Langtoun Jazz launches its 2024 festival programme

Members of Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra provided the entertainment at the launch for the festival, which runs at venues in Kirkcaldy from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2.

It offered an introduction to all the upcoming events being planned by Langtoun Jazz for this year’s festival.

Final preparations are now underway for the festival, which kicks off with Scottish jazz piano star Brian Kellock’s Marty Party trio celebrating the music and spirit of one of the living legends of swinging jazz – American rhythm guitarist, vocalist and raconteur Marty Grosz, who recently turned 92.

The opening event in Kirkcaldy’s Old Kirk on Friday, May 31 is an affectionate and fun homage to a longstanding Edinburgh and Nairn Jazz Festival favourite, who although he no longer travels to Scotland, continues to delight afficionados with his generous back catalogue of recordings by a range of bands.

The festival will, for the first time, take over the Adam Smith Theatre for a whole day of events in the Beveridge Suite and cafe/bar on Saturday, June 1.

There will be musical entertainment from Dunfermline drummer Tom Gordon with his Kansas City 7 – a line up of the finest Scottish musicians playing the music of Basie, Goodman and other stars of 1930s swing; and rising star vocalist Marianne McGregor will be in the company of pianist Paul Harrison for a programme of jazz standards and her own material.

The evening slot is filled by Yorkshire bassist Ben Crosland with a high-quality Scottish band, including Kirkcaldy favourite Colin Steele on trumpet and Malcolm McFarlane on guitar, for a performance of Ben’s Solway Stories Suite, a set of tunes inspired by the landscapes of the Galloway area.

Throughout the afternoon there will be free live music in the theatre’s cafe/bar thanks to funding from SCOPS Arts Trust – ensembles from FYJO will entertain in the afternoon, before Richard Michael plays with special guest vocalist Peter Jackson, from Australia, before the final evening set in the Beveridge Suite.

The final day of the festival, Sunday, June 2, will feature two final and contrasting events for this year’s festival.

Popular Falkirk-based The Big Band Theory return to the Old Kirk for an afternoon of high octane big band music, covering everything from swing classics to arrangements of contemporary jazz and popular tunes. The performance begins at 1pm and proceeds from it will go to Kirkcaldy Foodbank.

The 2024 festival will draw to a close with a tea dance to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day in the Hayfield Centre at 4pm. Music will be provided by nine-piece dance band Jon Ritchie and That Swing Sensation.

Tickets for the events in the Adam Smith Theatre are available through the Theatre Box on 01592 583302 or from the OnFife website www.onfife.com

All other tickets are available through the Langtoun Jazz website www.langtounjazz.co.uk