Hyde Park Jazz Festival spotlights 'thriving jazz community' in Leeds with a new stellar line-up of artists, bands and DJs at Hyde Park Book Club

After rescheduling the festival several times due to coronavirus lockdowns, Hyde Park Jazz Festival is back to “showcase the best of the northern jazz scene”.

Over a year in the making, the festival is taking place today and is aiming to highlight the breadth of talent Leeds has to offer.

Supported by Leeds label Hyde Park Book Club Records, doors open at noon with a range of DJs and musicians attached to the label taking to the stage throughout the day.

The festival is being held at Hyde Park Book Club (HPBC), a venue that has been the hotspot for emerging Leeds music for several years, holding weekly jazz nights and releasing multiple singles and albums from local artists under their own label.

Recent releases from the label include music from Leeds jazz-fusion bands Vipertime and The Fergus Quill Trio, as well as saxophonist Lara Jones, all of whom are playing the festival this weekend.

Joining them on today’s line-up is DJ Lubi, promoter of the Brudenell’s Jazzland Sessions, as well as Gip D of the Dig Family and Will Lakin of Tight Lines Records.

Speaking to the YEP, label manager of HPBC Records and an organiser of the festival Henry Weekes said:

"We're really trying to showcase the best of the northern jazz scene."

"All of the musicians are associated with Leeds, they either live here or had once called Leeds their home, so it's a real community thing and we feel like it has a really strong lineup- we're so proud of it."

Weekes, a musician himself and alumni of the University of Leeds, believes that the city has something exciting to offer within its jazz repertoire.

"There's a thriving jazz community outside of London, it's really exciting."

"We're really pushing the boundaries of genre, sound and expectation [in Leeds], and it's all culminated in this festival."

Hyde Park Jazz Festival runs from noon till 2am, with a waiting list for tickets available on Seetickets.

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