Brecon Jazz festival

Stayed at Brecon to join the jazz festival on our way back from camping with Jean and family. Only booked at the last minute so we used the 'official festival campsite' which turned out to be a large farmers field and organised by Tangerine Fields with a water point, portable loo's, frequent cow 'pats' and a bus service into Brecon. The 20 or so caravans and motorhomes were at the 'top' of the field where it was a bit flatter and the tents below. Entrance to the site was very steep and by the end of the weekend very muddy!

Very big and well organised festival with Jools Holland, Joan Armatrading, Courtney Pines and Sir Johnny Dankworth (to name but a few) performing in concert in large marques and venues around town. These were mostly sold out months ago. There was a parallel stroller program and also a breakaway fringe festival in the local pubs which was loosely jazz based. Most of the jazz was mainstream to modern with little 'trad jazz' quite the opposite to Abersoch.

We walked down into Brecon and Rosemary made the mistake of chatting to an old jazz enthusiast called Denis on the way - it took some time. We bumped into Denis many times! We had a Friday evening stroller, £10, and listened to a few modern trios, a bit of 'fringe Clapton' R and B, followed by Marcia Pendleton (missed her at Abersoch) before catching the bus back up the hill.

Saturday was forecast to be wet, and it certainly was, so we sat it out in the van, read and watched some TV while the wind and rain battered the new awning - which survived with flying colours.

Sunday was windy and showery so, armed with umbrellas, we walked back into town via Morrisons to get the Sunday papers of course, and had a nice lunch at the theatre bistro by the canal basin, which was also a jazz venue. Listened to a bit of jazz by the Watton marquee (don't really need a ticket to sample the strollers) and then went to see the Abram Wilson Delta Blues Project with a jazz gospel show entitled Roll Jordan Roll which was excellent.

After the concert we popped in to St Margaret's church for tea and cakes and then 'quite by accident' spent over an hour at the evening service in the Plough Chapel. This is an independent Welsh church built on the site of an old Ale house and had been hosting some if the fringe festival events and a flower festival. It was actually quite entertaining with a jazz group and much hymn singing in both English and Welsh ( 'we sing some in English to keep the language alive :-) ' )

We left early (well 10 is early for us!) on Monday morning before the expected rain and we arrived back home just after lunch. Would we do it again? Yes - but with earlier planning in order to see some of the concerts and a choice of campsites. Its expensive compared to Abersoch but with potential for seeing some top class jazz.