The StarCity district is proud to be a part of the Birmingham International Jazz & Blues Festival and presented three high-quality concerts on the opening day of the festival.
On Friday 16th July Star City presenting “Guitar Day”, where Professional Music Technology displayed their range of professional valve amplifiers and their wide spectrum of classic and modern guitars in a series of talks and workshops.
The evening brought about a performance from one of Britain’s finest guitarists Martin Taylor, who wowed the audience with his high octane solos.
Other performances included Bob Kerr and his Whoopee Band on Saturday 17th, which was a highly entertaining performance as he lead the musical hilarity with a variety of instruments.
The US bluesman Chick Willis topped off the weekend on Sunday 18th, with his mixture of blues and contemporary R&B; a show stopper of a performance for sure.
The Birmingham International Jazz & Blues Festival has always sought to find unusual venues for jazz and this year there was a special emphasis on heritage sites and tourist destinations, which play a big part in making Birmingham what it is.
The Barber's Institute of Fine Arts will aired a lunch-time concert on Friday 16th July, where award-winning American Drake University Big Band shook the stands with their big band styling.
Birmingham's historic BotancialGardens will played host to two concerts on Sunday 18th: Carol Sudhalter in the morning and Britain's Got Talent runner up Julian Smith with the Monday Sessions in the evening.
WarwickCastle enjoyed the royal treatment on Friday 23rd July, when Chicago-style band Judy Eames and The Kaminsky Connection - who have an impressive repertoire of songs including jazz standards, blues, ballads and “boogie woogie” piano – performed well into the summer evening.
Visitors at Dudley Zoo enjoyed a swinging jazz session on Sunday 25th July, as the Midlands-based Millennium Eagle Jazz Band treated the audience and the animals alike to classic jazz compositions from the 1920s to the 1940s, as well as New Orleans blues, stomps and marches.
The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley was paid a visit from the high-octane jump and jive band King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys on Saturday 24th July. Saturday also saw Cadbury World getting plenty of the sweet stuff from the Martinique Jazz Band on, who supplied the crowds with a wide variety of jazz styles.
Birmingham’s annual Jazz celebration came back with a bang this year; taking on a new Blues element as it entered its second quarter of a century.
In 10 jazz and blues packed days from July 16th to 25th, Birmingham and its legions of jazz visitors enjoyed more than 200 performances and events, in 60 venues across the city and beyond, and over 90% of events were absolutely free to the public.
After 25 years, the festival had taken on a significant new blues element this year with performances by internationally renowned blues artists from the USA, Canada, Italy and Germany, as well as a strong UK contingent. Boss of the Blues Chick Willis [Macon, Georgia] headlined, appearing in no less than 10 shows during the festival – as well as holding the sway in a Q&A session in Waterstones Bookstore.
Naturally the jazz fans were not neglected, and welcomed first-time UK appearances from The Village Lizards from Budapest, Drake University Big Band from the USA and Jazz band Velke Losiny from the Czech Republic, as well as many other returning acts.
The swing contingent was headed by King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys, and included The Fabulous Lounge Swingers (pictured above at the Watersedge bandstand), The Dirty Robbers and The Jive Romeros.
Britain’s Got Talent runner up Julian Smithplayed a special open air concert in the Botanical Gardens, which made a nice footnote to his first Birmingham Jazz Festival performance some 10 years ago, when he played in shopping areas.
Other outdoor events were held at leading tourist destinations throughout the region including visiting Dudley Zoo & Castle, The Black Country Living Museum and WarwickCastle and many more.
More than ever the festival went out onto the streets this year, with performances throughout the City Centre; in bars, cafes, restaurants, stores, hotels, museums and art galleries, and most importantly on the streets of the city. The festival was also set on the move with performances on canals boats, buses and train stations.
Jazz and blues fans also enjoyed a series of talks and interviews called “Hear Me Talking To You”, which will be hosted in Waterstones Bookstore and PMT music store. This was complimented by an interactive photography project, two photographic exhibitions, a daily photo seminar and a vocal workshop – free and open to all – entitled “Everybody Has A Voice”. All of this, combined with a brand new vinyl album release, helped to bring Birmingham to life with the sound of jazz and blues music.
