In the summer, festivals pop up all over the country like bright-faced daises. So it’s a cunning move on the part of festival organiser, Paul Jefferies, to programme Oxford’s first jazz festival well ahead of all the opposition when there’s no temptation to put headline events on rain-swept stages or in draughty marquees.

Luckily the city has an excellent choice of smaller to medium-sized indoor venues that are ideal for a jazz concert where a sense of intimacy brings more to the music and to the experience. The festival also takes place over the Easter weekend, so jazz enthusiasts can stay at home to enjoy a long weekend of music rather than join the motorway tailbacks to some damp edge of the country.

Paul Jefferies has also had the good sense to hook into the festival a number of the city’s regular jazz events such as the Spin Jazz Club, Joe’s Bar, the Old Parsonage Hotel and Quod.

The first two gigs set a high level of music. On Thursday, April 9, the Sarah Gillespie Quartet with the extraordinary saxophonist Gilad Atzmon are at the Corner Club at noon and in the evening there’s a special Spin gig with Bobby Wellins, a man who has found new passion in his playing.

From then on there’s an excellent balance of music from both local and national musicians in venues as intimate as pubs and bars through to the Jacqueline du Pré Music Room and the Oxford Union Debating Chamber.

The headline artists include Julian Siegel, Gwyneth Herbert and Ian Shaw.

Julian Siegel, an award-winning player and composer has been rightly praised in the national press for the style and individuality of his playing. He is at the Jacqueline du Pré on Friday with his own trio.

Gwyneth Herbert, who burst on to the jazz scene a few years ago with her album Bittersweet and Blue, has a powerful presence on stage and a rich, controlled voice. She will be at the North Wall in Summertown on the Saturday.

Ian Shaw should require no introduction to lovers of jazz singing after winning the BBC Jazz Awards in both 2004 and 2007. A singer who has appeared all over the world in recent years, he will wrap up the festival with a special concert supported by the Sophie Garner Quintet at the Oxford Union Debating Chamber on Sunday.

There is also some extremely fine music from players associated with the city.

On Saturday at midday, at St Michael at the North Gate, Oxford-based guitarist Kevin Armstrong launches a new CD with his eight-piece band, Jazzelation, that includes Alison Bentley, Paul Cavacuiti, Pete Whittaker and Raph Mizraki. This is a band to hear that really grooves in a jazz/spiritual vein.

Later on Saturday the already widely-acclaimed cross-over band Eclectica!, featuring the Spin’s Pete Oxley with Nicholas Meier alongside classical players Lizzie Ball and the wonderful cellist Bernard Gregor-Smith are at the same venue.

The Half Moon pub in St Clement’s is host to the Trish Elphinstone Quintet, with Alexander Hawkins on piano on Friday.

For those looking for music more out of the conventional box, Hawkins is playing in duo with the great South African saxophonist Ntshuks Bonga at the Half Moon on Saturday. This is a pared-down version of Bonga’s band, mixing township music with an edge of free form that has been pulling in the crowds in London and beyond.

With towns as diverse as Hull, Wigan and Cheltenham having already put jazz on their local maps, it is surprising that Oxford, with its wealth of musical activity, has not had a jazz festival before.

In many places the local council, the Arts Council and other funders provide financial support, which in Oxford is, sadly, not the case.

Paul Jefferies and his co-promoters Max Mason, of the Big Bang, and designer Alissa Robinson have dug into their pockets with only minimal backing to make the festival happen.

They have put together a tightly-packed festival of excellent mainstream jazz that should appeal to a wide audience. To check out the full programme, including the free events, and to book tickets, go to oxfordjazzfestival.com