When: 12th – 14th July 2019
Where: Moseley Park, Birmingham, England
In a little less than two months’ time the Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival will once more be upon us. A further cause for celebration is that this will be the 10th anniversary of this prestigious annual event and to mark the occasion the organisers promise us that this year’s festival is going to be even bigger and better than before.
And if the line-up for 2019 is anything to go by then the people behind Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul will certainly be true to their word. The festival that prides itself in presenting a bill featuring both renowned international acts and breakthrough artists has once more got the balance exactly right.
At the top of the shop and headlining Friday, Saturday and Sunday night respectively are The Jacksons, The Brand New Heavies, and Burt Bacharach. Comprising original members Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Marlon Jackson, the four brothers continue to promote their family name as being one of the most famous in popular music. And with it they also have some of the greatest pop tunes that have ever been made. Expect to hear ‘I Want You Back’, ‘ABC’, ‘I’ll Be There’, ‘Blame It On The Boogie’ and many, many more of their huge hits beside.
With a glittering career that now stretches back more than 30 years, west London’s The Brand New Heavies are rightly seen as acid jazz royalty. Their unique fusion of Mostly’s essential ingredients of jazz, funk and soul is guaranteed to set Saturday night alight.
And in securing the services of Burt Bacharach to close out the festival 24 hours later, Mostly has achieved something of a coup. He is a man who has won no less than six Grammys and three Oscars, had 73 hits in the US Billboard 100 and 52 in the UK top 40 and alongside his late songwriting partner Hal David is responsible for one of America’s greatest songbooks. Having turned a remarkable 91 years of age only yesterday this could well be one of our last chances to catch the man who co-wrote such incredible songs as ‘Walk On By’, ‘I Say A Little Prayer’, ‘The Look of Love’, and Bacharach’s own personal favourite, ‘Alfie’.
An extremely strong and varied undercard will see appearances over the course of the weekend from some truly great artists including the Thai-funk infused Texan trio of Khruangbin; Ibibio Sound Machine, with their infectious global groove and who in Eno Williams have a most fabulous, vibrant frontwoman; Oscar Jermone, who has emerged from the vibrant South London music scene and will be bringing his unique jazz-influenced sound to the Mostly party; and the exciting Bristol-based collective Ishmael Ensemble.
At Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival the two stages sit side-by-side enabling acts to alternate between the two and ensuring that the music is pretty much constant throughout each day. When further account is taken of the beautiful surroundings of Moseley Park itself – one that provides a naturally sloping amphitheatre down towards a lake – and the warm, welcoming atmosphere of the event, it all makes for the most wonderful of festival experiences.
All the information for this year’s Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival can be found right HERE
And to further whet your appetite, why not take a look at some of the highlights from last year’s festival
