And the first day was fabulous and faultless – from the free events in the sun-bathed Promenade Lounge, where there was standing room only for both Alcyona Mick Quintet and Free Spirits.

Day and night the joints were jumping, swinging and being serenaded.
The main event was A Tribute to Atlantic Jazz and the much-anticipated Clare Teal and the BBC Big Band.

The first time Teal played the festival she was spine-tinglingly magical – and last night was, if anything, better.

But first the Jim Corrie-led tribute to greats such as Cannonball and Nat Adderley and Horace Silver – the musicianship was exciting, the delivery perfect and tinged with a sense of showmanship and humour.
The boys know their stuff and revel in delivering it.

As do the BBC Big Band and Teal. They were just class – Teal combines wit and warmth, repartee and repertoire, serenade and seduction.
She took the audience from the heartbreak of Round Midnight to the joy of Cheek to Cheek in a breath.

Their concert will be broadcast on Radio 3 on Sunday October 19 at 11.30pm.

It was a great start to a festival that is still packed full of gems to come.

The programme runs as follows:
TODAY
Afternoon: The Julie Edwards and Kevin Dearden Quintet, the Jamil Sheriff Octet and the Guy Barker Jazz Orchestra's Amadeus Project.
Evening: Tom Cawley's Curios, the Guy Barker Jazz Orchestra's Sound in Black and White and Courtney Pine's tribute to Sidney Bechet.

SUNDAY:
Afternoon: Gareth Roberts Quintet, Tango Siempre and Empirical.
Evening: Alan Barnes' Ellingtonians; Claire Martin.