Scottish jazz superstar, Carol Kidd has stepped in to headline a fledgling jazz festival after its main act had to pull out. American hip hop outfit Guru's Jazzmatazz was due to lead the Aberdeen Performing Arts Northern Edge Jazz Festival next month but had to pull out due to a car accident. Carol agreed to step in and will play the Lemon Tree Lounge on Saturday, September 12.

Affectionately nicknamed 'The Diva', Carol has been known in jazz circles since she was 15, now she regularly plays to capacity audiences in Scotland and has recorded 18 albums. Her legion of fans include Tony Bennett and the legendary Frank Sinatra, who personally invited her to appear with him at Ibrox in 1990. On the international stage, she was the first European artist to perform in China for 25 years when she performed there in 1994 as The Ambassador of British Jazz.

Her signature song, When I Dream, was a huge hit in Japan and Korea after it was used as the theme song for a Korean motion picture Shiri - a movie which out-grossed Titanic, the other global blockbuster that year. She has recently returned from successful concert appearances in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Northern Edge is Aberdeen Performing Arts’ first jazz festival and it is hoped it will be an annual event, growing in size and stature in future years until it is one of the major fixtures on the jazz scene not just in Scotland, but the UK. The three-day event will feature, at The Lemon Tree Lounge, the iconic and legendary clarinettist Acker Bilk on Thursday, September 10; rising saxophone star and winner of the 2008 MOBO for Best Jazz Artist, YolanDa Brown on Friday, September 11 and Welsh jazz star Tina May, on Sunday, Sept 13. At the Music Hall, swing sensation Todd Gordon and Marcus Pope’s 17-piece band will give a wonderful take on songs from the three albums Frank Sinatra recorded with the great Count Basie Orchestra on Sunday, September 13. In addition, there will be a series of free lunchtime events.

Northern Edge Jazz Festival tickets are available online at www.boxofficeaberdeen.com