There is one weekend when the sound of a saxophone and the taste of a Welsh cake feel like a wholly appropriate combination of sensual delights, and the coming one is it.

It's the 25th Brecon Jazz Festival from Friday to Sunday (we can ignore Thursday because that's Jools Holland, and he's sold out) and, as befits asilver anniversary year, HSBC Brecon (as it is now called) has assembled an all-star band of previous visitors to get things well and truly started on Friday evening.

Leading the band in the Market Hall is baritone saxophonist Joe Temperley, and in its ranks will be tenor player and very good friend of Brecon Scott Hamilton, Enrico Tomasso on trumpet, Dave Green on bass and special guest Martin Taylor on guitar.

Brecon has always attracted some big US jazz names and this year they include cool alto man Lee Konitz (over 80 and still with a lot of edge), the granddaddy of the hip singers Mark Murphy, drummer Louis Hayes with his Cannonball Legacy Band (including strong young trumpeter Jeremy Pelt), rising singer Roberta Gambarini, trumpeter Roy Hargrove and saxophonist Harry Allen both leading all-American bands, and the guitar hero for a lot of rockers as well as the jazz fusionistas, Wayne Krantz.

Brecon also provides a broad array of the best British jazz around, and the big names next weekend include Abram Wilson and his Delta Blues Project, the Gwilym Simcock Trio, Dame Cleo and Sir John, Don Weller and his Big Band, singers Clare Teal and Anita Wardell, Courtney Pine paying tribute to Sidney Bechet, and the Neil Cowley Trio.

My own picks of the festival are: Friday: Etheridge, Andersen, Marshall - guitarist John with bassist Arild and drummer another John, playing the excellent music from the album they have recently recorded. 9.30pm in the Guildhall.

Saturday: Tommy Smith - another trio and the same bassist, Norwegian Arild Andersen, with Scottish saxophonist Smith and Italian drummer Paulo Vinaccia. 4pm in the Theatre Brycheiniog.

Sunday: Roy Hargrove Quintet - the band that recorded the just-released Earfood, bringing the classic '60s Blue Note line-up bang up to date with blistering soulbop. 1pm in the Market Hall.

One of the best ways to enjoy the manifold pleasures of Brecon is with a Stroller Pass, which can be bought to cover the whole weekend or for individual days and grants you entrance to many gigs which might be outside the headliner ones but are nevertheless packed with high quality bands and musicians.

Included in those you can see this year with a Stroller Pass are: Empirical, The Blessing, Tom Cawley's Curios, Art Themen, Geoff Eales, the Huw Warren Trio, Julian Marc Stringle, Alec Dankworth, Portico Quartet, Julian Joseph, Alan Barnes, Liane Carroll and Henry Lowther.

For the full HSBC Brecon 2008 programme go to breconjazz.co.uk or call 0870 990 1299.

* If you are stuck in Birmingham at the weekend, don't forget that the Friday evening Rush Hour Blues sessions have transformed themselves into Summer Jazz at Brindleyplace and moved out to Oozells Square this week, where the band is Del Camino. The time remains 5.30pm and it's free.

And on Saturday afternoon, alto player Chris Bowden and pianist Edger Macias go floating on the canals around Birmingham to provide Jazz On The Water. Contact Sam on 0121 236 7057 for tickets (£7) and get to Gas Street Basin for 2.15pm if you don't want to - ho, ho - miss the boat.

* If you have any news or views you'd like to share, email me at peterbacon@mac.com The blog is thejazzbreakfast.blogspot.com