BJF2020

Birchfield Jazz Festival

Naturally this year’s Festival has a different twist, due to the nature of the world situation. We will be bringing the Festival to you virtually, in your homes, due to the Coronavirus and the problems of social distancing.

This year’s festival will have a memorial tone in respect of all our loved ones who have passed away during this pandemic lockdown, either from the #Covid19 problems or other causes of death. We send our condolences to all the families who have been affected.

In the Jazz community, around the world, we have lost some great musicians who have contributed to the development of the music and made a lot of people around the globe happy with their artistry. We shall be dedicating this year’s Birchfield Jazz Festival to the spirits of two great African Musicians, who have been at the centre of African Jazz, spreading their sounds and grooves into the African Diaspora Culture over the last three to four decades.

"Manu" Dibango (12 December 1933 – 24 March 2020) Composer/Saxophonist/Songwriter
Tony Oladipo Allen (20 July 1940 – 30 April 2020) Drummer/Composer/Songwriter.
Both musicians lived, worked and died in Paris, France. Both myself and the producer Kate Luxmoore had the privilege to work and record with Tony Allen in 2019 and 2020. Their souls shall rest in Peace. At this 2020 Festival we shall feature work by various artists who have performed at the festival in the past, new work from local Artists Indigo and Alvin Davies and will be launching a new initiative by the Festival, in collaboration with The Ifa Yoruba Contemporary Arts Trust - The Birchfield Jazz Festival Creative Ensemble - a collective of young, locally based artists celebrating their commonality through sound and visual. In response to the current protests about injustices around the world under the banner of #Blacklivesmatter, we at The Birchfield Jazz Festival, have always believed that music and the arts can break down the barriers constructed to be in the way of people coming together to celebrate life and common things that we all share.

Wishing you an enjoyable festival and trusting we shall be celebrating non-social distancing by 2021 with our dancing shoes on!

Thank you
Lekan Babalola
Festival Curator.