If You Do One Thing…
Enjoy the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, both in-person and online
THE Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival might be one of the younger summer festivals – created as “recently” as 1978 – but it has established itself as the advance guard of the Edinburgh Festival in August.
Offering a wide range of live music, the Jazz & Blues Festival traditionally kicks off a vibrant summer in the capital – though last year proved very different.
“In April 2020 we made the decision to cancel the 2020 Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival and Edinburgh Festival Carnival,” says the festival’s marketing and audience development manager, Paula Duncan.
“While we couldn’t have audiences and performers in our venues, we presented a free four-day online event and an online celebration of carnival.”
Although the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival is held in late July/early August, that doesn’t mean the team working behind the scenes can take the rest of the year off – during the last 12 months, while in various levels of lockdown, they have been busy expanding the festival’s reach.
“In December 2020, we presented an online Scottish Jazz & Blues Weekend – the festival’s first foray into pay-per-view,” Paula says. “Every session fused high quality artistic programming with top-notch production values, recorded by a team of experts.
“In April 2021, we presented another weekend of online content, this time celebrating some of the legends of the jazz and blues scene.
“Despite the difficult past 12 months, we have offered creative opportunities to Scottish musicians and delivered exciting programmes to our audiences – and we have been able to improve our reach in 2020,” says Paula. “We are looking forward to continue expanding in 2021.”
Exact plans for the 2021 festival are still ultimately dependent upon
Scottish Government advice come July, but one thing is for certain, this year’s Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival will definitely take place from July 16-25.
Across the 10 days, more than 40 digital events will go ahead, including 20 live streams.
“If government guidelines allow, we are excited to be able to host some small audiences, too. Tickets for all events will be sold separately, but we will also have a Festival Pass which will grant access to everything online.”
Making the best of the circumstances, Covid-related travel restrictions have concentrated minds when it comes to performers.
“The festival will have a focus on Scottish artists,” Paula says, “and audiences can expect to see a host of familiar faces, many in new settings.”
Sadly, two previously-announced performers will not be appearing in Edinburgh this year. American jazz singer and saxophonist Curtis Stigers, and “national treasure” Jools Holland – with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and special guest Eddi Reader – have both been rescheduled for the 2022 festival, with tickets for their shows are already on sale.
The traditional Edinburgh Festival Carnival – usually a free, family music and dance event – will remain online this year, transformed into a three-day digital festival, running across the opening weekend, July 16-18. Live dates might be announced, depending on restrictions.
In addition to local and international performances, the online carnival will also include online workshops.
This is rightly symbolic of a festival which has long celebrated on-the-spot creativity and a deep love and enthusiasm for both the music and its creators.
“The artists” festival will focus on Scottish
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival takes place from July 16-25, 2021. For more information visit edinburghjazzfestival.com