Music in the Café at Buxton Festival
Buxton Festival which takes place from 8 – 24 July will again feature Music in the Café at Pavilion Gardens. The relaxed concerts which feature jazz, folk and Eastern European music start at 9pm, tickets are £20.
On Saturday 9 July The Versatility Serenaders perform music that co-existed in the early 20th Century but were rarely heard together: the dance crazes of the 1900s and 1910s (Cakewalk, Hawaiian, Ragtime, Chorinho, Tango and Blues), the ever growing clamour of Tin Pan Alley and music hall; the songs of the First World War; the high-energy, freewheeling musical mayhem called Jass, (later Jazz) and the poignancy and sophistication of the music of the late Victorian era.
Jazz at the Movies, a unique jazz group formed specifically to interpret movie themes perform on Sunday 10 July. Their refined dramatic and jazz sensibilities produce sounds that celebrate the meeting point of songcraft and swingcraft.
Robert Habermann performs Gershwin songs including I Got Rhythm, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Our Love is Here to Stay, Summertime and many more on Thursday 14 July. Acclaimed singer Robert Habermann presents the life story and songs of the immortal George Gershwin – starting out as a song plugger, then in 1919 writing his huge hit Swanee on a bus in 20 minutes; his lifelong collaboration with his brother Ira, with whom he wrote many great songs and shows, his one opera Porgy and Bess, in a fantastically prolific but tragically short life.
Following their outstanding appearance at last year’s Festival, Alex Yellowlees and his band return on Friday 16 July. Reminiscent of Django Reinhardt and the legendary Hot Club de France, this modern Grappelli on violin, with virtuoso guitarists Ged Brockie and Mike Nisbet and bassist Kenny Ellis, perform exciting, intoxicating swing jazz, laced with Latin rhythms and spiced with Celtic gypsy flair.
Eclectic alternative-folk group Tir Eolas perform on Saturday 16 July drawing on their Celtic and English folk roots to create their unique combination of traditional folk and original material. Think virtuosic instrumentals, five-part singing, guaranteed foot-stomping, and time-honoured folk ballads telling stories of love, loss and longing.
To celebrate their 21st Birthday Party UK Tour Digby Fairweather’s Half Dozen bring you their newest show ‘The Swing’s the Thing’ on Thursday 21 July in an unforgettable evening of swinging sounds, favourite songs (sung by the ‘Four Fairweather Friends’), Latin jazz, and gorgeous selections from the Great American and British Songbooks. In 2015 the Half Dozen celebrated their ninth consecutive award for Top Small Group in the prestigious British Jazz Awards
Hailing from Romania, Serbia and the UK, Paprika unites traditional Eastern European, Balkan, Gypsy and classical music in their performance on Friday 22 July. The band has toured extensively across Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and have featured at WOMAD festivals in the UK, Spain, Canary Islands and Abu Dhabi.
The 16-day Festival also features an array of talks, opera and 38 concerts and recitals from world-renowned musicians and singers. For further details and to book tickets visit www.buxtonfestival.co.uk or call the Buxton Opera House Box Office on 01298 72190.