THE Swaledale Festival mostly concentrates on brass music this year, but tonight (11th) you may be lucky enough to find tickets for Bana Congo, a teaming of Congolese Papa Noel and Cuban Papa Oviedo.

The historical links between Congolese and Afro Cuban music are well documented and these two guitarists are keen to keep alive the great traditions; they are augmented tonight by a full band line-up. The concert will be at St Andrew's Church, Grinton, near Richmond, details from 01748 880019.

The remarkable Shed venue will be holding its 12th birthday party tomorrow night (12th) at Hovingham Village Hall, with dancing to everyone's favourite, the Snake Davis Band. Details from 01653 668494.

Jazz at the Spa will be ploughing its familiar trad furrow tomorrow night with Phil Mason's New Orleans All Stars, with Christine Tyrell. The venue is the Trustees Hall, High Street, Boston Spa and for more details call 01937 842544.

In York, the Sunday night jam sessions continue at the Black Swan, Peasholme Green, where all budding players and singers are invited to join in.

Nina and Karl have a busy weekend ahead, taking the Fine and Mellow package to City Screen in York on Sunday night and to Dr Wu's in Leeds on Monday (14th).

Scarborough Jazz presents trumpeter Steve Chadwick on Tuesday (15th), with a rhythm section led by pianist Ed Burnwell. Details from 01723 379818.

The second regular York jam session of the week is on Wednesday (16th) at the Black Swan, with Karl Mullen and James Lancaster at the centre of the Jam Tarts around which the shifting talents of the jazz world revolves.

Jazz in the Sticks is another new joint venture by Karl and saxophonist Jools Slater, who will alternate at the Farmers Inn, Helperby on Thursdays. Next Thursday Jools will borrow piano player Chris Moore from Paul Baxter's Headfirst band.

Andra Sparks is a singer new to me, but the other names on her new CD, Your Time, are from the top drawer of British jazz, Jeff Clyne, Trevor Tomkins and Nick Weldon. Pianist Weldon has arranged 11 quality songs for Ms Sparks and left plenty of space for the other voices in the band, the sonorous double bass of Clyne and another new name to me, Russell van den Berg. His beautifully flowing, dry-sounding tenor is particularly fluent on the Latin-tinged After You've Gone.

Two lesser-heard songs stand out in a well-chosen programme, Small Day Tomorrow and The Ballad of The Sad Young Men, both with lyrics by Fran Landesman.

Nick Weldon is wonderfully supportive throughout, a model of soulful economy. More economy in his prose would be welcome - his nine pages of CD booklet begins with quotations from Plato and Schopenhauer and ends in Latin. However, in passing he touches on the endless debate, should British vocalists sing in American ?

He points out that Andra has "a voice that is culturally neutral... no Americanised jazz twang, no high-art classical vocalizing".

This is an admirable decision on the singer's part, but there are times when the album is reminiscent of an English stage actress in cabaret, rather than a jazz singer. However, the group is faultless and the musicians spark off each other with dynamic skill and taste. Your Time, by Andra Sparks, is on Verge Records and there is more information at www.jazzpiano.co.uk

Updated: 15:57 Thursday, June 10, 2004