima Suleman, Cabinet Member for Digital, Culture, Heritage and Tourism at the council, said: “Although this will be the first year that the city council has not been able to financially support the event, my fellow councillors and I are still extremely proud that the festival is from Birmingham and carries our city’s name.”
She added: “This festival is cherished by many who look forward to its arrival every year. It is a fantastic opportunity for locals and visitors alike to celebrate and enjoy what our great city has to offer.
“There really is something for everybody, and that is a testament to Jim and the team who add to the festival programme year after year.”
Mark Begley, operations manager at the Crowne Plaza, told invited guests that it was an “absolutely fantastic honour” to host the festival launch, adding that the annual event had “started here ” at what was then known as the Holiday Inn “40 years ago”.
Visit this page to find out more about the festival.
Main picture: Jim Simpson flanked by Coun Saima Suleman and John Spellar, by Tony Collins.
Video by Graham Young.
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