South Wales Evening Post, May 2005

Jazz and blues fest to become annual event … mm, nice

By Chris Peregrine, community reporter, chris.peregrine@swwp.co.uk

Swansea's latest musical event has struck a chord with city residents and is to become an annual fixture.

The first Mumbles Mostly Jazz and Blues Festival took place over the May bank holiday weekend.

Thousands of people turned out at a variety of venues to sample the musical delights on offer at around 20 gigs.

The programme featured the likes of saxophonist Ben Castle, the Hennebont Breton Dance Company and Band, New Orleans marching jazz band Adamant, from Birmingham, and local favourites such as The Amigos and The Dave Cottle Jazz Quartet.

Organisers are hoping there will be more of the same in 2006.

"It went down really well," said programme organiser Huw Rees, of Swansea community music organisation Tunetown.

"We only had seven weeks to arrange it. I knew it would be short notice to get acts, particularly with the budget being low.

"But I am more than happy with the way it went."

The festival was the brainchild of community group Mumbles Development Trust, which started out in 1999.

Other projects had been given priority in the ensuing years but officials decided the time had come to deliver it.

"The decision was taken to go with it into the year and we had just under two months to organise it," said trust development officer Terry Scales.

"We asked Huw Rees, of Tunetown, to get the programme together, and he was helped by Dave Cottle, of Swansea Jazzland."

Grants from Tourism Swansea and Swansea Arts Forum Trust complemented money put in by the development trust.

Mr Scales said: "It was a great event. People were queuing at some of the concerts."

Next week, the organisers will hold a debrief of the first festival and they are already looking forward to putting on an event over the same weekend next year.

"We are looking to try to get a headline name and there is talk of putting on concerts in a marquee and maybe get a sponsor," said Mr Scales.

Mumbles Matters, July 2005

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