Cambridge in November is the place to be for lovers of jazz in all its many forms. From 19-29th of the month, the city will host a number of events across venues such as Hot Numbers café, The Hidden Rooms, Arts Picturehouse and 12a Club.
The 180+ musicians performing include international headliners the New York Standards Quartet, Valia Calda (pictured) and Grammy-nominated Hiatus Kaiyote, a four-piece jazz-funk band which strikes the perfect note merging poetry and polyrhythms.
Joining them will be a number of national artists who started out in Cambridge, including Sara Mitra and ‘little’ big band the Tom Green Septet. The festival will also incorporate workshops, talks, films and events for children.
Founders of the Festival Roslin Russell, Sergio Contrino, Martin Hallmark and Gavin Spence wanted to open up jazz to new audiences, particularly young people, and give them the chance to get involved with the music as well as come and listen to it. The Festival will cover a wide range of genres across jazz – from vocal to instrumental, big bands to small groups, jazz standards to contemporary original composition.
Says Roslin: “Cambridge has a vibrant cultural scene and a thriving jazz community, as well as excellent venues, so we were really keen to start up a festival to help promote and nurture jazz in Cambridge.”
www.cambridgejazzfestival.org.uk
