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Mike Gordon is the Director of Scarborough Jazz Festival, as well as the Chair of the local Amnesty International Branch, a board member for arts agency CREATE and organiser of the weekly Jazz Club at The Cask. Kindly finding time to speak to Yorkshire Coast Gigs today, he was delighted to have heard earlier this week that this year’s Jazz Festival has sold a record number of tickets; a testament to the growing prestige and appeal of this annual event, which opened in 2003.
“Tonight sees the unofficial start of festivities, with Kate Peters and Ian Chalk joining the house Band at Scarborough Jazz Club” says Mike. “I feel we’ve really got some of the top UK and US jazz performers,” he notes, before going on to mention a few of the many other highlights to come this weekend.
“Friday night we have the legendary American saxophonist Jean Toussaint. We’ve also got the huge 26-piece Engines Orchestra. We booked them way back, but they’ve since won the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Ensemble.” Beats and Pieces are back again too – they won the same award in 2014. Mike also mentions vocalist Ben Cox, a rising star whom Mike feels is really going to be a hit, at the festival and beyond. And he’s delighted to have Zoe Gilby on the line-up, an immense talent from the North East.
There’s also a Jazz Festival Macmillan Coffee Morning this Friday, from 10am in Farrer’s Bar; and a Jazzy Teddy Bear’s Picnic for even the youngest jazz lovers on Sunday morning with the wonderful Kathy Seabrook.
There is clearly a lot on offer at the Jazz Festival, and it’s little wonder that The Guardian noted it as one of the ‘hottest gigs of the autumn’ earlier this month. Day and session tickets are still available, starting at £15.
For the full festival programme as a pdf, click here.
