It is the last Saturday in July and the whole Festival shebang, personally speaking, begins with the Mardi Gras in the Grassmarket – over 3 hours of foot stomping, feel good jazz and blues music.

All the bands on display rose to the occasion but 2 sets deserve special mention. Mart Rodger  Manchester Jazz with their Dixieland line-up gave rousing renditions of many of the giants of swing including Louis Jordan and  Duke Ellington. Their final piece, an interpretation of the Fats Waller tune ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’, brought a well deserved encore.

Ginger Pig with Big Al Carson, and with a dozen or so musicians cramped on to their float, really engaged the crowd. They played with complete commitment a varied programme ranging from West African rhythms to Gospel to Marilyn Monroe’s ‘I wanna to be loved by you’. Ending their set, on vocals bassist Lee Jackson, formerly of late 60’s rock band The Nice, belted out a marvellous full band version of ‘Honky Tonk Women’.

Finally, in this rain sodden summer it was such a joy to forget about the umbrella and bask in some warm sunshine.

Footnote: The organisers of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival must be congratulated for putting together such a rich and varied programme. Big names abound but it is reassuring to see numerous Scottish performers who can more than hold their own with the internationally acclaimed.