Scottish Jazz Weekend 2020: dates, venues and programme for the February jazz, swing and folk festival

Edinburgh will be alive with the sound of music this weekend thanks to the Scottish Jazz Weekend.
Katie Whittaker will be paying tribute to soul queen Etta James. Picture: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues FestivalKatie Whittaker will be paying tribute to soul queen Etta James. Picture: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
Katie Whittaker will be paying tribute to soul queen Etta James. Picture: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival

Scottish Jazz Weekend will bring together some of the country’s most talented jazz musicians for four days of concerts, workshops and showcases.

Here’s everything you need to know.

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Fat Suit will bring their unique style to the big weekend. Picture: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues FestivalFat Suit will bring their unique style to the big weekend. Picture: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
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When is the 2020 Scottish Jazz Weekend?

Presented by the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, the Scottish Jazz Weekend will take place between Friday 21 and Monday 24 February.

Where is it taking place?

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Over the course of the weekend, 17 concerts will take place at five venues across Edinburgh: The Jazz Bar, The Queen’s Hall, Heriot’s Rugby Club, Teviot Row House and St Brides Centre.

The New Orleans-inspired jazz and Hokum bluesband, Red Hot Rhythm Makers. Picture: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues FestivalThe New Orleans-inspired jazz and Hokum bluesband, Red Hot Rhythm Makers. Picture: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
The New Orleans-inspired jazz and Hokum bluesband, Red Hot Rhythm Makers. Picture: Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival

Who will be performing?

The Scottish Jazz weekend brings together some of the finest jazz musicians in Scotland. It includes everything from traditional, New Orleans-style performers to modern, electronica-infused takes on the genre.

This year, the Jazz Weekend will be working in collaboration with the Edinburgh Jazz and Jive Club, Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, Soundhouse, Tinderbox and The Edinburgh Festival of Sound to provide one of its most eclectic programmes yet.

Whether you’re a seasoned jazz expert or totally new to it, there will be something for everyone.

Guitarist Haftor Medbøe will be debuting a new jazz concert which charts a day in the life of a toddler, while the Edinburgh Jazz School will be providing a showcase of its pupils’ talents.

Moving to more experimental waters are the likes of Belgian multi-instrumentalists ESINAM and jazz-avantronica experimentalists HERSCHEL 36, who will be looking to expand the audience’s idea of what jazz is and how it can be made.

Taking things into full party mode, Fat-Suit’s gender-bending nine-piece band will be delivering another high energy set, as will Glasgow funk maestros, Nimbus Sextet.

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For those who are more interested in the vocal side of jazz, Emilie Boyd will be blending French and Scottish musical styles, while Norma Winstone will perform some more of her internationally-acclaimed improvisations.

Anyone in search of that New Orleans flavour would be advised to swing by Alison Affleck’s two shows: one as the frontwoman for the all-female trad band The Red Hot Rhythm makers, the other as a duo alongside Orleans native, Joplin Parnell.

There will also be a variety of workshops available for those looking for a more hands-on jazz experience, including a series of Jazz for Toddlers sessions and the Tinderbox orchestra’s open rehearsal, which invites young players and singers from all backgrounds to make music together.

Full details of the 2020 programme can be found here.

Where can I get tickets?

Tickets for the Scottish Jazz Weekend can be booked via the website.

Ticket prices vary between different events but Kids go free to any of the events at the St Bride’s Centre, so long as they are accompanied by a paying adult.

Those who are registered as students, unemployed or disabled receive a £2.50 discount on all tickets.

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