Reopened recently Manchester venue Band on the Wall has just announced some key bookings for the spring season. They include an enticing double bill of the Kit Downes Trio plus Troyka on 11 February followed on 18 February by the pairing of seminal hard bop player Gerard Presencer with the Gwilym Simcock Trio.

Later in February, on the 25th there’s a rare chance to see Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer (left) in the intimate surroundings of a club while three days later on 28 February there’s a combustible double bill with two thirds of The Bad Plus (Ethan Iverson and Dave King) teaming up with Hank Roberts and Tim Berne to form Buffalo Collision who share the bill with the band everyone’s talking about, TrioVD.

March sees Dave O’Higgins plus Eric Alexander (4) Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin (9), the Steve Howe Trio (11), Portico Quartet (14). Rachel Z featuring Omar Hakim (15), Jose James (18), Marlena Shaw (20), Dan Berglund’s Tonbruket (25) while Acoustic Ladyland see in April (1).

For more info go to www.bandonthewall.org