THERE can’t be many hoteliers who, in the midst of the lucrative Christmas season, would send a text to the resident band along the lines of “can’t wait to get back to the sensible season of the regular jazz”.

However, that was the message from Henny Clark, owner of the Middletons Hotel, Skeldergate, to your writer and the sensible season returns tonight at 8pm with the Mardi Gras Band at Chaplin’s Bar in the Skeldergate venue (01904 611570).

Sunday is one of the busy jazz days in York, with three gigs, starting at 1pm with instrumental jazz from John Marley, Paul Smith and friends at Kennedy’s Café Bar, Little Stonegate (01904 620222).

Karl Mullen (piano) and Jen Low (vocals) plus guests will play blues, soul and jazz standards at the Rook and Gaskill, Lawrence Street, at 7pm (01904 652050). Just around the corner through Fishergate Bar, Chris Moore’s Central Scrutinizers will play the music of Monk, Mingus and Wayne Shorter at the Phoenix Inn, George Street, from 8pm (01904 656401).

Wednesday also has a choice, with the celebrated Phoenix jam session at 8pm and the Kier Hall Jazz Band at Zizzi’s Restaurant, Lendal.

Outside of York, the long-running Jazz in the Spa will present the Kid Boyd Jazz Band on Saturday at 8pm (019377 844898). The band plays a varied repertoire, driven by the Spa’s favourite drummer, Rod MacNamara.

Scarborough Jazz runs every Wednesday at the Cask Inn, Cambridge Terrace, and next Wednesday’s guests will be the Wild Flower Quintet, led by saxophonist Matt Smith and including rising star trumpeter Laura Jurd and Jamil Sheriff at the piano (01723 500570).

 

• WITH a late return from Christmas holiday, I missed the Best CDs of 2013 feature in last Thursday’s What’s On, so here are my choices:

Album of the year: Blue Touch Paper, Drawing Breath (Provocateur Records)

Two years in the making, this is an album of stunning creativity which reveals new depths with each listening, a compendium of sounds and melodies alternating the gently ruminative with full-throated pyrotechnics from a virtuoso sextet. As a prolific composer for film, TV and big bands, leader/keyboardist Colin Towns still has astounding reserves of creative gravy for this rich jazz brew, so sumptuous you need to sample it over several listenings to catch all the varied nuances of jollity, bombast, multi-layered instrumentals, plus a crazy take on the tango.

Most impressive new-comer:

Marius Neset, Birds (Edition Records)

Most impressive big band debut:

Reuben Fowler, Between Shadows (Edition Records)

Most impressive multi-saxophonist:

Pete Thomas & the Horns a Plenty, BIG (Mermaid Records)

Best vocal album:

Jacqui Dankworth, Live To Love (Specific Jazz) Ron Burnett