Birmingham plays host to the sweet sound of jazz over the next few weeks as the 21st Birmingham International Jazz Festival kicks off, from the 1st till the 10th of July daily performances of the elegant sounding music will be heard across the city.
 | | Kyle Eastwood |
The venues are varied across the city, with free concerts as well as ticket entry concerts on offer. The festival kicks off on the 1st July in the Pallasades at 12:00, with the lingering sound of the Jay Moody trio. The highlight of Friday’s festivities though will be the Hanna Richardson trio who perform at 11:30pm. The first Saturday of the festival sees the Kyle Eastwood sextet perform in what should be one of the highlights of the ten days.
 | | King Pleasure & the Biscuit Boys |
Tuesday 5th July sees the British Jazz awards being held in a £20 ticket event. The awards will feature many of the acts performing throughout the week. The festival winds up with an action packed weekend that sees acts such as King Pleasure & the Biscuit Boys, Joey De Francesco and the Smokin Blues Band all take to the stage. Celebrating 21 years of The Birmingham International Jazz Festival, the organisers are taking great pride in presenting the world-famous Spiegel tent, The Moulin Rouge.
 | | The Moulin Rouge |
The art deco Moulin Rouge was built in Belgium in 1910, and will be sited in the heart of Centenary Square for the duration of the festival. During the daytime, The Moulin Rouge will present a series of events that are free to the public, including The Kiehls Kids Big Band, Sound Futures rehearsals and showcase, The Starbucks Young Musicians Contest and appearances by The Elmhurst College Band from the USA. The festival promises to be a feast for any Jazz fans across the West Midlands. With daily concerts and gigs being held across the city it is a perfect chance for any fan to indulge in the sound or for any newcomer to the sound to be swept away by the melody. | 
