The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival releases its first tickets today.
The full programme will be launched on 20 April, to feature over 150 concerts over the Festival’s 10-day duration.
The Festival brochure will be available from the end of April.
The two headline acts released today will both perform at the Festival theatre. Tickets are available to the general public from 10.30am today online here and via Festival Theatre on 0131 529 6000 or in person.
The festival runs from Friday 17th to Sunday 26th July 2015.
One of the great icons of jazz and soul, George Benson plays Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival for the first time. In a career spanning five decades and over 30 albums, Benson redefined jazz by achieving the first platinum jazz album in 1976. Channeling those jazz roots into an engaging mix of pop and R&B, his song-writing, guitar mastery and dynamic voice have won him 10 Grammy awards. The Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee has worked with all the greats, from Miles Davis to Stevie Wonder. Edinburgh audiences can enjoy his unforgettable back catalogue first-hand, including Give Me The Night, Turn Your Love Around, In Your Eyes and Never Give Up on a Good Thing.
Sunday 26th July, 7.30pm, Festival Theatre
The greatest boogie-woogie party all year returns to the Festival with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra featuring legendary drummer Gilson Lavis and guest vocalists Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Mabel Rae. Jools and his long-time partners dazzle theatre audiences of over 500,000 a year, and have enjoyed EJBF sell-out performances over the past three years. And to top it off, this year the musical master of ceremonies will be joined by British icon, Soft Cell’s Marc Almond. Singer-songwriter Marc has sold over 30 million records worldwide and has collaborated with diverse stars including Nick Cave, Bronski Beat and Gene Pitney.
Saturday 25th July, 8pm Festival Theatre
The packed EJBF programme of world-class acts to be released in full late April includes celebrations of the centenaries of Frank Sinatra and Willie Dixon.
The two family-favourite free events are back. On Saturday 18th July, The Mardi Gras will ignite the cobbled streets of the Grassmarket with live music and street food; and on Sunday 19th July, The Edinburgh Festival Carnival will once more take over Princes Street, Princes Street Gardens and the Grassmarket in a melee of colour, dance, music and carnival costumes.
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