Jazz Preview: Sublime music – and the view’s not bad either

“This is our fifth year, and we feel established in the jazz calendar,” said Simon Cunliffe-Lister, owner and custodian of the hall near Driffield which is his ancestral home. Apart from being co-organiser with singer Saffron Byass, he is also an accomplished saxophonist with a spot on his own bill.

Burton Agnes Hall brims with treasures acquired over four centuries, the gardens boast more than 3,000 species of plants and there is beer brewed only five miles away. The music isn’t bad either.

Tonight, the festival opens with singer Zoe Gilby’s quintet followed by 7 Pieces of Silver, celebrating the music of Horace Silver with saxophonist Alan Barnes to the fore. Tomorrow, boasts the contrasting talents of Matt Smith, Nicola Farnon and Joel Purnell and the evening begins with the delectable Jacqui Dankworth performing songs from a new album made in conjunction with her late father.

Driffield-born blues guitarist Oli Brown is another contributor to the Saturday night programme. Sunday afternoon has the wonderful Claire Martin who has no peer among British jazz singers. The festival winds down with Saffron’s Sound Safari and Octopus, leaving Cunliffe-Lister and Byass to lower the curtain on their festival.

Today and tomorrow there will be late-night folk, blues and flamenco sessions in the beer tent. Major performances will be on the main lawn, with its views of the Wolds – stimulating music and serene surroundings.