Christmas All Stars Jazz: Unboxed!

Jean Toussaint leads the Christmas All Stars Jazz at The Box on Saturday 19 December, part of the Christmas Jazz All Stars: Unboxed! night. It's a full seven-piece on the stand: Toussaint on sax, joined by Sam Kelly on sax, James Waden Siren on trombone, Bryan Corbett on trumpet, Mark Trounson on bass, Keenan NGO on piano and Aaron Moloney on drums. That's three horns up front, so it'll be a big, brassy sound rather than a small combo.

If you haven't come across Toussaint before, he's a saxophonist with a long history in the jazz world. Born in Aruba and raised in St Thomas and New York City, he learned calypso as a child and later went to Berklee College of Music. In 1979 he formed a group with Wallace Roney, and from 1982 to 1986 he played in Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, recording three albums with Blakey, including New York Scene, which won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance. He moved to London in 1987, became artist-in-residence at the Guildhall School of Music and held a regular slot at the Dingwalls Club in Camden Town, building a following as a band leader across the UK and Europe.

The venue is The Box inside FarGo Village, the repurposed industrial space on Far Gosford Street in Coventry city centre. It's a creative hub for independent businesses and visitors, set in a recently regenerated area with a rich cultural heritage. The night runs from 19:00 to midnight, so it's a proper evening's music rather than a short set.

Tickets are £15 early bird per person until 13 November, then £20 from 14 November, and £25 on the door.