OUTSIDE of Newcastle there seems to be fewer jazz performances in the coming season, but there are still many worthwhile events deserving encouragement and support, writes Peter Bevan.

This evening sees the return of one of the most popular musicians to the Opus 4 Jazz Club, which meets monthly at the Travellers Rest in Cockerton.

Tenor player Vasilis Xenopoulos, accompanied by the Paul Edis Trio, always delights the crowd on his annual visit here, and it might be as well to get there when the doors open at 8pm.

He is followed by the equally popular Customs House Big Band on Friday, November 20, and the perennial Dougie Pugh Quartet on December 18.

Tickets are only available at the door; details 01325 382676.

Xenopoulos also appears in a duo with Edis in a double bill with the Gala Big Band at Ushaw College in Durham tomorrow at 7.30pm. The Jazz at Ushaw series continues with Graham Hardy’s Northern Monkey Brass Band on Friday, November 20, and singer Ruth Lambert’s Trio on December 18.

Tickets here are also available at the door; details available at ushaw.og/events.

The Saturday lunchtime series by Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club continues on November 7 with a return visit by the Brownfield Byrne Hot Six and The Annie Hawkins Jazzmen on December 5; details online at darlingtonjazz.co.uk or 01325 469046.

The last jazz event for 2015 at St Cuthbert’s Centre in Crook on Friday, November 13, will feature Djangologie, whose concert last year sold out. Admission is £7, including a light supper, and there’s a licensed bar; details from Anne Timothy on 01388 76880.

To Saltburn concerts provide an interesting contrast.

On Friday, November 6, there’s A Jazz Night with the wonderfully named Jazz Worriers, led by trumpeter Neil Yates and saxophonist Dean Masser, which will be followed by the ever enjoyable New Century Ragtime Orchestra on December 4.

More details are available at saltburnarts.co.uk or 01287 624997.

Darlington Jazz Club’s fortnightly sessions at teatime on Sundays, usually in The Quakerhouse in Darlington, appear to be continuing, but advance details are elusive.

Finally, we move to the Sage in Gateshead, whose jazz concerts continue to cover a fairly wide range of styles as exemplified in their next few. On Monday (26th) saxophonist Julian Arguelles appears with his current small group, Tetra. His last appearance at the Sage was earlier this year with Loose Tubes, where his baritone saxophone solos were not always clearly amplified.

There should be no such problem with this quartet consisting of some of the finest younger generation of musicians: Kit Downes on piano, Sam Lasserson double bass and James Maddren drums and with Arguelles on soprano and tenor saxes; if their new CD is anything to go by, this should be an enjoyable and stimulating concert.

Next Friday (30th) there will be a return visit by Alyn Shipton’s Buck Clayton Legacy Orchestra. Originally formed to perform Clayton’s arrangements for his small band, they will this time present A Celebration of Duke Ellington with a particularly strong line comprising Ian Smith on trumpet, Adrian Fry trombone, Alan Barnes, Matthias Seuffert and Robert Fowler reeds, Martin Litton piano, Bobby Worth drums and Shipton on bass.

An extra concert at the Sage not included in the brochure is SinatraLand with the BBC Big Band and jazz singers Liane Carroll and Ian Shaw.

It has also announced that the Sage International Jazz Festival from April 15-17 will open with soul/jazz singer Gregory Porter. Tickets for this are already on sale; details at sagegateshead.com; box office 01914 434661.

Rural Arts has booked Lindsay Hannon Plus, one of this year’s Jazz North Northern Line Bands, to play at Tuned In, in Redcar, on Wednesday, November 4, and the Old Courthouse, Thirsk, on Saturday, November 7; full details at ruralarts.org.