This year’s Fermanagh Live Arts Festival (FLive) opens with a lavish launch party in Enniskillen’s Old Regal Cinema at 9pm on Friday, September 20. Bob Quick and his Quintet will be laying out the red carpet for Omagh’s own velvet-voiced songstress Gerarda McCann and Belfast-based jazz trumpeter Linley Hamilton. Together they will get toes tapping and hips swinging to favourite tunes by Cole Porter, Michael Bublé, the Rat Pack and Nina Simone. Meanwhile, chef Manu Maricheaux will be dispensing wine and cheese for the fortification of the Regal’s revellers who will feel fired up to attend as many events as possible during the festival which runs from Wednesday, October 2 to Thursday, October 10.

Bob Quick is a trombonist and graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Music. He has lived in Omagh since 1978 when he accepted a teaching post with the Western Education and Library Board where he eventually became deputy director. Retired since 2013, he is now concentrating his energies, organisational skills and experience on bringing jazz to the people. “Jazz can be rarefied and slightly scary for people, so we want to make it user friendly,” quips Bob.

Linley Hamilton gained a 1st class Masters Degree in Jazz Performance at Dublin’s Institute of Technology and a PhD in Jazz Performance at Ulster University, Magee where he now lectures in the music department. He has worked with Van Morrison, Snow Patrol, Jacqui Dankworth and Paul Brady; he presents Jazz World with Linley Hamilton on BBC Radio Ulster and performs regularly with the Linley Hamilton Quartet.

Soprano Gerarda McCann studied at Trinity College of Music in London and worked professionally in Australia before returning to Ireland where she is in constant demand as a soloist.

Manu Maricheaux is well known in Omagh where he ran ‘Chez Manu’ a popular coffee shop that became the haunt of Omagh’s creative community. For the last 10 years he has teamed up with The Bob Quick Jazz Quintet to present Cheese and Wine and Jazz events.