Its a jazz jamboree

More than 10,000 people are expected to pack Newark for a spectacular jazz festival in May, featuring 70 concerts in 30 venues.

The third annual event is promising to cement the town’s newly gained stature as one of the top festival venues.

There are even plans for a jazz train to bring visitors from Nottingham and Lincoln, with musicians entertaining passengers.

The festival, on May 16-18, will provide a musical jamboree, with sounds of swing spilling into the street from pubs, restaurants and shops.

It is expected to provide the town with one of the best trading weekends of the year.

For the first time, a New Orleans gospel singer, Shirley Alexander, will fly from the United States, and will perform in Newark Parish Church.

The festival was formed by local business people to encourage new visitors, aid the local economy and raise Newark’s profile.

A festival director, Mr Paul Sparks, said about 9,000 people attended last year’s event, which, according to recent figures, put it in the top 30% of the country’s annual jazz festivals.

Mr Sparks, of Sparks Marketing, said every business that participated last year reported an increase in turnover. Many events were fully booked well in advance.

Mr Sparks said: “The event has attracted so much attention over the past two years that top performers are now approaching us, asking to be involved.

“Jazz is so varied there is bound to be something for everyone to enjoy. Many visitors know little about jazz but love listening to amazing musicians playing live.”

The main sponsor is Stray’s Books and Stray’s Coffee, on Middlegate.

After the success of the last festival, work has started on providing a jazz venue above the coffee shop.

It will feature a performance area and seating, which would be used as extra seating for the coffee shop when it was not being used for music audiences.

There are also plans to provide jazz workshops.

Mr Mat Short, at Stray’s, said: “The jazz festival offers a very personal feel for the visitors to the venues.

“It is not often you can sit ten yards from a jazz gig and enjoy the music in such a close proximity to the artists.”

Mr Tristan Boxall, the manager of sponsors Pizza Express, said: “When you walk round the town centre you can experience the full range of the genre —from traditional to modern.”

The primary school jazz workshop, where children meet professional jazz musicians, will take place again.

As last year it will end in a noisy and colourful parade through the town on the final day.

The organisers plan to hire Newark Palace Theatre for a headline concert by award-winning jazz vocalist Claire Martin, and composer, conductor and jazz pianist Sir Richard Rodney Bennett.

Professional musician Nathan Bray, of London Road, Newark, a jazz trumpeter, has been commissioned to compose a Newark Suite for a jazz orchestra, which will tell the story of Newark through the years.

Projected video images will set the scene for the six parts.

Dutch jazz violinist Tim Kliphuis is expected to run a jazz violin masterclass and perform a concert to help promote the excellence of the Newark College School of Instrument Making.

The train, which will run on the Saturday, will stop at villages en route.

Newark College will again be commissioned to produce a DVD of the weekend.

The festival is expected to cost £56,500. A total of £29,500 in private sponsorship has been confirmed, and income from venues and ticket sales is expected to be about £16,500.

Newark Town Partnership on Tuesday agreed to provide £6,000 through money it receives from the East Midlands Development Agency. The organisers hope that money will also come from councils.

Sponsors include MHI, Larken and Co, Duncan and Topliss and the Advertiser.