London’s largest free jazz festival at Canary Wharf


Released on: July 09, 2013, 2:36 pm
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Industry: Travel

Soweto Kinch among the performers at August’s free festival.

-- /EPR NETWORK/ -- London's largest free jazz festival arrives at Canary Wharf this August with a sterling line-up of world-class artists and rising stars, headlined by  Soweto Kinch,  Omar Puente  and  Carleen Anderson. The Canary Wharf Jazz Festival is set in the picturesque Canada Square Park, with over 240 nearby shops, cafes, bars and restaurants to enjoy. Visitors to London looking for accommodation should visit LondonTown.com, which has a huge choice of suggestions for London hotels.

The Canary Wharf Jazz Festival gets off to a boisterous start on Friday 16 August  with what promises to be a powerhouse performance from  Roller Trio, whose invigorating mix of rock riffs, angular drums, electronic loops and powerful tenor sax has marked them out as one of the most exciting new bands around. They will precede Friday's headline performance from the multi-award-winning alto saxophonist and MC  Soweto Kinch, a major figure in both the British jazz and hip hop scenes.

Saturday's programme opens with a set by the  Nathaniel Facey Quartet. Young British alto saxophonist, composer, arranger and band leader, Facey has worked with some of the finest musicians from the UK and abroad, including Jack DeJohnette, Hugh Masekala and Courtney Pine. Next up come  Troyka, three London-based musicians whose intense live shows have seen them hotly tipped to follow in the footsteps of Polar Bear and Portico Quartet to become the next young band to explode from the capital's fertile jazz scene. At 5pm  Soothsayers will maintain high energy levels with their deep, hypnotic grooves, powerful horn lines and sublime vocal harmonies. One of the UK's most exciting, in-demand live performers, the double MOBO Award-winning saxophonist YolanDa Brown  will set the scene for Saturday's headline performance from the acclaimed Cuban violinist  Omar Puente, who has worked with an amazing range of musical talent, including Nigel Kennedy, Wynton Marsalis, John Williams, Jools Holland and Courtney Pine.

Omar Puente  returns to Canary Wharf with his new project,  Omar Puente RaicesCubanas, a ten-piece, high energy band fronted by vocalists, Rene Alvarez and Yuri Moreno. Playing traditional Cuban style (Buena Vista Social Club) through to a more contemporary sound, there is little doubt the performance will be eminently danceable and heavily seasoned with Omar Puente's original flavours.

Sunday's entertainment will open with the  Zoe Rahman Quartet – in 2012 the pianist who is known for her individual style, powerful technique and exuberant performances, won Best Jazz Act at the MOBO Awards. Celebrated British jazz pianist, Jason Rebello follows; the player whose musical versatility and keyboard skills have found him working with a diverse variety of top musicians, including Sting, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Pee Wee Ellis, Joss Stone and Charlene Soraia. The penultimate performance of this year's festival will come from the much-loved, award winning British jazz vocalist  Ian Shaw, whose solo shows are renowned throughout the world.

The 2013  Canary Wharf Jazz Festival will come to a memorable close with music from the  Carleen Anderson Soul Trio. As the late Amy Winehouse opined “when talking about REAL live performances, then one must look to Carleen Anderson. Everyone should see Carleen Anderson perform live. Not just once – at least three times in their life.”

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