Double dose of capital jazz from saxophonist Lee

Double dose of capital jazz from saxophonist Lee

Saxophonist Dick Lee's Swingtet resumed its fortnightly residency at Vincaffe in Multrees Walk, Edinburgh yesterday, with singer Alison Affleck focusing on a different jazz vocalist's material for each session. Following the Billie Holiday songbook, future sessions will focus on Ella Fitzgerald, Annette Hanshaw, Lena Horne and others to be announced.

The industrious Lee also has a new series of his very popular jazz appreciation illustrated talks running at the Bongo Club in Edinburgh on Tuesdays between 1pm and 3pm from April 29 to June 17 inclusive, featuring live music and wit from Lee and pianist Brian Kellock.

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World-pop trio venture north

Chico Chica, a "world-pop vocal band" from London, make a rare foray to Scotland for a couple of gigs in a week's time. Promising a light-hearted show of original songs with a jazz sensibility and some spoken-word pieces, the trio has an instrumental line-up of piano, guitar and flugel-horn, with all three members - Hilary Cameron, Tom Hannah, and Barbara Snow - contributing to the harmony vocals.

Their two Scottish dates are at Whighams Wine Cellars on Hope Street in Edinburgh on Sunday and La Bodega on South Street in Glasgow a week today.

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Circus twist for Ancient Mariner

Square Peg Contemporary Circus kicks off a tour of its show Rime at the StAnza Poetry Festival in St Andrews on March 5. The date is the only one in Scotland for a physical theatre adaptation of Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner that won a Little Devil on the first week of the Herald Angels in Edinburgh last year, when it was seen at Summerhall. Almost as soon as the Fringe run began, Square Peg had to rework the piece after a knee/face collision left the company depleted. Artistic director Tim Lenkiewicz has veterans of the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony and the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in his cast.

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