IT WOULDN'T be nearly Christmas if Jools and Co were not appearing at the BIC, although there was nothing remotely festive about the occasion.

But however dark the wintry night or hectic the day, an evening spent with the ebullient Mr Holland and his tremendously talented band will always leave an audience uplifted.

There's never a shortage of girl power on stage with Jools - star sax player Lisa Grahame and ever more brilliant singer Louise Marshall see to that.

But on this tour there's real Girl Power in the shape of former Spice Girl Mel C, whose big voice is well suited to taking on the might of the near-20-piece Rhythm & Blues Orchestra.

Her four-song set included her solo hit Never Be the Same Again and a storming Ain't Got No...I Got Life - and it was the first time a Spice Girl has performed on a Bournemouth stage.

Jools's never-still boogie-woogie left hand is a star in its own right, featuring on the huge screen behind the stage so we can see it driving everything on.

It comes into its own in Jools' celebration of Wagner's 200th birthday, a condensed, boogie-woogie Tannhauser that puts a smile on everyone's face. Even the birthday boy would have loved it.

The appearance of Ruby Turner, the 'queen of boogie' came so late in the evening we almost thought she wasn't there, but the undisputed shouter belted out songs with her usual gusto.

Sadly, veteran trombonist Rico Rodriguez was nowhere to be seen and although there was a rumbustious Enjoy Yourself towards the end of the set, it did miss his unique vocals.

Of course, there was the customary drum solo from the increasingly frail looking Gilson Lavis and, as is the way with big bands, each of the 15 players was allowed time in the spotlight.

Thus there was a series of mini solos featuring trombone, trumpet, guitar and a variety of saxophones. Only stalwart bassist Dave Swift, who had sustained some sort of leg injury and was mostly seated, didn't leap to the fore.

The band got the audience dancing well before the encore and, with Bournemouth, which sometimes tends to be an 'Easter Island' crowd, that is no mean achievement.

Support came from the self-deprecating Galia Arad, the Dublin-based American singer-songwriter whose acoustic guitar-led set provided the perfect opener.