Friday 4 September
These acts have been confirmed. The timetable will be announced later.
Rubén Blades Fotografías Tour with Roberto Delgado Big Band
Rubén Blades is a man of many talents. As an actor, he has worked with the likes of Robert de Niro and Jack Nicholson, and at home in Panama, he has been a lawyer, a political activist and has even run for president. But above all else, Blades is a composer and vocalist, and one of the world’s most successful Latin artists. His socially engaged lyrics are a characteristic feature of his music. His ‘thinking man’s’ salsa, sometimes combined with jazz and rock, has won him many Grammy Awards and Latin Grammys. For his latest album Fotografías (2025), he collaborated with the Roberto Delgado Big Band, and not for the first time: Blades and Delgado have worked together for decades. The songs on their latest effort have one common trait among them: they will make it impossible to stand still. After all, people don’t call Blades ‘the poet of salsa’ for nothing!
Toto
Formed in 1977, American band Toto will be able to celebrate being around for half a century next year! They need little introduction: with their music combining elements of pop, rock, soul, blues, jazz and many more styles, they have built a fan base all around the world. The band has released 14 studio albums, sold over 50 million records worldwide, received several Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Their hit singles are numerous, including Africa, Hold The Line, Rosanna, and many more. Individually and collectively the bandmembers have worked with a variety of artists, including as session musicians, across all genres. Now led by guitarist Steve Lukather and lead vocalist Joseph Williams, the band features a collection of virtuoso musicians, but perhaps more importantly, lifelong friends. Fun fact: their audience ages down continually – more than half of their billion annual streams are plays from listeners 34 years or younger!
Monty Alexander Jamericana
Jazz pianist Monty Alexander was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but has been living in the US for many decades. He discovered the piano when he was four years old. He was sent to classical music lessons and later became interested in jazz piano. Since then, he has built a career in which he was nominated for a Grammy Award and his work has been documented on more than 75 recordings. The born performer’s repertoire spans a broad range of jazz and Jamaican musical expressions: the American songbook and the blues, gospel and bebop, calypso and reggae. His home country was never forgotten; the Jamaican government has bestowed him with several honorary titles for his Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally”. Alexander has toured the world relentlessly with various projects, and will bring his Jamericana trio to the festival.
PJ Morton
PJ Morton was brought up on the music of worship in New Orleans. His father is a gospel singer, and bishop and founder of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. His mother is pastor of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church. Paul Sylvester Morton Jr.’s first album on a major label, the 2013 release New Orleans, scored an instant Grammy nomination for the single Only One. On it, we hear none other than Stevie Wonder. Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine also features as a guest on the album; not surprising, since Morton has served as keyboardist and backing vocalist for the popular pop-rock band since 2010. Morton effortlessly combines running his record label and his work as a producer with a great solo career. His haunting live album Watch The Sun Live: The Mansion Sessions (2023) shows that a Morton performance is sometimes akin to a soul-stirring church service.
