... Sounds of Blackness Royal Festival Hall Boasting a formidable reputation, this choir--backed by a slick, disciplined band--returned to London to present a show which often sparkled but also threw up some surprisingly disappointing moments. Perhaps an occasionally skewed-seeming sound balance or the nature of some of the arrangements was to blame, but all too many of the evening's up-tempo ...

... Courtney Pine Royal Festival Hall There is no doubting the sheer quality and excitement of saxophone virtuoso Courtney Pine's work, nor his willingness to broaden the scope of jazz to take in a broad sweep of styles including rock rhythms and reggae. Those approaches were on display in a set which brought the packed crowd to its feet and provided ample opportunities to revel in Pine's ...

... Rory Block Blackheath Halls Having grown up in New York's Greenwich Village, WC Handy Award-winning artist Rory Block is a leading exponent of prewar Delta blues. A slight figure, clad in T-shirt, jeans and boots, she nonethe less has the ability to hold the attention of an audience with a solo performance, as she showed in this concert. Sitting with guitar in hand, slamming the strings while ...

... John Surman Queen Elizabeth Hall Long renowned as one of Britain's most innovative and imaginative jazz musicians, John Surman's mesmerising performance provided further evidence, if any were needed, that his reputation is thoroughly deserved. Whether playing solo on a variety of saxophones, in duet with his own pre-recorded synthe siser accompaniment or backed by the superb Transmission ...

... Wax candid off-camera Tricycle Stressed Laying herself open is not a facet of Ruby Wax's personality we are used to seeing. Though the details she shares are very much on her own terms, the arrival of Wax's one-woman show in London brings with it a vulnerable side to the tenacious presenter more often seen probing the lives of others than talking candidly about herself. Billed as an ...

... Sultry show fails to ignite Roval Festival Hall Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill Saxophonist and composer Roy Nathanson has drawn on memories of jazz bars he has played in to create this entertaining set of pieces, which meander through the story of one such venue and its assortment of regulars and staff. Nathanson's musical portraits sweep us through life at the fictitious Keaton's Bar and ...

... Cirque du Soleil Orlando, Florida Since its creation in Quebec in 1984, Cirque du Soleil writer and director Franco Dragone has seen his mission to combine circus with other areas of performing arts take flight. The seven different shows to have found their way out of Dragones head and on to the stage are presented across the globe, including this version, La Nouba, playing in the Cirque du ...