Peter Slavid picks a few personal highlights from the programme of the 2024 Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2024 (NFoJaIM) which runs from 27-29 Sept to 3-6 October. Booking is now open (link below).
The 8th iteration of the NFOJAIM has just published its programme and it looks like the most imaginative yet.
Its full of big names and experimental musicians that many will never have heard of, mixed with luminaries from the jazz scene in the North East.
The Full Programme is at the link below, but I would like to pick out just a few highlights:
- The festival always features a selection of artists from the Newcastle area including Andy Champion, Faye MacCalman and others
- The first weekend sees the Danish pianist Jeppe Zeeberg with his modestly named band The Absolute Pinnacle of Human Achievement. Zeeberg was at last year’s festival with a duo and was a big hit. Also on the first weekend there is a rare return to the UK by Ingrid Laubrock with Tom Rainey, playing with local improvisers Johnny Hunter and John Pope
- The second weekend features (amongst others) the Japanese pianist Izumi Kimura playing with drummer Gerry Hemmingway; an Art, Entertainment and Politics Workshop, and The Flame, the trio of Robert Mitchell (Piano) / Olie Brice (Double Bass) / Mark Sanders (Drums). It all finishes on Sunday 6th with local saxophonist Emma Johnson‘s Gravy Boat.
It’s hugely encouraging that the Newcastle area retains an enthusiasm for this type of music which can be challenging at times. This year the festival has expanded into new venues and some interesting experiments with sound. These include the Friday Night Chill Out at Jesmond Swimming Pool and soundtracking to a selection of historic surrealist films.
This is the only jazz festival around that focuses exclusively on this type of jazz and improvised music, and its now established as an important part of the UK jazz landcape.
