I HAVE to own up. Although they are riding high in the jazz charts, in my opinion Norah Jones and Kate Melua are not jazz, but folky/country singers.

By contrast, Diana Krall and Jamie Cullum have jazz voices of character and their expert piano playing is icing on the talent cake.

In the crowded jazz vocal market it takes a fair amount of jostling to get noticed and this year it could be the turn of Lianne Carroll to join Diana and Jamie.

After sitting through Lianne's show at London's 606 Club, singer Ian Shaw said: "We have just been listening to one of the best jazz vocalists in the world." Cover star of Jazz UK magazine in December 2003, Lianne now embarks upon a tour to promote her new vocal/piano CD Billy No Mates and tonight Lianne hits Wakefield Jazz with her trio.

Regarding another Wakefield Jazz gig at the end of this month, I have to own up again. Sorry, but to hear true blue Brits singin' the low-down Black American blues makes me do a Basil Fawlty. The one where he is so embarrassed, he pulls his head between his knees and jumps up and down, howling like a dog.

The true blue Brits in this instance, the public school chaps who wish to get their respective mojos working for dat woman dat lives on de hill, are Paul Jones and Dave Kelly, of the Blues Band.

Wakefield Jazz envisage a sell-out when the duo appears on May 28, so patrons are advised to book in advance. If you are Cleese-immune to the prospect, call 01924 782339 for more details from Wakefield Jazz, but look to have a good time with Lianne Carroll tonight.

If blues is your bag, find a TV with BBC4 and catch the remaining, riveting editions of Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (Thursdays 9pm, repeated Friday 11pm).

Tomorrow night Jazz at the Spa ploughs the revivalist trad jazz furrow with Jensen's Jazz Serenaders, featuring Brian Carrick on clarinet. The venue is the Trustees Hall, High Street, Boston Spa, details from 01937 842544.

Joan Whitehead will be swinging down Nunnery Lane with some great jazz standards on Sunday from 3pm to 6pm.

Twin pearls in the York jazz crown are the two Swan pubs, the White and the Black, but there is no rivalry there. The Black Swan, Peasholme Green, is home to the two best jam sessions of the week, on Wednesday and Sunday nights. The host bands are among the best in York and guest musicians and singers are welcome.

The Old White Swan, Goodram-gate, is every Thursday and two bands alternate week by week. Next Thursday it is the turn of the Mardi Gras Band and the following week the Don Lodge Band.

On Tuesday, three members of the Mardi Gras Band will be the guests of Scarborough Jazz at Scholars Bar, the Bedford Hotel. Pianist Bob Smeaton, guitarist Trevor Holroyd and trumpeter Greg Wadman will be ripping it up at Scholars.

NEWS JUST IN:

(1) Trumpeter James Lancaster, one of the Black Swan jam session ringleaders, tells me that the Peasholme Green pub will be running full-day live music events next weekend, as part of York Live Music Festival. May 22 will given over to folk and May 23 will be the turn of jazz. Both events run from midday to 11pm.

(2) Yorkboat will be running a three-hour jazz barbecue cruise on the Ouse on May 23, with entertainment from the Mardi Gras Band. The sailing is at 8pm, details from Yorkboat 01904 647204.

Updated: 08:55 Friday, May 14, 2004