Looks as though Good Friday will be in September this year

Well it's almost here again - Scarborough Jazz Festival of course! Can it be that a year has passed already? Tempos most certainly have fugited

The Festival opens on Friday at 7:00pm with the NIGEL PRICE ORGAN TRIO. Guitarist Nigel leads Pete Whittaker on Hammond and Matt Home on drums for what should be a blistering no holds barred opener.

IAN SHAW takes over to enchant us with his unique interpretations of some well known and some not so well known pieces before bringing us to the first night closer - The STAN TRACEY TRIO with GUY BARKER and BOBBY WELLINS. With Andy Cleyndert (bass) and Clark Tracey (dms) this has to be a belter's belter!

I've heard much of Guy's trumpet in recent years but little of Bobby Wellins who has long been a favourite tenor player of mine. It will be interesting to see what Stan pulls out of the hat for this one or will we hear a previously undiscovered treasure?

Alan Barnes comperes. Someone once said, I've forgotten who*, that Scarborough without Alan Barnes' compering skills would be like Macbeth without the Prince of Denmark (Hamlet!)

Alan is as much a part of the plot as any of the players - of which he is amongst the most outstanding - and his spiel ranks alongside Humph's and Ronnie's - the keeper of the flame as regards jazz humour.

Tank's filled, oil and tyres checked, cat's in good paws - and I'm purring with anticipation...

Lance.

* I've just remembered - it was me!