Three visits by tenor saxophonist Bobby Wellins (left) - each courtesy of the alertness of the Improvised Music Company's Gerry Godley - have reminded aficionados and introduced newer fans to one of the finest jazz musicians Scotland has ever produced. A genuinely distinctive voice on tenor, he has a personal pantheon of favourite saxophonists running from Lester Young and Charlie Parker, to Zoot Sims and John Coltrane, but it would be difficult to spot any stylistic bows towards the broad church they represent. Instead, he simply goes his own way, epitomised by his most celebrated association with another strong musical personality, pianist Stan Tracey, with whose quartet he played on his last Dublin visit. His visit to Renards next Wednesday and Thursday derives added lustre from the fact that he will be accompanied by Louis Stewart, Michael Coady and Stephen Keogh.
Ray Comiskey