Manchester Jazz Festival to celebrate 25 years online

This year is set to be the 25th Anniversary of Manchester Jazz Festival and due to COVID-19, they’ve been forced to celebrate it online.

Taking place from Thursday 21st – Sunday 24th May, mjf2020: Jazz Unlocked will be streaming across all of their social channels, with additional opening and closing ceremonies also streaming on the United We Stream platform.

There’ll be live music, special features and tonnes more. Here’s what to expect…

• A series of specially staged, socially distanced live sets from Baked a la Ska, Kirsty Almeida, Jenna G and George King, Ed Kainyek Hidden Gems Quartet, and the latest acts from mjf’s bespoke artist development scheme hothouse: Archipelago, Ubunye ft. Thanda Gumede, Power Out by Sarah Heneghan, and Lara Jones: EnsŌ.

• Live streams from the living rooms, gardens and balconies of Nani Noam Vazana, Ben Cipolla and Nishla Smith & Tom Harris.

• Exclusive new artist interviews and previously unseen footage looking back at 25 years of mjf originals commissions, featuring Mike Walker, John Ellis, Esther Swift and many others.

• Features from Manchester-based Efpi Records with new music and discussion on improvised music made under lockdown.

• Online premieres of Rob Cope’s moving biopic of trumpeter Richard Turner: A Life in Music and a brand new feature film of Mancunity, mjf2019’s opener and original commission by Andy Scott.

• A collection of features from filmmaker Antony Barkworth Knight’s Counterpoint series, spotlighting the creative genius of 808 State’s Graham Massey, HoneyFEET’s Rioghnagh Connolly, Cinematic Orchestra’s John Ellis and Unfurl’s Olivia Moore.