THE line-up has been announced for Gateshead International Jazz Festival offering the best of the UK, European and International jazz scene along with emerging talent and cross genre artists.

It will be held from April 15-17 at Sage Gateshead, with Grammy award-winning singer Gregory Porter returning after his sell-out show this year to open the event.

Ros Rigby, programme director, said: “The festival reflects the diversity of jazz in the 21st century, including well established names alongside exciting younger voices. We hope audiences will take the opportunity to find their own paths across the programme and try some new things as well as enjoying their favourites.”

The Saturday night double bill opens with British saxophonist and festival favourite, Courtney Pine, with fellow Mercury nominee and Mobo award winning pianist, Zoe Rahman, playing music from their acclaimed album Song (The Ballad Book).

Trumpeter, composer – renowned for his work on Spike Lee’s movies – and former member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Terence Blanchard, brings his new quintet, the E-Collective, in a fusion of funk, R&B and rock.

Headlining Sunday night is American soul maestro Charles Bradley, whose against-all-odds rise saw him transcend life on the streets before being discovered by Daptone Records. Since the release of his debut album, No Time Dreaming, his performances have earned rave reviews.

Others announced include award-winning singer-pianist Liane Carroll and saxophonist John Surman, part of a gifted generation of British jazz artists in the 1960s, joined in a new quartet by the Alexander Hawkins Trio, and British-Asian clarinettist and composer, Arun Ghosh, who captivates audiences and critics alike with his trademark IndoJazz sound.

Ibrahim Maalouf, regarded as one of the finest trumpeters of his generation and a pioneering figure in the contemporary jazz world, fuses pop, electro, soul, hip-hop with the music of his Lebanese roots in the UK premiere of his super-charged new Impulse CD Red and Black Light.

Café Society Swing features vocalists and UK’s jazz musicians in a show about the legendary New York nightclub which promoted racial equality and great music.

Award-winning British jazz saxophonist Simon Spillett and his quartet will appear in a tribute to the late Tubby Hayes. The performance will follow a screening of the documentary Tubby Hayes: A Man in a Hurry.

Fans of free jazz and improvisation will be treated to a solo performance from saxophonists Evan Parker.

British punk-jazz-funk specialists, WorldService Project, will bring experimental but accessible music. Other performers include New York-based pianist and composer Kris Bowers, who collaborated with Jay-Z and Kanye West on the hit album, Watch the Throne, past winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition; and saxophonist Phil Meadows, one of the UK’s most creative young jazz musicians, who appears in a special matinee concert with his band and the Royal Northern Sinfonia.

Youth ensemble Jambone will perform a new arrangement for larger forces of his acclaimed suite Lifecycles. Airelle Besson’s trumpet sound is catching the ears of listeners far beyond her native France. Her duo with Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras is a masterpiece of chamber jazz.

Malija, a new trio, features saxophonist Mark Lockheart (Polar Bear), pianist Liam Noble and bassist Jasper Hoiby (Phronesis).

Pianist and composer Michel Reis splits time between his Luxembourg home and the US. He shares a double bill with John Law, who brings varied influences from jazz through classical music and electronica together in his new project, Congregation.

The popular free programme of jazz on the Concourse returns where on Saturday BBC Radio 3 will present national and international jazz artists recorded for a future edition of Jazz Line Up and on Sunday Jazz North East, celebrating its 50th anniversary year, will present local and Northern artists.

For tickets go online at sagegateshead.com or call the ticket office in person or on 01914 434661.