We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, but at 8pm on Friday it finally arrives: Birmingham Town Hall associate artist Soweto Kinch presents Part 2, Basement Fables, of his A Day in the Life of B19 project for a big city centre home crowd.

Part 1, Tales of the Towerblock, introduced us to what is possible when an artist is fully at home in the worlds of jazz and hip-hop.

Here was a home-grown story of what life in the inner cities can be like, told with eloquence and humour, and infused with some virtuoso wordplay and virtuoso music play too.

And Moira Stuart’s voice will never again just be associated with news reading.

Visitors to the Live Box, the Sunday evening sessions Soweto runs at the Drum, and a late-night audience at this year’s Cheltenham Jazz Festival have already been treated to some bits of Basement Fables, but we are hoping that this Friday we will get a lot more.

The band comprises Femi Temowo (guitar), Neil Charles (bass) and Graham Godfrey (drums) and there could be guests.

Visual producer Soopanatural will provide the images for the evening and audiences are advised to bring their mobile phones so they can take part.

And, who knows, maybe one day we will be able to buy the long-delayed CD that is Basement Fables.

Tickets are £12.50 and you can book now on thsh.co.uk or on 0121 780 3333.

There’s a neat ticket offer, as well: young people aged under 21 from the northwest Birmingham postcode areas of B8, B18, B19, B20 and B21 can collect two free tickets per person by quoting “Soweto Ticket Offer” at the Town Hall Box Office.

Before then, tomorrow is the third Tuesday in the month which means that Birmingham Jazz take their regular slot at the Jam House.

This month it’s Chris “Beebe” Aldridge on saxophone with the tiptop Bryan Corbett Quartet forming his band – Corbett on trumpet, Levi French on keys, Ben Markland on bass and Neil bullock on drums.

The Beebe will be featuring some of his own tunes and the music begins at 9.30pm. It’s free and the Jam House has a great atmosphere, so do try to make this one.

Jazz is not just a big city music – out in the country they are popping fingers and tapping feet, too.

On Friday Australian trumpeter Bob Barnard joins the Martin Litton Quartet at the next of the Friends of Upton Jazz Festival’s regular sessions.

They are held at the Hanley Castle High School. The code for the satnav is WR8 0BL, and for the rest of us, the school is in Church End, off the B4211 approximately 1 mile north of Upton-upon-Severn.

For membership details, tickets or advance reservations contact Paul Lawrence at Court Cottage, Lockeridge Lane, Upton-Upon-Severn, Worcester, WR8 0RP, Tel 01684 593794. Gosh, they still have postal addresses out there!

Other gigs this week:

Friday: Interplay are the Rush Hour Blues band in the Symphony Hall foyer bar from 5.30pm.

Saturday: The John Williams Septet, with Chris Gumbley, Dick Pearce and Dave Warren in the band, are at Leasowes Bank Farm as part of the Leasowes Bank Arts Festival. It starts at 8pm and tickets are £11 (£7 under 18s). Call 01743 790769 or email musicatleasowes@googlemail.com for more details.

Sunday: Andy Hamilton and the Blue Notes play the lunchtime session at The Drum. It starts at 12.30pm and it’s free. More on the-drum.org.uk

If you have any news or views you’d like to share, email me at peterbacon@mac.com

The blog is at thejazzbreakfast.blogspot.com