THIS year's Guinness Jazz Festival, which runs in Cork from October 24th to 27th, looks like being another vintage one. Among the headliners are several to whet the appetite - Johnny Griffin, Jackie McLean, Kenny Barron, Benny Green, Slide Hampton and James Spaulding would be an adornment to any jazz festival, for instance.

But there are also return visits from some outstanding musicians, among them the great Cedar Walton, Bobby Watson, Oliver Jones, Jason Rebello, Joey DeFrancesco, Ali Ryerson and the New York-based Irish pair, Dave O'Rourke and Fintan O'Neill.

Then there are such as Dave Liebman, down to play with the Guilfoyle brothers, Peter King, Bill Mobley, Louis Stewart, the Buckley family - Richie, Michael and Hugh - and the rest of the Irish contingent. And Guinness promise that a few more notable names remain to be confirmed, including several "young Turks" in the pipeline.