IT'S time to get back into the swing of things, with the return of Ulster's biggest feast of jazz in 2005. There's no doubt that the men and women behind the 4th Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival can especially blow their trumpet, this year. For the four-day event is offering up more than 100 performances, in 50 venues across the city, from this Thursday, until Sunday, May 1.
That means a Bank Holiday weekend celebration you can bank on - with 20 more gigs and 'happenings' than in 2004, and a whopping double the number served up in 2003.
The Londonderry air will be happily filled, right across the city, with a Free Jazz Trail, taking place in a mammoth 50 venues.
Among the acts lined up include festival favourites and London outfit The Jive Aces, the quirkily named Sinatra tribute act, Perfectly Frank, and familiar jazz veterans, such as Jackie Flavelle, Kenny McDowell and Ronnie Greer, and Richie Buckley.
New kids on the Jazz Trail block will include acclaimed actor and sometime singer, Adrian Dunbar and his band, The Jonahs, London jazz chanteuse Sophie Garner and the wonderfully named Ding Dong Daddios.
Inevitably though, it's the presence of internationally famous acts, which instantly catch the eye and probably attract sell-out crowds.
World renowned for over 40 years, Ulster's own Van the Man makes a rare live foray to the north-west, for two shows at the Millennium Forum during the festival. The first night (Thursday, April 28) is sold out.
But, a limited amount of tickets are still available for his Friday night show.
That magnificent seven-piece, US gospel and soul outfit, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, have been regular concert sell-out attractions in Dublin in past years.
But the remarkable American Deep South act has never ventured to the north of Ireland - until now - with a show at the Millennium Forum on Saturday.
Formed 66 years ago at the Alabama Institute for the Blind, they were, for the most part, a hidden musical treasure on the traditional gospel circuit - until they joined forces with rock star and World Music champion, Peter Gabriel.
Their startling vocal harmonies were let loose on an astutely cool selection of contemporary songs, by the likes of Prince, Stevie Wonder, Tom Waits and The Rolling Stones - with astonishingly moving results.
Three successive albums scored Grammy Awards in 2001, 2002 and 2003, making the founding members, Clarence Fountain, Jimmy Carter and George Scott into chart stars, in their seventies!
Latest album, Atom Bomb, hears the Boys adventurously singing amid loops, raps and blues riffs, in the company of Blackalicious rapper Gift Of Gab, Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo and ex-Beatles' sidekick, Billy Preston.
Keeping the dance and rock customers satisfied during the festival will be a DJ set from former Leftfield man Paul Daley, Irish rock superstars in the making Bell X1, jazz, funk and Latin music fusion outfit Bellcrash, and Berlin-based dance collective, Jazzanova.
• Copies of the programme are available at the city's TIC, Derry City Council offices, the Millennium Forum and www.cityofderryjazzfestival.com.
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