Lancashire festival Ribble Valley Jazz & Blues in Clitheroe welcomes the Nikki Iles Jazz Orchestra, Corto.Alto and Emma Johnson's Gravyboat this spring among the bumper spread of performers booked for the early-May long bank holiday weekend. Without the risk of dribbling on too much, venues include The Grand, Ale House, Rose And Crown and Beer Shack. Among the Nikki Orchestra personnel are erstwhile Impossible Gentleman Salford guitar icon Mike Walker & the Billy Jenkins Voice of God Collective alumnus bassist Steve Watts in good form with the Zoetic last year. Steve Gadd of the Valleys Ian Thomas, recently in fine fettle on Sarah L. King's Fire Horse, is on drums. Mark Knopfler trumpeter Tom Walsh, Britjazz icon Henry Lowther and sax supremo Julian Siegel are among the horn and reeds sections. The Nikki gig is at the Grand circa 5pm on Monday the 6th of May.

Pianist, accordionist, bandleader, composer, arranger, conductor Iles' Face to Face released last year was a new career 'igh. Released nigh on to mark Iles' 60th birthday collaborating on the Edition label release with the mighty NDR Big Band on an album of her own music proving at times funkily flavoursome ('Red Ellen') or even nimbly laconic ('Wild Oak' - an Iles piece covered on NYJO's She Said issued in 2022), Face to Face was recorded in Hamburg in 2021 and remains a must for all big band fans and especially long term followers of this inventive composer. A pick of the whole album turned out to be the Kenny Wheeler-like turn the album takes on the poignant title track and the storming 'Awakening' although the Mike Gibbs-like ensemble flourishes found on 'Misfits' also lit the album up a good deal. UK jazzers among the Face to Face heavy hitters included flautist Gareth Lockrane who also finds himself in the far from piddling Ribble Valley line-up with Walker and Thomas among the Illes 18-piecer. 3-6 May - info - Nikki Iles, pictured

• Also in the north-west in May is the Manchester Jazz Festival, click for info. Dates are 17-26 May. Artists taking part include Courtney Pine, John Surman, Huw Warren, Julian Joseph, Trish Clowes and Ross Stanley,