June 1st 2024 will see the first Petersfield Jazz Festival, an event held in the grounds of Churcher’s College, Petersfield, Hampshire and featuring 8 bands, all under a large marquee to protect the audience from the sun (or rain).
The Festival has been designed to feature local artists, many of whom have international reputations on the music scene, and also provide quality food and drink vendors to make this a special event. The numbers are being restricted so the festival will have a boutique feel, care is being taken on the staging and the whole experience.
Headliners Funkestra have recently sold out two consecutive nights at Ronnie Scott’s and played at the O2 with Rumer. Their homage to Joni Mitchell has won world wide acclaim, even from the lady herself. Joined by top vocalist Jo Harman, this promises to be a very special set, worthy of the ticket price alone.
However, the festival also features The Full Circle Quartet who have written an album inspired by the South Downs and was chosen by Jazzwise magazine as being in their top 100 for 2023. Led by Terry Packman, a distinguished and popular bassist the band features a wealth of talent.
Marianne Windham is well known in jazz circles, running the successful Guildford Jazz Club and being a distinguished bassist. She will be joined by her daughter, a highly accomplished vocalist and none other than Jeff Beck’s former guitarist on his last two tours, Nicolas Meier.
Other bands include top guitarist Pete Roth, singer Sarah Jane Eveleigh, music tutor and saxophonist Sam Walker with Brits vocal coach Anton Browne, and local saxophonist Freddie Saxo.
The event will be supporting Music for Dementia and their current campaign, The Power of Music Fund. All profits from the bar will be donated to the fund, plus there will be collection buckets and a percentage of the festival proceeds.
