The 2015 Fife Jazz Festival will take place from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th February, and features a host of major names from across jazz, blues, and soul.

The only Festival to operate all over the Kingdom, the 2015 programme includes concerts in Aberdour, Cupar, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, St Andrews, and St Michael’s.

The range of programme matches the geography – from gypsy swing to Nordic cool; from Jazz Big Band to solo acoustic blues; from Sinatra to soul; swinging modern jazz to hard funk; there is dancing to electric blues rock, and dancing strictly to a Dance Orchestra – and organisers, Jazz Scotland, feel that the breadth is why the Festival appeals to such large numbers.

Britain’s number one soul voice, Ruby Turner (left), has been the star singer with Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra for many years and here she is with her own band singing her heart out on a set of soul, r’n’b and gospel classics. She plays The Byre Theatre, St Andrews on Friday 6th and Carnegie Hall, in Dunfermline, on Saturday 7th February.

The biggest news on the Scottish jazz scene in 2014, was the emergence of Rose Room, as the most exciting and popular band on the current scene.

Fronted by Fife fiddler and singer, Seonaid Aitken, they recreate the spirit of The Hot Club of Paris – gypsy swing and sophisticated vocals. They headline Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline on Friday 6th, with an opening set by the young Michael Buble inspired vocalist, AJ Brown (right).

There’s a new late night event at the Byre Theatre - a takeover of the whole building by “The Blender” – a hot infectious mixture of live soul, funk, fusion, jazz and bluesy folk. One ticket gives access to three stage areas for over three hours of music from six bands. The bands include soul/funk/jazz unit Nick Pride & the Pimptones with Beth Macari; crossover fusionists, Fat Suit; and classic soul and funk 7 piece, The Foo Birds.

Over at Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, on Saturday 7th February, there’s another fantastic show, “The Story Of Swing”. Dave Batchelor’s Edinburgh Festival success brings together a classic Big Band, The Scottish Swing Orchestra; starry vocalist, Lorna Reid; swing dancers, The Flyright Dance Company; and a story told in pictures, words and music, of the great names of swing, from Glen Miller to Duke Ellington; from Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Sinatra.

There’s plenty for hard core jazz fans, with the always brilliant pianist, Brian Kellock’s Trio; the popular contemporary jazz of Strangeness and Charm; the Norwegian saxophone star, Marius Neset, and top swinging jazz groups, Ken Mathieson Classic Jazz Orchestra and John Burgess Big Five, all playing at the Byre. Festival favourites, The Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra, and Inverkeithing Community Band, will have their own shows in Kirkcaldy and Kinghorn, and they are teaming up with Fife Jazz Club to present a Sinatra show, in his centenary year, with Frank Holden, in Aberdour.

The Festival salutes Cupar’s Blues and Beyond Club’s tenth anniversary, with George Shovlin, making a rare Scottish appearance, and the weekend brings back the hugely popular “Big Dance” in the Rothes Halls, where there’s the rare chance to dance to a classic Dance Orchestra.