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It’s been an astonishing couple of years for Manchester based trio GoGo Penguin (drummer Rob Turner, double bassist Nick Blacka and pianist Chris Illingworth). Their trademark mash-up of minimalist piano themes, deeply propulsive bass lines and electronica-inspired drums has seen them shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and fuelled their exhilarating live shows from Manchester to Montreal and Paris to London.

The flagship of the London scene will be Friday's headliner for the jazzers. The Comet Is Coming, fronted by the brilliant saxophonist Shabak Hutchings, recently announced they were calling it a day, scheduled for the end of the summer - but they've still been tempted to come to our festival.

Maybe the last, but definitely one of the last concerts of the biggest stars of contemporary English jazz will be in Bratislava!

“Dream Come True”, “Never Stop”, “Dream On Dreamer”, “Midnight At The Oasis”, “Sometimes”, “You Are The Universe”, “Shelter”, “Surrender”.  The legendary acid jazz band The Brand New Heavies on our festival, 8 musicians on the stage including the stunning new vocalist Dawn Joseph.

Kamaal Williams (born Henry Wu) is a British musician and record producer. He began his career producing electronic music as Henry Wu, but rose to prominence with drummer Yussef Dayes as Yussef Kamaal, releasing their only album Black Focus in 2016. Williams has since released two solo albums under his record label Black Focus. Williams' musical style relies on improvisation, including live performances, and he creates music under his own genre of jazz, hip-ho, R&B and electronic music, which he dubs Wu Funk.

From Leeds, England, singer/songwriter/musician Corinne Bailey Rae shot to stardom with her self-titled #1 UK debut album in 2006, featuring the global hits “Put Your Records
On“ and “Like A Star”. Bailey Rae has received two GRAMMY AWARDS, two MOBOS, alongside multiple nominations including BRIT and BET Awards.

Kokoroko is a London-based musical group led by Sheila Maurice-Grey, playing a fusion of jazz and afrobeat. In 2019 they were named "ones to watch" by the Guardian, after their track "Abusey Junction" garnered 23 million views on YouTube. In 2020 they won Best Group at the Urban Music Awards and they played BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. They released their debut album Could We Be More in 2022.

Yussef Dayes is one of the UK’s most exciting, innovative young drummers and producers. Though largely considered a “jazz” drummer, his sound melds everything from 70s funk to Senegalese percussion to recent UK grime. The unifying factor is a fluid, vital energy.

British pianist, singer and songwriter Reuben James has recorded and performed with megastars such as Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, Sam Smith and Tom Misch. As a pianist, he has mastered virtuosic jazz techniques; as a singer, he has a sweet, smooth soulful voice. How he will sound on jazzers is strongly suggested by the instrumentation of his trio: grand piano, bass, drums. Reuben James is regarded in the islands as one of the most creative artists on the jazz scene.

Poppy Ajudha je 26-ročná speváčka a skladateľka z južného Londýna. Jej otec bol majiteľom nočného klubu, v ktorom sa hrával jazz, motown, rocksteady, a reggae. Mama svoju najmladšiu z troch dcér navyše nainfikovala láskou k soulu a ku groove. Jej debutový album “The Power In Us” vyšiel v auguste 2022, na jazzákoch teda opäť prezentujeme čerstvú senzáciu aktuálnej britskej scény, prekypujúcu energiou a s ťahom na bránu novej hviezdy.