HSBC Cheltenham Jazz Festival
28 April - 5 May 2008

...and join us in 2009 - 28 April - 4 May 2009

Listen...
to the HSBC Cheltenham Jazz Festival podcast 2008

Thank you

Now that the dust has settled on another terrific Jazz Festival, the team would like to thank EVERYBODY who took part.

From all our fabulous artists and agents through our production crew, volunteers, designers, venue and catering staff, to our audience members, both loyal and new, you all contributed to the huge success of the 2008 HSBC Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

From Eartha Kitt and Van Morrison to the wonderful musicians from local schools who participated in our Jazz It Up! project, the spectrum of performances this year has been breathtaking. While Maceo Parker shook the chandeliers at the Town Hall, Gwyneth Herbert sang sweet soothing songs in the Pillar Room. As the BBC Concert Orchestra delivered a warts-and-all account of the life of Billie Holiday, Jerry Dammers entertained us with his musicians from Saturn and beyond, spilling out onto the street for an impromptu alfresco performance!

While our science team experimented on a long list of willing volunteers, Tim Berne improvised his way through 75mins of free-funk fusion, and as Mr Scruff's breakbeats wound the Town Hall in to a frenzy of hip-hop jazz, gifted Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca and his band turned a quiet corner of Cheltenham into a Cuban cornucopia.

As always, the HSBC Cheltenham Jazz Festival could not go ahead without the amazing support of all its sponsors. Their invaluable contribution to the festival ensures that we can continue to bring world-class musicians to the area whilst supporting music within the local community and nurturing the British jazz legends of the future.

And now that '08 is becoming a distant memory, we are turning our heads towards '09. If you have any burning suggestions of who would you like to see at the festival next year, please email us with your ideas. And watch this space as we look forward to an exciting year ahead.

Jazz Fringe 2008

Find out about the 2008 Jazz Fringe Festival.

Jerwood Jazz Generation

As always we are delighted to welcome many of the brilliant young musicians supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation - look out for the Jerwood Jazz Generation Events - www.jerwoodjazzgeneration.org.uk.

BBC

Our ongoing relationship with BBC Radio 2 means that the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Big Band will once again be participating at the Festival. Visit the BBC Radio 2 Music Club Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2008 web pages.