Jazz at the Mermaid

Pete Canter & Friends return to The Mermaid on Wednesday 4 November, part of the monthly jazz session hosted by saxophonist, flautist and double bassist Pete Canter. It's held in the basement bar on Gandy Street, and the night is built around Canter's house band, which is regularly joined by invited guest sitters-in — singers, trumpet players and guitarists who drop in to play alongside the core group. The session has a reputation for selling out, so booking ahead is a good shout.

For this one, the house band consists of Pete Canter on saxophone, Richard Llewelyn on guitar, John Donnelly on double bass and Gary Evans on drums. It's a quartet that's played together often, and the open-ended format means the set can shift depending on who ends up on stage. If you're bringing someone younger, 14- to 18-year-olds can attend with an advance seat and an accompanying adult.

Away from the Mermaid, Canter also performs with pianist and vocalist James Clemas as a dynamic jazz duo, recording and playing as Canter & Clemas with a focus on the music of Thelonious Monk and Charlie Mingus. That's a different beast from the house band sessions here, but it gives you a sense of where his head is at when he's not leading the basement night.

The session starts at 8pm. Tickets are £10 in advance — email lazybirdjazz@hotmail.com for payment details — and £15 on the door, cash only.