A MUSICAL feast will be served up to jazz and blues lovers in Hatherleigh next weekend, when the town's inaugural jazz and blues festival takes off.
The idea for a new event to put the spotlight on Hatherleigh was brewed up by Janice Anderson of The George Hotel and Graham Giles of Pressland Country House.
Janice said: 'People were asking us about music and jazz and we thought why don't we get together and do something for Hatherleigh?
'We have two big events, the festival in July and the carnival and they're great, but we felt because of what happened last year, we needed something else to boost the area again.
'Basically what we are trying to do is get people back into the area and say we haven't died, we're alive and there's lots going on here — let's get Hatherleigh back on the map.'
Janice said the festival was given invaluable help and input from jazz musician Dave Sobey — and she hoped people from Hatherleigh and the surrounding areas would come and enjoy some wonderful music throughout the weekend of September 6 to 8.
The bands will be playing at The Tally Ho, The Bridge, The George and the Pressland House Country Hotel on Friday evening, Saturday evening and during the afternoon on Sunday.
The Tally Ho will be focus for the blues, with Bazil's Blues Band appearing on Friday, The Majestic Set and High Tide on Saturday and Jez Luton on Sunday.
At The George, the Simon Banks Duo will entertain on Friday, the Dave Sobey Dixieland Trio appear on Saturday and will return on Sunday with vocalist Joy Parke, featuring the music of Gershwin, Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hart.
At The Bridge on Friday September 6 is Blues Music, on the Saturday you can hear The Fifth Element and on Sunday its Blues Music plus a barbecue.
The Panama Jazz Kings appear at the Pressland on Friday, on Saturday music will be provided by the Tony Oreshko Shine Trio and the Craig Milverton Trio and the Simon Banks Trio and John Shillito Dixieland Band appear on Sunday.