06 December 2023
Newsdesk
Cheltenham Jazz Festival is offering audiences a sneak-peak of their 2024 programme, releasing tickets for six of the acts that will grace its storied stages in the spring.
Set to headline the festival’s iconic Big Top in 2024 are singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti, pop reggae royalty UB40 and electronica pioneers Morcheeba.
Star UK saxophonist and former Jazz Warrior Courtney Pine, New York-based collective Snarky Puppy, and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Dee Dee Bridgewater will also make the trip to Cheltenham whilst West African dance outfit Orchestra Baobab will perform in a double-headline show with Afro Jazz innovators Nubiyan Twist.
“This first release of tickets for our exciting 2024 programme reflects the festival’s long-standing commitment to celebrating the influences of jazz across all musical genres,” says Ian George, Head of Programming for the Jazz Festival and co-CEO of parent charity Cheltenham Festivals.
“We celebrate all the genres that have jazz in their DNA by bringing the best of contemporary UK, US and European jazz to our Festival Village and across the town of Cheltenham,” he explains.
“The breadth of jazz’s influence is unique. From pop to soul, blues to world music, we are always so spoiled for fantastic musicians at Cheltenham. From orchestras and big bands to club sessions and late-night jams, the Festival runs the gamut of the music – as this line-up proves!”
Jack Savoretti has appeared at Cheltenham once before and is excited to return to a festival he believes has a unique character, “Cheltenham Jazz Festival is one of those festivals you always want to play, our first show there was incredible and I look forward to returning next year.”
The festival also always looks forward to the future of the music, playing host to fresh new names and pushing the boundaries of the genre’s definition. Morcheeba’s Skye Edwards thinks this commitment to fostering the next generation is more important than ever. “We're looking forward to performing at Cheltenham. It has such a great reputation for having an eclectic mix of bands and genres. There’s a place for new talent alongside the established names which makes this a very vibrant festival for everyone!”
2024 will also see the return of the much-admired Parabola Arts Centre strand of Cheltenham Jazz Festival, which is dedicated to new, exciting and innovative jazz music from some of the finest purveyors of the music worldwide. Long-time programmer Tony Dudley-Evans, who retired last year, will return to commission new works, with Alex Carr – founder of Amplify Sounds and Contemporary Music Programmer at London’s Southbank Centre – taking on programming duties for the strand.
Tickets for the early announcement shows are now available via cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz. The full programme for Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2024 will be revealed in February.
