Manchester Jazz Festival is back with a bang this spring

Tickets are now on sale for the city’s longest-running music event—Manchester Jazz Festival, now entering its 27th year and returning with another superb selection of musical innovators for 10 full days of music from May 20-29.

Opening weekend sees a three-day showcase of free gigs at Escape to Freight Island (20-22 May). DJs and family-friendly activities sit around a programme of amazing live music from the likes of Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year Daniel Casimir, BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year and saxophonist Xhosa Cole and his quartet, Francesca Pidgeon’s Dilettante project, 12-piece supergroup Intergalactic Brasstronauts, genre journeying artist Dirty Freud, and specialist drum composer-performer Sarah Heneghan (among many, many more).

St Ann’s Church plays host to the weekday gigs from 23-27 May with Zoe Rahman, Skylla, Brigitte Beraha’s Lucid Dreamers, Sara Colman and Rebecca Nash all scheduled

At music and arts space The Yard, presented in partnership with NQ Jazz, you can also catch the likes of Alex Hitchcock, Anthony Joseph and Emma Rawicz between 23-25 May, while Deansgate’s Forsyth Music open their doors for a pretty special show from The Ronnie Scott’s Trio featuring James Pearson at Forsyth’s, playing the music of pianist Oscar Peterson on Fri 27 May.

NQ stalwart Matt & Phreds hosts nightly shows throughout the festival; do not miss Baiana (Fri 20 May) for some shoulder loosening Brazilian jazz sounds, shapeshifting alt-punk/blues/jazz band Rum Buffalo (Sat 28 May), or a free gig from Manchester’s own NONUNONU (Tue 24 May).

Finally, Band On The Wall welcomes the festival into its new look venue for the closing weekend from 26-28 May, bagging headline spots from Nubya Garcia and Tim Garland Group, plus Gary Crosby Sextet: Mingus Moves, Ayanna Witter Johnson and the Hackney Colliery Band.

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Fri 11 Mar—you’ll be able to grab yours using the button below.