FIFTY thousand visitors and more than 1,000 musicians from 35 countries performing in 80 venues.

BLUR frontman Damon Albarn is set to open the world-famous Guinness Cork Jazz Festival this October.

TENS OF thousands of jazz fans blew into Cork city yesterday as the 31st Guinness Jazz Festival roared into action.

MORE than 1,000 musicians helped drive the blues away as a rain-drenched Cork had another bumper weekend of jazz and razzmatazz.