YOUNG trombonist Andy Hillier rarely ceases to amaze with his versatility.

Having just formed his new band, Tradtastic, as well as being a regular member of the Leeds College of Music-based Ellington Experience Orchestra and cropping up as a soloist around the region with various groups, he now moves into salsa music with Los Feos. Andy is a much younger and more talented trombonist than myself, so I may just have to kill him. The Good, the Bad and now Los Feos - yes, it translates as the Ugly.

He joins the equally versatile and ubiquitous bass player Paul Baxter in a line-up based on the classic rhythm section of conga, bongos and timbales. Paul is one of the stalwarts of the Black Swan jam sessions and sometimes brings his sparky band Head First into York. Another over-achiever, and equally youthful - I may have to kill him too. But before they sleep with the fishes, hear Los Feos for yourself on Sunday night (18th) at City Screen, Coney Street, York (details from 01904 541144).

Tomorrow night, (17th) York's National Railway Museum will be running an evening of Chicago-style jazz with the Alan Gresty/Brian White Ragtimers. Tickets are available at the NRM shop in St Helen's Square, or on the door.

Also tomorrow night, the long-running Jazz At The Spa will present an alternative choice of Chicago-style with Alan Beechey's Bright Stars of Jazz. Details from 01937 842544.

The live jazz continues at the Victoria Vaults, Nunnery Lane, York, on Sunday, from 3pm to 6pm and your second helping of Sunday jazz, creating a choices dilemma with the City Screen session above, is the Black Swan jam session in Peasholme Green, York.

Nina and Karl will be playing Fine and Mellow at the Rook and Gaskill, Lawrence Street, York on Monday night.

For your Tuesday (20th) jazz, look to Scarborough Jazz at Scholars bar for what could emerge as the gig of the week with an exciting new band, the Clare Hirst/Hilary Cameron Band. Clare plays saxophone, Hilary covers piano and vocals and they lean towards the Latin American songbook, as demonstrated on their new CD Summer Song, which features Hilary's Tania Maria-style vocals. Details from 01723 379818.

The organisers of Scarborough Jazz, Marian and Mike Gordon, are delighted with the news that BBC Radio 3 have confirmed they will be broadcasting live from the Scarborough Jazz Festival on September 18. The 4pm Jazz Line-up slot will tune in to the Scarbor-ough Spa to cover the presentation of Songs For Unsung Heroes.

This will be a cycle of songs and instrumentals celebrating heroes of the jazz world, about whom songs have not been written. These include Lester Young, Joe Harriott, Slim Gaillard and local rhythm sections. The presenter and lyric writer is one of our most eminent playwrights, Alan Plater, a jazz enthusiast who has a long career in radio, TV (Beider-becke Trilogy), theatre and films.

The eight-piece Alan Barnes All Stars will provide the music and contains some of the great stars of British jazz - Bruce Adams, Stan Sulzman and Brian Dee. Also involved will be vocalist Liz Fletcher, one of the UK's top jazz singers. Make a big, red diary tick.

Ron Burnett

Updated: 15:17 Thursday, July 15, 2004