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Burton Agnes Jazz and Blues Festival – June 27-29th

This year’s acts include Chantel McGregor, British Blues Award’s guitarist of the year AND female vocalist of the year 2013; the legendary jump, jive, swing, rhythm and blues of King Biscuit and the Pleasure Boys; sultry New-Orleans-Bourbon-bar vocals and boogie piano of Tipitina; gospel-tinged festival band favourites Polly and the Billets Doux. And if that isn’t varied enough, they also have master-saxophonist Alan Barnes, teaming up with Horace Silver experts The Give a Little Love Orchestra for ‘Watching the Detectives’: music that celebrates Sherlock Holmes and Columbo!

Friday night’s party vibe will be provided by Birmingham based Brothers Groove, and regular favourites Octopus, Rob Law and the Lemon Monkeys will return during the weekend. Oh…and Hall owner Simon Cunliffe-Lister be playing out the festival on Sunday with Ben Beattie’s After Midnight Band (a little earlier than midnight, at 5pm!).

This year’s Late Night Sessions in the beer tent, in conjunction with the Beverley Arts Trust, feature Latin guitar duo Farino; Rebecca Robyns and Dan Edwards; singer-songwriter Lucy Marshall; and R&B legends The Alligators. Intimate daytime performances will take place inside the Great Hall and in our courtyard – with the full line up just announced below.

Uniquely to 2014, the festival is proud to be an official fringe event of Le Tour de France’s visit to Yorkshire. They will salute the arrival of the Tour de France’s ‘Le Grand Depart’ with their own ‘Le Mini Depart’. Taking place at the Burton Agnes Jazz & Blues Festival, there will be time-trialled clown bike races on ‘Le Mini Course’; a celebration of French cuisine on the food lawn; and the hothouse gypsy-jazz music of France’s most famous jazz guitarist, Django Reinhardt, performed on stage by Djangologie.

As always, you’ll be able to enjoy delicious home-cooked local food, award-winning local ales, locally roasted Fairtrade coffees, a nostalgic tea tent, Burton Agnes Hall’s fabulous 1960s ice cream van, comfortable and memorably scenic camping with hot showers and children’s entertainment.

Festival tickets are on sale now. A special advance booking rate applies until the end of May.

Built between 1598 and 1610 by Sir Henry Griffith, Burton Agnes Hall is an Elizabethan stately home that has stayed within the Cunliffe-Lister family for more than four hundred years. Fifteen generations have filled the Hall with treasures, from magnificent carvings commissioned when the Hall was built to French impressionist paintings, contemporary furniture, tapestries and other modern artwork in recent years.
Simon Jenkins, author of England’s Thousand Best Houses, described Burton Agnes Hall as ‘the perfect English house’ and as one of the twenty best English houses alongside WindsorCastle, BuckinghamPalace and Chatsworth House.

Burton Agnes Jazz and Blues Festival – June 27-29th
Burton Agnes Hall, Burton Agnes, Nr Driffield, YO25 4NB
www.burtonagnes.com

2014 Line up in The Great Hall – just announced

Saturday
11.00am – 1:15pm Jenny Bray and her Jazz students – Jenny Bray brings her students to the Hall for a heart warming and inspirational show of talent from the stars of tomorrow. Supported by jazz educator Rev Ray.

1.30pm – 2.30pm Ben Beattie’s After Midnight Band – Saxophonist and pianist Ben is the driving force behind this band. His compositions are often compared to Norwegian sax player Jan Garbarek and he is in constant demand as a performer and composer. The band alternate their own arrangements of classic jazz ballads with energetic feel-good music to make this a highly entertaining band.

2.45pm – 4.00pm The Lemon Monkeys – Jazz guitar duo Matt Smith and Carlos Olmos provide a soul, funk, blues and jazz repertoire

4.20pm – 5.20pm Performance TBC in association with the Beverley Festival

Sunday
12.00pm – 1.00pm Tom Mellor, Michael Nagasaka and Simon Cunliffe-Lister – When Tom’s not busy brewing Wold Top beer and Michael has some time away from the BBC camera these two strike up their guitars and produce a brimming pint of refreshing jazz and blues and they will play alongside festival organiser saxophonist Simon Cunliffe-Lister.

1.30pm – 2.30pm Ben Beattie- Sax playing Ben will perform solo some of his favourite pieces.

3.00pm – 3.45pm Rob Law Trio and Thom Whitworth – Rob is an accomplished piano player who has earned himself a reputation as one of the country’s most exciting young artists. Thom, who doubles up on the trumpet, has won numerous accolades including prizes in the Kenny Baker Memorial competition and Perrier Jazz awards semi-finalist.

4.20pm – 5.20pm Performance TBC, in association with the Beverley Festival

Main Stage line up:
Friday Evening
6:30 – 7.45pm
Octopus – This eight piece band of seasoned professionals will play us in with classic swing. Fabulous arrangements of big band classics

8:15 – 9.45
Brothers Grove- This Birmingham-based band are winning the hearts and minds of the UK blues scene with their characterful groove , superior tones, seriously catchy songs and genuine Brummie friendliness and the word is spreading fast.

FRIDAY – Late Night Sessions Courtesy of the Beverley Arts Trust
10:00pm – 11:00pm
Farino – Farino is an acoustic instrumental guitar duo from Hull of Graeme Wrightson and John Shepherd. They have fused their many influences to create a show of high-quality musicianship and fast-paced live shows, creating a blend of latin based rhythms that will definitely get your feet moving!

11:00pm – 12 Midnight
Rebecca Robyns and Dan Edwards- Rebecca Robyns has performed live on Jazz FM and at some of the country’s top venues, including the National Theatre in London. Nominated and shortlisted for “vocalist of the Year” by Jazz Yorkshire in 2012, she will perform a mix of Nu Jazz and soul classics accompanied by Dan Edwards on guitar.

Saturday
1:00 – 2:25pm
The Lemon Monkeys (Matt Smith and Carlos Olmos) – London based jazz guitar duo performing a mix of soul, funk, jazz and blues

2.45 – 4:15pm
Watching the Detectives’ with The Give A Little Love Jazz Orchestra and Alan Barnes- “Watching The Detectives” is a musical collaboration between The Give A Little Love Jazz Orchestra, known for its work with the music of Horace Silver and Alan Barnes, one of the UK’s premier saxophonists and Sherlock Holmes aficionado, celebrating two of the worlds greatest detectives, Sherlock Holmes and Columbo.

4:35 – 6:05pm
Polly and the Billets Doux- Known for their flawless and energy-filled live performances, the genre-defying quartet Polly and the Billets Doux boast a genius blend of Folk, Pop, Rock N’ Roll, Soul, Country, Blues and even Gospel.
‘A harmonious blend of folk, soul, country and gospel’ The Sunday Times
‘An eclectic and inspired musical blend’ The Guardian

6:30 – 8.00pm
King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys -Rough, tough and always rocking, the legendary King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys’ zany stage show sometimes belies the fact that here is the finest, most authentic rhythm & blues band ever to come from outside the USA.
As who has followed their astonishing career knows, the band carries a guarantee of great swinging music and high entertainment value. This year the high-octane jump and jive band have, as always, been spreading their message throughout Europe promoting their 11th Big Bear CD Live at Last!
‘Superb, a stunning range of instrumental ability…classy stuff in the style of Louis Jordan and Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, with nowt taken out.’ – Dave Clarke, Now Dig This

8:20 – 10:00pm
Chantel McGregor – Imagine the tone of Robin Trower, the inspiration of Hendrix, the influence of Stevie Ray Vaughan, the energy of Bonamassa, the intensity of Walter Trout and the haunting vocal of Stevie Nicks all rolled into one…….. then let me introduce Chantel McGregor, one of the most exciting rock and blues musicians in the UK!
A recent quote in Nightshift, Oxford’s music magazine, reinforces this, “Chantel McGregor deserves to be held up as a messiah of blues-rock and given her own mountain, she doesn’t strum or pick her guitar but almost bends and distorts it, as if she’s channelling the ghost of Hendrix through her fingers”
When asked about performing on stage, Chantel said; “playing live to great audiences is one of the most wonderful feelings, I feel so lucky to be able to do something that I love, see the world and bring happiness to others through my music”

SATURDAY – Late Night Sessions Courtesy of the Beverley Arts Trust
10:00pm – 10:50pm
Lucy Marshall-18 year old, self-taught pianist, guitarist and singer-songwriter from Worlaby, Lincolnshire. Having no particular genre, she has covered a range of music, as well as writing her own, to suit all tastes.

11:00pm – 12 midnight
The Alligators- Once again, The Alligators make their annual pilgrimage to the late night sessions tent. Expect another of their now infamous performances of no holds barred classic old school R&B, guaranteed to get you on your feet.

Sunday
12:00 – 1:30pm
Rob Law Quintet featuring Thom Whitworth – Guitar and piano can often badly clash in a jazz setting- hence most jazz ensembles feature one or the other. Occasionally, however when the musicians share common harmonic and melodic sensibility (famously Bill Evans and Jim Hall) the results can be spectacular! Rob has performed with the likes of Alan Barnes, Mark Nightingale, Snake Davis, Ian Dixon and Jim Mullen, while Thom, who doubles on trumpet and is compared by many to the great Pat McCarthy on guitar, has won numerous accolades including prizes in the Kenny Baker Memorial competition and Perrier Jazz awards semi-finalist.

1:45- 3.15pm
Tipitina- Tipitina delivers its own unique take on the blues, barrelhouse, boogie and gospel of New Orleans, in the footsteps of Professor Longhair, Dr. John, James Booker, Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint.
‘Debbie Jones is as sultry as a night downtown, Justin boogies like there’s no tomorrow…Glorious’ The Mail

3.30 – 4.45pm
Djangologie – Taking us back to the swinging era of the great Reinhardt-Grappelli ensembles, Djangologie create a spirited celebration of the Hot Club with the traditional line up of violin, two acoustic guitars and double bass. Expect virtuosic performances of the time honoured 1930’s hot club classics and a repertoire of exquisitely written, gypsy jazz originals. This is inspired rather than deferential homage.
‘Djangologie evokes the authentic sounds of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.’ Desmond Carrington, BBC Radio 2

5.00 – 6.00pm
Ben Beattie’s Jazz Essentials plus Simon Cunliffe-Lister – The driving force behind this band is saxophonist and pianist Ben Beattie. His compositions have been compared to the Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek. Jazz Essentials bring together a interesting mix of atmospheric jazz, blue grooves and soulful ballads. Although they take influences from many areas and eras of the jazz genre, they carry a unique sound that is sympathetic with earlier and contemporary areas of music. They offer a sincere and genuine approach to their music-making by injecting a youthful vigour that creates a resounding and individual personality. Festival organiser and saxophonist Simon Cunliffe-Lister will play out the weekend with Ben and his band.

Courtyard Sessions
Saturday 12.30pm-2.00pm
The Kingstown Blues Band

2.30pm-4.30pm
Jacob King – 13 year old Jacob King will return for a third year in the old stable courtyard playing classic blues.

Sunday 12.30pm – 2.00pm
Matador- Matador are a highly energetic, heavy grooving hard bop quartet featuring Jim Milligan (guitar), Alice Longbottom (piano), Elliot Roffe (bass) and Luke Szoltesek (drums). This dynamic quartet perform an exciting mix of old school, contemporary and original hard-bop repertoire, drawing influence from the likes of Grant Green, Cannonball Adderley, Red Garland and Brian Lynch.

2.30pm-4.30pm
Jacob King – 13 year old Jacob King will return for a third year in the old stable courtyard playing classic blues.