Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra have been lined up to play at High Lodge in Thetford Forest next summer.The mercurial musician will appear with Gilson Lavis and special guest star Dave Edmunds and guest vocalists Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall.

Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra have been lined up to play at High Lodge in Thetford Forest next summer.

The mercurial musician will appear with Gilson Lavis and special guest star Dave Edmunds and guest vocalists Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall. He is the first confirmed date of the 2009 Forestry Commission annual live music programme and High Lodge will be his only summer show across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Jools Holland is one of the most prolific touring artists in the UK and, with his band, creates his own unique big band sound playing a mix of boogie-woogie, swing, jazz and R&B. They now play an average of 100 live shows a year, touring Britain and the world to audiences in excess of 250,000. Their latest album release, The Informer, is a showcase of the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra's musicianship reflecting the party atmosphere of their live shows.

With a string of classic hits in the 1970s, special guest Dave Edmunds is sure to bring some rock and roll to the proceedings.

Peter Rawlinson of High Lodge said: “We are delighted to have secured a date with Jools who last appeared at the venue to a sell-out crowd in 2003. The concert will be supporting the Forestry Commission's valuable social and environmental programmes and should prove a welcome return for his fans across East Anglia.”

Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra will be performing at High Lodge on Saturday, June 6. Tickets are £32 (subject to booking fee) and go on sale from 9am on Friday from ticket hotline: 01842 814612 or buy on line from www.forestry.gov.uk/music.