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BIG JOE PLEASURE
Big Joe is one of the great jazz and swing performers. When the Boss of the Blues holds sway, nobody is in any doubt who's in charge. His ebullient singing is matched by his fine tenor and baritone sax playing in a memorably swinging package.

BILL SHEFFIELD (USA)
Born in Georgia in 1951, singer-songwriter Bill Sheffield writes and plays songs that find a connection between Muddy Waters and Hank Williams. In a lifetime of playing blues and roots music, Bill Sheffield has shared the stand with such greats as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Big Mama Thorton and Stevie Ray Vaughan as well as recording prolifically with his own band. With his powerful soulful voice and a repertoire of over 80 songs to his credit, Bill Sheffield is an exceptional talent.

BILL WYMAN'S RHYTHM KINGS
Rock and roll icon, author, restaurateur, legendary former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has seen it all and continues to live life to the full. His latest musical re-birth as the driving force behind the fabulous Rhythm Kings sees him return to his musical roots. In conjunction with his co-writer Terry Taylor, he brought together a set of virtuoso musicians, featuring the likes of Albert Lee, who play a mixture of jazz and blues and superbly bring back to life the kind of classic rhythm and blues that first inspired Wyman to pick up the guitar as a teenager.

BIRMINGHAM JAZZ YOUTH ENSEMBLE
Birmingham Jazz's high-rated youth big band is the product of Creative Big Band sessions at the CBSO Centre.

BOBBY WOODS
Bobby Woods was born in Chicago and grew up surrounded by the sounds of jazz, blues and gospel greats. Bobby has also appeared with Osibisa, Eddie Grant and Third World among others and has toured widely in Africa and Europe.

BOURBON STREET STOMPERS (GERMANY)
Described as one of the hottest young New Orleans bands in Europe on their first Birmingham appearance, the Bourbon Street Stompers make a welcome return to the festival. The band recreate the music of King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Duke Ellington with such success that their first album, A Tribute to Dixie, has been followed by four more, most recently Caution Hot! in 2006. This year has seen the Stompers busy at major German festivals before returning to the UK for the Upton and Birmingham festivals.

BOYSIE BATTRUM QUARTET
Alto and tenor saxist Boysie Battrum, best known for his dynamic contributions to King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys, here takes the solo spotlight with his own swinging quartet.

BRYAN CORBETT QUARTET
The Guardian's comment is typical of the growing acclaim for trumpeter Bryan Corbett and his quartet. Holder of a fellowship from London College of Music, Bryan has been featured as a Jerwood Rising Star at Cheltenham International Jazz Festival and has performed with such notables of the international jazz scene as Jane Monheit, Curtis Steigers, Spike Robinson and Kenny Baker.

BUDAPEST RAGTIME BAND (HUNGARY)
The Budapest Ragtime Band was established in 1980 by trained jazz and classical musicians who created a new ragtime sound with their original instrumentation. Since then the band's repertoire has broadened with the addition of jazz classics, dance music and even humorous adaptations of world-famous tunes and operas. The band is popular throughout Europe and the United States, returning to Birmingham after a schedule that has taken in Graz (Austria), Breda (Netherlands) and Paris.

BY WORD OF MOUTH
By Word of Mouth is a five-piece outfit headed by John Palmer on sax and playing cool melodic jazz along the lines of early Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck. They are building a monthly jazz night at the Tower of Song, playing a set of their own and backing guest vocalists and emerging players.

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