The Soul Jazz Summit with the BBC Concert Orchestra

Big Top £32–£60

Kickstarting a new tradition for the Festival, the Soul Jazz Summit brings together the very best of jazz, funk and soul, including special guests Gregory Porter, Madeline Bell, Mica Millar, Ashton Jones, Vanessa Haynes and Beverley Knight . Celebrating the explosion of jazz and soul from the late fifties, more than 80 musicians come together to draw inspiration from jazz giants Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Count Basie and more in an extraordinary night of music. Featuring BBC Concert Orchestra and Guy Barker’s Big Band

6.30–7.45pm J14

Mica Millar

Jazz Arena

£25

Releasing her debut album Heaven Knows to critically acclaimed reviews last year, Mica Millar has quickly become one of the UK’s brightest and highly anticipated new soul stars, picking up Jazz FM‘s prestigious ‘Soul Act of The Year 2022’ Award alongside a nomination for ‘Breakthrough Act of The Year’. Watch this space for a future Big Top headliner.

Bragg, Jazz FM Head of Music

7–8pm J46

Skylla

Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre

£20

Ruth Goller has been at the heart of British progressive jazz, featuring in Acoustic Ladyland, Melt Yourself Down and Laura Jurd’s Big Friendly Band. In Skylla, vocalists Lauren Kinsella and Alice Grant join Ruth Goller’s vocals and bass guitar to create intimate and beautiful music.

8–9.30pm

Will Young

Big Top

£30–£42

Chart-topping, pop legend Will Young kicks off the bank holiday weekend on the Big Top stage. Spending the last two decades at the forefront of pop with four UK number one singles including Leave Right Now and Evergreen, 2022 marked 20 years since Will’s Pop Idol win. Having sold out his UK headline tour, Will has also had an impressive acting career including a standout performance in West End’s Cabaret

7–9.45pm J31

Amanda Whiting

The Daffodil

£75 Ticket includes a three-course set menu and champagne cocktail on arrival. Some tables may be shared. Bar open from 6pm with dinner served at 7pm. Performance 8.30–9.45pm.

Amanda Whiting has taken her classical roots and forged them with jazz harpists Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Nominated for a Jazz FM 2021 Instrumentalist of the Year Award, Amanda’s sold-out 2021 debut album After Dark was met with great acclaim from DJs including Jamie Cullum on BBC Radio 2. Her 2022 album Lost in Abstraction quickly became record of the week on Jazz FM, Worldwide FM and PBS Australia.

9.30–10.30pm

J47

Stian Westerhus

Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre

£20

Guitarist and vocalist Stian Westerhus showcases the very best of the Norwegian scene in a moody and mesmerising solo performance.

11pm–1am

J34

Kansas Smitty’s

The Daffodil

£16 Please note that this event is standing.

Kansas Smitty’s return for their infamous late-night takeover sessions. With two critically acclaimed albums and sold-out tours, this tight-knit group of young musicians are one of the best live acts around. This year Giacomo Smith brings his Hot Five, performing cuts of preswing repertoire from Louis Armstrong, WC Handy, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson.

Birmingham

Conservatoire

Sienna Exchange

Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre

£12

Rising stars from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire join students from the prestigious Siena Jazz-Accademia Nazionale del Jazz in Italy to showcase a programme of wide and varied jazz. A must-see favourite for firsttimers and experienced Festival goers.

12.30–1.45pm

Showcase Double Bill: Tamzene and Immy

Jazz Arena

£15

Drawing on influences from Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys and Eva Cassidy, 19 year-old Scottish singer Tamzene presents her tender and soulful debut, Lullaby. Tamzene is joined by Immy, a Kent-based singer-songwriter with a pop-funk sound inspired by the books, people, films and poetry around her. Her influences include Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis and Julie London.

Performances start at 1pm, 2.30pm and 5pm daily from Saturday 29 April–Monday 1 May

Waves II

Montpellier Woods

FREE

Bellringing is a complicated mixture of different sounds and patterns working together. But how does the centuries old tradition create such a magical sound? Created by Andrew Woodhead and based on his new album, Pendulums, Waves II combines music and physics as eight different pendulums create a beautifully chaotic and complex pattern. This new piece has been commissioned as part of the Jerwood Jazz Encounters programme.

1–3pm J37

Lucy-Anne Daniels

Hotel du Vin

£55 Ticket includes a three-course meal and drink on arrival.

Storyteller Lucy-Anne Daniels’ vivid imagination helps inspire her jazz and gospel-inspired sound. Weaving effortlessly between genres thanks to her rich, powerful vocals and improv skills, Lucy-Anne was recently chosen to front the National Youth Orchestra’s ‘Amy Winehouse: A Celebration of her Life and Music’ tour. Enjoy an intimate lunchtime concert featuring music from Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone, along with some new original songs.

2–3.15pm J04

Tony Hadley with Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra

Big Top

£30–£42

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra are joined by one of the most renowned voices in British music, Tony Hadley. Celebrating four decades since releasing music with former band Spandau Ballet, Tony’s unmistakable voice still brims with the same passion. In a celebration of one of the biggest voices in pop, Tony and Ronnie Scott’s perform new arrangements of standout tracks across his career, alongside classic Big Band repertoire.

2–3pm

CollapseUncollapse with Stian Westerhus

Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre

£20

Georgia Cécile

Jazz Arena £25

Scottish singer and songwriter Georgia Cécile is at the helm of the new wave of UK jazz crossover artists. Having opened four sell-out shows for Gregory Porter at Royal Albert Hall, she continues to make waves across the Atlantic and was recently crowned UK Jazz Act and Vocalist of The Year at the Jazz FM Awards. Inspired by Nancy Wilson, Duke Ellington and Stevie Wonder, Georgia’s debut album Only The Lover Sings topped the UK Jazz and Blues charts. Taking to the Arena stage, Georgia’s stunning vocals reveal an emotional depth like no other.

Black Top with Xhosa Cole

Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre

£20

Bringing a blend of lo-fi samples and experimental electronics are one of the world’s leading free improv groups, Black Top. Together Pat Thomas (piano) and Orphy Robinson (electronics and percussion) are joined by special guest, trailblazer, saxophonist and 2018’s BBC Young Musician of the Year, Xhosa Cole

5.30–6.45pm

Rufus Wainwright

Big Top £30–£42

Known for his genuine originality and one of the great vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation, Rufus Wainwright performs songs from his Grammy-nominated album Unfollow the Rules. Long lauded for his sophistication and wit, he is now working at the peak of his powers, with music guided by passion, honesty, and a newfound fearlessness. Be there for a career-spanning night with this highly celebrated musician.

7–9.45pm

Dana Masters

The Daffodil

£75 Ticket includes a three-course set menu and champagne cocktail on arrival. Some tables may be shared. Bar open from 6pm with dinner served at 7pm. Performance 8.30–9.45pm.

Born and raised in the deep south of the USA, Dana Masters left home at 17 to pursue a life in music, inspired by its power to tell human stories and break down barriers. Soon she found herself working with Prince’s guitarist and (accidentally) performing with Kanye West before making Ireland her home. With a new appetite and passion for the Irish jazz scene, Dana was soon asked to perform with Van Morrison and has been a long-term backing vocalist for the iconic musician. Now the singer, songwriter and producer is ready to tell her story in her own words.

Sarah Brown sings Mahalia Jackson

Jazz Arena

£25

You might not know Sarah Brown’s name, but you’ll recognise her voice. Having appeared on records with the likes of Pink Floyd and Stevie Wonder and toured with Roxy Music and Duran Duran, the English-born singer is one of the most prolific and in-demand vocalists in the world. Sarah celebrates the life of gospel blues legend Mahalia Jackson.

7.30pm–8.30pm

Espen Eriksen Trio with Andy Sheppard

Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Parabola Arts Centre

£25

Andy Sheppard returns to Cheltenham Jazz Festival with a Norwegian piano trio led by Espen Eriksen Together they create an upbeat symphony of intricate Nordic sounds driven by Andy on the saxophone.

9–10.30pm

Ezra Collective

Cheltenham Town Hall

£28 Standing £20 Seated, restricted view

J25

Formed in 2012 through the Tomorrow’s Warriors talent development programme, Ezra Collective have become architects of a new phase in London’s musical journey. Together they blend Black genres including jazz, grime, afrobeat and dovetail, and harmonise fluidly at new, forever rising levels. An astonishingly powerful live band –not to be missed.

9–10.30pm J06

Jake Bugg

Big Top £30–£42

28-years-old with five albums and numerous hit singles to his name, Jake Bugg’s laid-back gritty swagger and striking yet nonchalant image have seen him fuse his music and style, collaborating with the likes of Saint Laurent and Burberry. Following a sold-out UK tour, Jake and his band make their Cheltenham Jazz Festival debut following the success of his last album, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning

11pm–1am J35