BRECON JAZZ FESTIVAL
Various venues, Brecon
Fri 9-Sun 11 Aug
Now celebrating its 36th year, the Brecon Jazz Festival returns with a typically impressive lineup of both established and upcoming musicians, playing in cafes and venues across this scenic town such as the Guildhall Theatre and the Castle Hotel.
Acts such as the Samantha Wright Quintet, Siriol & Talfan Jenkins, the Ross Stanley Trio and Liane Carroll take to the stage to regale audiences accordingly. Steve Waterman, one of Britain’s most esteemed jazz trumpeters, will be beginning the Friday cheer, directing the Festival Big Band to perform a series of lively compositions.
Sat 10 Aug will see the streets of Brecon close down to become a whirlwind of colour and sound, making way for the Saturday Carnival and other festivities, parades and fairs. The streets will be set up with the Brecon Jazz outdoor market, where local vendors, producers and artisans will exhibit their wares.
Attendees will also get to view – for free – the Junior Jazz Festival. Here, instrumentalists and vocalists aged eight-18 perform, led and directed by the Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama. The audiences will be assured of a weekend full of lively tunes, so they might want to practice their scatting and jazz hands in preparation.
Tickets: £6-£38 individual concerts; £175 full pass; £85 Sat 10 only; £65 Sun 11 only. Info: breconjazzfestival.co.uk
words Janani Suri