St Mary’s Church was packed on Monday evening 31 August as Mica Paris took to the stage for a sold-out concert marking the finale of this year’s Rye International Jazz & Blues Festival. The acclaimed British soul singer appeared with her band, bringing four days of headline music in Rye to a rousing conclusion. She had the audience on their feet and the atmosphere was electric.
Mica Paris has enjoyed a career spanning nearly four decades, beginning with her Top 10 debut hit, My One Temptation, when she was just 18. Since then, her distinctive voice has made her one of Britain’s best-known soul performers, alongside a career encompassing television, theatre and writing. She was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2020.
There was something particularly fitting about hearing a singer whose musical roots began in her grandparents’ church performing beneath the ancient arches of St Mary’s. In the intimate surroundings of the church, her powerful vocals provided a memorable ending to a weekend which had seen an impressive succession of artists perform in the heart of Rye. You can read reviews about some of the other concerts in St Mary’s elsewhere in this week’s Rye News, along with pictures from Kt Bruce.
It wasn’t just in the church! There may have been no free music stage outside the town hall this year, but there were still plenty of performances in Rye’s pubs and bars to enjoy. Jeff Grice captured some of the action and his pictures can be seen here.
Festival Director Ian Bowden was thrilled with this year’s music, “All the acts were so good, but the standout for me was Earl Thomas. What a showman! He filled St Mary’s with spirit and soul singing amongst the audience.”
He thanked everyone who had helped with Rye Jazz 2026, “People come from far and wide to visit Rye and it’s a real pleasure to put on the Festival, but none of it would happen without the hard work of the volunteers, performers, our team, the team at St Mary’s, our supporters in the pubs and bars and our brilliant sponsors. Keep supporting live music!”
This year’s festival raised money for Music Lifeline, the new charity formed by the merger of three of the county’s leading music therapy and wellbeing organisations. Each of the seven headline concerts in St Mary’s began with a short speech explaining how the charity will help young people. “The donations flooded in,” said Music Lifeline director Niki Stuart. “Amazing! We raised just over £4,000 at the Jazz Festival and we have been promised two drum kits and two electric guitars for Rye Youth Zone. Thank you so much for your generosity.”
Image Credits: Kt bruce .