THOUSANDS of music lovers are ready to hit the town.

The 19th Marsden Jazz Festival opens tomorrow with everything from the biggest names in the jazz world to walks and arts exhibitions.

Organisers say they expect around 7,500 visitors to attend the events in Marsden tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.

Jazz star Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band will headline the festival tomorrow, although tickets were an immediate sell-out for his show.

Singer Jacqui Dankworth, the daughter of jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine and musician, arranger and composer Sir John Dankworth, will appear on Saturday.

And there’s a world premier too – a specially commissioned piece called The Green Seagull – will be unveiled at the festival on Saturday (Marsden Mechanics, 12.30pm).

The Green Seagull, composed by Tommy Evans, is a piece of music inspired by the life of the composer’s uncle, David Partridge.

This new work brings together some of the top musicians in the north of England under the umbrella of the Tommy Evans Orchestra. They include three female vocalists, including Huddersfield rising star Ruby Wood.

John Quail, who helped secure funding from the Performing Rights Society, said: “The message from the rehearsals is that the sweeping harmonies of Tommy’s compositions have reached a new depth in his work with a large ensemble.

“He makes the complex sound simple with layer over layer of sound. It is quite something.”

Other headliners this year include saxophone player Jason Yarde, who will be closing the festival with Voice of the North Orchestra (Mechanics Hall, 4pm Sunday).

Huddersfield’s own Ben Crosland brings his band Threeway back home (Mechanics Hall, 12.30pm, Sunday).

Plus there’s a late night special from the seriously funky Jacuzzi 500 (Mechanics Hall, 11.30pm, Saturday)

The festival also features its acclaimed New Stream programme at the Marsden Royal British Legion on Saturday with Mercury nominated Kit Downes (12pm) and Phronesis (2pm). Marsden Jazz Festival was established in 1992 by Mike Lucas who wanted to involve the village community with a music festival.

Over the years it has attracted top artists including Jools Holland, Georgie Fame, Clare Teal, Humphrey Littleton, and Chris Barber.

Although some of the gigs are ticket-only, organisers have lined up plenty of free concerts. They include the Calderdale Big Band (Marsden Conservative Club, 1pm, Saturday), the Kirklees Youth Jazz Orchestra (Marsden Liberal Club, 2pm, Saturday) and the Shelley College Jazz Band (Marquee outside the Mechanics Hall, 1.30pm, Sunday).

Visit www.marsdenjazzfestival.com for further details.