The pick of the UK’s greatest jazz, soul and blues musicians: 10-18 May. Watford, Herts
For music lovers within range of south Hertfordshire, the Watford Jazz Junction Music Festival runs May 10-18, in venues across the town.
Now its 4th year the weeklong festival opens with a Gala Night show featuring the unforgettable voice of Vanessa Haynes (lead singer of Incognito) presenting Aretha Franklin – Queen of Soul [https://watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk/events/watford-jazz-junction-gala-performance/]. Vanessa is bringing a massive 10-piece band (brimming with talent) and will be supported by local-born funk & soul supremo Harry T Pope with his superb 7-piece band, for a night of feel-good classic hits. Throughout the week there’s a cast of the UK’s most-outstanding jazz, soul and blues musicians all heading to Watford and all of them multi-award winners in the UK and globally. There are shows from legendary singer Elaine Delmar, Grammy-winning saxophonist Tim Garland alongside pianist Gwilym Simcock, uber-in-demand trumpeter Mark Kavuma, blues master Errol Linton (sold out), and a double headline show from US-bassist & singer Janet Evra and Italian pianist Ilario Ferrari.
>> Use offer code ONLINE10 to receive 10% off any tickets booked via the Watford Jazz Junction website.
Perhaps the key gig to look out for is a world premiere being presented by singer, violinist and composer Alice Zawadzki (Jamie Cullum, Yo-Yo Ma, Disney) who’s shortlisted for the Jazz FM Awards 2025 Vocalist of the Year (being announced in late April), with a must-hear show called Invented Folklore on Saturday 17 May at the Pump House Theatre. It’s been written especially for the festival and features a band with another stellar line-up of talent.
The final day of the festival concludes on 18 May with an event called Jazz Steps in a beautiful area of Watford called Oxhey Village, with 25 more acts performing headlined by the ever-popular City Funk Orchestra. With 9 stages easily walked to from the other (including a main stage on Oxhey Green, 6 family-friendly pubs, a dance hall and even the bowls club!), it’s a fun and free afternoon of live music for friends and family to come together and enjoy. Tickets for Vanessa Haynes starting from just £22.50 are available direct from the Watford Palace Theatre box office: https://watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk/events/watford-jazz-junction-gala-performance/
Tickets for all other shows starting from just £20 are available direct from the Watford Jazz Junction website: www.watfordjazzjunction.com
I’m mentioning this outside of our usual ‘tech‘ coverage, but don’t for a minute think there is a host of tech involved in producing this live event spanning 9 days. The AV and recording setup to manage all these shows, with as many as 9 gigs happening simultaneously is a huge undertaking.
>> Use offer code ONLINE10 to receive 10% off any tickets booked via the Watford Jazz Junction website.
This post was written by Rob Gordon, an IT geek, gadget lover and blogger. Rob has been using the internets since 1994 when the only streaming video was that coffee pot in Cambridge (rip)….
Follow Rob on X – @robgordon – about.me/robgordonuk
