NEXT Wednesday’s attraction at Pocklington Arts Centre, Joe Power, The Man Who Sees Dead People, could be of great interest to the jazz audience.

Did Louis Armstrong really drop the word sheet to invent scat on Heebie Jeebies? Did Glen Miller fake his disappearance in 1944 to follow his dream of a hat shop in Ostend? Did Wingy Manone ever buy a new arm? Celebrated medium Joe may reveal all.

A more overtly jazz-tacious event at Pocklington was the appearance of the Pasadena Roof Orchestra on May 12.

Don Lodge reports that York’s own Andy Hillier was the show-stopper, with his version of Me And Jane In A Plane, in leather flying helmet, buzzing the front rows with his trombone.

Andy is a graduate of the Leeds College of Music and one of the jazz tutors is guitarist Jez Franks. Tonight he brings his Compassionate Dictatorship quartet to Wakefield Jazz to play music from their new CD, Cash Cow (01977 680542).

Great news this week that jazz is now on the menu, at least as a starter, at York’s five-star Cedar Court Grand Hotel. Bejazzled will play on the Roof Terrace tomorrow from 11am to 1pm. Later on Saturday evening, Jazz In The Spa presents Barry Palser’s Savoy Jazz Band (01937 842544). The Boston Spa venue is unlicensed, so take your own tipple.

Sunday presents a difficult choice, with lunchtime jazz at the Royal York Hotel from 12.30pm to 3pm and at Kennedys Cafe Bar, Little Stonegate from 1pm to 4pm. Leeds group Jazz Impressions will play at the Royal York buffet carvery from 12.30 to 3pm (01904 653681) and pianist Zezo Olimpio leads the trio at Kennedys (01904 620222).

The favourite venue for Sunday night is The Phoenix Inn, George Street, with quality jazz from the Ian Chalk Quartet (01904 656401).

Scarborough Jazz welcomes saxophonist Matt Smith and his band to the Cask, Cambridge Terrace (01723 500570) on Wednesday.

If Sunday jazz presents difficult choices, Thursday will send you into a spin with three equally enticing possibilities. Six-piece Jazz @ Jerome’s will be at the Phoenix, while the fortnightly sessions with Karl Mullen’s Jazz Band at Churchill’s Hotel, Bootham, also falls on Thursday (01904 644456). All that and the Mardi Gras Band at the Old White Swan, Goodramgate (01904 540911).

The Dave Stapleton Quintet is a distinctive band recalling the classy solos and creativity of the great Blue Note and Riverside recordings.

The new album, Between The Lines (Edition Records), offers a wide palette of moods and influences, delicately pastoral to blisteringly passionate. The album opener, October Sky, has pianist/composer Stapleton in impressionistic solo mood on Fender Rhodes, in minor key with eastern cadences.

Track two, Horn, is a long piece of changing moods and tempos, contemplative slow tempos alternating with high-energy, fiery solos in Blue Note mode, with driving riffs and syncopated rhythms.

Dry White (“it’s all she drinks”) is dedicated to bass player Paula Gardiner and has a considered and thoughtful solo on the big string thing. Socks First has trumpeter Jonny Bruce in Chet Baker mode, slightly fluffy tone, slow vibrato. Wig Wag, for saxophonist Ben Waghorn, is straight into virile, Shorty Rogers group sound, with up-tempo melody chasing its tail, before moving to a Wayne Shorter-ish, riff-based improvised section.

This is a very exciting and satisfying album, grown-up music with remarkable group empathy. Give it a listen at editionrecords.com