Organisers behind the first annual Bristol Jazz Festival have announced details of the headliners and other artists taking part in the event that runs between 1-3 March 2013. The festival has been founded by performing arts producer Colin Gorrie and local jazz guitarist Denny Ilet and is funded by Arts Council England. They will be promoting the festival in association with Colston Hall where all the events will take place – headliners and main acts in the main performance spaces as well as many free performances in the new foyer space.

Bristol has long been a hotbed of musical activity – not least its lineage of leftfield trip hop and dance sounds à la Portishead, Massive Attack and Roni Size – but in recent years its jazz scene has been making waves too. With the likes of local star Andy Sheppard and his attitudinal counterpoints Get The Blessing (both set to appear at the festival) making waves internationally, the city’s increasingly potent scene is to get a significant boost with what’s hoped will be an annual jazz festival.

With a mission to create an economically viable festival, which attracts large audiences (including overseas visitors) the organisers aim to cover contemporary, straightahead and trad jazz. Their ambitious opening year programme features some impressive headliners: Richard Galliano and Biréli Lagrène band (1 March); John Scofield Organic Trio with Larry Goldings and Gregory Hutchinson (2 March) and Arturo Sandoval (3 March – pictured above) – the performance by the latter renowned trumpeter just one of two planned UK concerts by him next year.

For more info visit www.bristoljazzandbluesfest.com

– Mike Flynn