Eartha Kitt has got the Cheltenham Jazz Festival underway in style, while tonight at the Centaur, the biggest venue in town, it’s Van Morrison, with Courtney Pine (pictured) taking the main stage at the Town Hall. Tomorrow there’s Maceo Parker featuring Dennis Rollins at the Town Hall and Gwyneth Herbert at the Pillar Room.

Friday gigs include a BBC Radio 2 Tribute To Billie Holiday (Town Hall Main Stage 7.30pm); Colin Salmon (The Daffodil, 7.30pm); Jerry Dammers’ Spatial AKA Orchestra (Everyman Theatre, 7.30pm); Han Bennink (XPosed Club, 8pm); Gilles Peterson with José James, Elan Mehler and Tawiah (Park Bar, University of Gloucester, 8,30pm); Stefano Bollani and Enrico Rava (Pillar Room, 10pm) and a live Jazz On 3 broadcast coming from the Everyman Theatre at 11.30pm.

Saturday’s running order includes: Zoe Rahman Piano Masterclass (Town Hall Drawing Room, 10am); Phil Robson’s Six Strings & The Beat (Pillar Room, 12 noon); Outhouse Ruhabi (Everyman Theatre, 1.30pm); Making Sense of Sound (St Andrew’s Church, 2pm); The Jerwood Interview with Soweto Kinch and Iain Ballamy (Town Hall Drawing Room, 3pm); Tim Berne’s Science Friction (Pillar Room, 3pm); BBC Big Band with Nicola Conte (Everyman Theatre, 4.30pm); Dave Stapleton Quintet (5.30pm); Imelda May (Town Hall Main Stage, 2pm); Alias/The Jerwood Commission (Everyman Theatre, 7.30pm); Gloucestershire Jazz Live Big Band (St Andrews Church, 8pm); Heritage Orchestra with Bonabo (Town Hall Main Stage, 10pm); Soweto Kinch’s Basement Fables (10.15pm).

Sunday begins with The Breakfast Show with The Destroyers (Town Hall Main Stage, 10am), then it’s the Dan Nicholls Band (Pillar Room, 12 noon); Jack DeJohnette (Everyman Theatre, 1.30pm); Bobby Previte’s New Bump (Pillar Room, 3pm); Ralph Alessi with This Against That featuring Ravi Coltrane (Everyman Theatre, 4.30pm); BBC Radio 3 Jazz Library (Town Hall Drawing Room, 5.30pm); Pete Wareham: The Final Terror! (Pillar Room); Ruby Turner (Town Hall Main Stage, 7pm); Bill Frisell (Everyman Theatre, 7.30pm); Mr Scruff (Town Hall Main Stage, 9.30pm) and Roberto Fonseca (Everyman Theatre 10.30pm).

The festival comes to a head on Bank Holiday Monday with the Jack DeJohnette Masterclass (Town Hall Main Stage, 10am); Dave Holland Prize Competition Winners (Pillar Room, 12 noon); Andy Sheppard and The Lunatics featuring James Morton, Pillar Room, 3pm); Blink (Pillar Room, 6pm) and bringing this year’s festival to a close, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth (Town Hall Main Stage, 8pm).

Tickets and further details available from the festival box office on 01242 227979. For more info and updates go to www.cheltenhamfestivals.com