The Cheltenham Jazz Festival has announced four of its headline acts for the spring, including Grammy-award winning jazz superstar vocalist Gregory Porter who is also taking on the role of Artistic Curator for the next 3 years – he’ll be selecting a number of guest artists to perform intimate shows as well as a headline show himself on Saturday 4th May. Jamie Cullum continues to be an Associate Curator for the event and says he’s “delighted” that Gregory is joining the team. The other confirmed artists are Brazilian bossa nova legend Sergio Mendes making his first visit to the UK in many years, saxophonist Joshua Redman and The Bad Plus with their new pianist Orrin Evans.

Additionally, organisers have announced that the Henry Westons Big Top capacity will increase by 50% to 2,000 seats and the Free Stage will move to a new position within the Festival Village on Montpellier Gardens. Head of Programming Emily Jones said: “It's a pleasure to announce these first four artists as we continue to bring the best in jazz to Cheltenham, especially when so many more people will be able to enjoy the gigs next year thanks to our bigger Big Top venue. With Gregory Porter on board, we also have some unique experiences in store which will be revealed when the full line-up is announced next year.”

The whole event runs May 1st-6th. Tickets will go on sale to Cheltenham Festivals Members at 1pm on 27th November and to the general public at 1pm on 29th November via  http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz" rel="nofollow - www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz , with the full Cheltenham Jazz Festival line-up will be announced on 13th February.

 from www.jazzfm.com