The French jazz festival season got underway over the weekend with the start of the Jazz a Vienne festival in the small town of Vienne just a stone’s throw away from Lyon. The main concerts take place in the Theatre Antique Roman Amphitheatre that dominates the town. The opening night’s concert was themed around a tribute to James Brown and featured Rose Ann Diamalante and her band and then a fantastic band put together by Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley featuring Cheikh Lo and singer Simphiwe Dana.

A 15-day celebration of brass-inspired music draws Soweto Kinch and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble to Durham next month for the genre-defying festival Brass, featuring brass bands, classical brass ensembles as well as folk and jazz groups.