Back to celebrate jazz musicians from Manchester and beyond, the Manchester Jazz Festival 2022 will take place at Escape to Freight Island again this year with a huge lineup!
Established back in 1996 with a programme of just nine bands, a DJ, off stage activities and some beer sampling, it has now grown into a celebration of jazz talent where audiences can get truly lost in the music.
This year will see acts such as Xhosa Cole Quartet, Daniel Casimir, NGUVU, Kara, Mamilah, Timeline, Alligator Gumbo plus many more dominate stages across Freight Island’s mammoth space that will also be serving tasty street food and drink.
Since it began, Manchester Jazz Festival has made waves within the music scene and was also the first UK jazz festival to sign up to Keychange in 2018, campaigning for more balanced gender diversity in music. Each year the festival exceeds the target of a 50/50 gender balance in its programming.
In addition, 2021 saw the festival become one of the founding partners of Black Lives in Music, working to develop and champion culturally diverse work, artists and partnerships.
After quickly moving 2020’s event online due to COVID-19 and being one of the first live festivals with an audience post-lockdown in 2021, Manchester Jazz Festival’s organisers are looking forward to bringing the show back for good in the new normal.
Steve Mead, Artistic Director at Manchester Jazz Festival, commented: “2022 continues to bring challenging world events that impact us all – but in the face of these challenges, we return to the live arena with determination and positivity, and with festival partners who will help us celebrate once more the unifying power of live music.
“Amidst these challenges and achievements, inspiring ideas, exciting young players and new listeners continue to grow, making mjf what it is: a place for artists to find themselves, and for audiences to lose themselves.”
Manchester Jazz Festival will return to Escape to Freight Island this May. You can grab tickets to all events via the link below.
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