Yahoo News Manchester Jazz Festival returns to the city this weekend for ten days of live music, free events and DJ takeovers
A popular Manchester music festival will return this weekend for ten days of live music, free events and family-friendly activities.
Manchester Jazz Festival (MJF) will begin this Friday (May 17) and will run until May 26 across different venues and sites across the city, including three main stage areas on First Street, featuring big names in contemporary jazz as well as up-and-coming stars from across the North.
The festival will feature shows at The Deaf Institute, Stoller Hall, St Ann’s Church, Matt & Phreds, Forsyth Music Shop and The Carlton Club in Whalley Range, whilst a weekend closing party will take place at Band on the Wall.
Throughout the festival, there will be performances and events from Courtney Pine, Nubiyan Twist, Mr Scruff, John Surman, Nikki Iles Jazz Orchestra, Laura Jurd’s Big Friendly Band, Laura Misch and Tim Garland’s Lighthouse Trio.
The festival has also seen the return of the popular piano trail - made up of 14 street pianos dotted across Manchester city centre and encouraging people to give them a play. You can find the locations of all pianos here. There will also be two bespoke piano trail walking tours available, run by Free Manchester Walking Tours (FMWT), on May 18 and 19 (£10 per adult, children go free).
MJF will also feature a number of original commissions, including Séance which has been described as a ‘moving musical performance’ where The Deaf Institute is transformed into a space for connection. Taking place on May 16, the show will feature voicemail messages from lost loved ones and create a shared experience of loss and grief.
The festival will officially get underway with a free opening weekender at the First Street hub from Friday to Sunday (May 17-19) featuring local musicians, alongside food and drink stalls and family-friendly activities, including face painting and craft workshops.
Throughout the festival, there will be free and ticketed performances at venues across the city from the likes of The Wagon Train, Daniel Erdmann's Therapie de Couple, Huw Warren, The Mudez Project, and Lili Miller. Band on the Wall will also host a mammoth six-hour DJ throw down on May 24 with Keep it Unreal featuring Mr Scruff, Nu Genea, Me Gusta and Lena C.
British jazz legend Courtney Pine, who was the principal founder of the 1980s band the Jazz Warriors, will also make his MJF debut with a special closing party at Band on the Wall on May 26. Also celebrating his 60th birthday year, the show will feature a special edition of his award-winning project House of Legends.
Speaking about the event, Steve Mead, mjf CEO and Artistic Director, said: “We can’t wait to welcome you back to our 10-day festival - the 29th mjf - to share some hugely inspiring artists with a host of venues and partners across the city.
“mjf is acknowledged for championing northern talent, under-the-radar artists and debuts of new music, as well as bringing some big names to Manchester, and of course for celebrating the diversity of our music and its artists.
“This year, I’m especially pleased to be able to welcome international artists back to mjf after 5 years, with a host of UK debuts and special collaborations, notably with France and Ireland, but also featuring Norway, Finland, and Germany. For many, mjf is the sound of surprise – it’s the sound we love and we hope you will too. We can’t wait for you to join us.”
mjf2024 will take place from 17 – 26 May 2024 in venues across Manchester city centre. Tickets and further line-up details available at manchesterjazz.com.
