JOOLS Holland stops off with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra at the BIC, Bournemouth next Friday December 16.

Renowned as one of the UK’s most popular tours and now in its 21st year, Jools will be joined by special guests Pauline Black and Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson from Coventry's two-tone band and ska pioneers The Selecter.

The show will also once again feature the astounding vocals of Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall along with a new addition, the rich soulful tones of BRIT award nominee Beth Rowley.

Together with the inimitable musicianship of the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra which features the drums of original Squeeze member Gilson Lavis, Jools will be performing tracks spanning his entire solo career as well as songs taken from his latest album Jools & Ruby.

Jools has had a long and impressive music career. At 15 he formed the band Squeeze, with Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford. They started off by playing in pubs around the East End, and when drummer Gilson Lavis came on board the band began to hit the big time. Since then Jools Holland has become a media celebrity – a performer and presenter who through his TV shows has seemed to put others in the limelight more than himself. He presented the genre-busting youth show The Tube alongside Paula Yates live on Channel 4. Since 1992 he has hosted Later… with Jools Holland, a music-based show aired on BBC2, on which his annual show Hootenanny is based. His famous 18-piece Rhythm & Blues Orchestra started its life on a smaller scale in 1987 as the duo outfit Big Band with Lavis.

Jools also regularly hosts the weekly programme Jools Holland on BBC Radio 2, which is a mix of live and recorded music, general chat and features studio guests, along with members of his orchestra.

The pianist with a penchant for the nostalgic sound of boogie woogie performs around 100 gigs a year with his 19-strong Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, whilst also providing insight into a world of new music on TV.

But Jools clearly enjoys performing live best - today, more than ever.

"I've been touring every year for 21 years- even more than that. I'm always playing somewhere. I've spent my life on tour, out playing somewhere and that what keeps you going. The more you do, the more you are able to do.

"Your mind gets in a set way of learning. You become more familiar with the paths that music takes – the chords, the themes etc. The process becomes easier. Doing lots of shows makes it easier and I'm enjoying it more as I get older. I spoke to Tom Jones the other day and he feels the same and really enjoys playing live. You realise how incredibly fortunate you are to be able to do a job you love.

"When you are younger I think you take things for granted but as you get older you learn to enjoy things more.

I love connecting with an audience because you are in the moment with the people, where as with TV you are looking down a lens, and with the TV show I'm doing other peoples' music.

"With the TV show we are trying to achieve a balance of different things. It is not always my taste. You are trying to get a music legend on, as well an important person of today, and a new performer too, and then perhaps someone who is mainly known in their own particular world."

Apart from touring Jools is very excited about his forthcoming album.

"I'm working on my new album. I've spent my life in a relationship with a piano. It's a life-long relationship with this strange object. It's a friend, never an enemy and sometimes it teaches you a lesson. You never know what will come out of it until you get together. It's an amazing love affair you have so I decided to make a piano record. "

Playing the piano he says "is like looking at yourself in the mirror; it's like an extension of yourself."

And Jools says he gets so absorbed in it that he often isn't aware where the song writing comes from: "The best time is when you think where did that come from! The piano is the king of instruments."

Tickets available at http://www.joolsholland.com/tourdates.htm or via seetickets on 0871 220 0260.