Bexhill date for Curtis Stigers ahead of Rye International Jazz and Blues Festival

The main annual Rye International Jazz and Blues Festival then takes place at the end of August between Friday 23 and Monday 26. Tickets for the Curtis Stigers concert can be bought at www.dlwp.com and tickets for the main Rye Jazz and Blues Festival at the end of August from www.ryejazz.com.

Ian Bowden, festival director, said: “We have had the pleasure of presenting Curtis in concert previously. In fact he has performed at the festival in Rye two times back in 2019 and in 2022. You could say Curtis has become a firm festival favourite and he is such a consummate performer and a lovely personable guy to work with.

“We were given another opportunity to present Curtis in concert on Saturday, August 3 and we jumped at the chance as we know from experience what a wonderful live performer he is. Over the years the festival has presented numerous concerts at the De La Warr Pavilion, which is such a fantastic venue, and we are super excited about working with Curtis for the third time.

“Curtis Stigers has had several top ten hits as a long-haired, blue-eyed soul singer and is most recognised for his classic pop hits from the early 1990s You’re All That Matters To Me, Never Saw A Miracle and I Wonder Why. Curtis has recorded thirteen studio albums and has toured with symphony orchestras, written songs with Carole King and duetted with Al Green, Shawn Colvin, Tom Jones and countless others.

“The festival has an eclectic programme for this year’s festival in Rye which takes place from August 23 to 26 which also encompasses the end-of-August Bank Holiday weekend. It is such a treat to kick start our summer concerts with Curtis at the De La Warr Pavilion which will unquestionably set the tone for this year’s twelfth festival in Rye.

“St Mary’s church in Rye plays host to a stellar line-up of artists which includes the American Blues guitarist, singer and songwriter Eric Bibb and his full band on Friday, August 23.

“Saturday, August 24, the festival presents an afternoon concert with the visionary saxophonist, composer and innovator Camilla George and her band followed by an evening headline show with Tunde Baiyewu, the British singer songwriter and former lead singer of Lighthouse Family, and you can expect to hear hits such as High, Lifted and Lost in Space.

“Jamaican jazz pianist and composer Monty Alexander performs an afternoon show with his wonderful trio on Sunday, August 25 and is cited as the fifth greatest jazz pianist ever in The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time. On Sunday evening British award-winning Soul singer Mica Millar and her band perform a close and personal evening concert.

“Monday, August 26, a special afternoon concert takes place with Jon Cleary as he celebrates the music of New Orleans. Jon will be paying homage to Crescent City icons Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Art Neville, James Booker, and others that have influenced and shaped the original American artform that we all recognise as jazz.

“Closing the festival on Monday evening at St Mary’s church is the British Soul singer Omar and his band who is without doubt one of the greatest soul music talents the United Kingdom has produced in the last forty years. Omar’s distinctive voice is instantly recognisable from his classic hit There’s Nothing Like This. He has collaborated with the likes of Stevie Wonder, the late Leon Ware, Erykah Badu, Carleen Anderson, D’Angelo, Soul II Soul’s Caron Wheeler, Angie Stone, Courtney Pine and countless others. The festival programme also includes three days of exceptional free music which takes place on a dedicated outdoor performance stage located within the heart of Rye between August 24 and 26.”