The annual Love Supreme Jazz festival made a return to Glynde Place on Friday 1st July – Sunday 3rd July 2016. This year’s headline act were Grace Jones on Saturday and Burt Bacharach on Sunday.
The first act to grace the Main Stage on Saturday was Riot Jazz Brass Band, formed of trumpeters, a drummer and a rapper. Exuding with lively character, when some of the band members played, other fellow band members would jump around on stage, cheering on the members who were performing at that time. This hyped up the crowd even more. The coming and going rain throughout their set played no factor in the audience’s enjoyment of the performance. The band displayed a cheerful vibe that is similar to that of a parade. The frontman rapper added a unique flavour to the band. Furthermore, their rendition of Britney Spear’s song ‘Toxic’, was an evident display of their spirited character.
The food village at the festival had a range of cultural foods, from Gourmet fish and chips to Caribbean jerk. This added to the very cultural atmosphere of the festival as a whole. There were also stools selling African ornaments, clothing, jewellery and other unique items.
Lianne La Havas also performed on the mainstage on Saturday. Dressed in a black and green kimono, Lianne graced the stage and begun an engaging set. Her smooth voice created a serene ambience, as she played her electric guitar, and changed to other guitars throughout the set.
Grace Jones’ extravagant performance was an interesting end to the first full day of the festival. Known to be very open about taboo subjects in society such as sex, the 68 year old delivered an energetic set, showing that age is nothing but a number. With funky sounds embedded into her performance, the audience danced along to the booming beats. Changing into a fancy costume for each song, Ms Jones kept the crowd thoroughly entertained, from her white mane wig to her tribal print costume. Performing some of her hit songs such as ‘pull up to the bumper’ and ‘slave to the rhythm’, the crowd sung and grooved along. Assisting her on stage whilst singing ‘My Jamaican Guy’ was an exotic dancer dressed in tribal nude print costume.
On Sunday, 18 year old Mahalia performed an authentic set at The Arena tent. Proving to be multi-talented, she played the piano and guitar throughout her set, whilst sweetly singing heart-felt lyrics.
Kelis also performed on the mainstage. Entering with an orange afro and vibrant split leg dress, she instantly drew the crowd’s attention, where she then proceeded to sing ‘Millionaire’. Later in her set, she performed a funky version to her famous song ‘Milkshake’.
In the Big Top stage, the amazing Kamasi Washington performed. Displaying a range of authentic sounds, he demonstrated his extraordinary talent through playing the saxophone, alongside his varied band. Engaging with the crowd throughout his set, he spoke to them about the significance of some songs as well as telling the crowd his appreciation for them.
The last act to perform on the mainstage was the legendary Burt Bacharach. As he has written many well-known songs, such as ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ and ‘The Look of Love’, the audience sung along, waving hands in union along to the rhythm. It was a lovely way to end the festival.
Overall, I would recommend this festival to all jazz and funk lovers, as it has a range of talented upcoming artists and legendary musicians.
By Maxine Harrison
