Dionne Warwick to top the bill at Brecon jazz festival (From South Wales Guardian)

Dionne Warwick to top the bill at Brecon jazz festival

6:40am Wednesday 4th July 2012 in What's On

SOUL superstar Dionne Warwick will headline this summer’s Brecon Jazz Festival.

Orchard, the new operator of the world-famous festival, has announced a compact and powerful programme for the August event, which will see the five-time Grammy award winner – famous for hits such at Anyone Who Had a Heart and Say a Little Prayer – topping the bill on the opening night.

Another big name to grace the iconic Market Hall stage will be vibraphonist/vocalist Roy Ayers.

The respected jazz/R&B artist, renowned as the ‘Godfather of neosoul’, will be making an exclusive UK appearance at the festival.

This year’s artist-in-residence, Welsh pianist Huw Warren, will collaborate with Thomas Stronen and Peter Herbert.

Other acts will include Soweto Kinch, Lighthouse, YolanDa Brown, Stan Tracey and Ginger Baker.

In addition to the Market Hall, there will be concerts in Theatr Brycheiniog.

Emerging artists and homegrown Welsh talent will largely perform in the Guildhall, while there will also be special events in Brecon Cathedral.

The town centre will be the location for some spectacular street entertainment and the Brecon Fringe is running an extensive programme of music in bars and other venues around the town throughout the weekend.

There is even a commemorative concert for Jed Williams, the founder and artistic director of Brecon Jazz throughout much of its 28-year history, promoting Jazz4Jed, a bursary set up in his name to benefit jazz talent in Wales, along with workshops held in Christ College.

Orchard director Pablo Janczur said: “Brecon Jazz is a heritage brand with a great international reputation. If we can get close to recapturing the values, spirit and magic of the heyday of Brecon Jazz, we’ll have done our job. The musical line-up is exciting, we’ve had a great amount of goodwill from the town, the county and the Festival Fringe, so we’re now all set for a fantastic weekend in August.”

Tickets for the event, which runs from Friday, August 10 to Sunday, August 12, from the box office on 01874 611622 (Theatr Brycheiniog).

The 24-hour telephone booking number is 0844 858 8521.

All festival information and tickets can be found at www.breconjazz.

com