What A Fantastic Third Year!
A big thank you to everyone who attended this year’s festival, and an even bigger thank you to our sponsors, patrons, advertisers, venues, passionate festival team, volunteers, and of course, the amazing musicians. The Sidmouth International Jazz and Blues Festival has now become an established cultural event not only for Devon but also the entire South West.
The 2024 Sidmouth International Jazz and Blues Festival took place from Thursday, May 23 to Monday, May 27. It delighted music fans and families with an eclectic and diverse program of high-quality music and a fantastic free education programme over three days.
Blackmore Gardens, located in the heart of Sidmouth, hosted the festival’s main outdoor performance stage, featuring evening headline concerts and daytime music performances. Despite the inclement weather, thousands of people came out to experience the fabulous live music.
Tony Hadley kicked off the festival on Thursday, May 23 with an impressive evening concert with his full swing band and delighting jazz fans. On Friday, May 24, Roachford and MF Robots took the audience to their funky soulful place with an incredible double bill.
On Saturday, May 25, Roberto Fonseca and his all-star band from Havana, Cuba enthralled the audience with their authentic Cuban rhythms despite the heavy rain. Spirits were not dampened, and it was impossible not to dance to Roberto’s infectious rhythms.
Sunday, May 26 saw Ruby Turner and her band treat the audience to a stunning evening of music. From the moment she walked onto the stage, she had the audience in the palm of her hand. Ruby delivered wonderful renditions of “I’d Rather Go Blind” and “It’s Gonna Be Alright,” and left the stage with two standing ovations!
On Monday, May 27, the festival proudly celebrated two award-winning British female singer-songwriters. Elles Bailey, the smoky-voiced human dynamo who straddles the worlds of Americana and the Blues, and British Soul singer Mica Millar treated festivalgoers to a first-class evening of music.
The festival’s dynamic daytime music program delighted music fans from Saturday, May 25 to Monday, May 27, with five acts performing each day. There was something for everyone, with Soul, Blues, Jazz, and Latin music. Acts included Lady Nade, with her set dedicated to the great Nina Simone, Ian Shaw and his incredible band, Snowboy and The Latin Section with their unique blend of Afro-Cuban Jazz, the high-energy soul of Acantha Lang, Pete Josef, Russell Sinclair, Toby Lee, and many others.
Our three-day free music education program was extremely well attended. The festival was immensely proud to provide a wide range of music masterclasses, workshops, and seminars, offering opportunities to gain experience, grow, and build confidence. Highlights included a harmonica workshop, Jazz and Blues jams, a history of the Blues session, a wonderful Gospel Choir concert with the Soul of The City Gospel Choir, Jazz composition masterclasses, a vocal workshop, drumming for kids, and much more.
We very much look forward to seeing you at the 2025 festival, which takes place from Friday 23, May to Monday, May 26.
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