Another solid week of good club gigs and free treats lies ahead, with some vibrant visiting players and strong support from the home teams.
Down at Stratford Jazz on Wednesday, the joint is likely to be jumping as saxophonist Dave O’Higgins brings his particularly ebullient tenor saxophone playing to No 1 Shakespeare Street in Stratford upon Avon.
Dave will be joining the Kieron Garrett trio – Garrett on piano with Mike Pratt on bass and Pete Cumber on drums, and they bring some Latin and funk grooves into the mix along with jazz standards. O’Higgins is a man whose playing lights up a room so this should be great night. It starts at 8pm, entry is £10 (students half price) and you can find out more at www.stratfordjazz.org.uk
* The idea of focusing on a jazz great and interpreting their music is a good one and much in vogue at present. A few weeks ago Birmingham Jazz ran a cracking night dedicated to the Blue Note label players of the 1960s, and this evening the Tim Amann Trio is doing the same for one of the defining pianists of modern jazz, the late, great Bill Evans. Tim and crew are at the Silvershine Jazz Club which meets at the Bearwood Corks Club in Bearwood. Doors open at 8.30pm, and entry is a mere £4. More at www.bearwoodjazz.co.uk.
* Tomorrow’s early evening Jazzlines Free Jazz session spotlights the education work of the organisation, with special reference to their Summer School which started last year. On the stand will be the Jazzlines Ensemble and joining them will be the Jazzlines Trio.
Pianist Reuben James has been making his mark on the professional jazz scene and had his own trio gig at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival earlier this month. With him on bass is James Banner and on drums Ric Yarborough.
Hear them all from 5pm in the Symphony Hall Cafe Bar. Entry is free. More at www.thsh.co.uk/jazzlines
* From there, James Banner will be moving swiftly in a northerly direction and if you follow him, you can hear a new band emerging from the Birmingham scene. They play new music by drummer Billy Weir, and with him are Dan Searjeant, Ben Lee and David Ferris. And James Banner, of course.
The band is called Nest and they are playing at The Red Lion in Warstone Lane, courtesy of Birmingham Jazz.
This is a BJ Club Night so members get in free and the rest pay £4. The doors open at 7.45pm. If you want to become a member, go to www.birminghamjazz.co.uk
* Other good gigs this week:
Tomorrow: Sam Rogers and the Hospital Dodgers are at The Ort Cafe from 8.30pm. Tickets are £5 on the door and there is more at www.ortcafe.co.uk
Saturday: Find out what a jazz rehearsal is like by sitting in as the Blam! Composers Ensemble works on some new music in the Symphony Hall Cafe Bar from 3.45pm. More at www.blambirmingham.co.uk
Tuesday: Pianist and vocalist Martin Trotman is at the Jam House with his band from 8.30pm. Entry to this Jazzlines gig is free. More at www.thsh.co.uk/jazzlines
Tuesday: The John Fleming Quartet plays The Spotted Dog in Digbeth from 9pm. Fleming won the 2010 BBC Scotland Young Jazz Musicians Of The Year award and the saxophonist has Andy Bunting on piano, Nick Jurd on bass and Jonathan Silk on drums. More at www.blambirmingham.co.uk.
