The 33rd annual Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival has become the second of the Edinburgh Festivals to reveal its 2011 programme.  This short, independent festival, running this year from Friday 22 to Sunday 31 July, attracts a high quality line-up across the broad range of the musical style - and makes a highly civilized introduction to the Festival season before the madness of the Fringe begins.

In contrast to the 2,000 shows on offer at the Fringe, the Jazz and Blues sports a reassuringly manageable programme, albeit one which still runs to a dozen events on most days.  There's a great range of options from Europe and around the world, and a strong showing from home-grown Scottish bands too.

Making good use of its pre-Fringe timing, the Jazz and Blues Festival takes temporary possession of some of the city's best venues, including the International Festival's Hub and the much-loved Queen's Hall.  Perhaps the most evocative of all the venues, though, is the George Square Spiegeltent - an atmospheric, mirrored travelling dance-hall, dating from the early 1900's and making a welcome return this year.

If you're a veteran of previous Festivals, note that the Jazz & Blues is a week earlier than normal this year.  The programme wraps up on Sunday 31 July, then there's a few days' respite before the start of the Fringe.

Browsing and booking

The full 2011 programme is now available to browse on the Festival's website.  Handily, you can see all the events together on one at-a-glance page. 

Booking is open now, and is run through the International Festival's Hub box office.  We'd suggest you use the excellent online system, which features detailed plans of all the venues and allows you to choose your specific seats; start at the Festival's programme page and follow the "Buy Tickets" links from there.  You can also call the Hub on 0131 473 2000.

Don't wait too long before getting your bookings in - this is a popular festival and the big-name concerts will sell well.  It's worth planning ahead, because there are also some decent deals for early booking - you'll get 10% off tickets for 5 different shows rising to 20% off if you book 10, but only if you book by phone and seal the deal by Friday 23rd June.

The deadline for the multi-ticket discount is much earlier than in previous years.  On the plus side, you now get a 20% discount for booking tickets for 10 events (previously it was 15).