Double delight in city centre.

Byline: Alan Cross 

FRIDAY night jazz is back with a great double header in Birmingham city centre tonight.

The brilliant Esther Miller is making a welcome return to Symphony Hall's Foyer for the popular early evening slot which starts at 5.30pm. But to get a seat you need to be there around 5pm.

Esther has made Birmingham her home town since arriving from South Africa and has established herself as an internationally celebrated vocalist with a steady stream of critically acclaimed albums and appearances at major jazz festivals around the world.

Classy, elegant and sophisticated, her voice is of the highest quality and this is sure to be a most enjoyable session.

When Esther finishes her set jazz fans in the know will make their way up Broad St to the CBSO Centre where Empirical, one of the leading UK bands, stop off on their increasingly busy international schedule.

Empirical are a young British band who somehow seem to have absorbed the history of jazz in their short lives and fashioned something original and exciting from it. There are no weak links - the rhythm section of bassist Neil Charles and drummer Shaney Forbes are fierce and swing like crazy, pianist Kit Downes, saxophonist Nathaniel Facey and trumpeter Jay Phelps are always inventive and expressive. Formed in late 2006, the band have already won a stream of leading awards for their debut album from Mojo and Jazzwise. I strongly recommend that you get to see them if you can.