Preview: Brecon Jazz 2013
"Jazz is restless. It won't stay put and it never will."
The Brecon Jazz Festival is back for 2013.
Incorporating the full breadth of arguably the most influential and fluid music form the world has ever known, this three-day jazz explosion is set to invade the beautiful Brecon landscape and dazzle music fans with its varied line up. Headliners include gospel heroine Mavis Staples, the groundbreaking Courtney Pine and the incomparable Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.
Organised for the first time in 1984 on a budget of just £100, Brecon Jazz festival has been putting mid-Wales on the musical map for over 25 years thanks to its cutting-edge display of artists. And after the Arts Council of Wales stepped in to keep things ticking away from liquidation in 2008, the weekend extravaganza has continued to grow under the creative control of Cardiff-based promoter Orchard.
Taking place in a range of venues in the heart of the Brecon Beacons, the festival will run from 9th-11th August 2013 and offers jazz fans a weekend of home-grown talent, dynamic collaborations and big-names designed to inspire and entertain.
Hailed as the “Saviour of British Jazz”, Courtney Pine tops the Friday night bill as he brings together musicians from Africa, the Caribbean and Europe in his exhilarating House of Legends show. Expect a mix of ska, mento and calypso to kick off the weekend in style.
On Saturday night, gospel royalty Mavis Staples is set to grace the Market Hall with her powerful vocals; a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, this is another booking worth getting excited about. Meanwhile, Django Bates presents his acclaimed tribute to bebop hero Charlie Parker, Beloved.
The series of master classes for musicians that take place across the weekend and the family-friendly street entertainment programmed by Theatr Brycheiniog add another dimension to this dynamic celebration of jazz and the icing on the proverbial cake comes in the suitably sweet form of Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Featuring guest vocalists Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals, Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall, the much loved pianist, band leader and TV and radio presenter arrives fresh off the back of new album The Golden Age Of Song indeed going Gold. Expect an almightily good close to the festival.
In 2011, New Orleans virtuoso Allen Toussaint wrote a song in tribute to the beautiful Brecon Jazz location and his testament to the event is the best promotion it could ever receive:
"I'm blessed as a guest of the best,
and greatest green I've ever seen
when you get me day dreaming
with a smile on my face
I reckon, I'm in Brecon."
If it's good enough for a world-renowned icon, then surely this year's stellar line up will be another hit with the humble listener. To clarify: Don't miss out on one of the most exciting prospects on the Welsh musical calendar and let the heartbeat of your summer be a jazzy one.
Tickets, which you purchase for individual events, begin at £8 and are available from breconjazz.com
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