A selection of Parliamentary MPs – Magnificent Performers, will be taking to the stage of the 23rd Wigan International Jazz Festival.
The festival, which runs from Friday July 11 until Saturday July 19, will provide a musical lap of honour to a host of artists who collected top honours at the recent prestigious Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
Liane Carrol was named Jazz Musician of the Year. Liane will be performing in Wigan along with long time friend and collaborator Ian Shaw on the evening of Friday July 18. This caps what has been a wonderful 12 months for the duo. Last September, Liane’s second album – ‘Slow Down’ was voted one of the ‘Top 5 Jazz Albums of the Year’, by Sunday Times readers and Ian was recently voted – ‘Best Jazz Vocalist of the Year’ by Time Out magazine.
Dennis Rollins picked up Jazz Educator of the Year. A close friend of the Wigan Festival, Dennis will be both performing and educating across the week long Wigan programme. As part of the Wigan International Jazz Festival Mentoring Programme, Dennis will spend three days working with the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra. This will culminate in a performance on Thursday July 17, when Dennis and WYJO will be joined on stage with Empirical.
Empirical collected Jazz Ensemble of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. A fitting reward for the band currently being hailed as one of the most exciting jazz outfits to come out of the UK.
Ian Darrington, Festival Director say:
“This is great for the artists and great for Wigan. Clearly these performers are top of the jazz tree and so it’s only right that they receive such praise and accolade. And we in Wigan are both thrilled and excited to have such an award winning line up as part of this year’s programme.”
Finishing off the quartet of award winners appearing in Wigan 2008 is Guy Barker who picked up Jazz CD of the Year for the unique and inspiring
‘The Amadeus Project’. The trumpet virtuoso and his band will be performing ‘The Amadeus Project’ on the evening of Sunday July 13.
Ian adds:
“And the awards are unlikely to stop here for these artists. Early June will see the nominations of the BBC Jazz Awards announced. It’s no secret that Dennis, Guy and Empirical will once again be up for awards. So that’s a cast of award winners at an award winning festival.”
The Parliamentary Jazz Music Awards are organised and voted for by a cross - parliament group of MPs. The awards are an appreciation of the talent contained within the UK jazz industry and highlight jazz and jazz performers with the hope that the funding organisations will follow with support enabling jazz to grow and flourish.
The awards took place on the evening of Tuesday May 13 at the Houses of Parliament. The awards were by presented to the winners by Andy Burnham, Culture Secretary and Labour MP for Leigh - part of Wigan Borough.
Other artists appearing at the Wigan International Jazz Festival 2008 include Elkie Brooks, Matthew Ford, Synthesis American Big Band, James Morrison, Bassist Avishai Cohen and the Phil DeGreg Trio. Tickets are on sale from Wigan Tourist Information Centre. 01942 825677. For regular updates visit the official festival website: http://www.wiganjazz.net (external link)
Notes to editors
- For further information on this press release please contact Keith L Bergman (Wigan Tourism Unit), on 01942 486951 (mobile: 07958 461421) or at k.bergman@wlct.org
- Alternatively contact Phil Green, Public Relations Officer for Wigan Council on 01942 827369.
- Media opportunities: The WIJF are happy to arrange photo opportunities prior to and during the festival period (July 11th – 19th). We are currently negotiating opportunities for a number of artists appearing at this year’s festival to make themselves available for media interviews in advance of the festival. There will be a limited number of free media familiarisation places available during the festival and at a pre-festival media day on June 16th. Festival Press Passes are also available. Contact Keith L Bergman.
- The Wigan International Jazz Festival is organised by Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, Wigan Council and Wigan Jazz Club. The festival is now in its 23rd year. For further information contact Festival Director Ian Darrington on 07785 982524 or at ian.darrington@blueyonder.co.uk
Sponsors
The Wigan International Jazz Festival’s principle sponsor is Manchester Airport. Other sponsors and supporters of the festival are: Stewart Milne Homes; Lancashire Life Magazine. John Smith’s Ltd; JJB Stadium; and Leisuretec.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust is a charitable trust working on behalf of Wigan Council to manage and support leisure and cultural facilities, initiatives and events for over 300,000 residents in the Wigan Borough. See www.wlct.org
