I KNOW it is a few months away but Wigan Jazz Festival, now one of the most important in Europe, possibly the world, will this year be as brimful of big names as ever.

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting impresario Ian Darrington at a local jazz gig. Ian is the man behind not only the festival but also the hugely successful Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra and Wigan Jazz Club Big Band.

He talked enthusiastically of the people he had already signed for the 2003 bash which promises to be as exciting and entertaining as ever.

John Dankworth and Cleo Laine will be among the headliners, together with Don Lusher's Best of British. John and Cleo, and of course former Ted Heath section leader and trombone soloist Don are three of the most respected and talented performers on the British music scene.

The full line-up of artists and bands will be announced shortly and you can be sure that this column will bring you the list as soon as it is made available.

Ian Darrington hinted that some of the leading jazz personalities from America had already been approached.

We were speaking before the fuse was lit in Iraq and it could well be that a prolonged conflict could prevent some of the musicians and singers crossing the Atlantic, as they may well be reluctant to travel under the ever-present threat of revenge attacks.

Ian hopes the uncertainty will be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, though he concedes that Wigan Jazz Festival, while the biggest event the Lancashire town stages annually and one which British jazzers look forward to with relish, is hardly likely to figure very highly on the list of priorities for military strategists!

Meanwhile one American who will be in the UK next Tuesday is Gary Scott, the highly-rated tenor saxophonist. He will be guest star with the resident Tommy Melville Quartet at the Rhythm Station in Rawtenstall.

Veteran Gary, who plays an astonishing 13 different woodwind instruments, is one of the most experienced and accomplished jazz soloists on the international circuit with a CV which bears comparison with those of many better-known musicians.

After receiving a scholarship to the University of Miami on clarinet as a young man, Gary joined the prestigious United States Air Force Band in Washington DC. He spent the next 20 years of his life with the Air Force, touring Europe and his native America as featured woodwind soloist.

On leaving the service, Gary spent 12 years with the Ceasars Palace Orchestra in Las Vegas, working with some of the giants of showbiz, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jnr, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, Johnny Mathis, Lena Horne, and Elvis Presley.

He still found time to establish a reputation as a small group jazz player of real class, alongside the likes of Charlie Ventura, Frank Rossolino, Clark Terry and Ray Brown.