This year's Swindon Jazz and Soul Festival was bigger than ever with headline performances from Omar Lye Fook and QCBA, and a day of African music as well as Jazz and Soul.
The Festival, held earlier this month across two days, saw an evening of Soul music on the Friday, and a full day of Jazz and African music on the Sunday.
The event took place at Christ Church, and its community centre adjacent, in Old Town.
This year, organisers said they were extremely honoured to be supported with public funding by Arts Council England.
As well as a headlining performance from Omar Lye Fook and QCBA (Friday), and a full day of live music with musicians from Zimbabwe, Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Caribbean artists from Dominica and Trinidad, the festival also featured a dance workshop for the live music attendees on the Saturday.
The Festival's live music events programme started on the Friday with sets from Marvin Muoneke and Jerry Crozier Cole, followed by the Eric Mylod-Okafo and Jack Baldus Soul Duo. The sold-out evening of Soul closed with Omar and QCBA's headline set. After the show, Omar, Quentin Collins and Brandon Allan did a meet and greet and signed vinyl records after the show for fans.
The live music showcase in the church then continued on the Saturday with a full day and night of Jazz, featuring acts including BBC Young Musician of the year Xhosa Cole, internationally acclaimed reedsman (and also Bad Manners’ saxophonist) Adrian Cox, Gypsy Jazz quartet Swing From Paris, and local pianist Gary Bamford. There were also specially commissioned performances from David Knight's Bebop set, and 'A Night in New Orleans' set.
Over in the community centre or 'the African Room' the day kicked off with an African Dance worshop, led by Dance Roots Africa (who have just won the WOMAD Foundation Anniversary Grant).
This was followed by a spiritual performance by the duo Meet My Ancestors, which included audience participation in rhythm beating, call and response, and in telling ancestor stories to music. Later on, Baraka and Chris Cobbson's Afro Jazz project took audience members on a journey of rhythm and melody from across Africa and the Caribbean.
Additionally, Old Town Vibe Engineers DJ-ed world music in between acts, and acclaimed Ethiopian band Krar Collective closed the show.
As part of the Swindon Jazz and Soul Festival 2023, back in March, a total of 90 students from The Commonweal, Lawn Manor, and The Croft Primary also took part in the festival's workshop at renowned professional studio, Crescent Records Studio in Old Town.
Pupils were taught by Nigeran-English percussionist Richard Olatunde Baker who has played with artists such as Sting and Mulatu Astatke. The children had access to Akuba, Sekelebe, Gbedu, Agogo, Sekere instruments plus lots of traditional singing.
Festival director Evie Em-Jay said: "This year has been the most exciting Swindon Jazz & Soul Festival so far - thanks to Arts Council Funding we were able to incorporate workshops for schools and a larger music line up. There are many thousands of applications for funding so I’m extremely honoured to have been chosen this year especially as the arts industry is still recovering after the pandemic."
The event was sponsored by Los Gatos - who are said to be enjoying their new expansion in Old Town.
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