Jazz Preview: Indian brass and a master of funk spice up bill

“We are keen to take a risk and look at fresh ways of doing things,” says festival organiser David Porter.

“It’s a way of getting a new audience and gives a festival feel to the occasion. We like to think we’re different.”

No surprise, then, that the opening attraction, on Thursday, is the Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band from Rajasthan. Here we have seven musicians led by tabla maestro Amrat Hussain, a gypsy dancer and a fakir juggler, in a rhythmic melange which is closer to Mumbai than Basin Street.

Friday has the debut of that sovereign of soul saxophone, Snake Davis, with strings.

No rhythm section, just a string quartet gliding through a mixture of soul, classical, jazz, funk and world music with Snake leading the way in his inimitable style. You will hear it first in Hull!

Pee Wee Irwin, who is credited with writing 26 hits for James Brown and was Van Morrison’s musical director for many years, celebrates his 70th birthday at the festival on July 23.

There will be jazz funk, of course, because that is where Pee Wee earned his reputation for over 50 years, and trombonist Dennis Rollins will give added spice to the proceedings.

More later on Hull’s festival. Elsewhere, Soweto Kinch plays with his band at Harrogate Festival tonight. Tomorrow at the Square Chapel Centre for the Arts in Halifax, Les Effrontes will give a jazzy twist to classic French songs.