THE mighty Dub Jazz Soundsystem continue to carve out a monster reputation with their energetic blast of psychedelic jazz.

The jazz dissidents fashioned a storming set on their last appearance at the Ribble Valley Jazz Festival a couple of years ago, wowing an enthusiastic sell-out audience at Clitheroe Castle’s Atrium Café Bar.

Now they are back at the same venue on a tasty double bill with jazz pals, Liverpool-based Marley Chingus, next Saturday.

And it looks like delivering one of the highlights of the five-day jazz feast, which also includes The Snake Davis Band, Dennis Rollins, one of Britain’s leading trombonists and the brilliant National Youth Jazz Orchestra.

“One critic called us the sweaty underbelly of a double bass-driven jazz rave, and that made me smile,” said drummer Johnny Hunter.

“What we do is pretty spontaneous — we go with the flow and mix the groove up.

“I’ve been in the band for four years, but is a very loose collective and that seems to suit what we do.

“We just decide what we are doing on the day and it seems to work.”

Explaining the band’s vast influences, Hunter added: “We have a nice cross-over sound.

“Dub music is my passion and stuff like Roots Radics meets Scientist and King Tubby is what gives me the vibe, with Lee Scratch Perry and the reggae sound of Burning Spear and Horace Andy.”

“We’ve experimented with a lot of jazz but, although there is tremendous power in dub, it doesn’t overwhelm our jazz content. The emotions still come from the same place whether that’s from John Coltrane or techno — it is all about our love for music.”

No wonder some of their gigs are the stuff of summer festival legend.

Their booty-shaking sound of mind-bending heavy dub, coupled to the siren sound of blonde-haired vocalist Sharlene Squire, leaves their audience in a trance.

“Our last gig at Clitheroe Castle was one of my favourites,” said Hunter.

“It was a really nice vibe there and the crowd, of all ages, really had a great time.

“We have become a festival band and that’s really special because every one is a party.”

The festival, now in its fifth year, opens on May 1 at Grindleton, with a special gig by Camerata Ritmata at Grindleton Pavilion, Sawley Road. £10.

Dub Jazz Soundsystem and Marley Chingus, A Atrium Cafe Bar, Clitheroe, Saturday, May 3. Details from 01200 421599.

LINE-UP

Thursday, May 1
7.30pm Camerata Ritmata
Grindleton Pavilion
Music from all corners of the globe.

Friday, May 2
12noon Clitheroe Royal Grammar School Swing Band
The Grand, York Street, Clitheroe
Directed by Nigel Spooner with a lunchtime session of jazz standards. Special guest appearance from ex-CRGS Swing Band musicians: pianist John Wickham, bassist Adam Lynch and drummer Tom Rice.
5pm Djangobop
The Post House Hotel, Clitheroe
Dinner Jazz: Free gig - advise booking a table - tel: 01200 422025
Djangobop play a heady mixture of standards, originals and Django Reinhardt compositions epitomising the Bohemian café scene of post war Paris.
8pm The Berry Trio
The Atrium at Clitheroe Castle,
An unusual line up of voice/piano, sax and bass featuring Steve Berry and his two eldest children Jessica and Dan.
8pm The Boneshakers
Clitheroe Social Club, Wellgate, Clitheroe,
Originally formed in 1962 as the house band of the legendary Macambo Club in Darwen, the Boneshakers re-formed in 2010. Expect energy Sixties’ R’n’B classics.
8pm Julie Edwards & Kevin Dearden Duo
The Spread Eagle, Sawley
Vocalist Julie Edwards and guitarist Kevin Dearden have worked exhaustively around the north of England and beyond.

Saturday, May 3
10.30am Jazz Train with Blowjangles
The Blackburn to Clitheroe Train
Take a mid-morning Jazz Train from Blackburn to Clitheroe with Blowjangles!
From 11am Street Jazz Festival
The Marquee, Castle Street, Clitheroe and venues around town.
Featuring: West Valley Hot Club, Dales Jam, St Augustine’s RC School Big Band, Blowjangles, Clitheroe Ukulele Orchestra, Marmaduke Schnitzel and The Vacant Radiators, Ribble Valley Jazz Collective.
11am Kevin Morris
Clitheroe Library
Fine jazz guitar standards from festival regular, Kevin Morris.
11am Ribble Valley Arts Studios
Harris Court, Wellgate
11.30am Pendle Jazzmen
Maxwell's Cafe Bar, King Street
Trad Jazz under Maxwell’s Café Bar Canopy.
12noon Mark Lewis Trio & Friends
The Old Post House Hotel, King Street, Clitheroe
Festival regulars Mark Lewis Trio and Friends will be charming diners with some fine jazz standards.
12noon Aeola with Allison Clarke on vocals
The Atrium Café Bar
The Manchester-based band play jazz standards from some of the greats. Billy Holliday, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.
1pm A Brief History of Piano Jazz
The Grand
Trish Ferrarin and Paul Topping will look at the development of piano playing within the genre of jazz.
3pm J J Wheeler
The Swan & Royal Hotel, Castle Street, Clitheroe
Formed in 2009, recent performances include the Royal Albert Hall
5pm Cottonhouse Shakers
The Rose & Crown, Castle Street, Clitheroe,
The Cottonhouse Shakers return to the Rose & Crown following their very successful appearance two years ago. presenting an eclectic mix of soulful blues and jazz funk
8pm National Youth Jazz Orchestra
The Grand
Saturday night festival headliners, the NYJO is one of the UK’s longest-running ensembles for young people under 25 playing big-band jazz.
8pm Marley Chingus
The Atrium Cafe Ba
Liverpool based Marley Chingus offer electrifying performances of their 21st Century Be Bop.
8pm John Wickham Trio
Maxwell's Cafe Bar
The trio are local young men who have played together for over five years.
9pm Dub Jazz Soundsystem
The Atrium Cafe Bar
Dub Jazz are back from their fantastic sell-out 2012 Festival appearance with more of an awesome mix-up of heavy dub and psychedelic modal jazz.

Sunday, May 4
10am Improvisation Workshop - Trish Ferrain
The Grand
Bring your own instrument and work with others to improve jazz improvisation skills under expert tuition.
12noon Paul Rigby Quartet
The Atrium Café Bar
The president of Ribble Valley Jazz and Blues returns to The Atrium with his band for a lunchtime gig.

12.30pm Trombone Workshop - Dennis Rollins
The Grand
A chance for up to 20 trombonists, with at least 50% being young people, to fine tune their skills with one of the UK’s best trombone players.
1pm Sonny Intervals
The Emporium, Moor Lane,
Steve Hemsworth and Janet Style make their Festival debut at the Emporium Wine Bar on Jazz Sunday!

2pm Eric Ainsworth Trio & Friends
The Spread Eagle Inn, Sawley,
The Trio will play a fine range of jazz standard.. Eddie Taylor guests on trombone.
Line-up: Eric Ainsworth - piano/keys, Jimmy Scaife - drums, Ken Marley - bass, Eddie Taylor - trombone.
2.30pm Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio
The Grand
Virtuoso trombonist and composer Dennis Rollins is well known on the British and international jazz scene.
5pm Rob Livesey Trio
The Rose & Crown
Expect tunes you know, but done in a way you don’t, with the emphasis on improvisation and permutation.
5.30pm Saxophone Workshop - Snake Davis
The Grand
Snake Davis is well established as one of the top UK saxophonists, so it’s a privilege to have him run a sax workshop during the Ribble Valley Jazz Festival up to 20 players.
6pm Poetry meets Jazz!
The Swan & Royal Hotel
A first for Ribble Valley Jazz Festival! This gig kicks off with an early evening half-hour presentation of music themed poetry
8pm Snake Davis Band
The Grand
Snake returns to town with The Snake Davis Band and the audience can expect a fabulous set of supremely performed melody driven jazz-funk as well as some classic soul and Northern standards.

Monday, May 5
10.30am Drumming For Beginners - Paul J Rigby
The Grand
This workshop is aimed at drummers of all ages who are curious about learning to play drums but haven’t had the opportunity to try.
12noon Matt Holborn Quartet
The Atrium Café Bar
An exciting young Leeds-based gypsy jazz band.
2pm Gary Boyle’s Bruze
The Rose & Crown
Guitarist Gary Boyle, from 70s jazz/rock fusion band Isotope, returns with this new trip featuring Ian Rose (Hammond organ) and Steve Tann (drums).
4pm Tipitina & The One Voice Community Choir
The Grand
A unique and exclusive festival collaboration concert between one of the best-rated Blues bands in the business, Tipitina, and the highly regarded Lancashire based, the One Voice Community Choir.

For details of all events visit www.rvjazzandblues.co.uk