PREPARATIONS are well underway for the Marlborough International Jazz Festival when hundreds of people will descend on the town to enjoy jazz music from far and wide.

Now in its 30th year, the festival attracts large crowds to the town and offers a mix of up and coming stars and well-known jazz musicians. Starting from Friday the festival will take the town over for the weekend, showcasing talent from across the globe.

Nicholas Fogg, organiser of the festival, said: “So far it is all going really well. We are up on sales from last year which is always good news. We seem to have a very good programme, there is definitely something for everyone. The festival is always a great success for the town. I believe it is the only event which recognises world jazz in the county.”

The build-up to the festival proves to be a busy time for the team running it, and with the recent news of the committee’s application to close the roads from 10am being rejected by Wiltshire Council, more work has gone in to address the issue.

“The real issue with the rejection is public safety. It shows a total disregard for everyone’s wellbeing. What’s more, we can no longer have our free bandstand like we could in earlier years. The bandstand provided a free show for anyone exploring the town, but that wasn’t the purpose of the application,” said Mr Fogg.

Although the rejection of the road closure proposal means the end of the bandstand, Mr Fogg has said that this year’s programme is something to look forward to.

“There are a lot of very popular acts playing over the course of the weekend. There isn’t just one individual performance I am looking forward to but a whole stack of them. We have the hugely popular Bratislava Hot Serenaders, and one performer I am particularly looking forward to is Little Jimmy Reed, one of the last Louisiana blues artists. We have got him to come over from Alabama, so that is going to be really special. Another one to look out for is Ben Cipolla, he plays guitar and sings. I think he is on the way to national recognition,” added Mr Fogg.

The jazz festival begins on Friday with performances taking place in various venues across the town and will carry on until Sunday. Tickets for the festival are still available from the box office in the High Street or online via www.marlboroughjazz.com. Tickets cost £25-£70, ranging from day tickets to weekend stroller tickets.

See this week's Gazette & Herald for a full programme of performances for the festival.