NOW in its fifth year, Darlington Jazz Festival continues to evolve and this could well have been its best so far.

Running from Thursday through till Sunday it involved more than 200 mostly young musicians at six venues all centred roughly around the Skinnergate/High Row area.

The first major event was a late evening performance at the Voodoo Cafe by trumpeter Matt Roberts’ Sextet who played the music of the American cornetist and composer Nat Adderley.

A thoroughly entertaining and well organised session by a group of accomplished and compatible musicians, this would not have been out of place at the previous week’s international jazz festival in Gateshead.

Throughout Saturday morning and afternoon there were free performances at the Clervaux Bakery, The Quakerhouse and on High Row.

I caught two particularly enjoyable sets by singer Ruth Lambert’s Trio and the duo of Noel Dennis on trumpet and flugelhorn and pianist Dean Stockdale, squeezed into the Quakerhouse bar.

The festival is largely built around some of our local big bands and it was their chance to sparkle on Saturday evening in Central Hall.

Another capacity crowd heard a crisp opening set by Durham County Youth Big Band directed by festival co-director Shaune Eland before two sets by Durham Alumni Big Band with guest director Al Wood.

Special guest soloist this year was trombonist Dennis Rollins and there were also brief appearances by singer Lyndsay Hannon who was particularly good on You Took Advantage of Me.

A mix of some of the best big band arrangements and solos from across the band concluded my festival with a rousing finale on The Peanut Vendor still ringing in my ears.

Peter Bevan