TWO rivals for your attention in York tonight are the Blueflies at The Clifton Hotel, Water Lane (01904 692923) and The James Taylor Quartet at The Duchess, Stonebow (01904 641413).

Energy levels will be turned up to eleven at both. The York power trio the Blueflies are not to be missed, but if you can’t get in, the Hammond organ of James Taylor will do fine.

After Polar Bear, The Bad Plus, Sleepthief and Get The Blessing, a group of Leeds College graduates have stepped on to the odd-jazz-names escalator. If Destroyed Still True are a tenor saxophone/trumpet led sextet which has been nominated for the national Promoter’s Choice award, run by Jazz Services.

Of 21 bands on the list, they were one of the three winners. This earned them a gig at the London Jazz Festival and a national tour, which tonight brings them to Wakefield Jazz (01977 680542).

The club describes them as “the most exciting Leeds-based band playing in an approachable style which has emerged for a long time”. Make a note of another national tour coming to Wakefield next week, Tim Garland’s Lighthouse Trio.

Saxophonist Tim Garland is primarily known for his jazz work, notably as a member of Chick Corea’s group in the USA and Acoustic Triangle in the UK.

Alongside this he has written for the LSO, Sidney Symphony, Boston Pops and the BBC Concert Orchestra, so to hear his new Lighthouse Trio double CD album, Libra, augmented by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra comes as no surprise.

The first album, Sun, has the trio of Gwilym Simcock (piano) and Asaf Sirkis (percussion) on three long tracks, and the first sound is that of the hang drum.

The hang drum was featured with the Portico Quartet recently at Fibbers in York and looks like a couple of cooking woks welded together to form a flying saucer. Played with the hands, it produces a tuned effect similar to Jamaican steel pans and Sirkis demonstrates masterful control on the appropriately titled Hang Loose. On Arabesque For Three, Garland moves from tenor saxophone to soprano. An open, spacey melody develops into a hot trio conversation, before being joined by US-based guitarist Paul Bollenback.

The lack of bass in the ensemble goes unnoticed due to the variety of effects created by Garland’s alternating use of saxophones and bass clarinet and the bluesy twang of Bollenback’s steel string acoustic guitar on four tracks. The dramatic entry of the RPO to Garland’s warmly expressive tenor recalls the pairing of Stan Getz with the Eddie Sauter Orchestra on the celebrated Focus album.

CD two, Moon, features live recordings and opens with Miles Davis’ Blue In Green and also includes Nostalgia In Times Square (Charles Mingus) and Sly Eyes (Kenny Wheeler). Make next Friday a diary date at Wakefield, for it is sure to be a sell-out.

Tomorrow night, the Spirit Of New Orleans comes to Jazz In The Spa (01937 842544), promising “from Jelly Roll to the Revivalist”.

One-man jazz machine Karl Mullen has started a new Sunday lunchtime session at the Tanglewood Restaurant, Malton Road, York, from 12.30pm (01904 468611). The trio is completed by Trevor King (drums) and Paul Baxter (bass).

Also on Sunday, star saxophonist Rob Lavers will be at Kennedys, Little Stonegate, York (01904 620222) from 1pm to 4pm.

Later on Sunday, outstanding York guitarist Al Morrison joins vocalist Jen Low and the nine-piece Blues Experience at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre at 7.30pm. Tickets from the York Theatre Royal on 01904 623568.

The Wednesday night jam session with some of the region’s top musicians has returned to the Black Swan, Peasholme Green (01904 679131).

Scarborough Jazz also runs on Wednesdays at the Cask, Cambridge Terrace (01723 500570). Guitarist Al Morrison and flugelhorn/trumpeter Ian Chalk take a bit of old York to the Pearl of the East Coast on Wednesday.