Jools tops jazz festival bill

Jools tops jazz festival bill

Pianist Jools Holland is to headline Britain's biggest jazz festival this summer.

He will top the bill during Edinburgh's 25th International Jazz and Blues Festival, which runs from 26 July to 4 August.

Holland will play the city's Princes Street Gardens on 28 July with his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

Veteran trumpeter Humphrey Lyttleton and Elkie Brooks, recently seen on ITV's Reborn In The USA, are also featured in the festival line-up.

Mardi Gras

The full line-up for the festival is expected to include about 30 acts and will be announced in May.

Other festival highlights include two free events, the annual Mardi Gras, held in the Grassmarket, and Jazz On A Summer's Day in Princes Street Gardens.

Chairman of the festival board councillor Brian Fallon said: "This is the 25th anniversary of the festival and it will be the biggest one we have ever had.

"In the last four years, we have quadrupled our audiences and we expect this to be a bumper festival."

In recent years, the festival has featured shows from Van Morrison, BB King and George Shearing.

Holland, a former member of Squeeze who hosts music show Later on BBC2, played Princes Street Gardens with his 18-piece orchestra two years ago before a capacity crowd of 5,000.

Tickets will go on sale once the full programme has been announced.