Parkside House, 72 Friday Street LE1 3BW
Email. Info@cosmopolitanarts.co.uk
Call. 0116 4361246© 2018-25 Cosmopolitan Arts
Created to grow jazz audiences and make music accessible to all, For the Love of Jazz is committed to decolonising jazz and affirming its roots in Black history and culture.
Thank you for coming to our events!
Our celebration of jazz excellence returned to Leicester for its fifth year, bringing brilliant musicians, new sounds and audiences together from 13th – 15th of August 2026.
The festival opened with two fantastic events at Leicester Cathedral.
Thursday saw the final performance from The Status Trio, a much-loved Leicester jazz group, who were joined by talented local musicians for a memorable performance (even featuring the cathedral organ!).
On Friday, Tony Minvielle shared stories from his life and extensive experience in the music industry, alongside special performances from Grifton Forbes-Amos and Even Buckly, whose music brought the evening to life!
It was a pleasure to partner with Leicester Cathedral and bring live jazz to their venue.
On Saturday 15 August, our free annual jazz festival took over Jubilee Square, filling the city centre with music, movement and celebration. We were delighted to see audiences dancing, smiling, and coming together to experience the joy of live jazz!
Our diverse lineup showcased the creativity and range of contemporary jazz, with each artist bringing their own distinctive sound and perspective.
We began with the Lisa Millett Quintet, a Leicester-based group delivering a polished set of jazz standards. Suedejazz Collective followed with their vibrant blend of contemporary jazz, hip-hop, progressive rock, spiritual, ambient and afrobeat influences.
Next came Kaidi Akinnibi, a virtuoso saxophonist, guitarist and composer whose genre-bending modern jazz took audiences somewhere new. Ineza continued the journey with a captivating blend of contemporary jazz, soul and folk.
We then welcomed David Kayode, a celebrated saxophonist, composer and bandleader drawing on Yoruba tradition, Afro-diasporic rhythms and contemporary jazz.
DENNIS ROLLINS’ FUNKY-FUNK! brought deep, funky grooves to the stage with their electrifying four-piece sound.
Knats closed the festival with a powerful headline performance. The Newcastle trio fused jazz with drum ’n’ bass, punk energy and electronic influences to create a thrilling finale.
A huge thank you to every performer, artist, workshop leader, partner, member of staff and behind-the-scenes contributor who made For the Love of Jazz possible.
And thank you to everyone who came along – whether you danced, listened, created, explored or simply enjoyed the atmosphere. You helped transform the city centre into a vibrant, welcoming space for everyone.
We cannot wait to celebrate Leicester’s vibrant community with you in 2027!
For the Love of Jazz is made possible thanks to public funding from Arts Council England. We are hugely grateful for their continued support.
Parkside House, 72 Friday Street LE1 3BW
Email. Info@cosmopolitanarts.co.uk
Call. 0116 4361246© 2018-25 Cosmopolitan Arts