Come and enjoy the Birmingham Improv comedy Jam, hosted by resident guests, Box of Frogs! An evening of fun for all. Turn up, grab a drink, put your name in the hat, and perform! Or if you prefer, just watch the fun! Come and play your favourite improv games, take part in improvised scenes, sketches and songs, or just sit back and watch. Suitable for all levels of experience, including complete beginners. Show starts at 7.30. Come earlier if you want a drink before we start. Free Entry (recommended donation, £5-£10)

Box of Frogs, Birmingham's award-winning Improv Group, brings you a fabulous night of improvised comedy. The multi-talented and quick-witted Box of Frogs players conjure up hilarious spontaneous songs, sketches and scenes on the spur of the moment, all based on suggestions from the audience.

Basil Hodge brings Jazz Africa, his new and exciting project to Birmingham. This all star band will perform a range of music from Africa so you will hear Jazz fused with Afrobeat, Township and Funk from such artists as Felu Kuti, Manu Dibango, Abdullah Ibrahim. Expect breath-taking musicianship, driving rhythms with Djembes, shakers etc and some inevitable in-the- aisle dancing. This is one for families of all ages and heritages! Line up: Basil Hodge - Piano, Keyboards and Percussion, Tony Kofi - Saxophones and Djembe, Stuart Fiddler - Electric Guitar, Neville Malcolm – Bass & Matt Holmes – Drums

Barry Green, a wonderfully inventive pianist with a fluent, melodic style, whose previous New York Trio gig at the Crucible Playhouse was a great success, returns to Birmingham with a new band. Barry’s quartet features legendary bassist Dave Green who, in a career spanning over six decades, has performed and recorded with numerous groups in all styles of jazz. Completing the line-up are two young rising-stars: saxophonist Maddy Coombs and vocalist Aitzi Cofre Real – both graduates of the Guildhall School of Music who are building reputations on the thriving London jazz scene and beyond. Line Up: Barry Green – piano, Dave Green – bass, Maddy Coombes – sax & Aitzi Cofre Real - vocals

Gripper's classical training is obvious in the evenness and restraint of his playing, sympathetically complemented by the trio members., so that between them they impart a pleasing, stripped-down quality to the music. At the same time, the arrangements are fully thought through, the improvised passages alternating with written sub-sections. While always melodic, Gripper's melodies are not the kind that instantly lodge in the memory; rather, he sends out long, tendril-like lines of melody that take their time to explore and evolve. This slightly elusive quality encourages repeated listening, as you try to familiarise yourself with the tunes and their cunningly varied time signatures, as on 'Castle’. 'Lament’, which seems to have been inspired by the death of Gripper's grandmother and other bereavements, begins with an angry sweep across the piano's strings, followed by some searching bass work from Harrison. The title track is a more relaxed affair, whose phrasing and bouncy rhythm evokes Abdullah Ibrahim, while the trio swings comfortably on the chipper 'A Song Unsprung’. Line Up: Eddie Gripper - piano, Ursula Harrison - bass & Isaac Zuckerman - drums

This musical partnership was formed in New York City in 2017 between the highly acclaimed US saxophonist Jed Levy and multi-award-winning UK born guitarist Phil Robson who was living in NYC at the time. Robson relocated to Ireland in 2020, but since that time the collaboration has continued with various European incarnations of the band.The quartet plays original music penned by both Levy and Robson. The music is innovative and contemporary whilst remaining highly melodic and groovy, with a strong sense of tradition mixed in with the diverse characteristics of each composer. Line Up: Phil Robson – guitar, Jed Levy – sax, Mark Hodgson – bass & Roberto Gatto - drums

After leading his Quintet, Octet and Quartet for 15 years, Crosland formed the trio in 2004 with Waterman and Lodder, two long term associates, in order to explore the subtle and open possibilities of a group without drums. The interplay between the players creates a natural intensity combined with an acute sensitivity to dynamics. The variety of the original compositions, contributed by all the group members, and the different tone colours created by the instruments ensure a satisfying and well-rounded performance. The group also includes contemporary readings of choice standards in its repertoire. Threeway's music is heard to best advantage in the concert setting. Accordingly, this is an ideal group for 'listening' jazz venues, arts centres, music festivals and concert societies. Line Up: Ben Crosland – Bass, Steve Waterman - Trumpet/Flugelhorn & Steve Lodder - piano/Keyboards

We welcome back virtuoso jazz French horn player and composer Jim Rattigan to the 1000 Trades. He brings together some of the finest jazz musicians performing in the UK today to perform new music written especially for this Quintet with its unique lineup. Line Up: Jim Rattigan – French Horn & Composer, Mike Chillingworth alto, Nick Costley-White - guitar, Calum Gourley – bass & David Ingamells drums

A new constellation of three remarkable musicians who are exploring the compositions by bassist Henrik Jensen. With a strong focus on interplay the trio blurs the lines between the composed and improvised material. An open sound that allows for a lyrical approach but also appreciates the high energy of rhythmic complexity in both swing and groove. Henrik Jensen as a composer, powerful double bassist, and a busy sideman for leaders such as Iain Ballamy, Michael Blake, Joy Ellis, Bruno Heinen and John Law, Jensen has also released 3 albums with his quartet ‘Followed by Thirteen’. Line Up: Henrick Jensen – Bass, Esben Tjalve – Piano & Dave Smith – Drums

“Stars and Sand” is the new album from multi-instrumentalist and composer James Allsopp. In a 20 year career James Allsopp has been a featured performer and recording artist for an incredibly diverse range of musicians. James has played in concert and on albums by legendary artists such as The Last Poets, David Axelrod, Dr John and Mulatu Astake, for European jazz luminaries such as Django Bates, Nostalgia 77, Kit Downes and Polar Bear, on more commercial albums by Jamie Cullum and Jorja Smith and as featured soloist in a wide range of compositions by composer Brian Irvine. This is joyous, life affirming music. Deceptively simple, deeply melodic with a healthy dose of the other worldly. Line Up: James Allsopp – sax, Steve Buckley – sax, Tom Herbert - electric bass & Dave Storey - drums

Red Kite is a pan-European Danish/English/ Italian quintet that sits at the intersection of jazz, classical, and electronic music. The quintet is led by the Danish pianist and plays acoustic modern jazz with some electronic elements that help create a cinematic undertone in the music. The quintet creates colourful instrumentation with the strong rhythm section providing a strong underlying groove that creates a solid base for both composition and improvisation. The moods vary from cinematic noir ballads to groovy car chase scenarios, creating a cinematic universe reminiscent of Miles Davis and Arve Henriksen. Red Kite has previously released the album Theory of Colours, which was recognized with an invitation to play the European showcase at Jazzahead in Bremen in 2021. Line: up Esben Tjalve - piano, Hannes Riepler – guitar, Jasper Holby – bass & Marc Michel – drums

The band has been playing together for 5 years, with sets including collaborations with Iain Ballamy, Alun Elliot-Williams (Ishmael Ensemble, Waldo’s Gift), and Jake McMurchie (Get the Blessing). Alex Veitch (piano) has a current bimonthly residency at Ronnie Scott's and plays in Bristol with projects including MADLY, Family Business and Bristol Street Music. Ash (bass) is an award-winning virtuoso double bassist and composer and current lecturer at Cardiff University. Alex Goodyear (drums) has been named "One of the fastest rising stars of Jazz in the UK” (Jazz Knights) with credits including John Law, Simon Spillett, Adrian Cox, Joe Webb, Denny Ilett, Alex Merritt, and Dave Newton. The band released their debut album in November 2022 to widespread critical acclaim. Line Up: Alex Veitch – piano, Ashley John Long – bass & Alex Goodyear – drums

Described as ‘original’ and ‘highly lyrical’ (Scottish Jazz Space), Edinburgh born pianist and composer Ben Shankland’s trio is an exciting new group on the UK jazz scene with a fresh and distinctive sound. Combining an ever-expanding catalogue of original music with carefully selected and arranged renditions of classics, the band, though young, sound soulful beyond their years and have no trouble getting buried in the tunes they perform. Shankland’s compositions take the listener from serene, slowly evolving textures to high-octane bursts of energy. With elements of 50s hard bop, 70s ECM as well as more contemporary rhythmic and conceptual ideas, Shankland's sound is one that will appeal to jazz fans of any age. Having given highly acclaimed performances around the country. Line Up: Ben Shankland – piano, Helena Kay – sax & Ben MacDonald - drums

A new project from Alan Barnes called Works of Art, which features the compositions of Art Pepper. His range and brilliance have made him a “first call” for studio and live work since his precocious arrival on the scene more than thirty years ago. In British jazz, the young Barnes was recognized – and hired – by the established greats of the time: Stan Tracy, John Dankworth, Kenny Baker, Bob Wilber, and Humphrey Lyttelton. Alan Barnes’s unique musicianship, indefatigable touring, and warm rapport with audiences have made him uniquely popular in British jazz. Line Up: Alan Barnes – sax, James Davison - trumpet, Robin Aspland – piano, Jeremy Brown – bass & Steve Brown – drums

Performing tracks from her latest release, Brigitte brings her Ace Team to the 1000 Trades. Nominated Best Vocalist in the 2021 Jazz Parliamentary Awards, Brigitte Beraha’s early incarnation of ‘Lucid Dreamers’ premiered at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall as a trio with George Crowley (Melt Yourself Down, Yazz Ahmed) and Tim Giles (Nostalgia 77, Iain Ballamy) in November 2019 as part of the London Jazz Festival, with music written by Brigitte, inspired by the industrial world that we live in. Now extended to a quartet with Alcyona Mick (Natacha Atlas) on piano, the quartet released their debut album ‘Lucid Dreamers’ in July 2020, with their follow up 'Blink' in the Spring 2022. The original music - with or without lyrics - is both melodic and abstract. Line Up: Brigette Beraha – voice, Alcyona Mick - piano, George Crowley – sax & Tim Giles - drums

All the best improv comedy from the Midlands! A different Smörgåsbord of improvised comedy joy every time! Recommended 16+

This show is a work in progress show. As part of the Birmingham Comedy Festival, a rising star of the UK comedy circuit brings his debut hour long show to Kings Heath on Saturday 4th October at 1000 Trades in the Jewellary Quarter.