Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival Announces 2018 Line-Up

– JIMMY CLIFF, CANDI STATON, SISTER SLEDGE TO HEADLINE 2018 EDITION OF SELLOUT FESTIVAL
– DAVID RODIGAN AND CRAIG CHARLES TO HOST FESTIVAL AFTERPARTIES ON FRIDAY 6 AND SATURDAY 7 JULY
– FESTIVAL PROGRAMME ALSO FEATURES BREAKTHROUGH ACTS AND LOCAL TALENT
– NINTH INSTALLMENT OF FESTIVAL IN IDYLLIC SURROUNDINGS IN MOSELEY PARK & POOL 
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MOSTLY JAZZ, FUNK & SOUL FESTIVAL
FRIDAY 6 – SUNDAY 8 JULY 2018
MOSELEY PARK, ALCESTER ROAD, BIRMINGHAM, B13 8DD
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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and reggae pioneer Jimmy Cliff, soul music legend Candi Staton and the formidable family band Sister Sledge will headline the ninth installment of the Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival, which runs from Friday 6 to Saturday 8 July 2018. 
Set in the truly beautiful and unique green setting of Moseley Park in Birmingham, UK, the weekend of music also features the acclaimed funk and soul vibraphonist Roy Ayers, hip-hop royalty Jungle Brothers marking 30 years in the business, globally respected reggae selector and sound clash champion David Rodigan, and bandleader Fred Wesley – former James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic bandleader – with his band The New JBs.
The 2018 announcement follows 2017’s successful festival, which saw Chaka Khan, St Paul and the Broken Bones, and Soul II Soul play to a capacity audience in Moseley – recently voted #1 place to live in the UK (Sunday Times), 
“We’re thrilled to be able to once again present such a strong selection of international acts from the worlds of jazz, funk, soul and beyond alongside the latest contemporary breakthrough artists  Supporting and working with Birmingham and Midlands artists and promoters lies firmly at the heart of our ethos so we’re doubly pleased with the programme of local music at this year’s festival and look forward to welcoming audiences through the gates in July.” – John Fell, Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival
Tickets for Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul 2018 are released for sale from 10am on Friday 16 March via the official website www.mostlyjazz.co.uk 
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FRIDAY AT MOSTLY JAZZ, FUNK & SOUL 2018
Famous by the age of 14 thanks to his hit ‘Hurricane Hattie’, Jamaica-born Jimmy Cliff was a key figure in the popularisation of ska and reggae music. Nearly 70 years later he is still performing. 
Headlining the Friday night of Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul, the musician, singer and star of cult reggae film ‘The Harder They Come’  will deliver a set of immortal anthems including, ‘I Can See Clearly Now’, ‘Wonderful World, Beautiful People’, ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want It’, ‘The Harder They Come’ and many more.
40 years into his career as a leading reggae selector and DJ, David Rodigan is still one of the top dogs in the bass-heavy atmosphere of Britain’s reggae dance-halls. 
With an encyclopaedic knowledge of Jamaica’s every artist, song and rhythm track, he’s had radio shows on BBC Radio 1xtra, BBC Radio 2 and Capital Radio, also performing extensively across Europe, North America and the West Indies.
Jungle Brothers began performing in the mid-1980’s, releasing their first album ‘Straight Out The Jungle’ to critical acclaim thanks to their Afrocentric lyrics and innovative beats. The New York duo was the first hip-hop group to pioneer the fusion of jazz, hip-hop and house music, delivering influential songs including “I’ll House You”.
American rapper and hip-hop artist, Chali 2na, formerly associated with the groups Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli, will perform a set with UK breakbeat and bass pioneer Krafty Kuts, respected worldwide for his highly technical turntablism and meticulously crafted DJ sets. 
Known for their memorable and energetic performances, The Brass Funkeys are set to win over audiences old and new. They’ll be performing as well as Manchester hip hop and soul vocalist Layfullstop, UK garage and jazz-influenced Ash Walker Experience and Birmingham’s very own Afro-Twang proponent, vocalist and songwriter Namiwa Jazz 
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SATURDAY AT MOSTLY JAZZ, FUNK & SOUL 2018
Once known as the First Lady of Southern Soul after a string of Top Ten R&B hits in the 1970’s, by the end of that decade Candi Staton was hailed as a disco diva for danceable tracks such as the global smash hits ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ and ‘You Got The Love’.
The four-time Grammy Award nominee went on to exclusively sing gospel music before launching an Americana career in 2006. Returning to the stage following the release of the 27th album of her six-decade career: It’s Time To Be Free, the US music icon will headline Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival 2018, live and direct.
From Robot Wars to Red Dwarf, Craig Charles has now firmly established himself as a funk and soul commentator, DJ and promoter following 10 years of Saturday night broadcasting on BBC Radio 6 Music. He brings The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club back to Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul for the ninth year running – delivering a guaranteed upbeat and feelgood experience for music fans of all backgrounds.
High-energy brassy funk band from New York City, Lucky Chops, Funk maestro Lack of Afro (live) and our latest favourite Tanika Charleswill also take to the stage on Saturday 7 July. Joining them will be Japan’s premiere funk orchestra, Osaka Monaurail, made up of nine musicians with funky James Brown-esque dancers and jumpin’ be-bop instrumentals.
More performances will come from tender and soulful Jalen N’Gonda, recently formed Space Ghetto with their blend of funk, jazz, hip-hop and psychedelic rock plus Tropical Soundclash created by stalwarts of the Birmingham music scene Sam Redmore and The Mighty Magoo.
Over the course of two funk-fuelled albums, The Allergies have stacked up accolades and topped charts along the way; they finalise the Saturday line-up with family band, The Volko Trio – formed when international DJ French Kriss had a jam-session with his two children eventually going on to win praise from the great Roy Ayers. Finally, local rising stars Kezia and Madi Saskia will be taking to the stage with two individual and anticipated performances.
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SUNDAY AT MOSTLY JAZZ, FUNK & SOUL 2018
There have been only a handful of musical groups which have managed to transcend time, genre and culture – Sister Sledge is indisputably one such act. They’ve been described as having “the stuff legends are made of” – perhaps an accurate description of this unique, multi-faceted group. Performing jazz, soul, gospel, disco and R&B, the sisters have built a formidable reputation and are now set to dazzle the Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul audience as part of their 40th-anniversary tour.
Vibraphonist and vocalist, Roy Ayers, has been hailed as The Godfather of Neo Soul. He’s amongst the best-known and most respected jazz and R&B artists on the scene today and tours regularly. He returns to Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul 2018, having last performed at the festival in 2015, which culminated in a very special collaboration with Flava Flav of Public Enemy, who had performed at the festival on the previous day.
Fred Wesley is an American jazz and funk trombonist, and former band-leader and musical director of James Brown’s band the J.B’s during the 1960s and 1970s. Fred left the band in 1975, spending several years with George Clinton’s various Parliament-Funkadelic projects, and now returns with a newly formed version of The J.B’s.
The Jazzlines Ensemble provides young musicians from Birmingham and the surrounding areas an opportunity to develop their ensemble playing skills and learn more about jazz and improvisation, through support from Town Hall & Symphony Hall’s jazz programme. The ensemble returns to Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul on Sunday 8 July, joined by the poetic Yasmin Lacey, electronic-soul quartet Noya Rao, Birmingham Jazz Award recipient Sara Colman, saxophonist and exceptionally talented arranger and composer Chris Bowden, spontaneous performers Skeltr and Ezra Collective with their fusion of technical jazz musicianship, Afrobeat and hip-hop.
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MOSTLY JAZZ, FUNK & SOUL 2018 AFTERPARTIES
David Rodigan continues the festival vibe well into the night with an afterparty at Hare & Hounds Kings Heath on Friday 6 July, with Craig Charles promising a set of funk and soul classics at the Hare & Hounds Kings Heath on Saturday 7 July. 
Tickets for Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul 2018 afterparties are released for sale from 10am on Friday 16 March via the official website www.mostlyjazz.co.uk
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THE TEAM
Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival is produced by the team behind Moseley Folk Festival (in its thirteenth year) and Lunar Festival(returning for its fifth year).
Last year’s sell-out Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival saw Chaka KhanSoul II Soul and St Paul & The Broken Bones headline. Other phenomenal performances came from Sugarhill Gang Feat. Melle Mel & ScorpioLee Fields & The ExpressionsThe PharcydeCraig CharlesOmarCrazy PThe Comet Is ComingDon Letts and many more. The likes of George Clinton Parliament FunkadelicDe La SoulGregory PorterFun Lovin CriminalsChic Feat. Nile Rogers and Public Enemy have also provided headline performances at past Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul festivals.
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Tickets for Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul 2018 are released for sale from 10am on Friday 16 March via the official website www.mostlyjazz.co.uk