Producer/Artistic Director

Rebecca Poole

Rebecca has had an illustrious music career, supporting Jools Holland on tour, including live performances at the Royal Albert Hall and with Simply Red at the London Palladium. The sultry singer is a highly acclaimed songwriter, who has sung her self penned songs to 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium. She has performed alongside the likes of Jamie Cullum and Lana Del Rey, appeared in hit Netflix series - 'The Crown' singing ‘Can’t take my eyes off you’ and her latest album ‘Dreamers Ball’ has garnered sensational reviews plus Record of the Week on BBC Sounds, Smooth Jazz and Jazz Fm. Jazz Fm Radio continue to champion Rebecca on the A playlist. 

Rebecca celebrated her passion for jazz and blues by founding and hosting a succesful Jazz Club, in the heart of her home town 'Henley', at the HAODS studio. 'Purdy's Pop Up' has been showcasing world class acts and selling out since 2017! We look forward to welcoming you to the club during the festival, among all the other fantastic venues. Rebecca is a budding advocate of live music and has played a huge part in community spirited and local charity events. She is very excited to put The Henley Jazz Festival on the map!

Producer/Artistic Director

Denny Ilett

Denny Ilett, the visionary behind the Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival, now brings his world-class curation to the inaugural Henley Jazz Festival.

Denny Ilett is a musician, bandleader, and arts organiser whose career spans jazz, blues, big band, rock, soul, funk, and beyond. As artistic director of the Henley Jazz Festival, Denny brings world-class programming and decades of experience at the heart of the music world to one of the Thames Valley's most exciting new cultural events.

His vision is shaped by a remarkable performing career. He has collaborated with funk legend Pee Wee Ellis, conductor Charles Hazlewood, Will Gregory (Goldfrapp), Adrian Utley (Portishead), Paul Jones (Manfred Mann), trumpet virtuoso Bobby Shew, and New Orleans vocalist Lillian Boutté, with whom he toured globally for over two decades as musical director. This breadth of experience gives him a unique perspective in curating events that are both artistically ambitious and genuinely inclusive.

Denny also co-founded the Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival in 2013, where as artistic director he brought stars including Dr. John, Maceo Parker, Madeleine Peyroux, Lee Konitz, and John Scofield to the city — a track record that speaks directly to his ability to deliver festivals of the highest calibre.

A contributor to Guitarist magazine and London Jazz News, and founder of the acclaimed Electric Lady Big Band, Denny is an artist who understands music from every angle — as performer, curator, and champion of live jazz. Guitarist magazine calls him "a knockout guitarist, soulful and jazz-tinged," and it is that same passion and instinct that drives his vision for Henley Jazz Festival.