Hull Jazz Festival’s Winter Edition,13th-16th November

Hull Jazz Festival’s 2019 Winter Edition – 13^th-16^th November at Hull Truck Theatre -focuses on stories told through jazz, and they’ve got some extraordinary tales to tell!

On Saturday 16^th November, Cuban virtuoso violinist Omar Puente presents a joyful celebration of the life of his wife, campaigner Debbie Purdy, who died in 2014. An Evening for Debbie sees Omar joined by his sensational Latin sextet and special guests including Alex Wilson on piano, Dennis Rollins on trombone and Naomi Phillips on vocals. An upbeat, Havana-style celebration of an extraordinary life – you won’t be able to sit still!

On Thursday 14^th November, British-Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed, one of the leading lights of the new UK jazz scene and collaborator with the likes of Radiohead and Lee Scratch Perry, performs her new work Polyhymnia. Inspired by the lives of some of Ahmed’s heroes including Malala, the suffragettes, Rosa Parks, the Saudi filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour and saxophonist Barbara Thompson, this is a celebration of courageous and inspiring women, performed by a 13-strong big band.

Inspiring women are at the forefront in two more shows. On Saturday 16^th November, Apphia Campbell brings her critically acclaimed play Black is the Color of My Voice to Yorkshire for the first time. Inspired by the life of the late, great Nina Simone, the show follows the life of a black singer and civil rights activist seeking redemption after the untimely death of her father. And on Wednesday 13^th November, Hull’s first lady of soul, Lyn Acton, celebrates the women who’ve influenced her from Aretha Franklin to Chaka Khan, with some surprises along the way.

Thursday 14^th November sees the stage at Hull Truck Theatre stage transformed into a boxing ring as Dutch ensemble Ikarai present the dance of the century with Muhammad: The Rumble in the Jungle in Concert. Ali’s epic fight is the perfect match for a musical score: rhythmic, gracious and honest, with some heavy blows.

There’s a treat for fans of Supertramp on Friday 15^th November when sax man John Helliwell heads to Hull with his famously dry wit and the Super Big Tramp Band. Featuring some of the North’s best musicians, they’ll perform the unforgettable music of the legendary supergroup

Also on Friday 15^th November, Dutch vocalist Eva Scholten joins forces with Latchepen, some of the UK’s most in-demand Django-inspired musicians, for a vocal tribute to Django Reinhardt. Expect an enchanting evening of swing, jazz-manouche and bebop.