The gigs include five hours of free live music in the bandstand in Marsden’s Victorian park, where there will also be over 30 artisan market stalls selling food, drink and crafts.
Street bands Tongues of Fire and BLAST! Furness, 12-piece jazz and funk band Emergency Exit, and the Doncaster Youth Jazz Orchestra will all be performing in the bandstand between 10.30am and 4.30pm.
A special children’s jazz gig – Monster Music Improv – will also be taking place at Standedge Tunnel Visitors’ Centre at 2pm on Sunday 9 October where live cartoons and live jazz will be mixed together.
Cartoonist Patrick Sanders will be drawing cartoons, projected onto a big screen, to accompany improvised performances by outstanding guitarist and technology whizz Shane Latimer and Jazz FM Vocalist of the Year 2016 Lauren Kinsella. Tickets cost £6 and are available at www.marsdenjazzfestival.com/whats-on.
Marsden-born Saxophonist Tom Challenger and organist Kit Downes will present a free performance of Vyamanikal, their Aldeburgh Festival commission in St Bartholomew’s Church at 2.30pm
Marsden’s 19th century Mechanics Hall will also host headliner performances by Montreal trio Trifolia and Anglo-American supergroup The Impossible Gentlemen.
Festival Producer Barney Stevenson said:
“The Saturday of the festival weekend is always popular with families as we have our street parade but we wanted to give Sunday a special feel as well this year to bring our 25th anniversary celebrations to a close.
“They’ll be some fantastic bands performing for free in the bandstand in Marsden Park throughout the day on the Sunday, and festival goers will be able to browse the artisan market stalls or just have fun on the swings.
“There’ll also be 12 free gigs taking place at our three other outdoor venues – the Marquee on the Bridge, Hanson Musical Instruments and Venue 25, which is a pop-up venue we’ve created for our 25th festival.
“It will be great to welcome saxophonist Tom Challenger to his birthplace for a unique concert with Kit Downes, featuring the renowned James Jepson Binns organ in St Bartholomew’s Church.
“The children’s gig at Standedge Tunnel Visitors’ Centre also promises to be a really unique and fun experience to end the weekend – one not to miss!”
Over 100 gigs will be taking place during the 25th Marsden Jazz Festival, which is being supported by Yorkshire Water and Arts Council England.
Jazz legend Digby Fairweather appeared at Marsden’s first jazz festival in 1992 and tickets for his ‘Rocking in Rhythm’ show alongside BBC Radio 2’s Paul Jones for the 25th festival have already sold out.
Marsden Jazz Festival was named ‘Outstanding Established Festival’ at the Yorkshire Gig Guide Grassroots Awards 2015, and thousands of music lovers make their way to Marsden by train, bus, car and narrow boat every year for the festival weekend.
This year’s Marsden Jazz Festival is taking place between Friday 7 and Sunday 9 October 2016. Tickets are on sale now and can booked online at www.marsdenjazzfestival.com, by calling 0800 6125 649 (10am-4pm, Monday-Friday), or at the jazz festival office in the library at Marsden Mechanics (10am-4pm, Tuesday-Friday).
