For the Love of Jazz Festival
Added by Love Business East Midlands | 28 July 2025
UPDATED: 29 July 2025
Cosmopolitan Arts is pleased to announce that the For the Love of Jazz Festival is back for its fourth year. Taking over both Jubilee Square and Leicester Cathedral on 16th August, from 12 pm until 8:30pm, this free Jazz extravaganza is not to be missed!
Venue Details
Date & Time: Saturday 16th August, 12:00pm - 8:30pm
Locations
Jubilee Square, 12pm until 7pm
Leicester Cathedral, 7:30pm until 8:30pm
Admission: Free!
Introducing our headline act, playing at Leicester Cathedral from 7:30pm, JOE ARMON-JONES of the Mercury Prize and Brit Award Group of the Year 2025 winning Ezra Collective. He is a London-based producer, composer, and keyboard player who creates in an uncompromising, free-flowing, and experimental way, combining jazz, dub, hip-hop, funk, and soul. A collaborative theme runs consistently throughout his work, and such unions have included: Obongjayar, the late Tony Allen, Jehst, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Nubya Garcia, Greentea Peng, Moses Boyd, Ego Ella May, Oscar Jerome, Mick Jenkins, Speakers Corner Quartet and Mala, to name a few. Armon-Jones' second album, "Turn to Clear View", was hailed as "an instant classic" and named by TIME Magazine as one of the "Top 10 Albums of 2019". He is a two-time nominee for "Best Jazz Act" at the Jazz FM Awards as well as the MOBO Awards.
Hosted by Jazz FM’s TONY MINVIELLE, the fantastic TONY KOFI QUARTET will headline our main stage in Jubilee Square. Award winning and Jazz multi-instrumentalist Tony Kofi will lead a group of world-class musicians, entertaining audiences with their unique and innovative style. Internationally acclaimed composer and trumpet soloist BYRON WALLEN will be joining the festival with his fantastic compositions. As well as creating soundscapes for Universal Pictures and Game of Thrones, he has also been commissioned to create film scores by the BBC, Science Museum, and FIFA. Olivier award-winning composer and drummer ROMARNA CAMPBELL will also take to the stage. With a career spanning continents and genres, Romarna has captivated audiences as the drummer for Fever Ray, Benjamin Clementine, and Courtney Pine. Her mission is to create music that reflects our current reality with artistic integrity, inspiring the next generation, especially those from diverse socioeconomic, racial, and gender backgrounds.
Bryan Corbett’s INSTRUMENTAL GROOVE UNIT will bring a new original project full of improvisation, hip grooves, beautiful melodies, unique musicianship, interplay and virtuosity.
Midlands-based composer and saxophonist IAN HILL shares themes of love, hope and inclusion through his music. He will be presenting his Miles Ahead project, which celebrates the classic ‘Kind of Blue’ album by Miles Davis, released in 1959. This tribute includes some unique arrangements and lyrics along with original compositions. Helen Gayle’s LATIN VOICES is a celebration of the music of Latin America fused with jazz, soul and contemporary music. Inspired by artists such as Tania Maria, Flora Purim, Airto Moria and Chick Corea, Helen uses these influences to create infectious rhythms, driving grooves and space for improvisation and interaction. ILKE-TA are an ambient cinematic jazz trio, consisting of Jamie Sykes and Jack Benjamin of Major Ruse, Moja Fan, Benjamin Luhis, and the Lucas Walters Trio, on drums and bass respectively, and Ben Nobuto (BBC Proms composer 2024) on keys. Exclusively for this festival, Hannah Barrs will be joining the trio on the cello, as they weave beautiful melodies with rhythmic complexity and dynamic textures.
The For the Love of Jazz Festival 2025 comes to life thanks to the support and funding from Arts Council England. Organised by Leicester's Cosmopolitan Arts (recognised as a National Portfolio Organisation by Arts Council England), which has been a driving force behind captivating live music, dance, theatre, and art in Leicester since 2011. We would like to give a very special thank you to Leicester Jazz House, MJazz and Leicester Cathedral for their continuing partnership and support of For the Love of Jazz Festival.
For more information, please visit https://www.cosmopolitanarts.co.uk/ or follow us on social media… Facebook: Cosmopolitan Arts | Twitter: @ArtsCosmopolitan | Instagram: @CosmopolitanArts
Main Contact: Amanda Leandro, Director, Amanda@cosmopolitanarts.co.uk
