Gateshead International Jazz Festival

Gateshead International Jazz Festival
The Sage Gateshead
P. O. Box 254
Gateshead
NE8 2YR England UK
Phone: (44) 191-443-4666
Fax: (44) 191-443-4550
Email: conferences@thesagegateshead.org

The fourth Gateshead International Jazz Festival celebrates the past, present and future of jazz, with a fresh look at tradition celebrating the creativity of world class artists such as the charismatic Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, a rare appearance from the great Gilberto Gil and quintessential jazz guitarist John Scofield. Plus, a late night set in collaboration with the legendary label Blue Note will feature the label’s hottest new signing Robert Glasper.

The Festival was featured in the Guardian’s top five highlights of the 2008 jazz calendar, as selected by John Fordham – no mean feat for such a young festival!

John Cumming, Director of Serious, international live music producers and partners of The Sage Gateshead for the Festival, explains some of the reasons for its rapid success: “Gateshead International Jazz Festival has grown to become a distinctive and important addition to the British jazz festival scene, with a mix of music that reflects the music’s deep traditions as well as the myriad directions that jazz is now taking. What makes the Festival really special, though, is a significant education element that takes full advantage of the Learning and Participation resources that are such a key part of The Sage Gateshead’s activity and Festival artists will lead workshops and classes alongside their performances, creating a great atmosphere throughout the weekend. This year’s programme includes a number of fantastic international artists, including a Brazilian theme headlined by the country’s iconic singer/songwriter Gilberto Gil, but sparks are also sure to fly from today’s generation of up-and-coming bands from the UK: Acoustic Ladyland and Fulborn Teversham (both feature Seb Rochford from Polar Bear), Gwilym Simcock, Neil Cowley, Fraud, Finn Peters and the international award-winning Empirical – not to mention Denmark’s Ibrahim Electric - are just some of the artists of the future who are sure to make a massive impact.”

http://www.thesagegateshead.org/