DEVIZES FESTIVAL 2003: DEVIZES Festival got off to a sophisticated start on Saturday evening when Monica Vasconcelos and her supporting band Nois presented a Brazilian Samba Night at the Corn Exchange.

With the accent on rhythms from the African-influenced north east region of Brazil, Ms Vasconcelos and her band of leading jazz players entertained the audience with a highly polished performance.

After a rather low-key first half, when perhaps too many slow numbers were played, the band moved into top gear, which had the audience up and bopping to the Latin-American beat.

Special mention must be made of the stunning solos by Steve Lodder on piano, Paul Jayasinha on trumpet and Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone.

Festival committee member, Tony Goldsmith, said: "These musicians showed why they are rated as some of the top jazz people in the UK.

"All in all it was a great start to the festival."

And there is a lot more to come. Tonight at 8pm in the town hall, young piano virtuoso Alba Ventura shows why the recitals and concert performances she has given all over Europe have been highly acclaimed. She will play a programme of music by Mozart, Chopin and Rachmaninov.

On Friday night a familiar face returns to the town hall when Neville Dickie joins with members of his jazz quartet and ace clarinetist Dave Shepherd in a tribute to Benny Goodman and friends.

The show will feature many of the tunes Mr Goodman made famous, including Runnin' Wild, Sing Sing Song and One O'Clock Jump.

On Saturday at noon, Christopher Kent, formerly of the music department at Reading University, will give an organ recital at St Mary's Church, playing the works of Bach, Mozart, Wesley and Schumann.

The hottest show of the next week, though, is likely to be Caribbean Night at the Corn Exchange, on Saturday. The evening begins at 8.15pm when Babyhead, a group of young musicians from Bristol voted one of stars of the Avalon stage at last year's Glastonbury Festival, play ska and reggae.

Then at 10pm, the headline band Top Cats take to the stage, recreating the original, melodic vibe of the 60s dancehall classics of The Skatalites, Don Drummond, John Holt, Baba Brooks and others.

Sadly, Sunday's rock workshop at the Corn Exchange is sold out, but the visit by world-renowned poet Tony Harrison to the town hall on Sunday afternoon is still open for booking.

Mr Harrison has written and directed for the National Theatre and his TV film, Black Daisies for the Bride, was awarded the Prix Italia 1994 and a mental health media award.

His performance is expected to be an exciting and uplifting experience, though patrons are warned that it may contain strong language.

Sunday night's acappella concert at the town hall features Naked Voices, a 16-member vocal group whose repertoire includes influences as wide as Bulgarian folk songs and James Bond theme tunes. Their run at the Edinburgh Festival last year completely sold out and confirmed the group's ability to delight and inspire a truly wide-ranging audience.

There is more musical fun next Tuesday night in the Corn Exchange bar, when Graffiti Classics use their musical skills and zany sense of humour to produce a stunning and unforgettable show.

Full details of the festival programme are in the festival brochure, available free from outlets all over town, including the festival box office at Devizes Books in Sidmouth Street.