Bristol’s renowned Jazz & Blues Festival returns this weekend with the city offices of accountancy group Smith & Williamson and law firm Ashfords once again taking the stage as lead corporate sponsors.
Now in its sixth year, the festival has fast become one of the city’s biggest live music gatherings. From swing to funk, bebop to blues, gypsy jazz to gospel, soul to rock ‘n roll, it has become a must-attend event for music lovers. 
The festival kicked off last night with a performance by Bristol band Get The Blessing at main venue Colston Hall. It continues until Sunday evening with a star-studded line-up and dazzling programme of jazz and film commissions, including a celebration of Jimi Hendrix’s seminal Electric Ladyland album 50 years on, plus a host of legendary and rising jazz and blues stars.
The programme has been designed to appeal to music lovers of all ages and tastes, while over the past few years the organisers have successfully grown and diversified the audience considerably.
Smith & Williamson’s Bristol office senior partner Mike Lea said: “Bristol has a long and illustrious association with jazz which dates back to the ‘50s and ‘60s when a dizzying array of stars including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald regularly played to sell-out audiences at the Colston Hall.
“Our sponsorship of this fantastic festival highlights Smith & Williamson’s commitment to supporting the arts locally and we wish the organisers and artists the very best for what will no doubt be a superb few days of live music.”
Head of Ashfords’ Bristol office, Chris Dyson, added: “We are delighted to once again announce our sponsorship of the highly-regarded Jazz and Blues Festival, reflecting our on-going commitment to support Bristol’s thriving culture. This year will see another exciting line up, and it is a privilege to be able to play a role in such a fantastic event.”
Other venues include the Folk House, Bambalan and The Forge.
For the full programme click here
