THIS year’s Lyme Regis Jazz & Blues Weekend, from Friday May 26 to Monday May 29, promises to be the best yet with some shows already sold out, just weeks after going on sale.

The UK’s No 1 swing band, The Jive Aces, featuring vocalist Amy Baker, promise a spectacular start to the festival with a high energy stage show to get everyone on their feet - or dancing in their seats. Having just completed a sell out US tour, they’ve “aced” audiences and dance-floors around the world with swinging originals and R&B classics. They are one of the very few bands who can claim to have performed at Royal Albert Hall, Glastonbury and the London Olympics. They are literally swing sensations guaranteed to deliver an unforgettable evening’s entertainment with acrobatics, jokes and fine musicianship.

Cornwall’s blues-benders, Wille & The Bandits, are well-known to music-lovers beyond the South West and their European tour to return to Lyme Regis for a headlining finale. They were voted one of the top ten “must see” bands at Glastonbury and are lauded as one of the best live acts in the country. They’ve played with Deep Purple, Joe Bonamassa and Status Quo, developing a cult following on the festival circuit. Their use of slide guitar, gritty vocals and pulsating beats, create a uniquely exhilarating “British” blues sound. As Blues Matters Magazine quipped, “if Cream had spent more time on a beach in Newquay, they might have sounded like this”.

The legendary Count Basie descends on Lyme Bay in the form of Swing Unlimited All Stars Big Band with their exciting, energetic and entertaining new show which gives Basie’s music a modern twist. With vocalist Claire Wabbs, the band promise to add new zest to old favourites as well as originals never performed before. As the name suggests, the All Stars promise to swing with a capital "S" - bringing treats galore to both Basie and big band fans.

Meanwhile a sizzling gig awaits audiences for The Gatsby Gang, who will combine both a BBQ and a vintage collection of swinging classics at The Pilot Boat Inn. Rachael Robert's silky vocals and Tony Robert’s sax playing bring the roaring 20s and 30s back to life in an afternoon of infectious feel-good jazz.

Julie Sheppard, the festival director, said: “We’ve got a very strong line up at the Marine Theatre for this year’s festival – so much so that tickets for Ruby Turner sold out very quickly. And with free jazz and blues events on the seafront and around the town across the four day weekend, we think Lyme Regis is the musical destination of choice over the Spring Bank Holiday. Combined with an unbeatable setting, overlooking Lyme Bay, the festival promises sand to shore entertainment for residents and visitors alike.”

See lymeregisjazzfestival.co.uk for more information.