Byron Wallen
Always a thoughtful rather than a showy player, UK trumpeter Wallen's latest project investigates the music of the Gnawa, a Sufi brotherhood from Morocco, fusing it with jazz and dub.
The Fleece, Boxford 6 Apr
Cafe Jazz Club, Cardiff 19 Apr
Killer Shrimp
Piano-less quartet, co-led by trumpeter Damon Brown and saxophonist Ed Jones, who take a Fifties bop approach, layered with their own contemporary, questing style.
The Maritime Rooms, Southend,
19 Apr
Mat and Phreds, Manchester,
21 Apr
Hull Jazz, 25 Apr
Spice of Life, London, 26 Apr
Boxford Fleece, 27 Apr
Princess of Wales, London, 29 Apr
Nigel Kennedy
The former enfant terrible of classical violin is now dedicating 50 per cent of his time to jazz, which he's played since his days at the Menuhin school. Don't miss - he's absolutely terrific live.
Ronnie Scott's 23-25, 27, 28 Apr
The Vortex, 29 Apr
Stanley Clarke
Expect anything from overblown soul to tight fusion and, just possibly, some standards: Clarke gets away with being hit and miss on the taste front because he's been one of the world's top electric bassists for more than 30 years.
Jazz Cafe, 29-30 Apr, 1 May
Kenny Garrett
An alumnus of one of the last Miles Davis bands and a keen student of McCoy Tyner, Kenny Garrett deserves to be considered today's master of the alto saxophone; his last appearance at Ronnie Scott's was your critic's gig of the year, 2006. Garrett moves effortlessly between the most uncompromising post bop to the fattest, dancefloor-filling funk, as well as being a composer of note, with a great facility for surprisingly delicate ballads.
Ronnie Scott's 12-14 April
Cheltenham Jazz Festival
Well-established now as the leading UK jazz festival outside London, Cheltenham is also one of the friendliest - not least because all the venues, from the Town Hall to the Everyman Theatre, are relatively close to each other. Headline names this year include Bob Brookmeyer, Madeleine Peyroux, Charles Lloyd, Bennie Maupin and, er, Marti Pellow (reinventing himself as a crooner). Just as interesting are the younger players of the Jerwood Jazz Generation series. And don't leave without checking out the late night jam sessions at the Kandinsky Hotel.
Cheltenham Jazz Festival, 1-7 May
Abram Wilson:
Ride! Ferris Wheel to the Modern Day Delta
An ambitious concept album from London-based Wilson, a very talented trumpeter and singer originally from New Orleans. He returns to his native city for this story of a trumpeter torn between taking over his father's jazz club and touring with a hip-hop band.
Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia:
Never say Goodbye
So titled because aged 62, and suffering from Parkinson's, the English saxophonist remains a fiery, forceful presence - rock-influenced, eclectic but always full of vitality.
Steve Kuhn:
Live at Birdland
Intriguingly phrased, restrained chamber jazz from the trio led by the ex-Coltrane and Getz pianist with support that, in such a context, couldn't be bettered from Ron Carter on bass and Al Foster on drums.
Ronnie Scott and the Band:
Live at Ronnie Scott's
This 1968 reissue demonstrates why Scott the leader was just as important as Scott the club owner; he's on great form here, with the cream of UK talent of the time including Kenny Wheeler and John Surman.
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