You can pack 1001 nights into just one evening at the Town Hall on Thursday when The Destroyers mix jazz, folk and Bollywood into one tempting musical jumble sale.

The Destroyers are 15 in number and mix a jazz horn section with Balkan folk fiddles and clarinet, accordion and hurdy-gurdy plus electric rhythm team and much madness besides.

The Destroyers were the favourites in the recent Birmingham Jazz audience poll of Rush Hour Blues performers at the Symphony Hall foyer bar sessions, and also went down a storm with the Sunday morning family audience at this year's Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

Many of them are graduates from the Birmingham Conservatoire, a reminder of just how much that institution enriches the City's musical life.

Joining The Destroyers for this evocation of Scheherazade's famous tales are the Dhol Blasters and vocalist/dancer Sanchita Pal.

Expect lots of running round the stage from the Destroyers, some impressively loud drumming from the Dhol Blasters and some exquisite and seductive singing from Sanchita. A Thousand And One Nights is part of the Birmingham New Generation Festival and is partly commissioned by Birmingham Jazz.

Tickets are £12 and available from thsh. co.uk or on 0121 780 3333. It starts at 7.30pm on Thursday.

A few weeks ago a small audience of students and their supporters were treated to the finals of the Dave Holland Ensemble Award at Birmingham Conservatoire (judged and presented by the great man himself).

The worthy winners were the John Randall Quartet, and regulars at the Rush Hour Blues Symphony Hall foyer sessions can find out what all the fuss was about on Friday.

Drummer John Randall writes strong material and gives it a forceful pulse while Dan Nicholls on keyboards, Mike Fletcher on saxophone and flute, and Empirical's Tom Farmer on electric bass add more fancy bits. It's fresh, it's new and it challenges as well as pleases. Find out what it sounds like from 5.30pm. And it's free.

Dan Nicholls, becomes Daniel Nicholls (well, that's what his mum calls him) at The Prince of Wales in Weston Road, Stafford, on Saturday night.

Gillie Nicholls (the mum in question) is a singer/songwriter with a strong folk-rock background - she was a member of Ashley Hutchings's Albion Band - but is now performing her songs with string arrangements by Dan - sorry, Daniel - and he will also be playing piano and saxophone.

Also on the bill is guitarist Tristan Seume, who mixes folk and classical influences into a highly individual style.

Tickets are available on the door (open from 8pm), or request them by email from gillie@gillienichols.com or by calling 07817550360.

And finally, on Sunday, Stratford Jazz is very proud to present not only the Jim Mullen Organ Trio, but also saxophonist Stan Sulzmann. Stan joins guitarist Jim, organist Mike Gorman and drummer Matt Skelton for what is bound to be a really great night.

Tickets are £8 and you would be well advised to get hold of some beforehand as a band like this tends to sell out the venue.

Call Roy on 01789 298607 or go to stratfordjazz.org.uk and fill out a booking form. Stratford Jazz meets at the White Swan in Stratford-upon-Avon every Sunday starting at 8pm.

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