I don't know how they do it, but they certainly do it well. I am talking about Chris and Kath Osborne and the quality of musicians they attract on a regular basis to the Fourcroft Jazz Brunches.

It appears that the cream of Jazz musicians from across the Principality and beyond are queuing up to perform in the intimate surroundings of the Ossie Morgan Dining Room, and the relaxed atmosphere created by the enthusiastic and appreciative audience is rapidly making the Fourcroft one of the best Jazz venues in Wales.

Jazz is the marmite of music. You either like or loathe it. Judging by the applause and encores earned by the latest (sell-out) performance by Sarah and H (quartet), the audience at this Fourcroft Jazz Brunch may not have entered as Jazz lovers, but certainly were when they left.

No two Jazz Brunch performances at the Fourcroft are remotely similar. It is what makes Jazz such a diverse and dynamic form of music. Even the same song when sung by different artistes can sound totally unique.

Sarah and H certainly put their own stamp on many old favourites, as well as throwing in a few of their own compositions for good measure. Consisting of Sarah Campbell-Horner (vocals), Hywell Maggs (guitar), supported by Alun Vaughan on bass guitar and Noel Watson on drums, the quartet were an absolute pleasure to see and hear.

Sarah herself has a voice you could never tire of listening to. Each song brought something different.

There were definite hints of Elkie Brooks in some of her numbers, but this is not someone you could put in a box.

This is a very special voice, that has the ability to become a national treasure. The ambience was, as always, very relaxed and so was Sarah.

She effortlessly coped with a wide variety of songs that would leave lesser performers breathless.

When the performers are enjoying themselves, the audience reap the benefit. She so obviously was and we certainly did.

Guitarist Hywel Maggs has performed at the Fourcroft many times and is always a very welcome visitor; never has he sounded better than he did on this occasion.

He has been playing his guitar almost as long as the combined age of the rest of the quartet and it showed. He was simply brilliant. His playing was in complete harmony with the rest of the quartet, particularly bringing the best out of Sarah.

Drifting in and out of complicated solos almost at will and supporting the others when needed, like all masters of their craft, he made a supremely skilful performance look easy.

Bass guitarist Alan Vaughan and drummer Noel Watson were no idle passengers either. Alan and Noel both played several solo sections, much to the delight of the audience.

Together they linked perfectly with Sarah and Hywel to produce one of the best Jazz Brunch performances many of the regulars had experienced.

As for their music, their style is very much their own. They play what they like and they like what they play.

This simple formula produced a fantastic and enjoyable performance that mesmerised the audience and also had them dancing around their tables.

This session saw them stamp their own mark on work from artistes including Leonard Cohen, Nora Jones, Tom Waites, Zeep, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Grace Jones, Buddy Rich, Madeline Peyroux, Suzanne Vagar, Julia London, Noel Watson and many more. Judging by the number of CD's they sold at the end of their set, they did them all proud.

Allan Morris