Tobias Delius / Olie Brice / Mark Sanders at Bridge Hotel

WHENEVER an email from bassist Olie Brice drops into our In Box, we can be sure that he's got something special to pitch to us - Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Vandermark and Achim Kaufmann just some of the top flight names he's brought along to Tyneside. Two years ago he introduced us to Oxford-born reedsman Tobias Delius, at a gig that was an absolute triumph, and when he announced that he would like to return with the same trio, well, it was a no-brainer.

Delius is an immensely admired player in mainland Europe, particularly associated with the idiosyncratic Amsterdam scene - he lived in the city for many years before moving to Berlin - but also a regular collaborator with such international icons as Louis Moholo-Moholo. What marks him out as a performer is his ability to combine considerable improvisational freedom with a strong core of lyrical structure: like another of his frequent partners, Han Bennink, Delius never loses an underlying sense of swing no matter how far 'out' the music goes....

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WHENEVER an email from bassist Olie Brice drops into our In Box, we can be sure that he's got something special to pitch to us - Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Vandermark and Achim Kaufmann just some of the top flight names he's brought along to Tyneside. Two years ago he introduced us to Oxford-born reedsman Tobias Delius, at a gig that was an absolute triumph, and when he announced that he would like to return with the same trio, well, it was a no-brainer.

Delius is an immensely admired player in mainland Europe, particularly associated with the idiosyncratic Amsterdam scene - he lived in the city for many years before moving to Berlin - but also a regular collaborator with such international icons as Louis Moholo-Moholo. What marks him out as a performer is his ability to combine considerable improvisational freedom with a strong core of lyrical structure: like another of his frequent partners, Han Bennink, Delius never loses an underlying sense of swing no matter how far 'out' the music goes.

In returning to the Bridge with Olie Brice and drummer Mark Sanders (another Jazz North East favourite), he has partners who can keep pace with him every step of the way. We know from their previous gig in September 2013 that this will be a genuine musical conversation rather than just 'Star + Rhythm Support'. If you missed him then, don't let this new opportunity slip by.

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