Josephine Davies of Espial Trio who play Bracknell on Friday 3 May, pictured.

• Tobago and D'Lime 606, London Mon 29 April

• Vasilis Xenopoulos and Paul Edis Quartet Pizza Express Jazz Club, London Mon 29 Apr

Launching Feels Like Home. The Hovis-esque 'Going Home' swinger drawn from the album meaning there's a Dvořák-like New World Symphony motivic quality in the main sax theme of the tune before the Xenopoulos improvisation, Hovis cos we are thinking inevitably about its use in the famous Alan Parker directed TV ad. Pride of Chester-Le-Street Paul appears in Soho with album co-leader the Berklee trained Greek saxist Xenopoulos,.

• Paul Jordanous All Stars Summertown Wine Bar, Oxford Tuesday 30 Apr

• Helena Kay The Rum Shack, Glasgow Tues 30 Apr

Saxist Helena Kay first on our rader with Moon Palace playing Golden Sands and new material featuring pianist Peter Johnstone, the SNJO bassist Calum Gourlay and Scots drum icon Alyn Cosker.

• Jakub Klimiuk Quintet Flute and Tankard, Cardiff Tues 30 Apr

Polar Bear legend Mark Lockheart guests on two tracks of (Un)balanced the startlingly accomplished newcomer electric guitarist Jakub Klimiuk's album. Klimiuk is capable of a jazz-rock swagger landing in a Phil Robson type of sound and very convincing it is too. Polish born, from Gdańsk, the spiritual home of Solidarity, Klimiuk studied at the Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music in the Baltic seaport and graduated from London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama last year. On the album 'Study 2' gives us a chance to hear a little fragment of sublimated, carefully hinted at only but essentially veering towards Jason Moran-like stride piano by way of James P. Johnson from Cody Moss. Highlights also include bassist Kinzan (aka Harry Pearce)'s subtle accompaniment on the ballad 'Dualism' and his veritably dancing comping to Moss' engaged piano line on 'Wait.'

• Clark Tracey Quintet The Globe, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Tues 30 Apr

Drummer-leader Clark Tracey - son of UK piano icon the Monk and Ellington influenced Stan - plays Newcastle with his band of trombonist Rory Ingham, saxist Nadim Teimoori, pianist Bruce Boardman and bassist Andrew Cleyndert. Sold out

• Shirley Smart Trio Watermill, Dorking Tues 30 Apr

• Jakub Klimiuk Quintet feat. Mark Lockheart Vortex, London Wednesday 1 May

• MMQ: Nico Menci, Marco Marzola, Alfonso Vitale feat. Tony Kofi Concorde Club, Eastleigh Wed 1 May

• Jonny Mansfield Quartet Sparc Theatre, Bishop's Castle, Shropshire Thursday 2 May

• Clark Tracey Quintet Albemarle Music Centre, Hull Thurs 2 May

• Everything Yes Future Yard, Birkenhead Thurs 2 May

• Yessaï Karapetian Ronnie Scott's, London Thurs 2 May

Last year heard at the Schlachthof in Bremen French Armenian pianist Yessaï Karapetian did not disappoint with traditional instruments from Armenia like the duduk and the blul in the front line providing plenty of interest. More folkloric and less prog than Trio Hadouk's approach by quite a distance inevitably given some of the piano language you think of Tigran Hamasyan more. And yes Karapetian reasonably stands such a big comparison to the master Tigran given how fluent and adroit he proved in switching from the scintillating runs and tight discipline of the maze like passages to the aching lament laden passages also folded in. Driving, head bobbing, sections ably goaded on by his bass guitar-playing brother Marc inspired Yessaï to new heights.

• Pink Martini Beacon Hall, Bristol Friday 3 May

• Jasmine Myra Turner Sims, Southampton Fri 3 May

The fresh sounding Leeds based saxophonist also has new album Rising out on the day of the Southampton gig upping the ante even more after the sold start evidenced on 2022's Horizons.

• Julian Siegel Quartet Sparc Theatre, Bishop's Castle, Shropshire Fri 3 May

Fresh off a tour in Ireland.

• Jazz Samba: Mark Crooks, Nigel Price, Marianne Windham, Demi Garcia Sabat, John Cervantes The Pallant Suite, Masonic Centre, Chichester Fri 3 May

• Espial Trio South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell Fri 3 May

Percussionist Martin Pyne says that Espial (“the act of noticing”) is a new trio that has ''grown out of sessions working on a follow up to the album Ripples… The music is mostly freely improvised, with a few carefully chosen compositions dropped into the mix.'' There's a new album soon on the Discus Music label.

• Art Themen Trio 1000 Trades, Birmingham Fri 3 May

The veteran saxophonist and retired surgeon Art Themen plays Birmingham with Hammond organist Pete Whittaker and drummer George Double

• Corto.Alto, Emma Johnson's Gravyboat and more Ribble Valley Jazz & Blues, Clitheroe Fri 3, Saturday 4, Sunday 5 (continues until Mon 6)

This Lancashire festival welcomes a bumper spread of performers booked for the early-May long bank holiday weekend. Venues include The Grand, Ale House, Rose And Crown and Beer Shack.

• Dionne Warwick, Courtney Pine, Gregory Porter, Clare Teal and many more Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Cheltenham Wed 1 May, Thurs 2 May, Fri 3 May, Sat 4 May, Sun 5 May (continues until the 6th)

• Zoe Rahman Quintet, Ethan Iverson, Orchestra Baobab, Georgia Cécile Quintet, Dave Douglas, Meilana Gillard Quartet Bray Jazz Festival, Co. Wicklow Fri 3 May, Sat 4 May, Sun 5 May

• Julian Siegel Quartet, Meilana Gillard Vocal Quartet, the Joseph Leighton Quartet, Christine Tobin & Phil Robson, Buck Taylor, John Donegan: The Irish Sextet plus many more Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival, Derry Thurs 2 May, Fri 3 May, Sat 4 May, Sun 5 May (and continues until Mon 6)

• Tom Ollendorf Trio Scott's, Belfast Fri 3 May

• Rory Ingham Sextet Spark Theatre, Bishop's Castle, Shropshire Sat 4 May

A ''kind of Bu'' Ugetsu and beyond tribute to Art Blakey featuring the incredible band of trombonist Rory Ingham with Scottish jazz piano star Fergus McCreadie, saxophonist Emma Rawicz whose album Chroma was widely acclaimed last year, Shane Forbes of Empirical, whose Wonder is the Beginning has just been released, on drums, Freddie Gavita excellent with the Jazz Sapiens last year on trumpet, and the fine ex-WorldService Project and Ari Hoenig player Conor Chaplin on double bass.

• Clark Tracey Quintet Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham Sat 4 May

• Allison Neale The Jazz Centre, Southend Sat 4 May in the afternoon

Saxophonist Neale's Quietly There released by Ubuntu in 2020 appealed to retro fiends attuned to the world of Paul Desmond and Art Pepper - a very neat and precise trip down memory lane from the alto saxophonist. US guitarist Peter Bernstein added a little star power to her reliable British bassist Dave Green and that mainstreamer's mainstreamer, drummer Steve Brown. Full of evergreens from the American Songbook there was a lot of respect displayed for the material often taken at a very stately pace and so a very orthodox way of approaching historic jazz is the style. Lionel Hampton and Sonny Burke's 'Midnight Sun' was just one of the picks of the album from an excellent saxophonist who was a featured member of the John Dankworth Generations Band and the Back to Basie Orchestra. An album that belongs as much to the 1950s as the 2020s, as a listener an active sense of nostalgia is certainly required.

• Colm O'Hara Octet Arthur's, Dublin Sat 4 May

• Marvin Muoneké Quartet Ciccic, Taunton Sun 5 May in the afternoon