************************* Thirty of the brightest stars in world class British Jazz take over York Theatre Royal for 3 days of thrilling music on July 5, 6 and 7 for a third year, after the sell out successes of 2005 and 2006! 2007 marks the bi-centenary of the abolition of slave trade and Dune Records’ 10th anniversary. In celebration of these important dates the Theatre will host live performances of new work, inspirational workshops and academic debates led by Dune’s award-winning roster of artists in partnership with J-Night and City of York council. Let Freedom Ring! York Dune 2007 will celebrate the importance of black artists and music in post-abolitition UK and involve new projects from Jazz Jamaica, Soweto Kinch, Abram Wilson, Denys Baptiste and Gary Crosby. The festival promoter, David Porter, said "We are delighted that the Dune Jazz Festival is returning to York Theatre Royal with some of the most exciting jazz artists around, covering a colourful spectrum to suit most tastes from Ska to the Garage and rap, from the classic sounds of Miles Davis to the exhilarating mix of gospel, blues and afro Cuban music. Whatever the flavour, JAZZ is at the heart of all that we do!" The Festival opens with SOWETO KINCH presenting Life in the day of B19: Tales of the Towerblock (Thursday 5 July at 8pm). UK sax and rap star, Soweto Kinch has won virtually every major music award in the book: a Mercury Music Prize for Album Of The Year, MOBO and Urban Music Awards for Best Jazz Act, plus a pile of BBC Radio Jazz Awards. One of the few artists world-wide to have successfully integrated jazz and hip-hop, Soweto has built a justifiable reputation as one of the leading lights on both the jazz and urban music scenes with "a rawness and power that mark him out from his peers in British jazz" - The Independent . Let Freedom Ring! (Friday 6 July at 8pm) is an exhilarating mix of contemporary jazz, gospel, blues and afro Cuban music by one of the UK’s leading saxophonists, DENYS BAPTISTE, and was nominated for the MOBO Jazz award, the BBC Jazz award for Best Album and New Work and the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best album. Although the inspiration for this piece has its roots in Martin Luther King’s rousing speech the message is totally relevant today,fits perfectly into our celebrations. NU TROOP (Saturday 7 July at 5.30pm) is the incredibly talented quintet featuring New Orleans jazz trumpeter Abram Wilson. He takes centre stage with his quintet to pay tribute to Miles Davis in a special performance of the icon's classic album, Kind of Blue The festival finale on Saturday 7 July at 8.30pm features the World première of JAZZ JAMAICA’s tribute to the legendary reggae / rock steady label Trojan Records – Tighten Up. The Festival has now become a regular feature of summer in York and organisers are seeking to involve local people through workshops, education projects and foyer concerts. The festival is supported by Arts Council England, Illuminate, City of York Council, City of York Festivals and the Alf Peacock Memorial Fund. Tickets are priced £10.00-£20.00 with tickets for Under 25s and Students at £5.00 (A season ticket is also available from £35-£50). These can be purchased at the York Theatre Royal Box Office or by calling 01904 623568. Tickets are also available online at www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. **************************