Islington’s Union Chapel to sing the blues

A MAJOR new music festival backed by the Mayor will be bringing the blues to one of Islington’s most atmospheric venues.

The Union Chapel, in Compton Terrace, will host two concerts in the first ever BluesFest this summer, a London-wide festival featuring a glittering array of international stars.

The church hall will hold two concerts in the week-long series, which celebrates the whole spectrum of blues-influenced music, including jazz, funk and soul.

Jamaican jazz piano legend Monty Alexander, a veteran of the music business over five decades, who has played with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones and saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins, will kick things off on June 27. He will be followed by another jazz great, 75-year-old US composer and pianist Ramsey Lewis, who will be dropping in on July 2 as part of his Sun Goddess tour.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “It is thrilling to be able to welcome a new music festival to London. BluesFest will add another dimension to the capital’s lively schedule of summer festivals.”

Artists appearing across the capital include BB King, Dr John and Booker T.