13th ANNUAL BARBADOS JAZZ FESTIVAL

Thousands of music fans will be heading to Barbados this January for some seriously easy-going jazz.The 13th annual Barbados Jazz Festival takes place on the island from January 9 to January 15, 2006.The highly anticipated festival is the country's leading musical and cultural event and regularly pulls the biggest names in jazz. Performers already booked for 2006 include Lionel Richie, Roy Hargrove, Boney James and the Cuban Jazz All-stars, to name a select few. However, the festival isn't out just to woo music fans with the top names in the business. It also believes in supporting new artists and every year gives performance slots to emerging artists. This year's festival will play tribute to the late Luther Vandross, who was a much-loved regular at past events. Thoughts and prayers will also be with the residents of New Orleans, the famed birthplace of jazz, following Hurricane Katrina. Several discount airlines offer regular flights to the Caribbean. Barbados is easily accessible. This week Spirit Airliens, the low-cost airline, announced that its Caribbean service has been well received since its launch, while American Airlines, Delta Airlines and others all fly direct to Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados.