GREAT news is that York's newest restaurant will have two jazz nights, on Friday and Saturday.

Anastasia's seafood restaurant, previously Partners in High Ousegate, will feature the talents of pianist Karl Mullen and others.

York now has six nights of jazz every week and continuing on from these two new sessions is the Sunday night jam session at the Black Swan, Peasholme Green, then on Mondays Nina and Karl play Fine & Mellow at the Rook and Gaskill, Lawrence Street.

Tuesday will be the only jazz-less night, but the Black Swan hosts the second weekly jam session on Wednesdays, while John Addy's Some Like It Hot play alternate weeks at the Old Orleans, Low Ousegate, also on Wednesday.

The Old White Swan is the home of jazz on Thursday nights and next week bass player Dave Scarth has something of a scoop as his special guest is British jazz star and recording artist, Gary Boyle. Guitarist Gary shot to the top with Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll in the 1960s, the band responsible for the theme tune for TV's Absolutely Fabulous.

Jazz in the Spa, Boston Spa, has been running for more than 15 years on a mainly Trad ticket. Tomorrow night (28th), York's Greg Wadman will be the guest trumpeter with the Yorkshire Post Jazz Band. The venue is the Trustees Hall, High Street, and you will hear more details of Jazz in the Spa from 01937 842544.

Greg has a busy weekend ahead, as he turns up at Levisham Station on Sunday with the Mardi Gras Quartet, to play an afternoon session from 2pm for the North Yorkshire Steam Railway.

The Musicians' Union has a close relationship with Amnesty International and the York branch of the Union will be sponsoring a special event on Bank Holiday Monday, 30 August. Funded by the Union, the six-piece Mardi Gras Band, featuring the ubiquitous Greg Wadman, will play an informal concert in aid of Amnesty International in Rowntree Park, York. Entry will be free and you are welcome to bring along a picnic and to enjoy a lively programme of entertaining jazz with lots of vocals and jollity beginning at around 3pm.

Scarborough Jazz at Scholars welcomes back the Leeds-based vocalist Julie Edwards and the Kevin Dearden Band on Tuesday. The Scarborough date is part of a national tour by the band. More details of Scarborough Jazz from 01723 379818.

Saxophonist Jools Slater and pianist Karl Mullen recently started a new venture of Jazz In The Sticks, every Thursday at the Farmers Inn, Brafferton, Helperby. The group Ventura has a refreshingly flexible line-up and on Thursday it will appear in the form of piano and guitar. More details from Jools Slater on 01904 733599.

This week's CD comes from Canada, but it sounds more Californian in its synth-driven beats and good-time, ain't-life-great lyrics. The album is Nura, on Start Music Productions Inc. and a glance at the publicity explains the California connection, by proclaiming that vocalist Nura is "Canada's Newest Smooth Jazz Diva". The rise of Smooth Jazz is down to the phenomenon of the music business following the fashion industry in a reprise of the styles of the 1970s. Dave Grusin's Californian GRP Records is the top-selling smooth jazz label.

So with Nura, we have soothing guitar synthesizers and nifty Latin American rhythms, from the opening track We're Not Alone. Track two, Falling, confirms the 1970s feel with big production, jazz-rock drumming and keyboards with lots of reverb.

Co-leader and bass guitarist Stuart Steinhart probably needs a truck to carry the collection of different basses listed. Check out: six-string bass guitar, 12 string soprano bass, nylon six-string bass, six-string fretted, "stu sound" vg-88 6-string bass and vg-8 bass.

Jazz buffs have probably heard all the George Benson sound-alikes they need, to say nothing of hippie-inspired feel-good, soul-lite 1970s grooves.

However, smooth jazz is enjoying success and Nura hits the market on the button. The album can be ordered from Start Music Productions Inc. through Amazon.com

Updated: 15:36 Thursday, August 26, 2004