Humph and Digby

With the passing of Jazz Festival Patron of the last 23 years, Humphrey Lyttelton, the festival has appointed a new patron, cornet player, bandleader, broadcaster, journalist, author and all round jazz expert Digby Fairweather.

Throughout the Festival we will be remembering Humphrey Lyttelton. Many of the country’s finest musicians have passed through the Lyttelton band in its astonishing 60 year life and, of course, a number of those will be playing at this year’s festival. Respected Lyttelton alumni will be paying tribute in music and through interviews after their performances.

The Festival is also holding two special events to commemorate Humphrey;

Digby at Borders
Borders Bookshop in the Bull Ring will be holding a tribute to Humphrey Lyttelton, and George Melly, another Jazz Festival legend who passed recently. From 4.00 pm to 5.00 pm on Saturday July 5th Digby Fairweather will talk informally about Humph and George, illustrated by recordings of their music. Both Humph and George were highly entertaining and well regarded authors – and pretty prolific, too, considering their assorted other careers – and their books will be available at Borders, as well as Digby’s striking memoir of George’s last months ‘On the Road with George Melly’ which Digby will be signing.

Musicians’ Union Jam Session: Tribute to Humph
This year’s Musicians Union Jam Session at the Wine REPublic on Tuesday July 8th is headed by Digby Fairweather and Chris Walker. Dedicated to Humphrey Lyttelton, the Jam Session will not only feature a quintet fronted by Digby and Chris, but special guest musicians paying their own tribute.

7 days to go...

The Festival is only a week away so we want to hear what you are most looking forward. Is there a band you can't wait to see again, a venue you've always wanted to try out or can you simply not wait for the atmosphere and great music the festival provides. Post your ideas as a comment here or drop us an email at admin@bigbearmusic subject 'blog' and we'll post the best ones on the web site during the festival.
Hope to hear from you soon.

More Jazz Per Square inch than New Orleans

In order for visitors to the Birmingham Internation Jazz Festival to get a taste of the widest range of jazz, Marketing Birmingham has put together some suggestions for a fantastic evening of entertainment.

On Wednesday 9 July you could start your evening at 6.30pm in the Copthorne Hotel in Paradise Circus, where you can have a drink in the bar and listen to Canada’s Katya Gorrie. Then hop in a cab and hot foot it over to The Duck on Hagley Road where from 7pm Spain’s Django’s Castle takes the stand.

Just a three minute walk to the opposite side of the road and into the Lychee Garden, you might want to sample the delicious cuisine and catch up with the fabulous Becky Brine. Two minutes walk from the Lychee Garden, all the way from the USA, Synthesis Big Band will be performing at the Strathallan Hotel.

When you have had your fill, jump on a bus and make your way back towards the city centre to the Broad Street area where you will find The Living Room; here Suzahn Fiering from the USA will be providing entertainment from 8pm. Almost next door at Walkabout the Australians are in town in the form of Michael McQuaid’s Red Hot Rhythmakers. What an evening!

All but the first show take place in straight line - less than a kilometre in length, with each band playing for 2 hours, so it’s possible to hear them all, have a drink or two and a bite to eat.

Programme Changes

Hi Jazz Fans

We’ve had to make some alterations to our festival programme. The downside is, of course, these are too late for the official programme.
However, they will be on the website programme very soon. The upside is that we have two great new venues, Old Orleans on Broad Street, La Tasca at Star City and Emirates Beach at Chamberlain Square.

You’ll also get to hear a lot more of Hungary’s Budapest Ragtime Band and USA’s Suzahn Fiering.

Here are the changes in full.

Saturday 5th July
DELETE 20.30 Queens Arms, Dixieland Crackerjacks (the Netherlands)
ADD 19.00 Old Orleans, Dixieland Crackerjacks (the Netherlands)

Sunday 6th July
ADD 15.00 The Bartons Arms, Indigo Blues Band

Thursday 10th July
TIME CHANGE, NOW 16.00 House of Fraser, Suzahn Fiering (USA)
ADD 19.30 Old Orleans, Suzahn Fiering (USA)

Friday 11th July
ADD 12.00 Emirates Beach, Becky Brine
ADD 18.00 The Arcadian, Budapest Ragtime Band (Hungary)
ADD 19.00 Old Orleans, Bobby Woods

Saturday 12th July
ADD 19.00 Old Orleans, Budapest Ragtime Band (Hungary)
DELETE 20.30 Queens Arms, Jonny Boston with Richard Hughes Trio
ADD 13.00 La Tasca, Star City, Budapest Ragtime Band (Hungary)

Sunday 13th July
DELETE 20.00 The Living Room, The Fabulous Boogie Boys

All the Best

Virtuoso says hello

Hey Jazz Fans (I've always wanted to say that)

We've been gathering some performance videos for our upcoming artist biographies page, and Django's Castle, led by the wonderful Pere Soto, made us this lovely little video, completely dedicated to us entitled hello Birmingham.
Watch and Enjoy

If this aint the blues

This year sees the presentation of a fully-fledged Blues Festival weekend at the Asylum in Hockley, the first specialised Blues event in 24 years of Festival history. The Headliners are Bill Sheffield from Atlanta, Georgia and Lightnin Willie and the Poorboys from Houston, Texas currently located in Los Angeles. The Festival will introduce the astonishing new blues guitar talent Oli Brown, alongside veteran blues stars the Cadillac Kings. There will be an intriguing evening of the best blues girls entitled ‘Wild Women Get The Blues’, an open mic free blues session organised by and featuring Poor Bob, who also appears as a guest with Bill Sheffield and Lightnin’ Willie. Produced in conjunction with leading UK blues magazine ‘Blues in Britain’.

If the BBC says it.....

We've recently been featured by the BBC and thought you would want to take a peak.

follow the link below,
Follow me
Also, our programmes are now available at all our venues (as described in the venue list) and at Birmingham libraries but if you're further afield don't forget to send a stamped addressed A5 envelope to
Big Bear Music Group
PO Box 944
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B16 8UT
for a copy of our programme.