FRANK Brooker is one of the region's favourite players and he brings his own band Swinging Nuts to Jazz in the Spa, the Trustees Hall, Boston Spa, tomorrow night (3rd). Frank's hand-picked band is Teddy Fullick (trumpet), Billy Harper (piano), Ken Marley (bass) and Paul Russell (drums). More details from 01937 842544.

The Black Swan jam sessions go from strength to strength on Sunday (4th) and Wednesday (7th) in York. The generally younger audience is treated to some exciting music from the different guest players who join the regular band.

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

York saxophone player Jools Slater is putting himself about lately. He and Karl Mullen have instituted the new Jazz In The Sticks sessions on Thursday at The Farmers Inn, Brafferton Helperby. Last weekend the dynamic duo made a three-pronged raid on the West Riding and on Tuesday next Jools will be the guest of Scarborough Jazz at Scholars Bar.

More details of Scholars and the Scarborough Jazz Festival in September from Marian and Mike Gordon on 01723 379818.

Speaking to local jazz fans June and Frank Newdick, I learned that they are already booked into the Scarborough Fest, as well as the Hull Jazz Festival (July 31-August 8, 01482 223559), and the Cleethorpes Jazz Festival (September 10-12, 01472 323382).

At the request of my reader, I will add details of one or two more festivals: Wigan International runs from July 9-18; Appleby from July 23-25 and York's own Kid Boyd Band will be guesting at the Swanage Jazz Festival (Tel: 01929 422885.

My review of Django Bates' new album, You Live And Learn... (Apparently) on the Lost Marble label was a little premature, since it was only released last week. I mentioned that the album's lively eclecticism would infuriate as many as it fascinated, and subsequent reviews in the national press bear me out. Phil Johnson in the Independent on Sunday is irritated by Django's "sub-Python humour... and unfunny parodies" - like it or loath it, apparently. High spots for me are the title track and Django's variation on the One Note Samba, Interval Song, sung by a children's choir of offspring from various band members.

Django also ventures into musings on the possibility of extra-terrestrials and the track Weird World, plus his own reading of Bowie's Life On Mars. Guest musicians include occasional Bowie collaborator David Sanborn and the magical Brit guitarist Jim Mullen. They join Django's Human Chain Band, plus the Smith Quartet, and singers Nikki Yeoh and young Swedish newcomer Josefine Lindstrand. I loved the album, but note Stuart Nicholson's advice in his Jazzwise magazine review: "this is an album that is not going to be digested at one sitting. Each composition creates its own space...rather than wrestling with the rush of ideas from the album as a whole".

Updated: 15:18 Thursday, July 01, 2004