The Jazz Repertory Company and Claire Martin OBE

The Jazz Repertory Company and Claire Martin OBE are playing St Margaret's Church in Rottingdean on Saturday 26 September. It's a proper jazz night in a village church, with Martin taking the lead on vocals and the Company providing the band behind her.

If you've come across Claire Martin's name before but aren't sure where she sits, here's the long version: she's been a mainstay of the UK jazz scene for nearly forty years, and the British Jazz Awards have named her best vocalist eight times. That's a fair bit of ground to cover, and it puts her in a different bracket from the usual circuit. She's not a newcomer trying to find her sound; she's a singer who's spent four decades working it out.

She won't be on her own for this one. The Jazz Repertory Company is a popular jazz band that's become a Rottingdean favourite, so they're well-known around here. They'll be backing her throughout the set, which means the night is as much about the band as it is about the voice. It's a full-band arrangement rather than a stripped-back session, so you'll get the full weight of the ensemble behind her.

Tickets are £25.00, and the gig is at St Margaret's Church, The Green, Rottingdean, BN2 7HA. It's a Saturday night in September, so it's an easy one to work around.