Ginger Baker’s Jazz Confusion and Gretchen Peters at the Alban Arena

CREAM drummer Ginger Baker brings his Jazz Confusion to the Alban Arena next Wednesday, June 26.

In his days with the world-famous band, Ginger was voted, “the musician least likely to survive the 60s” but he proved them wrong and returned to the UK and formed a quartet with jazz giant Pee Wee Ellis, tenor sax, Alec Dankworth, bass, and Abass Dodoo, percussion.

The music is a mix of Thelonius Monk, Wayne Shorter and Sonny Rollins plus originals by Ginger and Pee Wee.

Jazz Confusion made their debut at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London earlier this year and are now performing shows throughout the UK as well as Europe and the Middle and Far East.

Tickets for the performance, which begins at 7.30pm, are £17.50 available from the Arena box office on 01727 844488 or go to www.alban-arena.co.uk

Grammy nominated singer-songwriter from Nashville Gretchen Peters comes to the Arena the following night, Thursday, June 27.

Hailed as one of Nashville’s best contemporary songwriters, Gretchen’s songs have been covered by pop, country, blues and folk artists all over the world.

She describes her album from 2012, Hello Cruel World, as her “most close-to-the-bone work, written at a time when I felt absolutely fearless about telling the truth”.

The concert opens with support from Ben Glover, a singer-songwriter in the classic mode. His songs have been used in feature films such as Finding Joy and Light Years.

Tickets for the show at 7.30pm are £19.50.

A Coronation anniversary concert entitled The Crown and the Glory is being given by North London-based choir and orchestra Adoramus next Saturday, June 29.

In the concert at 7.30pm, Adoramus will be celebrating the Queen’s coronation and her service to her subjects. Some of the music – Handel’s Zadok the Priest and Walton’s Coronation Te Deum – is taken from the coronation service itself.

The programme is packed with favourites from a range of musical genres recalling other key nostalgic events from 1953 such as the conquest of Mount Everest, recalled in Climb Every Mountain from The Sound of Music, the launch of the Royal Yacht Britannia (HMS Pinafore) and the first airing of the BBC’s current affairs programme, Panorama (Francis Lai’s Aujourdhui C’est Toi).

Adoramus have been giving concerts in St Albans, Watford and North London for the past decade including at the Arena and the Abbey.

David Hooke, music director of Adoramus, commented: “We are delighted to be returning to St Albans to celebrate the Jubilee of the Coronation with this special anniversary concert and look forward to providing a great celebration that all can enjoy.

“We especially look forward to celebrating with those ‘coronation babies’ for whom 1953 is particularly significant.”

Tickets are £22, £19 and £16.