CHESTER'S week-long Jazz Festival opens this Sunday with the Gramophone Five and Australia's Kalamunda Swing Band taking centre stage at the Alexander Jazz Theatre and the Five and as Penny Band entertaining at lunchtime at the Little Oak.

Major attractions during the rest of the week include the Terry Lightfoot and Bill Basey bands at the Town Hall on Wednesday, Alan Skidmore paying tribute to John Coltrane at Alexander's on Thursday.

You'll have to split yourself up into three to take in the Friday attrractions. There's the sensational Jacqueline Dankworth and her Field of Blue band at Alexander's, Drummin' Man, a tribute to Gene Krupa at the Town Hall led by Pete York, and John Carr playing jazz standards at the Ship Victory.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.