A series of events is planned between Ipswich Cornhill and Waterfront.
This year's Ipswich Jazz Festival, which runs from June 26-28, will include 11 varied live music events plus workshops, a film screening and lecture.
The festival run by a local not-for-profit group, includes, on Saturday June 27, a day of free, live jazz music on Ipswich Cornhill between 10am and 4pm thanks to funding from Ipswich Borough Council and Arts Council England.
There will also be ticketed gigs by some of the UK's top jazz names. The Festival starts off in party style with Latin jazz band Picante, led by Jools Holland's saxophonist Derek Nash. It also features jive and swing band The Jive Aces (with a jive and swing dance class beforehand to work on the moves), exciting London band Kansas Smitty's House Band, singer Tina May backed up by trumpeter Enrico Tomasso, saxophonist Mark Lockheart, Owen Dawson on trombone and the Chris Ingham Trio as well as the South Suffolk Youth Jazz Ensemble.
Local nu-jazz trio Bigger than Home start the free live events on the Cornhill followed by a different and new band Motuz with a live contemporary dancer. Singer Rosina Hepburn and her band brings American Songbook classics to life while the Jazz Dynamos will perform 80's pop classics in a jazz style. Finally, acclaimed jazz harp player Alina Bzezhinska and her quartet will round off the free event with her HipHarp show.
The Ipswich Institute will host a lecture on the links between Jazz and The Blues while Ipswich Film Theatre will show the film The Geordie Jazz Man and, working in partnership, music venue The Smokehouse will host a new wave jazz performer.
There are workshops on jive and swing dancing, music photography, the links between the music of Bach and Charlie Parker, jazz singing with Tina May and jazz improvisation for beginners while the festival is funding workshops for the South Suffolk Youth Jazz Ensemble and the West Suffolk Youth Jazz Orchestra with sax player Mark Lockheart.
Festival Director Neil Bateman said: "We have had tremendous support from Ipswich Borough Council, Arts Council England with sponsorship by Attwells Solicitors and Fred.Olsen Cruises which makes all of this possible. The festival has grown each year and the line-up this year is really exciting and varied. There's so much music going on in this town, let's celebrate it."
Tickets for standard gigs cost £15 with some concessionary tickets priced at £1 for people on low incomes. Full details of the gigs and workshops, including how to buy tickets, are on the festival website
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here