BlueTone Festival are delighted to announce that Courtney Pine will be joining the festival lineup on Sunday evening 31^st May 2026 at the inaugural festival in Vivary Park, Taunton. Celebrating four decades at the forefront of British jazz, Courtney Pine returns to the stage this year with Out of the Ghetto: A Modern Day Jazz Story — a powerful retrospective tour. This special live show brings together key moments from Pine’s remarkable catalogue, alongside previously unreleased material reimagined with the fire and freedom that have made his performances legendary.

Also featured alongside Courtney on the lineup over the 4 days of the festival are headliners Ruby Turner, The Brand New Heavies, Curtis Stigers and Southern Sinfonia performing Gershwin in Full Swing. Some of the many other exciting acts also appearing are Big Boy Bloater, Mellowmatic, Rue, Senna Weeks, Sarah Randle and Deane Big Band with more to be announced in the coming month.

Running from Thursday 28^th – Sunday 31^st May 2026, BlueTone Festival is set to be an exciting addition to Taunton’s cultural calendar and should not be missed. Tickets are available now with whole festival passes costing only £99 – get them from www.bluetone-festival.co.uk

Full details of Courtney Pine’s Out of the Ghetto: A Modern Day Jazz Story performance at BlueTone Festival 2026 follows below:

No musician more fully embodies the dramatic transformation of the British jazz scene over the past four decades than Courtney Pine CBE. A groundbreaking saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist, Pine has led a generation of innovative players who have broadened jazz’s reach and connected it with wider audiences.

In 1986, his debut album Journey to the Urge Within became the first serious jazz record to enter the UK Top 40, earning a Silver Disc and marking a turning point in British jazz history. Since then, each decade of his career has brought continued international acclaim.

Courtney Pine has released 17 studio albums under his own name and is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading jazz musicians. Constantly pushing creative boundaries, he has remained at the cutting edge of the scene throughout his career. In 2014, he was commissioned by Tate Modern to compose and perform a musical response to the work of Matisse, broadcast live from the exhibition to cinemas across the UK. That same year, he joined Herbie Hancock and an all-star line-up for the globally televised UNESCO International Jazz Day concert in Osaka.

A highly respected broadcaster, Pine is best known for his long-running Jazz Crusade show on BBC Radio 2 and for presenting award-winning radio documentaries for the BBC. On television, he presented and provided the soundtrack for an acclaimed documentary celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela and was also himself the subject of a prestigious South Bank Show Special.

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. 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 twenty Black Britons and will be featured in a major V&A exhibition The Music is Black,  celebrating pioneers of British music in 2026.

Celebrating four decades at the forefront of British jazz, Courtney Pine returns to the stage this year with Out of the Ghetto: A Modern Day Jazz Story — a powerful retrospective tour.

From his landmark debut Journey to the Urge Within to his Mercury-nominated Modern Day Jazz Storiesand deeply personal House of Legends project, Pine has consistently redefined what it means to be a jazz artist in the UK. Blending the spiritual legacy of jazz with the pulse of reggae, soul, hip-hop, and drum & bass, his musical lens tells the deeply personal story of a generation and a nation finding its voice through sound.

This special live show brings together key moments from Pine’s remarkable catalogue, alongside previously unreleased material reimagined with the fire and freedom that have made his performances legendary.

Both a celebration and a reflection, Out of the Ghetto: A Modern Day Jazz Story honours the resilience, creativity, and community that shaped Pine’s journey from London streets to international stages. Expect a night of deep grooves, soaring saxophone, and the unmistakable energy of an artist who continues to push jazz forward while staying true to his roots.

BAND LINE UP

Robert Mitchell – piano

Rio Kai – double bass

Romarna Campbell – drums 

Courtney Pine – saxophones

The Independent “ Courtney Pine was once hailed as British jazz’s saviour….he still is”

The Telegraph  “Nothing short of breathtaking”

The Guardian  “A walking encyclopaedia of advanced saxophony”The Times “In a Class of His Own”

The Voice….”There have been many pioneers in the black British community – people who have defined an era, changed societal perceptions and made it easier for those who follow to progress in their field.  Courtney Pine is such a trailblazer”

The Guardian “… visionary fusion…this saxophonist and composer has taken British jazz to new heights”