EALING SUMMER
Blues and jazz
going strong
B
ack in 1987 local musician
Bob Salmons staged a free
gig in Walpole Park. There
was no bar, no big tents,
the audience bought picnics and the
band performed on the old, now
demolished, Victorian stage at the
north end of the park.
Fewer than 100 people turned up
but the gig was a success and was
staged again. Fast forward to 2016,
and that little gig has grown into what
is now known as the Ealing Blues
Festival. This year, on the weekend
of 16–17 July it will celebrate its
30th festival as one of Britain’s most
established Blues events.
The line-up this year contributes to
the commemorative atmosphere. One
of the finest Blues performers from
across the pond Earl Thomas returns
following his exceptional performance
at the 2014 Ealing Blues Festival.
Deemed ‘one of the most important
blues artists of this decade’ by the Best
of Blues Awards, his songs have been
covered by icons such as Etta James
and Tom Jones. Earl sets the main
stage on fire on Sunday, 17
July at 9pm.
Although it has grown to
a festival catering to 6,000
music fans, Ealing Blues will
continue to embrace the enduring
spirit of that 100-person gig Bob
Salmons put on 30 years ago.
An inherently British festival, Ealing
Blues will not neglect its home-grown
talent, with the dynamic, award
winning Zoë and The Band who have
cemented themselves at the fore of
the British Blues scene over the last
four years. The festival also continues
to foster emerging local talent, a clear
example of which will be the very cool
Tom Ivey Band. Both play on Saturday.
JAZZ WEEKENDER
Ealing Jazz Festival has undergone
some changes for its 2016
incarnation but, although it is shorter
than previous years, the festival will
still be a show-stopping music event
with dozens of local and international
acts, ready to light up Walpole Park
once again over two days, on the
weekend of 23–24 July.
This year, the music starts a little
earlier in the day than usual (on both
days) and the bill is to include an
array of established artists - meaning
even more music and even better
entertainment for your money. And
you can take advantage of advance
tickets (see box below) too.
It has also been put together by jazz
programmers, including Continental
Drifts and the Jazz Umbrella.
On the Sunday, the south stage will
focus on contemporary, cutting edge
music and will bring some of the best
UK jazz artists to town once again.
There will be big band favourites, funky
Latin tunes, jazz and funk fusion, bebop,
hard bop, contemporary jazz and more.
Keep a look out for
announcements on the performers at
www.ealingsummerfestivals.com and
follow @Ealing_Summer on Twitter.
BLUES AND JAZZ TICKETS
■ Advance tickets: £5 per day
or £10 for the weekend
(plus booking fees) at
www.ealingsummerfestivals.com
■
On the day tickets: £7 per day
or £12 for the weeke nd
There will be a bar on-site selling
a variety of drinks.
around ealing
Summer 2016
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