AN evening of gentle jazz from three of the best names from the British music scene along with the Craig Milverton Trio will play perform at Ilminster Arts Centre next month.

Arts Centre organisers say the show will rank among the top five or six gigs they have ever had. Alan Barnes began his career in jazz over 40 years ago, and has now recorded almost 50 CDs, most of them under his own name, and has worked with a huge number of people in the jazz world.

Alan has twice been BBC Jazz Instrumentalist of the year, in 2001 and 2006, and has won the ‘Critics Choice’ UK Jazz Award for one or other of his instruments a total of eight times.

Mark Nightingale plays the trombone and won the British Jazz award in 2012. He began playing at the age of nine and his outstanding talent became widely recognised when he won the coveted Don Lusher Award at the age of 15.

At 16, he was already lead trombonist in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and soon afterwards he formed and led the well regarded band Bonestructure.

Tina May is one of the UK’s best known jazz vocalists.

Over the last 30 years she has appeared all over the UK and abroad and is regularly to be heard on the BBC and other broadcasting sites.

In her early teens she performed with the Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra, before entering the University of Wales, Cardiff, where she performed with jazz musicians on the South Wales jazz scene.

Craig Milverton was born in Bexley, Kent, and took piano lessons from the ages of seven-12, but has no formal jazz training. His main influences are Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans and his jazz interest was spawned by his father’s record collection.

Craig began performing in public as young as 10, turning professional at 21.

Craig won the UK Jazz Award for piano in 2010. He is very much in demand with his various trios and quartets, as an accompanist to the late Humphrey Lyttleton’s favourite vocalist, singer Louise Parker, and also as a solo performer with his ‘Tribute To Oscar Peterson’ and his ‘Jazz Piano Legends’.

Few British pianists have Craig’s thorough knowledge and grasp of jazz styles.

His love of the music shines through and he is a natural at whatever he plays.

Take your chance to catch this jampacked show, entitled An English Rose Between Two Horns, and call the box office on 01460-54973. Tickets for the show at 8pm on April 17 cost £20, or £32 with a pre-show supper at 7pm.