Stanley Clarke, Georgia Cécile, Kit Downes' Deadeye and Laura Jurd TDE Tribute for Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2023 headliners

The event once again features a crowd-pleasing mix of Big Top headliners, Jazz Arena rising stars, popular names at the Town Hall, and the Parabola’s compelling selection of cutting-edge avant garde jazz acts. 

The likes of Gregory Porter (also back as Artistic Curator), Van Morrison, Laura Mvula, Squeeze, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Rufus Wainwright and the Ronnie Scott’s Big Band play the Big Top, while the Jazz Arena packs in a wide range of vocalists and instrumentalists. such as US singer Lizz Wright; guitar wizard Julian Lage; and a novel collaboration between Homeland/Wolf Hall actor Damian Lewis and the Kansas Smitty’s band on the Bank Holiday Monday.

This year sees the launch of a new annual show featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra and Guy Barker’s Big Band celebrating the explosion of jazz and soul that reverberated around the globe in the late 1950s. The Soul Jazz Summit features guest vocalists Madeline Bell, Mica Millar, Ashton Jones, Vanessa Haynes and Clarke Peters (27 April).

The Town Hall line-up features a debut Cheltenham performance by bass hero Stanley Clarke, stopping off as part of his 2023 world tour, while it's Afrobeat-fuelled crew Ezra Collective who headline on the Saturday night. The venue also presents Buena Vista Social Club guitar star, Eliades Ochoa, daytime on the Sunday.

The Parabola Arts Centre’s (PAC) lineup is the last to be programmed by Cheltenham stalwart Tony Dudley-Evans, who is bowing out after working at the festival since its beginnings, and who celebrates his 80th birthday in April. Names announced include three top Norwegian artists: guitar innovator Stian Westerhus; lyrical pianist Espen Eriksen and his Trio with special guest saxophonist Andy Sheppard; plus the incendiary drum onslaught of Paal Nilssen-Love's Circus. Westerhus will join Birmingham collective Collapse Uncollapse and will also perform a solo set, which involves a vast array of effects pedals and several Marshall stacks for a mix of epic soundscapes and heart wrenching vocals. Further PAC names include Orphy Robinson and Pat Thomas’ Black Top group with BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year saxophonist Xhosa Cole; a new Anglo-German band Deadeye – featuring pianist Kit Downes, guitarist Reiner Baas and drummer Jonas Burgwinkel; Ruth Goller’s bass/vocal trio Skylla with Alice Grant and Laura Kinsella; and a specially commissioned tribute to the departing Dudley-Evans, written and performed by Laura Jurd and her group will close the PAC programme out on the Sunday night. Jazzwise is festival media partner. Headliner highlights are:

Wednesday 26 April: The Daffodil: Judith Owen.

Thursday 27 April: Big Top: BBC Concert Orchestra Soul Jazz Summit; Jazz Arena: Connor Selby. The Daffodil: Denny Ilett.

Friday 28 April: Jazz Arena: Mica Millar (evening); PAC: Skylla (evening) and Stian Westerhus – Solo (evening).

Saturday 29 April: Big Top: Ronnie Scott’s Big Band with Tony Hadley (morning); Rufus Wainwright; Jake Bugg (evening). Jazz Arena: Georgia Cécile (pictured below, afternoon) and Sarah Brown (evening); Town Hall: Ezra Collective (late show); PAC: Birmingham Conservatoire/Sienna Exchange (morning), Stian Westerhus and Collapse Uncollapse (afternoon), Black Top feat. Xhosa Cole (afternoon), Espen Eriksen Trio with Andy Sheppard (evening).

Sunday 30 April: Big Top: Rodrigo Y Gabriela (afternoon), Van Morrison (evening); Jazz Arena: Lizz Wright (morning), Julian Lage Trio (evening); Town Hall: Stanley Clarke 'N' 4EVER (afternoon); Fergus McCreadie Trio (evening) ; PAC: Deadeye with Kit Downes/Reiner Baas/Jonas Burgwinkel (afternoon), Paal Neilson-Love's Circus (afternoon), Angusori (evening) and Laura Jurd's Tony Dudley-Evans Tribute (evening).

Monday 1 May: Big Top: Laura Mvula, Squeeze and Gregory Porter + Friends (evening). Jazz Arena: Damian Lewis with Kansas Smitty’s (afternoon), Binker Golding (evening). 

For full listings and tickets visit www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz