PHOTOS: Love Supreme Jazz Festival through the years
From 2013 to present day
Last updated 16th Mar 2021
First held just seven years ago in 2013, Love Supreme Jazz Festival has fast become a music institution and one of the zeniths of the entire festival season.
Each year in the first week of July, 50,000 people descend upon the picturesque grounds of Elizabethan Manor House, Glynde Place, near Brighton for three days of the finest jazz music and a diverse melting pot of other genres including funk, soul, blues, R&B and hip-hop.
Artists that have graced Love Supreme’s stages include Gregory Porter, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, the late-great Hugh Masekela, Gladys Knight, Van Morrison, Lauryn Hill, De La Soul, Grace Jones, Jamie Cullum, George Benson, Nile Rodgers, Elvis Costello, Mavis Staples and many, many more.
Like any other esteemed event, Love Supreme also showcases emerging talent with an array of artists including Tom Misch and Ezra Collective rising up through the bill at Glynde Place.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival through the years:
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2013
Founded by record executive Ciro Romano, the inaugural Love Supreme Jazz Festival was held on the weekend of Friday 5th to Sunday 7th July 2013. The opening day featured a variety of local artists before the club night Funky Sensation brought the party into the early hours.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2013 – Bryan Ferry
Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry headlined the Saturday night in 2013 and he was flanked by his eponymous retro-jazz ensemble The Bryan Ferry Orchestra, who play his distinguished back catalogue in a 1920s jazz style. The career-spanning setlist melded solo tracks with Roxy Music classics such as 'Love Is The Drug' and 'Do The Strand', and a variety of covers including set closer, Curtis Mayfield's 'Move On Up'.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2013
Chic featuring Nile Rodgers (pictured), Charles Bradley and Michael Kiwanuka were among the plethora of artists who performed earlier on the Saturday.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2013 – Jools Holland
TV presenter and revered ivory tinkler Jools Holland together with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra brought the first Love Supreme Festival to a joyous, rip-roaring close on the Sunday night. Jools was joined by a variety of guest singer during the set including Gregory Porter, Rico Rodriguez, Fine Young Cannibals' Roland Gift, and his own daughter Rosie Holland.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2013
The Sunday also boasted performances from Brand New Heavies, Esperanza Spalding, Soweto Kinch, Melody Gardot and the aforementioned Gregory Porter (pictured). © Getty
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2014 – Jamie Cullum
Always a great entertainer, jazz-pop singer Jamie Cullum played an enthusiastically received 15-song headline set on the Saturday. It centred on his own original material but also included covers of Cole Porter's 'Just One of Those Things' and 'Love For Sale', Roy Ayers' 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine', and Cullum's live staple, 'Don't Stop The Music' by pop megastar Rihanna.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2014
After the second Love Supreme Festival opened its doors on the Friday, the main action kicked off on the Saturday with Snarky Puppy (pictured), Incognito, Laura Mvula all performing before Jamie Cullum.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2014 – De La Soul
Hip hop trio De La Soul brought the second Love Supreme to a close with uplifting feel-good anthems like 'Me Myself and I' and 'The Magic Number'.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2014
The typically eclectic Sunday bill also featured Imelda May, Gregory Porter, Soul II Soul, Curtis Stigers (pictured), Christian McBride Trio and Polar Bear.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2015 – Chaka Khan
The Queen of Funk herself, Chaka Khan, topped the bill on the Saturday night at Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2015. Flanked by an incredibly slick band, Chaka Khan flaunted her vocal prowess throughout a sublime set that was peppered with classics such as 'I Feel For You', 'What Can You Do For Me?' and a euphoric 'Through the Fire'.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2015
Earlier on the Saturday, the fast-rising Rag N' Bone Man opened the proceedings with Neneh Cherry (pictured) also performing. The Big Top stage saw jazz icons Terence Blanchard, Jason Moran, Joshua Redman and Hugh Masekela play across the two days.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2015 – Van Morrison
Bona fide music legend Van Morrison was the blockbuster Sunday night headliner and he never wavered in magnificence from the opening 'Baby, Please Don't Go' through to the closing 'Think Twice Before You Go'.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2015
Omar (pictured), Candi Staton and Lisa Stansfield were among the other performers on the Sunday at Love Supreme 2015. © Getty
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2016 – Grace Jones
Truly one of the most engaging, entertaining and unique performers in the live arena, Saturday night headliner Grace Jones took to the stage in tribal body paint and delivered an audio-visual masterclass. Opening with a cover of Iggy Pop's 'Nightclubbing', Grace prowled every inch of the stage as if she owned it and even treated us to versions of Edith Piaf's 'La Vie En Rose' and Roxy Music's 'Love Is The Drug' before closing with a commanding 'Slave to the Rhythm'. Wow.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2016
Lianne La Havas also played the Main Stage on the Saturday with Ibrahim Maalouf, whilst Cecile McLorin Salvant, Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge and Scofield Mehldau Guiliana (pictured) played at the Big Top.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2016 – Burt Bacharach
The one and only Burt Bacharach brought the glorious Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2016 weekend to a close. With such a fabled musical repertoire to dip into, the then 88-year-old singer was never going to disappoint, and he duly delivered a faultless set. © Getty
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2016
The hyper-eclectic Sunday Main Stage bill featured Kelis, Caro Emerald and Average White Band, while Gogo Penguin (pictured), Kamasi Washington and Melody Gardot played the Big Top.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2017 – The Jacksons
A complete and utter sell-out weeks in advance, The Jacksons headlined the Saturday night at Love Supreme 2017. Alongside their impressive backing band, the sexagenarian siblings performed some of the finest disco songs in history, with 'Wanna Be Starting Somethin', 'Blame It On The Boogie' and 'ABC' among the many set highpoints.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2017
Other Saturday performers across the stages included NAO, Herbie Hancock (pictured), BadBadNotGood, Lee Fields & The Expressions and Michael Wollny Trio.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2017 – Gregory Porter
No stranger to Love Supreme having triumphed in 2013 and 2014, Sacramento jazz sensation Gregory Porter made the rightful leap to headliner in 2017. Wearing his trademark hat, Gregory Porter consumed the stage with his captivating aura as he dispatched instant classics like 'On My Way to Harlem' and 'Take Me to the Alley'.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2017
George Benson, Kamasi Washington, St Paul & The Broken Bones, Robert Glasper Experiment and Laura Mvula (pictured) also played on the final day of Love Supreme 2017.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2018 – Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello & The Imposters played an epic 19-song headline set on the Saturday at Love Supreme 2018 that opened with 'Pump It Up' and included 'Oliver's Army', a trademark poignant cover of Charles Aznavour's 'She' and 'Everyday I Write The Book'.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2018
The phenomenal Saturday bill also featured Level 42, Mr Jukes, Pharoah Sanders, Portico Quartet, Ezra Collective (pictured), Songhoy Blues, PP Arnold and many more.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2018 – Earth, Wind & Fire
The mighty Earth, Wind & Fire treated us to a disco and funk masterclass during their closing set at Love Supreme 2018. Feel-good and uplifting throughout, 'Boogie Wonderland' was truly transcendental and they even treated us to a cover of The Beatles' 'Got To Get You Into My Life'.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2018
Also on the Sunday bill at Love Supreme 2018 were the likes of George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic, Tom Misch, Curtis Harding, James Taylor Quartet, Mavis Staples, Moonchild and Zara McFarlane (pictured).
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2019
The latest edition of Love Supreme Jazz Festival featured a bumper Friday line-up across six stages with Gogo Penguin, Sampa The Great, Yakul and Patchwork Orchestra among the many of musical delights on offer.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2019 – Gladys Knight
The Empress of Soul wowed the Saturday night at Love Supreme 2019 and whipped the Glynde Park faithful into euphoria. Aged 75, her soulful voice was faultless on songs including 'Midnight Train to Georgia' and 'If I Were Your Woman'.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2019
Also on the Saturday bill at Love Supreme 2019 were the Orphy Robinson, Cinematic Orchestra, Jimmy Cliff, Louie Vega, Snarky Puppy, Chick Corea, Judi Jackson, Tim Garland Group and Chip Wickham (pictured).
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2019 – Ms. Lauryn Hill
Fugees icon Lauryn Hill was on truly imperious and soulful form during her Sunday night headline slot at Love Supreme 2019. From 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' to 'Everything Is Everything' and the closing 'Ready or Not', Lauryn Hill never wavered in magnificence.
Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2019
Other acts on the Sunday included Jamie Cullum, Jon Armon-Jones, Mahalia, The Brand New Heavies, Caravan Palace, Kamaal Williams, Alicia Olatuja (pictured), Seed Ensemble, Marquis Hill Blacktet and Greg Wilson.