Music: A Love Supreme
Jeff Hemmings previews the UK’s first al fresco ‘jazz’ festival for 50 years…
Set in the glorious grounds of Glynde Place, A Love Supreme is apparently the first outdoor jazz and camping festival for nearly 50 years! There are numerous jazz ‘festivals’ taking place in the UK all year round, but these are urban affairs, and you have to move from venue to venue. Al fresco affairs are available for all other forms of music it seems, so why not jazz…?
But despite taking its name from John Coltrane’s famous song, jazz is only the base from which many other musical outpourings coalesce; funk, soul, blues and fusion and many variations thereof will also take place over the three days, and for those who can’t handle the thought of camping, there is luxury camping on offer, as well as non-camping options and day tickets available.
Featuring a main stage, a unique floored and seated Jazz big top and a bandstand, headlining this event is the ever reliable Jools Holland, The Bryan Ferry Orchestra (where Ferry re-visits many of his best known songs and performs them in vintage big band/swing mode) and Chic (featuring Nile Rodgers). For the jazz purists there is trumpeter Terence Blanchard and the Branford Marsalis Quartet. And amongst the 40 or so acts performing there’s the retro-soul courtesy of new-kid-on-the-block Michael Kiwanuka, classic Otis Redding meets James Brown soul stylings from Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, jazz fusion from Courtney Pine, blues and roots via Eric Bibb, the soulful singer songwriter Melody Gardot, the incredible singing bassist Esperanza Spalding and her band, last years’ Mercury Music Prize nominees and jazz punkers The Roller Trio, the Neil Cowley Trio, jazz fusionist Marcus Miller, jazz/R’n’B/hip-hop pianist Robert Glasper, and electro-swing duo Kitten & The Hip.
A recent addition to the festival is The Verdict Bandstand Stage, featuring local acts programmed by The Verdict, a jazz venue in Brighton, including pianist/bandleader Dave Drake and the Jack Kendon Quintet and contributions from students from Chichester Collegeʼs Higher Education jazz course, while established names such as Julian Nicholas, Mark Edwards and the Studio 9 Big Band have also pledged their support.
The dance tent will feature a mix of live music and DJs arranged by White Mink and Peppermint Candy (Saturday) and the long-awaited return of Funky Sensation on Friday.
With some big name backers and an excellent line up of quality music, hopefully this festival will be an annual event on the festival calendar.
Glynde Place, Sussex, Saturday 6–Sunday 7 July, all day, tickets from £50, www.lovesupremefestival.com
