With a line-up going back to 2002, the list of musicians who have appeared in the Jerwood Rising Stars series reads as an impressive Who’s Who of the über-cool British jazz scene. The sheer numbers now in the Cheltenham / Jerwood family guarantee that many familiar faces return each year, playing in each others' bands and adding to the Festival buzz.

This is where Bryan Corbett's fantastic trumpet playing first came to the attention of the national press, where stars like Soweto Kinch and Seb Rochford played while still unknowns and where Denys Baptiste was commissioned to write and then premièred his “Let Freedom Ring!” project which went on to become a landmark in contemporary British jazz.

Last year’s Jerwood commission, Abram Wilson’s “Ride! – Ferris Wheel to the Modern Day Delta” has ensured Abram’s position at the forefront of UK jazz, with a national tour and CD to follow soon.

You can find out more about our fifty or so artists by clicking through each year and for the 2006 artists you can listen to their music, see exclusive live photos from their festival performance and read the press reviews.

And the common link? Every artist listed here is Tony Dudley-Evans’ pick of the best and every concert was generously funded by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation…