Some of the best things in the world are free. Here is another one. The Lion City Jazz Festival fringe was held over two afternoons on Saturday and Sunday, 14 and 15 March 2026 at the Scape Ground Theatre. Eight hours of free concerts featuring eight local jazz groups is the stuff of dreams. Getting to hear the best local bands as curated by the Jazz Association (Singapore) is a rare privilege, all for the price of nada.
I missed the Saturday session, having gone for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's Music in the Meadow, so it has to be Sunday afternoon. Oversleeping caused me to be late, and I got to hear the last two groups perform, and that itself was reward enough. Jazz singer Sarah Chew sang with the Joe Lee Trio, while Young Artist Award recipient flautist Rit Xu performed with his Vortet.
Here are some photos from the festival fringe, and it was pure pleasure luxuriating with the edgy sounds of modern jazz. Who could blame a little girl for turning the floor into her private dancehall? And without the interference of pesky front-of-house crew. Those moments summed up what jazz music is all about - freedom of performance, interpretation, expression and movement. How precious and treasurable these are.
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| Bravo to all on stage! |
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| Pop-up stalls at the festival fringe |
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The usual suspects turn up,
with folks from Jazz Association (Singapore). |
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Flautist Rit Xu meets with young fans
before he performs. |
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One of Rit's pieces was a tribute to
Maurice Ravel, based on the Prelude
from Le Tombeau de Couperin. |
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| Go on, dance like there's no tomorrow! |
Post-concert photos (around Scape):
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