By Oliver Thompson
The popular Marsden Jazz Festival has been nominated for Jazz Venue of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
The event which is hosted in the small West Yorkshire town of Marsden will be up against other traditional jazz clubs around the country for the title of ‘venue of the year’ which includes clubs in Bristol, Dorking and Brighton.
The festival is scheduled to come back for another year in which 25 different venues have been booked during the second weekend in October and features major acts such as the all-female Crissy Lee Orchestra, Beverley Quintet and SEED Ensemble.
‘Jazz Newcomer of the Year’ nominee Luca Manning who is performing at the awards, will be among a large number of artists performing free gigs in the Marsden’s pubs and clubs throughout the weekend.
Founded in 1992, the festival is one of the UK’s longest established jazz festivals, which attracts thousands of visitors’ to the town every year and varies its talent from internationally-acclaimed artists to local school bands.
In addition, the festival is one of three Kirklees music festivals that help generate £2.25 million for the local economy every year and generates 88 full-time jobs in the area according to the Kirklees Impact Study.
Barney Stevenson, Artistic Director at Marsden Jazz Festival, commented:
“We’re delighted to be the only festival to be nominated for the venue of the year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards and are keeping our fingers crossed for the ceremony in December.
“We already know how much the festival means to the thousands of people who come to Marsden every year to experience the unique atmosphere it brings to the village, but it’s great to get national recognition as well.
“We’ve got another amazing line-up planned for this year’s festival so we’d definitely encourage anyone who hasn’t been before to give it a go.”
It’s been confirmed by the organisers that there will be the traditional street parade and battle of the bands this year with numerous ‘family-friendly’ events during the weekend.
The festival takes place between Friday 11th and Sunday 13th October, and tickets are on sale now at www.marsdenjazzfestival.com.
You can check out our coverage of last years Festival here: