Check out the Birmingham Jazz showcase at the London Jazz Festival on Friday evening at the Barbican Freestage, when Chris Mapp’s Gambol and the Steve Tromans Quartet are performing. Birmingham Jazz put on up to 90 events per year with weekly events run by the city’s Cobweb Collective, two forward looking festivals, the relatively new cutting edge Harmonic Festival in September, and the outdoors jazz-and-beyond Mostly Jazz Festival which takes place in Moseley each July. The two bands in the spotlight, bassist Chris Mapp's band Gambol and the composer/pianist Steve Tromans' quartet, play from 5.30pm.

Before then highlights tonight include David Sanborn feat. Joey DeFrancesco plus Alex Wilson (QEH, South Bank Centre); Phil Robson’s IMS Quintet feat. Mark Turner plus Christine Tobin: Sailing To Byzantium (Purcell Room, SBC); Twelves (Green Note, Camden); and Lea DeLaria (Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho); with Gwilym Simcock’s Trio at the 606 club (Lots Road, Chelsea); Stan Sulzmann at the Green Man (Euston Road); a British Piano Night at the Vortex in Dalston with Julian Joseph, Adam Fairhall, Jonathan Gee, and Steve Plews; plus at Boisdale Canary Wharf, David Rees Williams, and another sure-to-be happening late night jam session at Charlie Wright’s in Hoxton. You never know who'll jump on to the bandstand.

– Stephen Graham