Bletchfest’s Jazz Night!

Following Bletchfest’s inaugural Themed Music Night in November 2023 in which we explored the influence of Blues on modern popular music in our highly successful Blues Night we now take a look at another genre with a Jazz Night on November 9th this year.

Jazz, as a musical genre, is generally considered to have originated in New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th century with roots in a fusion of African rhythms and European harmonies. The Jazz Age was in the 1920’s and as with the Blues, Jazz has many parents and many children with a number of different sub genres or styles from brass band marches, swing, ragtime, bebop, Kansas City Jazz, Gypsy Jazz and Modern Jazz.

Bletchfest’s Jazz Night has two performers, Kit Packham’s 5 piece band One Jump Ahead and the trio Red’s Dreamers Jazz both offering their own versions of the Jazz tradition.

One Jump Ahead has an irresistible blend of jazz, blues and fun generating a highly charged atmosphere that really lets the good times roll. They have wowed audiences from Islington to Israel, Clerkenwell to County Cork and from Docklands to Deutschland!

Led by singer, saxophonist and songwriter, Kit Packham, often accompanied by keyboard, guitar, bass, drums and trumpet.. Kit has composed plenty of his own, critically acclaimed material but normally concentrates on the well-known “covers”, which get the feet tapping and the soul moving often mixing in more original compositions – or some of his wry updated lyrics to jazz standards.

Red’s Dreamers Jazz are a Reigate founded trio bringing a blend of jazz classics from the Great American Songbook plus a jazz style take on more contemporary songs across the decades. Red’s Dreamers are Lorraine on vocals, Ade on guitar and Simon on flute.

Both One Jump Ahead and Red’s Dreamers show that the Jazz form is still enduring, entertaining and popular today as you will find our Jazz Night will more than demonstrate.

Doors open 7:00 pm at Bletchingley Village Hall with the first performance beginning at 7:30 pm. There’s a licensed bar open throughout the event offering a variety of drinks with some bar snacks. There’s plenty of free parking in the car park behind the village hall. Hope to see you there! Use the button below to reach our Box Office and book your tickets!