BUMPER crowds flocked to Swanage at the weekend for the town's annual jazz festival.

More than 50 bands played at the popular three-day event, which featured a traditional brass band parade on Saturday.

See all the pictures from Swanage Jazz Festival in a gallery 

Among those appearing at the festival, now in its 26th year, were the Keith Nichols Blue Devils, Tom 'Spats Langham' and violinist Ben Holder.

Festival artistic director Fred Lindop said: "Swanage Jazz gives jazz fans in Purbeck and Dorset the opportunity to enjoy a wide-ranging programme of music that distinguishes the festival from most others.

"The stylistic range is New Orleans to contemporary fusions, with lots of leading names and new faces."

Leading the modern section this year, Fred explained, were the Stan Tracey Dynasty Band, led by Clark Tracey playing some of his dad's music written for the Octet, and Jean Toussaint's reworking of a selection of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers recordings.

Swanage Jazz Festival was based at venues across town, with the main marquees situated at Sandpit Field.

Fred said: "We also featured several younger band-leaders making their first appearance at the festival - saxophonist Rachel Cohen, trumpeter Henry Armburg Jennings and drummer JJ Wheeler.

"Altogether there were more than fifty gigs on the stroller ticket and also many free gigs around the centre of town in pubs and open-air performance areas, with bands of enthusiastic youngsters from local schools, all of which added to the festival atmosphere."

The half-hour traditional brass band parade, featuring Dave Brennan's Jubilee Jazz Band, started at Swanage Tourist Information Centre, Shore Road on the Saturday.