Islay Jazz Festival

Lagavulin Whisky To Sponsor 2013 Islay Jazz Festival

July 26, 2013 by Gary Leave a Comment

Lagavulin Whisky To Sponsor 2013 Islay Jazz Festival

Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky will once again be the headline sponsor of the Islay Jazz Festival in 2013.

The Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival takes place from 13-15 September this year and attracts hundreds of jazz lovers.

This is now the fifteenth year that the Festival has been held on Islay, and the fourth year that the Festival has been sponsored by Lagavulin, whose continued backing has enabled the Festival to develop into the success story that it is today.

This year will also see another edition of the much-acclaimed special Islay Jazz Festival limited-edition bottling of Lagavulin, which will be released during the Festival.

Distillery manager Georgie Crawford, said “This is now the fourth year of our sponsorship of this excellent Festival. The island’s economy really gains from the extension of the season. Another bonus has been the discovery that the Malt Mill at Lagavulin has great acoustics for live music! And the last four years have brought many more visitors from neighbouring countries, reflecting continental European interest in jazz, and many more ‘whisky tourists’ too. We are delighted to welcome them to Islay and to Lagavulin.”

The line up this year includes:-

European drummer Magnus Öström who will be playing at Lagavulin distillery’s Malt Mill and Bruichladdich Hall.
Superband Trio Libero blend folk melodies, infectious grooves, and ambient Nordic cool.
Making waves on the UK jazz scene, pianist Kit Downes debuts his Trio at Islay.
The master of American Stride piano, Stephanie Trick delivers ragtime and boogie-woogie classics.
The Festival has also formed a super Islay trio featuring musicians who are regular visitors to the Festival: bassist Mario Caribe, trumpeter Colin Steele, and guitarist Graeme Stephen.
Local vocal star Sheena Swanson presents a brand new band comprising five Islay musicians.

Lagavulin is available from these Whisky Merchants:-

The Whisky Exchange
Master of Malt
Edencroft Fine Wine & Spirit Specialists
Abbey Whisky
Whisky Online
The Whisky Barrel
The Green Welly Stop

Lagavulin Unveils Limited Edition Bottle For Islay Jazz Festival

September 11, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Lagavulin Jazz Bottling 2012

Following last year’s exceptionally well-received release, a special limited-edition bottling of Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky will be on sale to Festival ticket holders during the 2012 Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival (which runs from 14th. – 16th. September.)

The bottling, which like last year’s release carries a jazz motif on its neck label, is an edition of 624 bottles, sourced from a single Refill Sherry Butt (No. 1894) filled on 7th May 1997.

It is bottled at a natural cask strength of 54.5% ABV, and priced at £85.

The main label carries the signature of warehouseman Iain McArthur, who has worked at Port Ellen, Caol Ila and Lagavulin for 42 years.

Any bottles not sold during the Festival will remain on sale, but available only to personal shoppers at the Distillery.

Lagavulin To Sponsor Islay Jazz Festival For Third Year

May 30, 2012 by Gary Leave a Comment

Lagavulin will again be the headline sponsor of the Islay Jazz Festival in 2012

For the third year running, Lagavulin will be the headline sponsor for the Islay Jazz Festival.

The Islay Jazz Festival, which this year will take place from 14-16 September 2012 attracts hundreds of jazz lovers from Scotland and beyond.

Artists already booked to appear on the world-famous whisky island include the Neil Cowley Trio, The Colin Steele Quintet, Konrad Wiszniewski with Pascal Schumacher and Scottish guitarist Graeme Stephen.

Nick Morgan of Lagavulin said, “We are delighted to be able to sponsor this world-class festival again, which brings so many discerning jazz lovers to venues throughout this unique and special island.

We have been pleased with the public and community reaction to our sponsorship over the last two years, and with the Festival’s growing success in attracting visitors to Islay, including many from abroad. It’s clear that live jazz and fine Malt Whisky are the best of partners, and that Islay, with its many distinctive and intimate venues and excellent whiskies, is ideally placed to host such a fine event”.

A film of the 2011 Festival highlights will shortly be released by Jazz Scotland, which will also be available on the Islay Jazz Festival website.

The Festival is promoted by Jazz Scotland and The Islay Arts Association and also supported by Argyll and Bute Council and Creative Scotland.

The events of the Festival are spread over three days and many venues on Islay.

The Lagavulin 2011 Islay Jazz Festival

August 13, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Viktoria Tolstory will open the Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival

The programme has been announced for this year’s Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival and tickets have gone on sale via the website and direct from promoters Jazz Scotland.

The 13th Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival, which this year will take place from 16-18 September, is again expected to attract hundreds of jazz lovers to the world-famous whisky island on Scotland’s west coast.

And the BBC have announced that they will be recording some sessions at Lagavulin Distillery for BBC Radio 3‘s Jazz Line Up and BBC Radio Scotland’s Jazz House programmes for broadcast at a later date.

A special limited-edition (priced at £79.95) bottling of Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky will be on sale to Festival ticket holders during the Festival. The bottling is from a single bodega sherry wood cask of Lagavulin, filled in February 1993 and matured at the historical warehouse at Caol Ila distillery, also on Islay.

Viktoria Tolstory will open the Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival

This year, one of Europe’s major vocal stars, Viktoria Tolstoy, visits Islay for the first time. Highly musical, and exuding charisma, she’ll sing her own special arrangements of many great standards along with interpretations of pop tunes. Her first concert, at Lagavulin Distillery, inaugurates the Festival on Friday 16 September.

The Festival also features the world premiere of Tom Bancroft‘s Red Trio with English piano star, Tom Cawley, and Norwegian bass sensation Mats Eilertsen, while Brian Kellock and Jacob Karlzon front two piano trios at different edges of the jazz spectrum.

The sensational brass quartet, Brass Jaw, play two concerts, mixing magnificent musicality with humour and an unbridled imagination.

Subie Coleman fronts the late night jazz/soul dance at Bowmore Hall with Philadephia and New York tipped raw soul grooves,

Otis Grand

Otis Grand

While Otis Grand and Sandy Tweeddale deliver exceptional vintage driving-blues. Mario Caribe fronts two bands new to the Festival – one focusing on the music of his homeland: Brazil, the other an all-star homage to the Jazz Crusaders.

Nick Morgan, for the Lagavulin Scotch Whisky brand, says “The Jazz Festival is a great advertisement for Islay and a great advertisement for Lagavulin Scotch Whisky. The brand is now really at the heart of the Festival, with its strong personality, big heritage and plenty of intensity. Not a bad analogy for jazz.”

The Festival is co-promoted by jazz specialists Jazz Scotland, and the island’s premier arts promoters, The Islay Arts Association.

Jazz Scotland Director Fiona Alexander pointed out that “The magic of the Jazz Festival in Islay is partly created by Lagavulin. Without their funding, we would not be able to present so much high quality jazz.”

Diageo announced in February that it was renewing the sponsorship of the Festival by the quintessential Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Lagavulin, following the highly successful and widely welcomed sponsorship of the event last year.

The events of the Festival are spread over three days. Concerts are presented across the island, in a mix of unique settings: village halls, distilleries, bird sanctuaries, and small bars and inns. Several sessions are held at Lagavulin Distillery, in the acoustically excellent Malt Mill.

For Programme details, visit the Jazz Festival website.

You can buy Lagavulin Malts from The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt.

The Islay Jazz Festival

The Festival has been running since 1999; this year’s is the 13th.. Since then the Festival has promoted musicians from over 25 countries and presented fifteen world premieres and is today regarded as a significant jazz event in the UK calendar.

Diageo’s famous Islay single malt whisky Lagavulin first sponsored the Festival in 2010.

Lagavulin sponsors Islay Jazz Festival for second year

February 9, 2011 by Gary Leave a Comment

Lagavulin will again sponsor this year’s Islay Jazz Festival

Following its widely welcomed support in 2010, Diageo has announced that its Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Lagavulin will again sponsor this year’s Islay Jazz Festival.

One weekend each September, The Islay Jazz Festival attracts hundreds of jazz lovers to the world-famous whisky island on Scotland’s west coast and the dates of this years Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival are 16th. – 18th. September.

Nick Morgan of Lagavulin said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able once again to sponsor this world-class festival, which brings so many discerning jazz lovers to venues throughout Islay, one of the world’s most seductive islands. We were pleased with the public and local reaction to our sponsorship last year. And even more thrilled by the outstanding performances and talent that the artists brought to the Festival. It confirmed our view that live jazz and fine Malt Whisky are the best of partners.”

Promoters Jazz Scotland have just released a film of the 2010 Festival highlights, viewing on the Islay Jazz Festival website, where details of this year’s programme will be posted once available.

The events of the Festival are spread over three days and many venues on Islay. In 2010 the Festival programme featured the lyrical pianism of Zoe Rahman; the feel-good saxophone of Jesse Davis; the Blue Note inspired Mercy, Mercy, Mercy; award-winning Scottish guitarist Graham Stephen; the commanding tenor of John Burgess; and a new take on 1920s and 30?s jazz from the Nova Scotia Jazz Band.

Concerts were presented across the island, in a mix of unique settings: village halls, distilleries, bird sanctuaries, and small bars and inns. Three of the events were staged at Lagavulin Distillery itself.

Full details are available from The Islay Jazz Festival website.