York's International J Night Series will run on November 22 and 23.

As a J Night curtain-raiser, Dennis Rollins Badbone & Co will be playing at Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, on Wednesday at 7.30pm. Doncaster-born Rollins was first seen in York in an earlier J Night Concert in 2001 as a member of Courtney Pine's Band at the Theatre Royal. Since then, he has become a firm fixture with Jazz Jamaica and turns up with various bands on TV and pop bands Jamiroquai and Gorillaz have poached the funky trombonist. Details on Dennis Rollins Badbone & Co from 01904 432439. Tickets: £11, concessions £9, students £3; ring 01904 432439.

FuseLeeds is a major New Music Festival to be held March 3-7, 2004 and a programme of pre-festival live events is running through November and December. Tomorrow and Sunday, the Grand Union Orchestra will be playing at The Venue, Leeds College of Music, in what promises to be a feast of bhangra, babylon and the blues. Grand Union is a fusion of world and jazz music, featuring virtuoso Indian musicians, singers and jazz soloists and Saturday's concert is at 7.30pm, Sunday's at 5pm. The first 400 ticket bookings will receive a free Grand Union CD, so hurry, hurry and call the Box Office on 0113 2223434. More information about Grand Union at www.grandunion.org.uk

Wakefield Jazz has scooped the legendary American pianist Junior Mance for a trio session tonight, before he comes to York next weekend for his J Night date (at the National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, November 23). Mance is a distinguished alumnus of the bands of Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie and Aretha Franklin. Details of Wakefield Jazz from 01924 782339.

Tonight's jazz at the Cairn Hotel, Harrogate, features Leeds-based vocalist Julie Edwards, with Kevin Dearden (reeds) and Curtis Shaw (guitar). Details from 01423 504005.

The American piano trio The Bad Plus was voted Number One Rising Star Acoustic Jazz Group in the August edition of Downbeat magazine and their CD, These Are The Vistas, has been voted one of the top jazz releases of the year. "This is one of the most important jazz albums to appear in more than a decade," said Jazz Times magazine. The Bad Plus will make their first northern appearance at the Wardrobe, Queens Square, Leeds on Monday, details from 0113 269 4077.

Scarborough Jazz will be stirring up some excitement on Tuesday when Hannah Merriden (vocals and saxophone) and Naadia Sheriff (keyboards) swing into Scholars Bar at the Bedford Hotel. The two young players are based in Leeds and Naadia is the sister of rising young pianist Jamil Sheriff, whose new CD with his Octet, Daydreams, is being snapped up at his gigs. Naadia is following in her brother's footsteps to some acclaim. Details from 01723 379818.

On Wednesday, Hulljazz at the Goodfellowship Inn presents The Chris Garrick Quartet from London. Chris plays violin, viola and electric violin and his influences range from the gypsy swing of Stephane Grappelli to the fusion style of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Details from 01482 492868.

In the early 1970s, York jazz fans were thrilled by regular visits from one of Britain's leading saxophone players, Joe Harriott. Invited initially to play at a jazz club which had been set up at the York Rowing Club, Joe's visits seemed to increase in regularity as his cancer, which he never admitted to, worsened.

In straitened circumstances, this dazzling virtuoso would jam with any band around the region for whatever cash available, until his sad and untimely death in 1973. His ground-breaking records, Indo Jazz Fusions and Free Form, have been issued subsequently on CD and next week several events at the London Jazz Festival will celebrate the publication of a new biography, Joe Harriott - Fire In His Soul, by Alan Robertson. More details from Northway Books 0207 263 9663.

NEWS JUST IN: The Three Hares at Bilborough is hosting a series of art evenings, which culminate tomorrow with live jazz at 7pm from DJ:2, otherwise known as Karl Mullen (piano) and Jools Slater (saxophone). Ticket details from 01937 834626.

Updated: 09:35 Friday, November 14, 2003