THE line-up for the Lancaster Jazz Festival has been announced and for the first time, the event will feature three headline performances over consecutive nights in September, writes JOHN ANSON.

This year’s festival will run from Friday, September 14 to Sunday, September 16 and shows will be held at venues around the city.

Manchester-based Skeltr, who have been making waves in the jazz world for some time, will headline the Saturday night with a brand new piece of work created especially for the festival which they will perform in The Round at The Dukes theatre.

Kit Downes, regarded as one of the UK’s outstanding jazz talents, will fill the festival’s first Sunday night headline slot, with a truly one-off performance. Set in the spectacular Ashton Hall within Lancaster Town Hall, Downes will play a solo show on the hall’s magnificent historic pipe organ to close the festival.

Roller Trio, with a new album just out and a new guitarist - Chris Sharkey, will headline the opening event of the festival weekend on the Friday at Lancaster Brewery. They will be supported by the explosive power trio Taupe and Birmingham based trio Juggenaught.

Throughout the weekend there will be a whole host of performances from musicians across seven other stages.

On Saturday audiences can enjoy Sun Square, one of Lancaster’s hidden gems, with outdoor performances from noon until 7.30pm. The stage will welcome the winners of this year’s Jazz North Introduces scheme plus performances from Yiasena, Let Spin, Charlie Pyne Quartet, Slow Loris and World Service Project.

Alternatively, jazz enthusiasts may prefer to venture to the festival’s newest venue in The Storey, for a more intimate experience. The venue will host this year’s Youth Jazz Commission Artist, Thomas Rideout, plus a collaboration from two incredible up-and-coming bands, Archipelago and J Frisco. The Printroom Café will host a set from Satori, with the Nu Jazz Collective entertaining audiences into the evening from 7pm to 10pm.

In addition to Skeltr’s headline set at The Dukes, there will be performances from Joy Ellis at The Hall and Beyond Albedo at The Yorkshire Taps to close off Saturday’s offering.

Sunday will see a similar programme of events with Brigitte Beraha’s Babelfish, John Pope Quintet and Ubunye playing the Sun Square stage. Mosaic will play in The Storey Auditorium, plus there will be performances in The Hall from Inside Outside and Rachael & The Red Socks.

The festival will be brought to a close with Kit Downes’ truly unique headline show at the Ashton Hall with support from the incredible Täpp, a fresh and dynamic violin and cello loop pedal duo.

On top of the main programme of artists, there will be multiple supported events and additional festival activities such as Jazz Breakfasts and a masterclass from Kathy Dyson. The majority of the festival is free (details from www.lancasterjazz.com) with the exception of the Skeltr and Kit Downes headline performances.

Tickets for the shows are on sale from 01524-598500 or online at www.dukes-lancaster.org.