American jazz legend whose song featured on Kendrick Lamar track to headline Scottish festival

A legendary musician best known for his 1970s collaborations with poet Gil Scott-Heron and whose music featured on a Kendrick Lamar track is to headline the Glasgow Jazz Festival.

American keyboardist, flautist and singer Brian Jackson is to perform at the event - Scotland’s longest-running jazz festival - now in its 39th year.

A scenic view of Glasgow, where the jazz festival is held each year | Adobe

Mr Jackson, who will play at Glasgow’s Saint Luke’s venue on June 20, wrote, arranged and produced over ten albums across an eight-year period. His music featured on more than 100 tracks, including on releases from the likes of Kendrick Lamar’s 2011 track Poe Mans Dreams, from the album Peace Go With You, Brother.

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The Neil Cowley Trio return to the festival for the first time in eight years when they play the opening night, also at Saint Luke’s. Meanwhile, Grammy-award-winning British-born, New Orleans based funk and R&B musician Jon Cleary is set to play an intimate show at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall’s Green Room.

Genre-defying instrumental collective Fat-Suit will pay tribute to the golden age of video game music at Òran Mór. From Zelda to Final Fantasy, Mario Kart to Sonic the Hedgehog, his one-off show reimagines iconic soundtracks through Fat-Suit's signature blend of jazz, folk, funk and electronics.

Jill Rodger, director of Glasgow Jazz Festival, said: “Scotland’s jazz scene has never been so buoyant, and Glasgow has become a bustling hub of creativity and cutting-edge collaboration among jazz musicians. So it’s only right that our 2025 programme celebrates the incredible talent to be found here.

“I’m also very excited to be presenting a wealth of global acts, with artists coming in from locations like New Orleans and Brazil. I would encourage music fans across the city to come out and discover something new this summer. There will be beats to satisfy all tastes on display at venues big and small across Glasgow.”

Brian Jackson is to perform at the festival. | Emma Zanen

Also performing are award-winning Scottish jazz group Rose Room, which will celebrate their 15th anniversary on June 18 with a performance in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall’s Green Room. Trumpeter Colin Steele and his Quartet will also play the music of Glasgow icons The Blue Nile in the same venue on June 20.

Scottish saxophonist Matt Carmichael will perform his most ambitious work to date, Dancing with Embers, on June 19.

The festival was among a large number of arts organisations to receive multi-year funding from Creative Scotland for the first time earlier this year.

Alan Morrison, head of music at Creative Scotland, said: "There's a new sense of confidence coursing through the Scottish jazz scene and onto the stages of the 2025 Glasgow Jazz Festival. The positive mood is everywhere, as the city steps out on the upbeat, welcoming top musicians from across the world who will share the spotlight with our own home-grown stars.

“As the festival enters a new phase supported for the first time through Creative Scotland's Multi Year Funding programme, it's great to see the sheer breadth of jazz that's on display, from the genre's trad roots through to its improv-focused future."

Tickets for the festival are on sale now.