Enjoy a Rye jazzChristmas Cracker

Both are celebrated radio broadcasters (BBC and Jazz FM) and their easy anecdotal stagecraft is as finely skilled as their music-making.

Ian and Claire’s Xmas Cracker at St Mary’s Church, as part of the Rye Jazz Festival, is an evening packed with winter warmers and classic songs from both the Jazz and pop canon.

Expect 1930s New York, 1940s Christmas cinema evergreens, the gloss of Fifties Hollywood (Nat Cole, Doris Day, Eartha Kitt), and the celebrated 1960s Brill Building (Carole King, James Taylor).

The night will also take in the darker spirits of the more contemporary writers (The Pogues, Nick Cave, Joni Mitchell).

Ian and Claire perform at many of the worlds’ most famous jazz festivals and clubs and are both outstanding live performers.

They have both recorded and release many successful albums and in 2011 Claire was awarded an MBE for her services to music.

Ian is rightly acknowledged as the UK’s number one male jazz singer and Claire is recognised at the UK’s first lady of Jazz.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/ 2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hastingsobserver

3) Follow us on Twitter @HastingsObs

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Hastings Observer - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.