Kim Cypher at Cheltenham Jazz Festival - With SPECIAL GUEST ASHLEY SLATER
Schedule
Mon, 05 May, 2025 at 06:30 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Jazz Arena Cheltenham Jazz Festival | Cheltenham, EN
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*BOOK NOW - https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/events/kim-cypherKIM CYPHER featuring special guest ASHLEY SLATER
Saxophonist, vocalist and composer Kim Cypher is home-grown talent, born and raised in Cheltenham and making waves across the UK jazz scene. With three highly acclaimed albums and sellout shows across the UK including repeated sellout performances at world-renowned Ronnie Scott's jazz club, Pizza Express Soho and a private performance in New York, Kim has firmly secured her reputation as a leading figure in contemporary jazz, renowned for her vivacious style, passion, energy and charisma.
Having studied with British jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard and legendary US saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis (James Brown / Van Morrison), Kim was hailed a “true heart and soul performer” by Pee Wee, who features on her 2nd album ‘Love Kim x’ and performed with Kim as part of the ‘Love Kim x’ album tour in 2019.
Firmly rooted in her love and passion for funky saxophone and jazz greats such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, Kim’s music covers a wide variety of styles including jazz, Latin, swing, reggae and funky grooves. Her all-round ability as a saxophonist, vocalist and composer, renowned for her lively, vivacious, entertaining stage presence set Kim apart as a unique performer, described as “a rare musical treasure” by Jazz FM’s David Freeman who has been a big champion of Kim’s music and who recently compered her latest ‘Catching Moments’ album launch.
Kim has become a leading figure on the UK jazz scene over the past few years, working tirelessly to celebrate and command respect for the work of fellow creatives within the arts, as well as contributing to the widely celebrated work of Parliamentary Award winners Women in Jazz Media helping to support and create an equal, diverse, safe and healthy Jazz Industry.
Kim’s most recent album ‘Catching Moments’ released last year, has attracted much interest in the jazz world with music featured on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, Jazz FM plus live sessions and other local, national and worldwide stations.
Declared as a “monumental achievement” by Nick Lea of Jazz Views and a “celebratory collection of tracks with a life-affirming sound, played with bright precision and joyful gusto, bringing together a fine cast of guest performers” by Jazzwise, this album has elevated Kim’s profile to the next level.
Having performed many times on the festival’s free stage, Kim will debut as part of the main jazz festival this year in the Jazz Arena, firmly flying the flag for local musicians and showcasing music from her new album.
Kim will appear with her band of top UK jazz musicians featuring Chris Cobbson on guitar, Alex Steele on piano, Rob Rickenberg on bass, Mike Cypher on drums who, between them have performed with artists such as Courtney Pine, Ronnie Scott’s Big Band, Curtis Stigers, Sheila Ferguson (the Three Degrees), Paloma Faith, Van Morrison, Osibisa, Monty Alexander, Spike Robinson, James Brown Horns (Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis), Kylie Minogue, Westlife…
PLUS, Kim will feature special guest performer - trombonist and vocalist ASHLEY SLATER, hugely respected for his work with Loose Tubes, George Russell, Carla Bley, Freak Power and Norman Cook aka Fat Boy Slim as well as being a composer, producer and bandleader in his own right.
Kim and Ashley recently recorded a track and video together - ‘Uniquely the Same’, inspired by a shared conversation about their challenges in the music business being diverse artists with wide-ranging styles. It is not always possible to categorize musicians into ‘one box’. The message behind this track and project is simple, it’s a celebration of individuality and uniqueness…believe in yourself, remain true to yourself, be unique, be fabulous, be YOU!
This is sure to be a hugely entertaining, lively performance full of positive energy and wonderful repartee from one of Cheltenham and the UK’s most-loved performers Kim Cypher, together with her ALL-STAR lineup and special guest Ashley Slater.
“A bright, passionate performing light on the UK Jazz scene playing an enjoyable mix of Jazz, from classics through to real funky interpretations of modern mainstream music” – Jazz in Europe
“This is a band capable of appealing to jazz ‘newbies’ and hardcore aficionados alike” – The Jazz Mann
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Where is it happening?
Jazz Arena Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
