Musicians from New York, Florida and Buenos Aires will join guests from the length and breadth of the UK as Dundee Jazz Festival celebrates its 40th year.
The Festival takes place in venues across the city from Wednesday November 2 to Sunday November 6.
Headlined by a UK exclusive appearance by Brooklyn-born soul sensation Akie Bermiss, backed by Big Apple funk, jazz and rhythm and blues powerhouse the Huntertones, the festival takes up a five-night residency at the Gardyne Theatre.
Big personality
Described as continuing in the best traditions of Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway, Bermiss is a singer with a big personality. His Thursday concert will be flanked in the Gardyne’s auditorium by music, song, dance and drama.
Strictly Big Bands will light up the stage on Wednesday with two jazz orchestras presenting hits from the big band era.
They’re joined by special guest, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra’s resident drummer, the hugely experienced Alyn Cosker, who has steered the music of swing greats including Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Benny Goodman.
The Vintage Girls’ Orchestral Spectacular starts the weekend on Friday with close harmony vocals, colour and pizazz.
Top jazz pianist
Scotland’s top jazz pianist Brian Kellock, the accompanist of choice for American stars including singer Sheila Jordan and saxophonist Scott Hamilton, revisits George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on Saturday.
He is accompanied by a string ensemble arranged and led by violinist and radio broadcaster Seonaid Aitken.
Then, on Sunday, Floridian Apphia Campbell reflects on jazz icon, singer-pianist and social activist Nina Simone’s through her stage character Mena Bordeaux in Black Is the Color of My Voice.
The Bonar Hall, scene of many a great jazz concert in the 1980s, hosts the stars of the future on the afternoon of Sunday 6th when saxophonist Tommy Smith displays the current incarnation of his Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Currently celebrating its20th anniversary, the orchestra has produced dozens of musicians who have gone on to professional careers.
The class of 22 is maintaining that high standard in playing the music of jazz masters Miles Davis, Woody Herman, Benny Golson and Chick Corea.
Jazz greats together
Chambers East welcomes an old friend of the festival on Thursday 3rd.
London-based guitarist Jim Mullen, who brought the sensational jazz-funk band Morrissey-Mullen to town several times in its heyday, joins his long-time friend, local saxophonist Gordon McNeil’s band in a session dedicated to, among others, Mullen’s inspiration Wes Montgomery and McNeil’s heroes, Michael Brecker and Bob Berg.
Shetland-born saxophonist Norman Willmore brings a new group influenced by Shetland’s fiddle traditions and Scandinavian roots to Hunter S Thomson on Friday 4th, followed later the same evening by the energetic funk of Glamour & the Baybes.
Much-lauded Glasgow singer kitti and Dundee’s own Millhouse Collective play early and late shows respectively at Hunter S Thompson on Saturday 5th and top blues guitarist Gerry Jablonski fronts the Electric Band at Church Dundee on Thursday 3rd.
With the Gil Scott Heron Songbook honouring another early festival guest at the Gardyne Theatre on Thursday 3rd and Argentinian piano star Lucas Ferrari joining vintage jazz specialist Ali Affleck at 3 Session Street on Sunday 6th, the festival covers a variety of jazz styles.
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