Jazz Director’s Intro
– Neil Hughes
We consistently programme a variety of jazz at Buxton, and 2025 is no different. From centennial celebrations to emerging artists, we have you covered.
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Jazz Director’s Intro
– Neil Hughes
We consistently programme a variety of jazz at Buxton, and 2025 is no different. From centennial celebrations to emerging artists, we have you covered.
I am delighted to present a series of jazz compositions that span brand new work to the celebrated musicality of Oscar Peterson —one hundred years after his birth. In jazz, our connections back to the roots of the music continue to inspire us today—the form, the passion, and the tunes that we are so familiar with, updated and arranged anew.
Jazz at The Palace
Our home during the first weekend, where we present 12 gigs over 3 ½ days, from voice to trios, to Latin rhythms and contemporary compositions – there is something for everyone. Jazz at the Palace is just a gorgeous setting for our festival within the festival.
Our headliners range from soulful jazz with Ineza on the opening night, Brazilian-influenced rhythms with Baiana on Friday, a celebration of Oscar Peterson on Saturday with strings and horns, and to close the weekend, we have Georgina Jackson’s Mighty Mini Big Band on Sunday, with her Vintage Vegas sound – including Louis, Ella and Ray Charles.
And just when you think we have exhausted the genre, we drop right into the International Festival’s second two weeks. We weave jazz and strings, big band and New Orleans and we even add a Folk and World element on the middle Saturday.
On Friday 18, we have the most special of collaborations when we invite Opera North to join forces with the Clare Teal Quartet and Denny Ilett to perform the iconic Bossa albums from Doris Day and Frank Sinatra. Ian Bateman has transcribed the albums, conducts the orchestra and is joined by Buxton’s favourite, Lizzie Ball, on voice and violin. Latin for Lovers, we sincerely hope you can make space in your programme to come and witness this one-off concert in the Opera House.
Following a very special gig, we have a first for the festival: we invite Lady Nade and Barb Jungr to play a different stream of music, Folk and World, beginning with an afternoon of original music. Lady Nade was nominated as Artist of the Year in 2023 for the AMAUK awards. In the evening, Barb Jungr explores the music of Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan; she is rightly recognised as the greatest interpreter of these poetic masters.
On the Sunday, back at The Opera House, we delve into the more soulful sounds of Rumer, who released her triple-platinum album Season of My Soul in 2010. The writer of Slow and Aretha celebrates that outstanding album.
We head into the final week with a real theatrical treat on Tuesday: Liza Pulman and her six-piece band celebrate the music of Barbra Streisand. And to close the jazz element, we have a real supergroup on Saturday 26. The Entertainers. The songs pay homage to the audiences who come and go, the lonely, bruised, glamorous, secretive souls who can be found at the bars of any club in the world, from Ronnie Scott’s to The Blue Note Tokyo to Birdland in New York.
We’ll be having so much fun, please come and join us.
