DAY 1 

The Colombo Jazz Festival is set to take place on the 18th and the 19th of February at the Galle Face Hotel. This two day festival is set to host a number of international and local acts that any jazz lover wouldn’t want to miss! 

Here’s who’s featuring on the 18th of February at the Festival! 

Brown Sugar 

A local band playing conversational, unorthodox and spontaneous jazz music in Colombo. These brilliant musicians have refined what the jazz greats and others have laid out before them and given it a swanky neoteric sound. As a team of 6, these musicians possess impeccable mastery on their respective instruments; this band has firmly established themselves to gather a steady following. These guys are the cool cats in town and their re-interpretation of jazz standards will most certainly leave you grooving with their bursts of musical genius. 

Beer Puppets 

Experimenting with rich harmonies and collaborating with several national and international based artists, the Beer Puppets target to make a difference with some good music.  Recently they collaborated with New York Based Jazz artists Carolina Calvache on Piano and Karina Colis on Drums. 

Jerome Speldewinde 

Jerome Speldewinde has the rare knack to ‘woo’ the local entertainment scene with absolute ease. The dynamic blues singer/guitarist Jerome Speldewinde’s remarkable repertoire has always been his major plus and what surprises music lovers and his fans is his ability to remember all the words of all the songs, and very often he throws in the verses of the standards from the great songwriters, before he sings the chorus, which is something that most of our singers leave out conveniently. 

Richard Jackson 

Richard Jackson was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio.. Being surrounded by musical talent his whole life helped shape Richard’s love for singing. His debut CD “The Essential Richard Jackson” has allowed him to perform all over the world and brought him to Singapore in 2008. He performed with Jeremy Monteiro, Jazz legends Ernie Watts (Sax) and Randy Brecker (Trumpet), as part of the Singapore Arts Festival May 2009 to rave reviews and has also performed at the CHIJMES Jazz Festival Nov 2009. 

Andrew Oh 

Andrew Oh is a Singaporean born Australian who stands out as an extremely accomplished Saxophonist and Flautist with a musical background that spans over 4 continents. Since arriving in Sydney in the mid ‘80s he has established himself as a top session musician and has recorded and performed with a multitude of Australian and international artists. Andrews’ recordings of his music have also received world-wide acclaim in the USA and in Asia. 

Incognito 

Incognito, a British acid jazz band, was originally formed by Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick and Paul “Tubbs” Williams in 1979. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981, with 16 more albums following, the latest of which, In Search of Better Days, was released in June 2016. The band celebrates its 35th birthday in 2014 and the release of their 16th studio album. 

RMXD 

A Vocalist, DJ/Trumpeter, Saxophonist, Pianist/Bass player and a percussionist come together as RMXD. Taking the classics and adding their own vibe – Loungy, deep, funky with Latin and jazz influences, creating a unique and special blend of sophisticated musical entertainment. 

DAY 2 

Here’s who’s featuring on the 19th of February at the Festival! 

The Miles Davy Experience with Kevin Davy 

Kevin Davy is a London-based trumpeter, composer, arranger and bandleader. In a career spanning three decades, he has amassed an extensive recorded discography, which includes work ranging from musical theatre to modern jazz and contemporary music. He has toured extensively with groups such as: Lamb, Adam F, Lemn Sissay’s Secret Society, and Finley Quaye. In 1994 Kevin relocated to London to work as an actor-musician at the Donmar Warehouse on their production of the Three Penny Opera, directed by Phyllida Lloyd. 

Major Minor 

A South African jazz band that will be performing at 41 Sugar for the next two months, their musical styling is a combination of American Jazz, big band sounds and African traditional music. Their original sound creates a complex continuity between the ‘born-free’ contemporary jazz artists of today and the legendary artists that were active during the struggle against apartheid, whether in exile or within country. 

Geoffrey Fernando 

Bands may come and go, but the memories of the musicians, who created history, will continue to stay until the end of the time. ‘Purple Rain’ was one of the biggest names in the Sri Lankan music scene during the era of late 80’s and 90’s under the leadership of veteran Geoffrey Fernando. With unique vocal style and graceful stage presence makes, Geoff one of the best live entertainers to be experienced. 

The Diablos 

The Diablos, rip roaring funk with a splash of Tarrantino, mixed with the soul of Wilson Pickett playing old classic hits, with a modern twist. That is The Diablos. The Diablos are a 7 piece Soul and Funk band celebrating a time when music and musicians were in their rawest form. The live energy from the stage is enough to absorb any audience with their mix of vintage Soul, Funk and rockabilly blues, it’s a show you will not forget. 

Varmint Control 

The band Varmint Control is a young and powerful formation with a vast range of unique musical expressions and an impelling affinity towards experimentation. By connecting and manipulating different elements and stylistic trademarks of jazz, rock and funk, Varmint Control is able to provide a truly exceptional performance and characteristic style. Originally from Linz, Austria, Varmint Control’s four members have traveled the world playing concerts as a group as well as individual performers. 

Mud Morganfield, Jr. 

Morganfield has described the resemblance of the tone and timber of his voice to that of his father’s voice as a double edged sword. The similarity is evident in For Pops: A Tribute To Muddy Waters, an album on which Morganfield performs several Muddy Waters songs. Morganfield launched his music career in blues clubs on the south side of Chicago, where he performed a mix of his father’s material and his own original works.  In May 2015, his album, For Pops: A Tribute To Muddy Waters, won a Blues Music Award in the ‘Traditional Blues Album’ category. 

El Trio 

With Marco Mendoza on bass and vocals, Joey Heredia on drums and Renato Neto on keyboards. Marco Mendoza is best known for his bass playing with several reputed bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Blue Murder among many others. Joey Heredia and Renato Neto formed a band together. 

Sannie Fox 

Sannie Fox is a guitarist, songwriter and vocalist hailed as a rock and blues queen of South Africa. Sannie currently performs under her own name in a rock/blues/pop/psych three-piece featuring Werner Von Waltsleben (drums) and Ryan McArthur (bass) and has released a 13 track debut album this year entitled ‘Serpente Masjien’ Sannie Fox’s music crosses an eclectic mix of artists and genres ranging from Screaming Jay Hawkins, to Led Zeppelin, Etta James, Patti Smith, John Lee Hooker, 70’s rock, fado, gospel, folk and desert blues. 

Want to catch these artists live? Head on over to www.colombojazzfestival.com for more information on the Festival! Tickets are priced at LKR 5000 for a day pass for either day and LKR 8000 for the weekend pass which includes entry for both days, children (under 12) are half price and toddlers are free. Tickets will be available from Sugar Bistro & Wine Bar at Crescat and at Odel, 41 Sugar, PR, Galle Face Hotel and can be purchased online through the website. 

Limited tickets available!