What's On

Top vocalists, including Jacqui Dankworth MBE, to star in the 2024 Dundee Jazz Festival.

Tayside music lovers attuned to the changing seasons know that November brings with it not only the nearing of winter, but also the annual Dundee Jazz Festival.

This year’s exciting line-up features artists working across the wide world of jazz, but has a special focus on female vocalists including much-decorated singer Jacqui Dankworth MBE, Scottish rising star kitti, and local favourites The Vintage Girls. Audiences can enjoy the artistry of legendary jazz figures such as trumpet extraordinaire Colin Steele, highly-acclaimed Scottish pianist Brian Kellock, and German free jazz drummer Günther Sommer. For those looking for something with a heavy groove or poignant message, one could do much worse than to spend an evening with Roan Anderson’s ‘Tao’, a band fusing contemporary jazz elements with soulful melodies and infectious rhythms, or listening to the emotive words and beats of spoken word artist Bee Asha.

The city’s political and ecclesiastical history is the subject of a lecture and performance of US-based musician and scholar Ruth Naomi Floyd. Her contribution to the festival shines a spotlight on the work of the prominent African American writer and abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, and his connections to Dundee. Big band music features in abundance this year with performances from both the energetic Tayside Big Band and the massive Dundee University Big Band.

View the full programme here.

Information published by Leisure and Culture Dundee.