Two big US names also make welcome appearances with fusion maestros Yellowjackets and veteran guitar virtuoso Pat Martino also set to appear. All jazz-related dates are as follows: The Magic Band (7 Mar); The Hidden Orchestra (8 Mar); Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (9 Mar); Gilad Atzmon Orient House Ensemble (14 Mar); Yellowjackets (17 Mar); Dave Stapleton Quintet (28 Mar); Cinema Soloriens featuring Marshall Allen and Daevid Allen (4 April); Troyka plus Anton Hunter Trio (11 April); José James plus JD73 Electric Trio (13 April); Joyce (19 April); Marius Neset Quartet (25 April); Sonar (2 May); Shuggie Otis (9 May); and Pat Martino Trio (24 May).

For more go to www.bandonthewall.org

– Mike Flynn

Tonight’s programme, SpiritYouAll, draws primarily on gospel and blues of an ancestral, ‘ole folks out on the porch’ strain, so the rustic, grainy textures provided by the acoustic and electric strings of David Mansfield and Armand Hirsch are very apposite. The delicate arpeggios of the largely finger picked lines fit hand in glove with the singer’s fluttering melodies. McFerrin has always been able to cover a song with great imagination and a quite heart stopping rendition of ‘Wade In The Water’, where all of the customary momentum and swing of the chorus is redirected towards a more dragging pulse with eerie chording, is brilliant. Ditto ‘The Whole World In His Hands’ and ‘Fix Me Jesus’.

McFerrin’s voice, with the glowing, muted trumpet quality of the upper register well intact, is simply heavenly. The singer performed a short, improvised solo set before the band returned for the highlight of the evening: McFerrin moved to the piano to play ‘Feline’, a gem from his eponymous 1984 debut. It is a timely reminder that the singer – who can transform Beethoven as joyfully as he does Bob Dylan – is also a songwriter of considerable stature.

– Kevin Le Gendre

Following in the footsteps of neighbouring Manchester and its successful annual city-wide jazz festival, the first Liverpool Jazz Festival kicked off this week on Thursday with performances from fast rising stars Roller Trio and local trumpeter Martin Smith’s group The Weave. Things continue tonight with hard skronking Mercury Music Prize nominees Led Bib and local improv crew GORP. All events are being held in the Capstone Theatre, which, since opening in 2010, has established itself with a high-quality programme of leading jazz artists including Courtney Pine, Zoe Rahman, Dennis Rollins, Neil Cowley, Portico Quartet and Phronesis among many others. Saturday sees an opening solo piano set at 2pm from Robert Mitchell, playing music from his latest left-hand-only piano album The Glimpse, followed by local band White Canvas at 4.30pm, with another Mercury Prize nominee Kit Downes headlining at 7.30pm playing a set of music from his forthcoming album Light From Old Stars.

Sunday features powerful post-bop saxophonist Denys Baptise’s hard-firing three-piece, Triumvirate, with bassist Larry Bartley and drummer Moses Boyd who take the likes of D’Angelo’s ‘Brown Sugar’ and Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ and give them a jazz twist. Leading UK saxophonist Pine returns to the Capstone with his barnstorming House Of Legends set that mixes up ska, soca and reggae rhythms with blistering improvisations – all performed by his superb band – which includes impressive guitarist Cameron Pierre. The Sunday programme also includes two jazz workshops – Taming The Saxophone: Tone Production (11am) and How To Improvise Effectively (12.30pm) – as well as performances by other local bands including the Blind Monk Trio and Perri and Neil Quartet.

For more info go to www.thecapstonetheatre.com

– Mike Flynn

Ronnie Scott’s kicks off its spring programme with more strong bookings this month with back-to-back performances from two former Miles Davis alumni – with guitarist John Scofield bringing his Organic Trio with Larry Goldings in for two nights (3-4 Mar), followed by two hotly anticipated gigs from Chick Corea. The Return To Forever keyboardist last performed at the club in 2006, and here launches his new fusion-edged band The Vigil (pictured left), featuring top UK multi-reedist Tim Garland, French bass guitar hero Hadrien Feraud, drummer Marcus Gilmore and guitarist Charles Altura (5-6 March). Fusion evergreens Yellowjackets also perform for three nights with a new line up now featuring recently recruited bassist Felix Pastorius (16, 18-19 Mar), while multi-award winning singer Kurt Elling, last at the club in 2010, is back for an unprecedented six-nights running from 15-20 April.

There’s also a debut appearance at the club from cult soul-jazz singer/bassist Meshell Ndegeocello who presents her eclectic tribute to the music of Nina Simone (22-24 April). Other dates include: John Scofield’s Organic Trio (3-4 Mar); Chick Corea and The Vigil (5-6 Mar); Courtney Pine (7-8 Mar); Yellowjackets (16 Mar then 18-19 Mar); James Taylor Quartet with the Nick Smart Horns and singer Yvonne Yanney (20-23 Mar); Erik Truffaz Quartet (25 Mar); Marlena Shaw (26-30 Mar); Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames (8-13 Apr); Kurt Elling (15-20 Apr); Joyce (21 Apr); Meshell Ndegeocello (22-24 Apr); Chucho Valdes & The Afro Cuban Jazz Messengers (25-27 Apr); Madeleine Peyroux (29 Apr-1 May); Mike Stern/Bill Evans Band (6-9 May); Michel Camilo (10-11 May); Gary Burton New Quartet with Julian Lage (13-14 May); and Kyle Eastwood Band (3-8 Jun).

– Mike Flynn