got more sponsors, but one thing will remain constant -- the sweet sound of jazz in the West End.

After two years, Jazzscape is now a thing of the past, along with former producer, Integrated Lifestyles Marketing Group.

This year, fans will be able to get into the groove at the 1998 Bermuda Jazz Festival, scheduled to be held on October 16 and 17 at the Royal Naval Dockyard.

Tourism Minister David Dodwell announced the event yesterday, with Lee Heinman, president of the new production firm, New York's Track Marketing.

The Festival will be presented by pre-eminent travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller -- instead of Travel & Leisure -- and sponsored by American Airlines, Sonesta Beach, Elbow Beach and Southampton Princess hotels.

The Tourism Department is also on board and will pump $200,000 and marketing muscle into the festival. Conde Nast will also have a Festival insert in its publication and a web site is being created for the event.

Mr. Dodwell said the department supported the event because it helped woo first-time visitors and others to the Island while signalling that Bermuda was a place where things happened.

On October 16, Lee Ritenour, the Rippingtons -- featuring Russ Freeman and Jonathan Butler -- will perform after locals Gita Blakeney and Shine Hayward work their magic.

Then, on Saturday, local acts Tempo and LeYoni Junos will kick off proceedings which will wrap up with Manhattan Transfer, Nnenna Freelon and Kevin Eubanks.

Mr. Heinman said: "For two days in October, we are looking to make Bermuda the jazz capital of the world.'' Tickets will cost $55 and $45 for reserved and at the door tickets respectively. Overseas jazz lovers will be able to take advantage of a variety of packages that major US wholesalers are in the process of putting together.

WEST END JAZZ RETURNS -- Nnenna Freelon will be one of the new faces to brighten the stage at this year's reworked version of Jazzscape -- now known as the Bermuda Jazz Festival.