Music fans flock to jazz showpiece

Thousands expected at event’s 13th outing

Callander is to stage its thirteenth edition of Scotland’s top jazz and blues festival next month.

The Callander Jazz and Blues Festival is the largest rural festival of its kind in Scotland and is firmly established on the UK festival map.

It returns to the town for three days that will see fifty gigs being staged across 15 venues and is expected to bring around 5000 music fans to the town over the three days.

The festival will run from Friday, September 28 until Sunday, September 30 and will include live jazz, soul, blues and boogie performances.

The three-day fest will feature solo gigs to big bands, with more than 200 musicians ensuring a top weekend of music.

On the Friday, the festival will open with a performance from blues artist Jeff Jeffries in the Dalgair House Hotel from 5pm.

Saturday will see a performance by McLaren High School Jazz Orchestra in Ancaster Square from 11.30am as well as a gig from The Andy Gunn Band at Callander Hostel at 8pm.

Top jive group King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys will take to the stage at McLaren High from 9.30pm and then again at 12pm on Sunday.

The Revolutionaires have performed at the previous twelve editions of the event and will take to the stage at McLaren High at 3pm on Sunday.

Glasgow group, King Buddah, will take fans on a blues cruise at Loch Katrine from 3pm.

Event director, Graham Oliphant said: “We started this in 2006 and it has grown every single year. We have been planning this year’s event since the minute we finished last year and it’s hard to believe that we have less than a month to go now.

“It should be a great weekend with some of the top musicians across the country performing at a host of venues across the town.”

For the full programme of events see The Ticket in next week’s edition of the Stirling Observer.

For ticket details go to www. callanderjazz.com.