Tamikrest, Whitby & London
An area of political unrest for over two decades, it's probably not surprising that Mali should have developed its own unique take on the blues. Tamikrest are a younger band than, say, Tinariwen who have been playing their hybrid of traditional Tamashek music and western rock for 25 years, but they too employ the loping rhythms and slinky guitar of the godfathers. The imposition of sharia law following the 2012 coup d'état has entailed some terrifying human rights abuses, particularly against women, and it is to women that the band's current album Chatma (Sisters) is addressed. Wonou Walet Sidati, formerly of Tinariwen, joins the band's ranks on this tour.
Musicport festival, Whitby, Sat; XOYO, London, Sun; touring to Thu
JR
Roy Harper, London & Manchester
Roy Harper's live sets can be comfortably described as digression packed. On some level, you want him to get on with it, but ungovernable behaviour is what Harper and his music are all about. A man whose mode is acoustic, but who never quite fitted within folk, Harper's dyspeptic worldview meant he couldn't be claimed by the hippies either. Instead, he's ploughed an idiosyncratic furrow, picking up patrons like Jimmy Page (Led Zep wrote the song Hats Off To Harper) and Pink Floyd (on whose Have A Cigar, Harper sung). Of late, harpist Joanna Newsom has championed a Harper resurgence, culminating in ornery new album Man & Myth.
Royal Festival Hall, SE1, Tue; Manchester Bridgewater Hall, Fri
JR
Swearin, On tour
If the past is another country, then for the Brooklyn-based Crutchfield sisters it's become a favourite destination. Once in a band together – the amusingly named PS Eliot – the two have since gone their separate ways. One sister, Katie, makes confessional indie rock under the name of Waxahatchee. The other one, Allison, records fractionally less confessional indie rock with Kyle Gilbride and Keith Spencer as Swearin', a name that's both big and clever. What unites the two groups is a love for 90s indie rock, a trait that's particularly pronounced in Swearin', who recall the melodic likes of Juliana Hatfield, the Lemonheads and – particularly – the Breeders. In truth, the band's debut album can at times struggle to rise above pastiche. But there are still enough good songs here to suggest that they could go on to find their own sound.
Gathering festival, Oxford, Sat; Swn festival, Cardiff, Sun; touring to 29 Oct
JR
Mingus Big Band, London
This American orchestra have devoted their energy to the legacy of the late jazz-composing genius Charles Mingus, and make a welcome return to Ronnie Scott's for 12 shows over six nights. They've played similar stretches here before, cramming in as many Mingus classics as possible without repetition through the run, sometimes picked at random out of a hat – an openness to flying by the seat of their pants that's rare among big jazz orchestras. Under the direction of Mingus's widow Sue, the band played weekly for 13 years at New York's Time Cafe, and charismatic regulars such as Philip Harper (trumpet) and Ronnie Cuber (saxes) remain in the 2013 lineup.
Ronnie Scott's, W1, Mon to Fri
JF
The Impossible Gentlemen, On tour
Three years ago, this accomplished Anglo-US quartet first unveiled the rare breadth of their appeal: from byzantine contemporary bebop to raw, Hendrix-like guitar blues by way of Gwilym Simcock's mercurial keyboard compositions. Simcock, Salford guitar master Mike Walker, bass guitarist Steve Rodby, and drummer Adam Nussbaum continue to sidestep every supergroup pitfall by sounding as integrated and responsive as if they'd been together forever. On new album Internationally Recognised Aliens, they've grown into a postbop group of world-class virtues.
Seven Artspace, Leeds, Sat; Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, Sun; Pizza Express Jazz Club, W1, Mon to Thu
JF
Mendelssohn In Birmingham
Throughout his career as pianist, conductor and composer, Felix Mendelssohn was a regular visitor to Britain. His impact on musical life here in the 1830s and 40s was huge, particularly in Birmingham, where he first appeared at the city's Triennial festival in 1837, as soloist in the premiere of his Second Piano Concerto. Nine years later the festival commissioned Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah, but it's the orchestral pieces that feature in the City of Birmingham Symphony's three-concert Mendelssohn celebration under the orchestra's chief guest conductor Edward Gardner. The series gets underway with two concerts, including four of the five symphonies, and Veronika Eberle and Martin Helmchen as soloists in the Violin Concerto and the Second Piano Concerto respectively; next February, Gardner tackles the rarely performed choral Symphony No 2, the Hymn of Praise.
Town Hall, Sat & Thu
AC
