We’re excited to be the launch venue for the 2025 Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival! On Friday 18th July, the 41st annual event will officially be opened at the Hilton Garden Inn in Brindleyplace.
The following week, on four consecutive lunchtimes, you’ll be able to hear some magnificent music from the Bandstand at the Water’s Edge. Join us daily at 12:30 pm for what are sure to be some of the sounds of the summer!
James Oliver Blues Band
Monday 21st July
James Oliver is one of the UK’s busiest acts playing over 300 gigs a year all over the UK, Europe, and the USA! He has performed over 3000 gigs and shared the stage with many acts including Albert Lee, Bill Kirchen, Deke Leonard, Greg Koch, Walter Trout, Steve Gibbons, Billy Bremner, Geraint Watkins, and many others. In 2020 James won the UK Blues Awards Emerging Artist of the Year and has since been nominated 3 additional times.
Warren James Skiffle Group
Tuesday 22nd July
Following the success of Warren James’ telling of The Lonnie Donegan Story we are delighted to welcome the band here to perform for us a more broad and varied selection of songs that had England swinging throughout the 1950s Skiffle-Boom.
Lonnie Donegan had launched The Skiffle Boom the previous year and in doing so he quite accidentally became the catalyst for the future of British Pop Music.
Thousands of Skiffle Groups appeared all over Britain and many had some major hit records. Skiffle was the influence behind the 60s folk revival, whilst many more became the pop stars and hit makers of the 50s and 60s onwards. The Beatles, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones and The Who all started in skiffle groups and the music is as vibrant as ever.
As for Warren James, the skiffle group, Hit Parade Heroes and the Jake Leg Jug Band are only three of about a dozen shows he puts out, including Some Glad Morning (gospel music) and the Great American Folk Songbook.
Jamie Thyer & the Worried Men
Wednesday 23rd July
Jamie Thyer is the guitar player’s guitarist, building an awesome reputation demonstrating Marshall Amplifiers and Rotosound strings. In 1994 he released the rave-reviewed Fear and Loathing at the Wunder Bar and went out of the road, opening for Chicken Shack, Jefferson Starship, Robin Trower, Robert Cray, Peter Green, Johnny Winter and Walter Trout. Jamie is a true show-stopper in the wild man tradition of Guitar Slim and Buddy Guy. Blues Unlimited wrote of him, ‘British blues guitar men? There’s Eric Clapton, Peter Green…and Jamie Thyer!’
Art Themen Quartet
Thursday 24th July
Over 60 years since he first made his mark with the Cambridge University Jazz Band, tenor and soprano saxist Art Themen is still picking up accolades. He recently received a lifetime achievement award from the Worshipful Company of Musicians and was shortlisted for Jazz Musician of the Year in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. A high-profile career working with the likes of Alexis Korner, Stan Tracey and such American giants as Charlie Rouse, Nat Adderley, Bud Shank, Sal Nistico, Arturo Sandoval and Red Rodney happened alongside his work as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon.
During the festival over 230 jazz and blues performances, talks, workshops and film showings, nearly all with free admission will take place in 115 venues across the West Midlands.
More information here: https://www.birminghamjazzfestival.com/
