Theatr Brycheiniog - Brecon Jazz Festival 2026
Mid-Wales’ premier arts hub, offering a diverse programme of theatre, music, and dance within an acclaimed canal-side setting.
Courtney Pine
Celebrating 40 years as a titan of British jazz, Courtney Pine returns with Out Of The Ghetto: A Modern Day Jazz Story. This tour and career-spanning compilation reflect on his journey from his 1986 debut to the present day. Pine’s signature sound—a vibrant fusion of spiritual jazz, reggae, soul, and drum & bass—chronicles a generation finding its voice. Featuring reimagined classics and unreleased material, this show showcases the raw, legendary energy of his live performances. It is a powerful exploration of resilience and community, proving that Pine remains an unstoppable force, perpetually pushing jazz forward while honoring his roots.
Blodeugerdd
Trumpeter Tomos Williams’ new project, Blodeugerdd / The Great Welsh Songbook, re-imagines Welsh folk traditions through a contemporary jazz lens. Featuring a stellar “A-list” rhythm section—Huw Warren, Paula Gardiner, and Mark O’Connor—alongside saxophonist Rachel Musson and vocalist Eadyth Crawford, the ensemble blends Welsh-language vocals with European jazz sensibilities.
Drawing inspiration from the ECM aesthetic, the group crafts expansive, improvisational arrangements of native melodies. Following a successful 2025 debut tour, 2026 sees them premiering commissioned works at the Aberystwyth Music Festival and performing at the National Eisteddfod, cementing their role in evolving the “Great Welsh Songbook.”
Lianne Carroll
Liane Carroll is a prodigious English jazz vocalist and pianist who began her professional career at fifteen. Renowned for her “stylistically flexible” play and soulful, husky voice, she has collaborated with Trevor Watts and Hospital Records, touring internationally from Brazil to London’s iconic Ronnie Scott’s.
Her decorated career includes multiple BBC Jazz Awards, the Marston Pedigree Jazz Award, and a BASCA Gold award. Critics liken her improvisational athleticism to Ella Fitzgerald, praising her emotional frankness. From R&B to the singer-songwriter tradition, Carroll remains a powerhouse of the British scene, blending technical mastery with deep, resonant storytelling.
Will Barnes
Fresh off their acclaimed album Outside the Light and a sold-out tour, the Will Barnes Quartet returns for a landmark 2026 Brecon Jazz Festival performance. This unique show fuses contemporary, cinematic jazz with a live liquid light display by artist Erin Hughes, exploring Mid Wales landscapes and Celtic mythology.
Led by guitarist Will Barnes alongside Jack Gonsalez, Aidan Thorne, and James Batten, the quartet blends the legacy of Wes Montgomery with a modern, sophisticated voice. Having graced stages like Ronnie Scott’s and BBC Radio 4, the ensemble delivers an emotionally resonant, multisensory experience that defines their creative peak.
Orphy’s P Funk Collective
We are delighted to welcome back to Brecon Orphy Robinson MBE. Orphy is a jazz multi-instrumentalist who plays vibraphone, keyboards, saxophone, trumpet, piano, marimba, steelpans and drums. He has written music for television, film and theatre.
ORPHY’S P FUNK COLLECTIVE celebrates the American Parliament – Funkadelic rotating collective of musicians led by George Clinton since the 1960s. Expect funky bass lines, catchy guitar riffs, and punchy horn sections .And the vocals – P-Funk songs often feature a chorus of voices, adding to the full, rich sound. But P-Funk is more than just music. It’s a whole universe filled with colourful characters and out-of-this-world stories.
Emma Smith with Francesca Tandoi
Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band
Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band is a powerhouse of the Leeds experimental scene, blending punk energy with a massive 25-plus member ensemble. Featuring elite talent from the North’s jazz circuit, the group draws inspiration from jazz legends like Sun Ra alongside eclectic pop-culture influences.
Following their acclaimed 2024 live album, they dominated 2025 with a national tour and sold-out shows at iconic venues like Ronnie Scott’s. Recognized for their boundary-pushing sound, the band has secured the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award and a Jazz FM Innovation Award nomination, firmly establishing themselves as the future of big band music.
Jacqui Dankworth
The acclaimed jazz-vocalist, Jacqui Dankworth, is joined by a stellar line-up of musicians for a very select number of UK tour dates.
In these very special and intimate concerts, audiences will be treated to a sparkling collection of songs drawn from her highly praised studio albums, including music from the latest, and much-anticipated, album ‘Windmills’, alongside tracks that have inspired her incredible career.
Firmly established as one the country’s leading vocalists, Jacqui’s live concerts showcase her unique versatility and effortless mastery of a wide spectrum of genres, drawing on her roots in jazz, but also folk, soul, and blues, as well as her acute sensibility as a songwriter and lyricist.