Buxton Festival's mix of concerts

The relaxed concerts will be held in the Pavilion Gardens at 9pm and tickets are £20.

This Saturday, July 9, The Versatility Serenaders perform music that co-existed in the early 20th century but were rarely heard together:  the dance crazes of the early 1900s (Cakewalk, Hawaiian, Ragtime, Chorinho, Tango and Blues), the ever growing clamour of Tin Pan Alley and music hall; the songs of the First World War; the high-energy, musical mayhem called Jass, (later Jazz) and the poignancy and sophistication of the music of the late Victorian era.

Jazz at the Movies, a unique jazz group formed specifically to interpret movie themes, perform on Sunday, July 10. Their refined dramatic and jazz sensibilities produce sounds that celebrate the meeting point of songcraft and swingcraft.

Robert Habermann performs Gershwin songs including I Got Rhythm, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Our Love is Here to Stay, Summertime and many more on Thursday, July 14.

Acclaimed singer Robert presents the life story and songs of George Gershwin – starting out as a song plugger, then in 1919 writing his huge hit Swanee on a bus in 20 minutes; his lifelong collaboration with his brother Ira, with whom hewrote many great songs and shows, his one opera Porgy and Bess, in a fantastically prolific but tragically short life.

Following their outstanding appearance at last year’s festival, Alex Yellowlees and his band return on Friday, July 16. July. Reminiscent of Django Reinhardt and the legendary Hot Club de France, this modern Grappelli on violin, with virtuoso guitarists Ged Brockie and Mike Nisbet and bassist Kenny Ellis, perform exciting, intoxicating swing jazz, laced with Latin rhythms and spiced with Celtic gypsy flair.

Eclectic alternative-folk group Tir Eolas perform on Saturday, July 16, drawing on their Celtic and English folk roots to create their unique combination of traditional folk and original material.

Digby Fairweather’s Half Dozen bring you their newest show The Swing’s the Thing on Thursday, July 21, in an unforgettable evening of swinging sounds, favourite songs (sung by the ‘Four Fairweather Friends’), Latin jazz, and selections from the Great American and British Songbooks.

Last year the Half Dozen celebrated their ninth consecutive award for Top Small Group in the prestigious British Jazz Awards.

Hailing from Romania, Serbia and the UK, Paprika unites traditional Eastern European, Balkan, Gypsy and classical music in their performance on Friday, July 22. The band has toured extensively across Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and have featured at WOMAD festivals in the UK, Spain, Canary Islands and Abu Dhabi.