CURTIS Stigers will play Pocklington Arts Centre on February 17, and this will be a date with Stigers in jazz rather than pop mode.

Having taken a detour into international pop stardom, he has returned to his first love, jazz music, to record three albums for the Concord label since 2001.

"It was great fun, but in the process I got pegged as something I wasn't. That wasn't what I planned," he says, recalling his pop success. "I realised jazz was what I needed to be doing. I wanted to return to my roots."

Through Concord, he has released Baby Plays Around, his selection of jazz covers; Secret Heart, led off by his reinterpretation of the Ron Sexsmith-penned title track; and You Inspire Me, his modern jazz twist on works by Bob Dylan, Ray Davies, Randy Newman, John Lennon and Merle Haggard.

"First and foremost, it's about the songs; great songs by modern songwriters who have inspired me," says the New York singer and saxophonist. "You Inspire Me is a little less straight-ahead than my previous releases, more experimental. More twisted. I realised creating jazz meant combining all the influences that shaped me musically. I grew up on rock, folk, blues, country, as well as jazz music. They're all here on this disc."

Tickets for the 8pm concert cost £19.50 on 01759 301547.

Updated: 15:54 Thursday, January 06, 2005