City jazz festival returns for eighth Lancaster outing and more than 50 shows

September's come around again fast, and with it Lancaster's annual celebration of all things jazzy.
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Skeltr

Lancaster Jazz Festival, now in its eighth year, kicks off this week, with four days of mostly free live music across city centre venues, including headliners Skeltr and Kit Downes.

Venues include Lancaster Brewery, The Storey, Sun Square, The Dukes, The Hall and The Ashton Hall.

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On Thursday September 13, The Gregson hosts the Lancaster Jazz Festival Binge, featuring performances from Lancaster’s very own jazz community.

It’s a fringe event to celebrate the city’s own jazz musicians before they spend the weekend enjoying the festival proper.

There will be live homegrown jazz from 7pm until midnight across three stages.

Music comes from Youth Orbit, Grew - Piano - Brodbeck - Movement, The Jazz Phoenix, Burst Horns, Extra Jam, Off the Rails, Elephant in the Room, Jack Moore, Kader, Step Aside 5, Liz Murray and Tom Vernon, Rob Bee and Alan Pill, DC Deux, Some Things and Out of the Blue.

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The Main Hall will feature bigger and sometimes louder bands, while the Olive Bar offers a space for smaller combos and the cinema hosts a more intimate atmosphere.

Entry to the gig is £5, tickets are available from https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lancaster-jazz-festival-binge-2018-tickets-48685867741.

Also tonight, Ripley St Thomas Big Band, LRGS Big Band, and Lancashire Youth Jazz Orchestra perform at Lancaster Brewery (entry is £5), while tomorrow night (Friday September 14) Lancaster Brewery hosts an Artist Development Day between 10.30am and 4pm, followed by Juggenaught, Taupe, and Roller Trio in the evening (free entry).

There’ll be another jazz fringe event at venues including the Maritime Museum, Three Mariners and the George and Dragon on St George’s Quay from 5.30pm tomorrow night too.

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On Saturday evening, September 15, Lancaster’s Nu Jazz Collective will play a full uninterrupted listen of Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ on vinyl at The Storey.

The NuJazz team will then be playing short sets inspired by the album and its contributors - think Pharrell, Andre 3000, James Blake, Tyler the Creator, etc. mixed in with modern and nu jazz. From 7pm until 10pm.

Shows will alternate at venues in the city centre on Saturday and Sunday prior to the headline evening shows.

For the full line up and lots more information visit www.lancasterjazz.com.

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