Manchester's adventurous Beats & Pieces Big Band return to the fray with their third studio album Good Days on 18 January 2023, it's been announced by the band's long-time label Efpi. Fourteen years since starting out Ben Cottrell's big band this time around opted to record in Scotland and Manchester and utilise sprinkles of field recordings from Bern and Berlin. Big Ideas was their first studio album in 2011 followed by All In four years later and the live album 10 in 2018. The 14-piece will also be touring to chime with release. Dates so far include Sheffield, London (Ronnie Scott's on the 6th and 7th February) and Manchester. The album personnel is Ben Cottrell, director; Anthony Brown, Emily Burkhardt, Oliver Dover, sax; Simon Lodge, Rich McVeigh, Phil O’Malley, trombone; Owen Bryce, Graham South, Nick Walters, trumpet; Anton Hunter, guitar; Richard Jones, piano/Rhodes; Stewart Wilson, bass and Finlay Panter, drums. Most of the tunes are by Cottrell plus a couple by Brown and one, 'Op', by Panter - streaming ahead of release - who is currently on the road with Let Spin touring Thick as Thieves. Soloists include Jones, Dover, Brown, South, Panter and O’Malley.

More reading:

• All In review - 2015

• Live review from Belfast - 2019