JAZZ legend Courtney Pine will be performing in Taunton in May as part of the new BlueTone Festival.

Organisers have announced the star will appear in Vivary Park on Sunday, May 31 as part of the four-day event, which runs from May 28 to 31.

Pine is currently marking four decades at the forefront of British jazz with Out of the Ghetto: A Modern Day Jazz Story, a retrospective tour bringing together key moments from his back catalogue “alongside previously unreleased material reimagined with the fire and freedom that have made his performances legendary”, a spokesperson said.

“Awarded both an OBE and CBE for services to music, Courtney Pine is Professor of Music at the University of Westminster and holds a doctorate from Leeds College of Music,” they added.

“His recordings and live performances have received widespread critical recognition, earning numerous honours including BBC Jazz Awards, MOBO Awards, and Mercury Music Prize nominations. He is regularly voted among the top 20 Black Britons and will be featured in a major V&A exhibition The Music is Black, celebrating pioneers of British music, in 2026.”

He joins headliners Ruby Turner, The Brand New Heavies, Curtis Stigers and Southern Sinfonia performing Gershwin in Full Swing at the festival, alongside the likes of Big Boy Bloater, Mellowmatic, Rue, Senna Weeks, Sarah Randle and Deane Big Band.

Tickets for the BlueTone Festival, at Vivary Park, are available now via www.bluetone-festival.co.uk.

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