Hastings launches its first-ever jazz festival
Hastings launches its first-ever jazz festival across Hastings town centre on Saturday, October 4.
Festival director Mike Willis said: “This autumn, Hastings, a town with a storied musical past from Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 Pier performance to its present-day reputation as a hotbed of independent culture, opens a new chapter with the launch of its first-ever Hastings Jazz Festival.
“Taking place on Saturday, October 4, the one-day festival presents jazz in the expanded field: music inflected, inspired, and energised by jazz’s spirit of improvisation. From Afrobeat to big band, from spiritual groove to late-night lounge, the programme is designed for both devoted listeners and curious newcomers.
“Audiences can move between three landmark venues in the America Ground cultural quarter – Henry Ward Hall, Barnaby’s Lounge and Holy Trinity Hastings (HTH) – creating a city-centre festival atmosphere with different sonic worlds under one umbrella.”
There are a number of headline artists:
● Osibisa – “the Afro-rock pioneers whose fusion of jazz, funk, rock, and West African highlife soundtracked a new multicultural Britain in the 1970s. Their rainbow-winged imagery and electrifying live shows made them the first African-rooted band to achieve major international success, influencing everyone from Santana to the global world-music movement.”
● Dele Sosimi – “keyboardist, composer, and bandleader, who as a member of Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80 helped shape Afrobeat into one of the 20th century’s most politically charged and rhythmically dynamic forms. His London-based ensembles continue to carry forward Afrobeat’s legacy while pushing it into new spaces.”
● Barnaby’s Big Band – “Hastings’ own powerhouse jazz orchestra, bridging the local with the international by joining forces with top UK soloists.”
Festival director Mike added: “Hastings has always brimmed with improvisational and entrepreneurial energy. Hendrix on the Pier, punk and experimental art in the 70s and 80s, the town’s radical DIY scene today, it’s all about taking risks and reimagining what music can do. With Hastings Jazz Festival, we’re extending that lineage. Jazz here is not a narrow genre but a field of possibility, a way of connecting global traditions with the energy of this town.
“The festival arrives at a moment when jazz is enjoying renewed attention in Britain, with young players bringing it into dialogue with hip hop, electronic music and global sounds. Hastings, already celebrated for its classical and experimental festivals, now places itself firmly in that national conversation.”