Skye's the limit for youth jazz orchestra

Skye's the limit for youth jazz orchestra

THE National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland begins its annual summer tour at Sabhal Mor Ostaig on Skye in Wednesday, July 16.

Celebrating the music of the late saxophonist Michael Brecker, pictured, the programme features guest soloist saxophonist Gordon McNeil.

The tour calls at Nairn Community and Arts Centre 0n July 17 and Birnam Arts Institute on July 18 before its final stop at The Tolbooth in Stirling on July 19.

l www.nyos.co.uk

A memorable eccecentric

THE Man Whose Mind Exploded - the documentary by film-maker, broadcaster and former MTV stalwart Toby Amies - will screen at some Picturehouse cinemas, including the Cameo in Edinburgh on July 1 only.

The feature-length film focuses on Drako Zarharzar, a Brighton eccentric whose inability to create new memories has led him to build a "mindscape" of post-it notes and pictures containing his thoughts on the walls of his council flat.

Zarharzar's live-in-the-present philosophy (if you can't remember yesterday, why worry about tomorrow?) has admirable defiance, but the film shows concern for its effects on him too. The Man Whose Mind Exploded (15) screens at 6pm on tomorrow.

l www. themanwhosemind-exploded.com

Scottish Florida

link is marked

A NEW exhibition opened at the weekend at the Stirling Smith celebrating 100 years of growth in a Scottish community in the US. Dunedin Through The Years, which will run until August 17, is the result of a partnership with Stirling's "sister city" in Florida, where a Stirling-sourced exhibition - Bannockburn 700 - attracted record numbers to the Dunedin Historical Museum earlier this year.

The Bannockburn 700 exhibition is now on show in Gallery Two until October 12. It includes pictures of the battle, one of them painted for a 600th anniversary competition.

Entry to the Stirling Smith (open Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5pm and on Sunday from 2pm to 5pm) is free.

l www.smithartgallery-andmuseum.co.uk

Country and city goes on show

FACES of Scotland, the 15th annual summer exhibition held by scotlandart.com, opens this Friday at 193 Bath Street in Glasgow. The collection of works by Scottish landscape and cityscape artists - including Lesley Anne Derks, Peter Nardini, Karen Cairns and Tommy Fitchet - can also be viewed online.

l www.scotlandart.com