Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival Elements

In 2018, THE JACKSONS celebrated 50 years as one of the most successful groups in music history. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, rose to fame for their combination of extraordinary musical talent and spectacular choreography. The group found international success at Motown in 1969,…

BURT BACHARACH will be bringing our Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival Tenth Anniversary celebrations to a close. Catch him on Sunday 14th July in Moseley Park, Birmingham! Burt Bacharach is one of the world’s most acclaimed, award-winning composers/songwriters. His credits read like the world’s…

Funk royalty and pioneers of the 90s Acid Jazz scene, THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES have achieved sixteen UK Top 40 singles and released two Platinum-selling albums and two gold albums in the UK. Headed up today by founding members and principal songwriters Simon Bartholomew and…

Globetrotting Texan trio KHRUANGBIN is formed of Laura Lee on bass, Mark Speer on guitar, and Donald “DJ” Johnson on drums; Khruangbin’s sounds are rooted in the deepest waters of world music infused with classic soul, dub and psychedelia. Their 2015 debut album ‘The Universe…

Asked by The Independent to define himself in six words, Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul stalwart and curator Craig Charles said “Late to bed, early to rise”. One look at his vast and wide-ranging CV and you’d agree that has to be true. The Liverpool-born…

“Music is a universal language, but spoken language can help you think about what makes you emotional, what makes you feel certain feelings, what you want to see in the world,” says Eno Williams, frontwoman of IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE. When Williams uses both English and…

Half of the power duo Gil Scott-Heron & BRIAN JACKSON, Brian wrote, arranged and produced over 10 albums over an eight-year period. Time and time again, that music has found its way onto over 100 cuts like Common’s “The People” (from “We Almost Lost Detroit”)…

South London’s Oscar Jerome has procured quite the remarkable year-to-date. It’s been one that has seen the artist score 6Music playlisting for recent single ‘Do You Really’ (also regularly supported across 1 Xtra, Radio 1 and Beats), sell out London’s Village Underground with man-of-the-moment Thundercat…

RENEGADE BRASS BAND, hailing from the northern English city of Sheffield, combine 8 horns, 2 percussionists, a scratch DJ and live MC, to form a raw brass mixture of Jazz, Hip-Hop and Funk in their unstoppable, high-energy live shows. Having played packed out gigs at…

ISHMAEL started releasing deep house tracks on Wolf Music before stepping out of the box with the release of his debut album “Sometime In Space” in 2016. The record is an exploration of dusty soundscapes & off-kilter house which Ishmael then developed into a Live…

On his debut album Free Me, Burundian-born JP BIMENI astonishes with a voice that recalls Otis Redding in his prime whilst resonating with the soul of Africa. A refugee who’s been living in London since the early 2000s, JP Bimeni songs of love and loss,…

Hip-hop legend Soup/Zaakir from Jurassic 5 aka Fullee Love is a gold selling artist. Along with performing favourite hit tracks by Jurassic 5 (including What’s Golden, Concrete Schoolyard), he’s also bringing his own edgier original soul-funk hip-hop sound with a full live band. The full live…

Bristol (UK) Native BOCA 45 (Scott Hendy) immersed himself in all things hip-hop from a young age and has been unleashing funky gemstone productions upon the world for years under his various guises. He formed Dynamo Productions with Portishead’s acclaimed resident DJ Andy Smith in…

After a bunch of records under his belt on esteemed labels such as 22a (Henry Wu, Al Dobson Jr…) and Rhythm Section (Dan Kye, Chaos In The CBD), French producer, instrumentalist and DJ Neue Grafik has quickly risen as one of the most promising acts…

The story of SMOOVE & TURRELL began when Smoove was around keyboardist Mike Porter’s house one day. They overheard a neighbour singing sublime melodies in his garage, which turned out to be a young John Turrell. After a couple of further sessions ‘scouting’ him they…

The sound of Delta Autumn appears somewhere between modern electronica colliding with 70’s jazz fusion with a nuance of post-rock. With glitched out sample manipulation alongside traditional jazz structures, nostalgic soul refrains peppered with grungy guitars and far reaching improvisations; the band tries to always…

Bruce James and Bella Black joined musical forces in Austin, Texas in 2011 and have been on a mission spreading the word of “Guerrilla Soul” ever since. The roots of their music spring from the tradition of the Southern Soul from Texas, New Orleans and…

Gathered from all across the UK, Young Pilgrims are an explosive 9-piece ensemble who’s brass heavy, rock influenced sound is a slap in the face full of high energy grooves, improvised madness and catchy melodies. Known for their raucous and energetic shows, they have performed…

Necktr are a 9 piece soul fusion band based in Leeds, who’s unique interpretation of Hip Hop, Afrobeat, Soul and Ambient music has earned them critical underground status in Leeds’ blossoming groove scene. Having played around the country alongside the likes of Mansion Of Snakes,…

Norah Jones meets Jordan Rakei is just one way to describe young singer-songwriter ALICE AUER. Providing a unique mix of jazz and soul music, Alice Auer gives a fresh take to the jazz genre in London’s music scene. Since releasing her debut EP ‘Close To…

As a DJ & producer, Daytoner has supplied global funk, soul, ska and swing dance floors since 2009 with over 30 releases, remixes and edits on various quality European labels such as Jalapeno, Legere, Pedigree Cuts, Wass and Wack etc. There’s also been regular radio…

SAM REDMORE has built a name for himself over the last few years for crafting soul-drenched remixes and reworks of both solidified classics and lesser-known material. He’s been driven by support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Quantic, Rob Da Bank, Nightmares On Wax, Huey…

DJ, Broadcaster and Music Journalist TINA EDWARDS is a regular host on Giles Peterson’s Worldwide FM and runs Supreme Standards, a new platform for editorial, podcasts and live shows. She’s recognised as being at the forefront of the new genre-crushing Jazz scene and has played across the…

Birmingham’s Rosie Tee is a composer & performer known for her innovative, atmospheric blend of electronic, jazz, classical & pop. Her sound has been hailed as ‘transcendent’ and ‘genre-defying’, straddling the contrasting worlds of rising UK Jazz and contemporary classical. Colour and image are at…

Aadae makes music that crosses boundaries. Born in Nigeria but raised in Peckham, her songwriting speaks of family parties spent listening to high life and Afrobeat, long nights in South London dancing to UK garage, and an innate love of the impact pop songwriting can…

Saddle up with PONYLAND for a ride into a heady, energetic world of live Afro-beat, Punk Jazz, with a 7-piece ensemble. Expect animalistic behavior, galloping grooves that will make your legs rattle uncontrollably, chaos and raw energy! PONYLANDs line-up includes Frankie O’keeffe vocals, Jordie Cooke…

Festival favourites, The Atlantic Players are a 9-piece soul band from Moseley, Birmingham. They deliver a southern soul sound you would have heard back in 1960’s New Orleans and Memphis. Uncovering tunes deep from within the soul vaults from sensational, often undiscovered artists such as…

The Notebenders Big Band is the brainchild of our patron and inspiration, Andy Hamilton MBE. Band members hail from all sections of the diverse and dynamic communities of the City of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region. They are a true representation of crossing…

Forged in Birmingham’s bubbling Selly Oak music scene, Odd Soul blend jazz, soul, post-rock and hip-hop to create a fresh, vibrant and intricate sound. Odd Soul take jazz and soul influences from the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote and Jordan Rakei, and fuse them with the…

A growing presence in the local Jazz & Gospel scene, keyboardist Ashley Allen has worked extensively with the likes of Gregory Porter, Aynsley Lister, Julie Dexter and Omar. His current group draws on various styles, notably jazz, gospel and urban music. It features Ashley on…

Forj is an exciting quartet led by drummer Jonathan Silk, featuring the critically acclaimed and long time friend and collaborator, Nick Jurd on double bass alongside the incredible musicianship of two of London’s finest improvisers, Joe Wright and Josh Arcoleo on tenor saxophones. This band promises high octane grooves and expansive improvisation across a…

NICK CORBIN spent 2018 in good company, touring with the likes of The Milk, Stone Foundation and The Spitfires as well as opening for Mavis Staples (twice!) at London’s iconic Union Chapel and for Tom Odell at three Pub in the Park festivals. Alongside an…

Carol Brewster has recently returned to performing after a short break and her recent appearance at the Jazzlines Symphony Hall session showed that she has lost none of her ability to win over an audience. She is a powerful singer whose music draws on jazz,…

The Jazzlines Ensembles provide young musicians from Birmingham and the surrounding areas with the opportunity to develop their ensemble playing skills and learn more about jazz and improvisation through regular workshops and masterclass sessions. The sessions are open to young musicians of all abilities, from…