Digby Fairweather, the jazz scion of Southend-on-Sea is coming back to Ventnor with his band the Half Dozen to ensure a high-energy, toe-tapping finalé to the festival on Sunday 17 April.

It’ll be 40 years since Digby’s Half Dozen played their first ever London gig at the legendary 100 Club and Digby and the gang are in the mood to celebrate.

Today’s line up of Digby Fairweather (trumpet-cornet/vocals) Julian Marc Stringle (reeds/vocals) Chris Gower (trombone) Craig Milverton(piano/keyboards/vocals) Dominic Ashworth (guitar/vocals) Len Skeat or Al Swainger (bass) and Nick Millward (drums) has one of the widest ranges in jazz from Dixieland via hard-bop to R'n'B.

Along with the band's energetic programme of music, we can expect a little bit of conversation, some banter and a quite few jokes. And, if we're lucky, an extremely good drum solo by Nick, which has been known to go on for so long that the others leave the stage for a cup of "tea"!