The opening weekend of the 2018 Aberdeen Jazz Festival has exceeded ticket sales expectations with a host of sold out shows.
The Festival has already sold more tickets for 2018 then the record-breaking attendances in 2017. Thanks to the support of Aberdeen audiences, jazz tourists and our main sponsor Aberdeen Inspired and funders Aberdeen City Council and Creative Scotland.
Over the first four nights: Aberdeen Jazz Orchestra with Georgina Jackson; Havana Swing; Belmont Street Blues afternoon, Zoe Rahman Trio, The Underskore Orkestra and the Jazz at The Blue Lamp Community Big Band with Aberdeen University Jazz Orchestra all sold out.
Audience feedback has been positive and most importantly, for us, the artistic quality has been excellent. It is difficult to single out shows, but the Festival organisers were particularly thrilled by Zoe Rahman’s Trio concert, the exhilarating Soweto Kinch and the first-ever performance of the 30 strong Jazz at The Blue Lamp Community Big Band.
Jazz On The Green was blessed with dry weather and marvelous performances, attracting more than 3,000 people.
There are a host of great concerts still to come including the Festival’s gala, red carpet concert at His Majesty’s Theatre: A Night With Ella. Riot Jazz Brass Band kicks off a series of three concerts at the Lemon Tree aimed at younger audiences and The West End Jazz Trail is a brand new initiative in Glentanar Wee Bar, McGinty’s Meal An’ Ale, Park Inn Hotel By Radisson, Soul and features nine bands including Aberdeen’s own Marisha Addison and Morag McColl, young saxophone wunderkind Matt Carmichael, veteran trad jazzers East Coast Jazzmen and up-and-coming singer Georgia Cecile.
Neil Gibbons, chair of Aberdeen Jazz Festival said: “This has been an outstanding opening weekend for the Festival, with appeal to a huge range of people. We offered something for everyone, and the formula worked. The Jazz Festival is on a roll! We look forward to seeing even more audiences over this week. ”
Adrian Watson chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired said “We are absolutely delighted with the strong showing in the first weekend although we are not surprised with such was the array of local and international talent on show in Aberdeen. We are delighted to be supporting with a second weekend and urge those in the region and further afield to come and enjoy the fastest growing Jazz festival in the country”