VIOLIN virtuoso Nigel Kennedy is inviting Latitude goers to join him for a night of Duke Ellington’s music.

Created especially for Latitude, his appearance on the Lake Stage on the Thursday night promises to be an exceptional and unique way to kickstart the weekend’s festivities.

He will be playing with his new ensemble of exceptional young musicians, The Orchestra of Life, and his jazz outfit, The Nigel Kennedy Quintet.

The latter is made up of him and four of the most dynamic musicians on the Polish jazz scene, including special guests Orphy Robinson on marimba and Doug Boyle on guitar.

Together they will celebrate the American composer, pianist and prominent figure in the history of jazz, whose music stretched over 50 years – creating an inexhaustible songbook, scoring for movies and world tours.

Kennedy has been one of the world’s leading violin maestros for more than 25 years, crossing classical and contemporary boundaries to become the best-selling classical violinist of all time.

His many awards include Outstanding Contribution to British Music and Male Artist of the Year at the UK Brit Awards. Most recently he has released two albums with The Nigel Kennedy Quintet – 2009’s A Very Nice Album and this year’s SHHH.

Latitude runs from July 15-18 at the Henham Park Estate in Southwold.