Every year Cheltenham plays host to one of the country’s best-loved jazz festivals. As you know, we are partial to a good knees-up, especially when live music is involved, and we’re getting into the spirit of things with three BIG events at the Bottle of Sauce over the festival weekend…
ACT I: FRIDAY
Things kick off on Friday 4th May with Dodo favourites The Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band playing their famously infectious mix of upbeat jump jive, rhythm and blues and vintage jazz late into the night.
Doors 9.30 p.m. Entry £5.
ACT II: SATURDAY
Soul lot of funk!
On Saturday 5th May, chill out at the official Bottle of Sauce house party.
With live music from notorious funk masters The Haggis Horns, funk organ trio Three Step Manoeuvre, London funk pop brass band Latimo, + many more, plus a cracking DJ set from Soul Casserole, you won’t want to miss out.
From 3pm. FREE entry.
ACT II: SUNDAY
Join us on Sunday the 6th May for Highbrow Art and Lowbrow Jazz, an all-day extravaganza of music and art presented by Stuart Macbeth (of Rabbit Foot Spasm Band fame!).
Featuring live music and DJs all day, plus a stunning exhibition of original Matisse litographs from his ‘JAZZ SUITE’ collection, presented by the Dantzig gallery.
12 – 12. £5 presale tickets / £7 on the door
+ check out details of who’s playing (and displaying) below…
Ma Bessie & her Pig Foot band mix classic blues and jazz tunes from the inter-war years with a selection of original songs and hand-picked covers from the last 50 years of popular music. Formed as a tribute to the legendary Bessie Smith the group feature the warm, rich vocal talents of Julia Titus, backed by a dynamic Anglo-American band who look and sound the part.
Hailing from Manchester, jazz trio CRaB feature Salford’s Matt Nickson on saxophone, Michael Cretu from Romania on Double Bass and Chris Cruiks from Botswana on percussion. Their live sets are the stuff of legend up north and bring together disparate influences from Eastern European folk music, hard bop, Flamenco and African rhythms.
Vienna Ditto are a trip hop band who feature strong jazz and blues influences, such as can be heard on their electro rendition of Blind Willie Johnsons I Know His Blood Will Make Me Whole. Expect irresistibly danceable tunes from this duo, who have featured on BBC Radio One and Channel 4 and who have previously performed at Glastonbury Festival.
PLUS…
Throughout the day The Shellac Collective, the UK’s premier DJs of vintage music, will be DJing original 78rpm Shellac records. Expect everything from original 1920s pressings of Louis Armstrong to 1950s Jump Jive. Featuring Gregs Greats 78s from Cambridge, Tony Tunes from East London, It’s A Wind Up from Manchester and Neon Trotsky from Oxford.
AND…
In the afternoon the Dantzig gallery will present a unique pop-up exhibition of Henri Matisse’s Jazz suite. They will exhibit a complete set of lithographs taken from the original plates prepared for Matisse’s publisher, Teriade, in 1947, and will be on hand to answer questions and reveal the hidden stories and anecdotes behind these stunning works of art.