Three great bands from the Midlands plus one of our finest singers take a trip a little further up north for the Manchester Jazz Festival this week.

TG Collective take their special brand of flamenco hot club swing to the Festival Pavilion Theatre this evening for a free gig and a chance for the Mancunians to hear some material from their damned fine new album, Release The Penguins.

Meanwhile, sax player Lluis Mather presents his Noose quartet  - Messiaen and maths influences have never combined with jazz quite so attractively, believe me – at the Festival tomorrow morning (same venue, just before noon), and on Thursday the same spot is filled with drummer Jonathan Silk’s two-tenor quartet.

On Saturday Sara Colman is with the Colman Brothers in an expanded no-sax big band. It’s part of the closing concert from 8pm, along with DJ Mike Chadwick and the Hackney Colliery Band.

More information on these gigs and loads more is here.