What makes the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival so special in 2025?
From New Orleans jazz of the 1920s to the freshest hippest sounds from at home and abroad, the 10-day Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival programme can be guaranteed to excite all music lovers. So, here are 10 reasons why we think it's so special and why you should join us during those 10 days.
First up, there's the musical range
Originally, the festival featured traditional jazz performances played in Edinburgh’s pubs, and it slowly evolved to feature a more diverse range of styles. For fans of Jazz music though there are a lot of options - Contemporary jazz, Trad jazz, Swing jazz, Vintage jazz, New Orleans jazz... and all that jazz! The Festival also boasts a particularly strong Blues showing, with Blues rock, Memphis blues, Mississippi blues, San Francisco blues, Chicago, acoustic and electric blues, and much more of that deep soulful sound. And recent years have seen a further expansion of the programme to take in funk and hip hop, creating a real eclectic musical mix.
And the amazing history
It’s been many years since the late Mike Hart organized the first festival in 1979 as a free traditional jazz event inspired by the Sacramento Dixieland Jazz Jubilee. From those early days, veterans of the great American bands were joined by younger local players who were part of the mainstream revival – all creating a unique musical melting pot, which developed further with the addition of the blues. Every year, a host of amazing moments added to the festival’s mystique, such as the time former US President Jimmy Carter opened Dick Hyman’s concert with Topsy Chapman at St Giles Cathedral.
Where you're bound to see some great names
Stéphane Grappelli, BB King, Acker Bilk, Dionne Warwick, Humphrey Littleton, Georgie Fame and Elkie Brooks are just some of the names that have graced the festival stages over the years, all drawn by the festival’s amazing global reputation. This year we’re joined by international stars like Julian Lage, the amazing raconteur and brilliant jazz violinist, George Washingmachine, stunning Scottish singer Marianne McGregor and must-see pianist Joe Webb. You’ll also be delighted to see some festival friends including Jools Holland, Curtis Stigers, and all-star line-up with Fergus McCreadie launching into their take on John Coltrane’s classic A Love Supreme album to mark the 60th anniversary of this seminal work.
Alongside the emerging stars of today
Across all styles, the Festival presents those musicians that they think are amongst the most exciting playing today. Creative inspiration can come at every point in a musician’s life, and the programme offers a platform that inspires musicians to create something special for audiences to enjoy. Making their festival debuts this year are - vocalist and songwriter Unoma Okudo who takes the emotional depth of soul, the improvisational spirit of jazz, and the uplifting harmonies of gospel; the jazz and world music collective Azamiah with a sophisticated and poetic sound combining jazz, neo-soul, Latin American rhythms and choral music; and Irish blues guitarist and singer, Muireann Bradley, specialising in acoustic finger picking country, piedmont, and ragtime blues styles. And returning this year after her stunning sell-out debut in 2024 will be Anais Reno, a once in a generation voice breathing new life into the Great American Songbook.
All surrounded by the best local talent
Scotland is home to some of Europe's most exciting and adventurous jazz musicians. Sure, jazz has always been a potent element of the country’s musical scene, but the past few years have seen a number of musicians, groups, and collectives forging something substantive and new. Guitarist and BBC Scotland Jazz Musician of 2024 Timmy Allan brings his own compositions and band to St Brides, while Glasgow’s Mercury-nominated corto.alto fuse nu-jazz, broken beat, dub, electronica with a strong jazz base, all of which has been going down a storm at festivals around Europe. And Dave Milligan brings his new project CHROMA to Edinburgh, with a sextet promising thoughtful folk-tinged jazz.
And a cool international vibe
The Festival’s vision has always been international, the place to take the pulse of the international scene. This year's festival includes a focus on Polish jazz with a programme offering a vibrant snapshot, allowing you to discover the soul of a scene that resonates far beyond its borders. From its inception, Polish jazz has had its own voice. From post-war pioneers to today’s genre-defying trailblazers, it has blended Slavic melancholy with modernist expression – and, in partnership with Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, and the British Council, we look forward to introducing the brilliant Krakow pianist Paweł Kaczmarczyk, the Joanna Duda Trio fresh from playing Ronnie Scott’s, and Poland's first all-female instrumental jazz band O.N.E. Plus one of the leading lights in Polish jazz, Piotr Schmidt, will give a talk on the history of the jazz in Poland and offeran insight to the current wealth of talent in Polish jazz.
In some amazing venues
The Festival takes place in the very best venues throughout Edinburgh, from the greatest concert halls to hip nightclubs, from the grandeur of the city’s Festival Theatre to the intimacy of bars and clubs around the city - with each venue chosen to complement to musicians performing. This year the Festival will take its show on the road to all 17 wards in the city, creating even more opportunities for people to dip their toe in their cool water. Everyone has their favourite and we must admit to a hidden love for the Spiegeltent, the ultimate cabaret and music salon with a central seating area circled by wooden booths, set in the attractive surrounds of St Andrew Square Gardens.
Plus the outdoor delights of the Edinburgh Festival Carnival
A free, family music and dance event with a flamboyant, festive flavour, the Edinburgh Festival Carnival takes place on the opening weekend [Sunday 13 July] of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival. Expect colour, spectacle, sounds and electric atmosphere as Scotland's largest multicultural celebration returns to the streets of Edinburgh. Over 1000 carnival performers will present music, dance, costumes, puppets, circus, and acrobatics - with groups from Brasil, Costa Rica, Trinidad, Zambia, USA, South Africa, the Netherlands, Martinique and France, alongside Edinburgh community and arts companies.
