All that jazz Access to Music is expanding its repertoire with a new course for jazz musicians starting in September. The Hengrove-based college is celebrating its 10th anniversary providing popular music courses to the South West’s budding artistes and the new programme will further develop the performance-based curriculum by focussing specifically on all genres of Jazz.  The full time course leads to a recognised and industry-relevant qualification and students will need to play at grade 6 or equivalent to join up.

Shawn Smith, the legendary Seattle singer/songwriter makes his UK live debut in a string of five rare solo appearances including a May 9th solo piano show at Bristol’s Folk House. Shawn’s new solo album, The Diamond Hand, will be released on April 1st and two other solo albums are being reissued via Sound Vs Silence in the coming months. Seattle's Shawn Smith (Brad) plays The Folk House, Bristol on Friday 9th May. 

Aron Ward is lead vocalist and songwriter in The Color of the Sun, whose eclectic songwriting and beautifully rich soundscapes have been impressing crowds around Bristol for the last year. Like Bowie or Cornelius, Aron has a chameleonic approach to creating a song. There’s no shame in attempting to write the perfect pop song or delve into an introspective epic. Playing Gimme Shelter at the Hatchet, 18th April, 2008

The next fundraiser features The Duckworths, an unusual 6 piece of doo-wap, doo-bop, doo-roll - swinging classical to rockabilly circus, curious three part vocal harmonies and powerful horns uplift over seedy jazz bar guitar and playful rhodes & melodica, held down by driving beats & rupturing bass. www.duckworths.org Them Brokes give you a knees up folk rock, with a heart and soul and some giggles thrown into the melting pot.  Internationally reknowned but super friendly DJ Jon Kennedy is a man on a musical mission with an enormous bag of breath-takingly beautiful tunes, copious rump-shakingly fine dancefloor corkers and a hatful of innovative ideas bordering on musical genius! www.jonkennedy.co.uk And Mr Lingo & Powercut (Funk from the Trunk) are local superstars playing a funky mashup of tunes for your dancefloor delights! 8pm - Late, £3 All Night, All Proceeds to the Bristol Festival 2008. @ Mr Wolfs Noodle Bar, St Stephens Street

Youthmovies and Rolo Tomassi @ The Cooler Club, Bristol on Bank Holiday Monday - 24th March 2008. The Bristol date for the Youthmovies headline tour - coinciding with their new album release. Main support comes from Rolo Tomassi. Local support from A Genuine Freakshow and Tripwires. £6 Advance Tickets (subject to booking fee) £7 On the door. Buy your tickets from the Bristol Ticket Shop, link after the jump...  

Massive Attack have been announced as Artistic Directors of the 15th Meltdown festival at Southbank Centre, a 9 day event running since 1993. Previous directors include John Peel, Robert Wyatt, Scott Walker, David Bowie, Lee Scratch Perry, Morrissey, Patti Smith and, last year, Jarvis Cocker. As we know, Massive Attack have diverse influence, influences, interests, co-collaborators and friends, so the nature and feel of the final lineup is pretty much anybody's guess. "We want this year's festival to have a strong political and visual element to it to reflect our influences and obsessions" - cool, better book the bus ticket then. 

Upstaged is a brand new BBC entertainment event open to anyone across the country who thinks they're worth watching. In short, it's like having your own studio where you can broadcast what you  want to the nation live on the internet. Contenders showcase their hidden talent or skill for 6hours in a glass box in the middle of Bristol and are voted in and out of the boxes by an online community. This week, Bristol indie rock group Hiflyer performed for 6 hours in their box against the Vloggers.  Read on for more details of Hiflyer and to see them on the BBC's Upstaged.