The 2026 Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival looks set to be an incredible showcase of the finest Jazz musicians in the UK and further afield.
The Line Up for 2026 is as follows:
Seonaid Aitken & her Quintet celebrate two icons of Jazz “Grappelli & Ella” with Seonaid (violin & vocals),
Connor Smith (guitar), Dan Brown (piano), Andy Sharkey (bass) and Max Popp (drums).
Red Stripe Band
Mike Daly’s Rhythm Kings
Jake Leg Jug Band
Roaring Twenties
Chicago Teddybears Society Jazz Band
Martin Litton & John Hallum Duo and, as the “Wha’s Like Us” Band, Roy Percy (bass), John Fenner (banjo),
Bill Jones (trombone), Mike Daly (cornet), Martin Foster and John Hallam (reeds), and Martin Litton (piano) will play from the songbooks of Fats Waller, Eddie Condon, Jack Teagarden, Bobby Hackett and Jelly Roll Morton.
The Roaring Twenties
The “Roaring Twenties” lets you experience entertainment from the era of beautiful fashions, elegant celebrities, flappers, gangsters and hot jazz. The band’s repertoire contains tunes from the cornets and trumpets of
“King” Oliver, Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke and songs sung in the Blues and Vaudeville styles from the classic jazz singers of the 1920’s Mamie Smith, Ida Cox, Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith.
Left to Right: Simon James (trumpet), Liz Hepworth (bass), David Hepworth (clarinet & saxophone), Andy Bramall (banjo & guitar), Suzanne James (vocals), Rob Cotterell (drums)
Wha’s Like Us
Wha’s Like Us will play from the songbooks of Fats Waller, Eddie Condon, Jack Teagarden, Bobby Hackett and
Jelly Roll Morton.
The Chicago Teddybears Society Jazz Band
Originating in Manchester in the 1970s, the name came from a short-lived American television sitcom set in Prohibition-era Chicago. Fortunately, the band has proved more durable than the TV series. It was here for the first Festival in 1997 albeit with different players although Rae Owens (banjo) and Brian Singleton (drums) are still to the fore. Joining Rae and Brian, the other players are Colin Bostock- reeds, Jim Lucas – trumpet, Andrew Mackenzie – trombone and Dean Revera – string bass. Make sure you catch this lively and entertaining group.
Jake Leg Jug Band
The Jake Leg Jug Band brings you the authentic sounds of 1920’s and 30’s America – jazz, blues, ragtime and gospel – and puts its own twist on it. Guaranteed old-fashioned feel-good entertainment, transporting the
audience back in time to the prohibition era in the USA. Sit back and enjoy the show
Duncan Wilcox – vocals, double bass, Warren James – vocals, guitar, banjo, jug; Phil Shotton – clarinet, soprano sax, bass sax, Joe Moretti – alto sax; Cohen Wilcox – washboard
Red Stripe Band
Led by Red Stripe on boogie piano they continue to entertain audiences world wide with their engaging and intriguing show. They are lucky to have with them wonderful singer Lara de Belder (All Female London Gay Big Band) and a star studded line up includes on bass Costa Tancredi (Eric Clapton,Amy Winehouse) on Baritone Sax Sim Murray (The Beat) on Tenor Sax Sophie Burke, on Trumpet Lee Vivian (Suzi Quatro, Will Young, Nick Heyward) and on Drums Nick Marangoni (Massimo Ranieri). Expect to hear original songs alongside jive, rock n roll and boogie woogie classics. “Imagine a smaller version of the Jools Holland Orchestra without the annoying front man!” Time Out
Martin Litton & John Hallam
A virtuoso of classic jazz piano, Martin Litton effortlessly merges timeless melodies with dynamic improvisation. Discover the brilliance of this celebrated artist as he breathes new life into jazz’s golden era. John Hallam is an outstanding, highly acclaimed reeds player who playing is highly innovative and thrilling as well as sensitively moving. This exceptional duo will be playing swinging jazz classics and standards from the Great American Songbook.
Mike Daly’s Rhythm Kings
Mike Daly’s Rhythm Kings promise to play only the very best Dixieland and New Orleans tunes! Mike, playing cornet since his school days, was inspired by Bix Beiderbecke, Bobby Hackett and Louis Armstrong. For this
gig. He is joined by some of the finest jazz musicians today residing in Scotland. Expect to be treated to tunes from the earliest days of jazz in New Orleans through to its spread to Chicago and New York and beyond.
Seonaid Aitken Quintet ‘Grappelli & Ella’
Award-winning Scottish violinist, vocalist and BBC broadcaster Seonaid Aitken and her band present a swingin’ show to celebrate two Jazz icons. French violin master Stéphane Grappelli and ‘First Lady of Song’ vocalist
Ella Fitzgerald. Featuring Grappelli classics such as ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ and ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’ plus material from his Quintette du Hot Club de France and legendary duets with Classical virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin, and
iconic recordings from Ella’s Songbook series such as ‘Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye’, ‘How High The Moon’, and hit singles for Decca Records ‘A Tisket A Tasket’ and ‘Dream A Little Dream’ with Louis Armstrong.
FESTIVAL HISTORY
Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival was established in 1997 as a small one day festival with only two bands and has now become a four day festival with international musicians and performers from all over the world.
The first Jazz Festival in the picturesque harbour and artists’ town of Kirkcudbright, took place over a Friday evening and Saturday, at one venue, during September 1997. The event billed as “Bonnie Galloway’s First Festival of Jazz at Kirkcudbright” was conceived and organised by local businessman and jazz fan, Ally Thomson.
Six bands were showcased playing mainly Dixieland and classic New Orleans jazz. The “headline bands” were the Chicago Teddy Bears Society Jazz Band and Brian Carrick’s Heritage Hall Stompers.
Ally recruited a small team and a duly constituted Jazz Festival Group emerged to run the second Festival. This event, which was not held until June 1999 was firmly rooted in “traditional” jazz. With support from the Lottery, Dumfries & Galloway Council and Groundbase, it was a much more ambitious affair, featuring ten groups in four venues, performing on Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon. For the first time, a marching band led a decorated brolly parade through the town on Saturday morning, and a Jazz Church Service took place in the parish church on the Sunday morning. In addition the concept of “dining to jazz” was introduced at a local restaurant. Leading bands this time were Phil Mason’s New Orleans All Stars with Christine Tyrell and the Apex Jazz Band from Northern Ireland.
2000 saw a further expansion of the Festival in terms of venues and bands, in jazz dining in local restaurants and, thanks to the support of locals and visitors, more taking part in the decorated brolly parade. The town was also becoming very supportive of the Festival with local businesses either sponsoring the event or supporting by advertising in the Souvenir Programme. This year saw the first visit of Mart Rodger Manchester Jazz and the very new but very well received Jazz Girl.
The next expansion took place in 2002 when it was decided to try a Thursday evening start and an extension into Sunday evening to allow a greater number of bands to be hired. This proved to be successful, thanks in no small part to bands such as Manchester Jazz, Keith Nichol’s All Stars and the Ken Colyer Trust Band. This year also saw the introduction of “Patrons of the Festival” which allowed individuals and businesses to demonstrate tangible support for the event.
Up to this point, the Festival Group was indebted to the Chairmanship of Ally Thomson, the Festival instigator, who retired through ill health. Ian McGibbon took over the Chair, and under his guidance over the next three years, the Festival consolidated its position as one of the leading Scottish Jazz Festivals. It featured a mix of the best of Scottish and English Jazz Bands playing in the traditional idiom and attracted visitors from throughout the UK and beyond.
In 2006 the Chairmanship passed to Rev. Frank Glendinning who had for a number of years conducted the Jazz Church Service. The Festival continued to adhere to its original philosophy of showcasing first class musicians playing in the Dixieland style; of using the best venues available; of providing value for money to the audiences and of improving the Festival. To this end, and for the 10th Festival, an international dimension was added in 2007 by bringing the Climax Jazz Band from Canada and the Barfota Jazz Men from Sweden.
During 2007, the Festival was re-organised and re-constituted as a Limited Company Number 315747 and as a Registered Charity Number SC038200. These changes brought benefits and drawbacks – benefits in terms of being able to claim “gift aid” on patronage and sponsorship and drawbacks in that one result was a considerable change in personnel in the organising group and a very rapid learning experience for some of the newcomers in mounting the 11th Festival which in fact proved to be the most successful yet in terms of audience appreciation of the superb music and entertainment displayed by those bands participating. These new members deserve the greatest thanks for their efforts and an acknowledgement of their commitment to the festival and the new skills they brought to the group.
The 11th Festival saw the first venture into “big band” territory with much appreciated and acclaimed gigs from Paul Munnery’s Harlem band. Unfortunately, it was not possible to bring this band to the 12th Festival but its place was taken by Ken Mathieson’s Classic Jazz Orchestra, making its initial appearance in Kirkcudbright alongside Dave Stradwick’s Sussex Jazz Kings and Dennis Armstrong’s Oliver Band.
Innovatively, the 12th Festival saw the introduction of “themed” gigs with Dennis Armstrong’s group re-creating the music and sounds of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band while the Classic Jazz Orchestra performed one gig as a tribute to Bix Beiderbecke and the second was devoted to the music of Jelly Roll Morton. Additionally, Bill Salmond’s Louisiana Ragtime Band performed music from the dance halls of 1920s New Orleans.
