Gig choice for 11-17 March

Sara Oschlag Quartet Victory Club Ballroom, Cheltenham Monday 11 March

The drummer in underknown Brightonian Dane jazz singer Sara Oschlag's band heading for Cheltenham is Darren Beckett known for Live in Arklow and his work with Brandon Flowers and Madeleine Peyroux. The Oschlag pianist is Mark Edwards whose In Deep was certainly tiptop. UK Hungarian bass don Arnie Somogyi of the BATL Quartet completes what some would understandably deem in jazz parlance a mutha of a rhythm section.

Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet Ronnie Scott's, London Mon 11 Mar and Tuesday 12 Mar

RBC Jazz Orchestra Plays Stan Tracey's Genesis Suite feat. Clark Tracey Eastside, Birmingham Mon 11 Mar

Rob Barron Trio feat. Emma Smith Watermill, Dorking Tues 12 Mar

Alex Merritt/Antonio Fusco Quartet The Flute and Tankard, Cardiff Tues 12 Mar

Jean Toussaint and Freddie Gavita Legion Hall, Marlow Tues 12 Mar

TJ Johnson Jamboree, London Wednesday 13 Mar in the afternoon

Joel Purnell The Cask, Scarborough Wed 13 Mar

Terence Blanchard E-Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet Band on the Wall, Manchester Wed 13 Mar

The very powerful track 'Absence' in 2021 introduced the album of the same name new back then from Terence Blanchard. Shaped significantly and conceived overall as a Wayne Shorter tribute Absence found the great New Orleanian trumpeter composer Blanchard with his band the E-Collective plus the Turtle Island Quartet on Blue Note. Absence featured Shorter, Blanchard and E-collective pieces whose bassist David Ginyard wrote the title track. Shorter work included on the album included 'The Elders' (featured on Weather Report's 1978 album Mr Gone); 'Fall' (on Miles Davis 1968 album Nefertiti); 'When It Was Now' (on the 1996 Wayne compilation This is Jazz Vol. 19) and 'Diana,' on both Wayne's 1975's Native Dancer and the 1997 duo album with Herbie Hancock, 1+1.

Chris Dean with the Dave Cottle trio Cu Mumbles, Swansea Wed 13 Mar

Nigel Mooney's Organ Works Arthur's, Dublin Thursday 14 Mar

Alex Hitchcock Dream Band The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen Thurs 14 Mar

Alex Merritt/Antonio Fusco Quartet Hen and Chicken, Bristol Thurs 14 Mar

Noble-Slavík-Clarvis 1000 Trades, Birmingham Friday 15 Mar

Theo Erskine and Mark Kavuma Turner Sims, Southampton Fri 15 Mar

On Ultrasound reviewed in December hard bop trumpeter Mark Kavuma proved very much in the zone with tenorist Theo Erskine in a retro set that punched above its weight. Pianist of the moment Noah Stoneman was spotted yet again - the upcoming Turner Sims show has Olivia Dean pianist Deschanel Gordon listed in the band. If you are into Monk and heritage bebop this is very much for you. So many appealing sax-trumpet heads and plenty of space for improvisation in the soloing fed in hooks us in time and time again.

Nigel Mooney's Organ Failure Scott's, Belfast Fri 15 Mar

Yamäya The Boileroom, Guildford Fri 15 Mar

Helen Gayle Quintet The Hound Dog, Derby Fri 15 Mar

Chris Standring Pizza Express Live, London Thurs 14 Mar, Fri 15 Mar, Saturday 16 Mar

Martin Shaw with the David Gordon Special The White House, Oxford Thurs 14 Mar

Jeremy Sassoon Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham Sat 16 Mar 6pm show

Art Themen Organ Trio Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames Sat 16 Mar

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Sugar Club, Dublin Sat 16 Mar

Julian Siegel Quartet Vortex, London Sat 16 Mar

Heidi Vogel Quartet The Verdict, Brighton Sat 16 Mar

Blind Monk Ma Boyle's, Liverpool Sat 16 Mar

John Donegan Sextet Bello Bar, Dublin Sat 16 Mar

Luis Verde trio The Globe, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Sunday 17 Mar - St Patrick's Day

Vincent Herring & Soul Chemistry featuring Erena Terakubo Key theatre, Peterborough Sun 17 Mar - St Patrick's Day

In the afternoon and also sold out in the evening evincing in the horn section on 'Silverdust' on the Heavy Hitters' brilliant album of the same name alto great Vincent Herring soloed mightily. A coup for the Peterborough Jazz Club hosting the American, known for his work with Nat Adderley of 'Work Song' fame, and his combination.

Jeffrey Hewer Quintet Seven, Leeds Sun 17 Mar - St Patrick's Day - in the afternoon

On piano with guitarist Hewer is Jamil Sheriff whose Red Kite is a UK jazz album release highlight thus far in 2024

Jo Harrop and John Bailey Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham Sun 17 Mar in the afternoon of St Patrick's Day

Louise Clare Marshall 606, London Sun 17 Mar - St Patrick's Day

Marianne McGregor The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh Sun 17 Mar - St Patrick's Day

Freddie Garner Quartet The Railway, Stockport Sun 17 Mar - St Patrick's Day

Terence Blanchard plays Manchester on Wednesday night

Tags: gigs

Nikki Iles, above, Ingrid Jensen and the Royal Academy of Music Big Band Vortex, London Fri 8 Mar

Jon Lloyd Quartet 1000 Trades, Birmingham Fri 8 Mar

Jim Thorn Quartet Ventnor Arts Club, Isle of Wight Fri 8 Mar

Jo Harrop Crazy Coqs, London Fri 8 Mar 7pm show

Chris Seefried magic at work again producing the earworm 'She Carries On' which is new on Mayank Patel's Lateralize label from Chester-Le-Street's finest, jazz singer Jo Harrop - an International Women's Day show at one of Soho's best jazz venues, basement club Crazy Coqs, a stone's throw from Eros. Guitarist and producer Seefried was also vital in the fabulous jazz hit Lady Blackbird Black Acid Soul sound. The pianist on the track is Black Acid Soul pianist Deron Johnson known for his work on Miles Davis' last studio album, the hip-hop influenced album Doobop, released in 1992 - not long after Miles' death the summer before.

Tori Freestone and Alcyona Mick Crazy Coqs, London Fri 8 Mar 9.15pm show

Andy Panayi's Boptet St Andrew's church, Hove Fri 8 Mar

Byron Wallen

Byron Wallen's Four Corners Lighthouse, Poole Fri 8 Mar

Hearing Four Corners in 2020 just before Lockdown, trumpeter Byron Wallen told the audience that time that the band had been playing together for three or four years and the place was packed with a lot of musicians in the audience as well as punters in what because of circumstances was a combined two-band audience. Poole is in for a treat if the gig is anything like that London appearance in Holborn - it was one of the best live gigs attended in simply years.

Rod Youngs on drums and Rob Luft on electric guitar had toured a good deal the previous year with Dave O'Higgins and Scott Flanigan and have excellent rapport, Youngs powerful on the off beats and his bebop mastery of the bass drum certainly came into its own on the more syncopated sections for extra propulsion that Byron certainly responded to later particularly when he picked up blocks.

The tunes included the fine 'Silent Praise' and a tribute to Harry Beckett (1935-2010) called 'Pink' named after the door on an unnamed house on the Stoke Newington street that the great trumpeter advised Byron to look for when visiting him years ago. Byron said only a fellow trumpeter knows the challenge in keeping your playing chops in shape as Harry did.

The new at the time Portrait material from Byron's first album in more than a decade had plenty of oomph and fizzed with ideas. Byron's conch shell feature using pedal delay and capture that allowed him to use high pitched shells to be accompanied by the lower ranged sounds that he had moments earlier created really worked and integrated neatly when the solo flowed into band collective improvisation that then painted an expansive canvas.

Emily Saunders Music Room, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool Fri 8 Mar

Glenn Miller Orchestra dir. Ray McVay Stables, Wavendon Fri 8 Mar

Ciarán Wilde Quartet Scott's, Belfast Friday 8 Mar

Christine Tobin and Phil Robson Carnegie Arts Centre, Kenmare, Co. Kerry Fri 8 Mar

Ariel Cubillas Jazz Cafe, Lincoln Fri 8 Mar

Hannah Horton Quartet Crookes Social Club, Sheffield Fri 8 Mar

Sarah-Jane Morris The Tung, Liverpool Fri 8 Mar

Gig choice for 11-17 March

Steppin' out - pick of tonight's gigs