Jazz & Blues Festival: Our top tips

Our top shows to see this weekend at the 35th Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival

TOMORROW

California Honeydrops

FORMED four years ago in the subway stations of Oakland, CA, The California Honeydrops are now familiar faces at jazz festivals around the world.

Catch their free free-spirited musical gumbo of soul, blues, gospel, second line New Orleans Jazz, and early R&B at the Palazzo Spiegeltent in George Square Gardens. (9.30pm, £12)

Fat Sam’s Band

THE Queen’s Hall tomorrow evening is the place to catch this local band. For one night only, the Festival favourites play their foot-tapping, infectiously upbeat jazz and swing from the jive-talking, hip-swinging era home audience.

Fronted by the charismatic Hamish McGregor, the band pay homage to Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway, Louis Prima and Count Basie, and will apply their jump jive and “swing, swing, swinging” approach to a host of classic tunes - and a few new ones too. (8.30pm, £15-£22.50)

SUNDAY

Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys

RECOGNISED as the band (pictured right) that sets the standard for modern, bluesy Cajun music, these guys, from the bayous of South Louisiana, began playing more than 20 years ago.

Their stunningly clean and cohesive performance quickly propelled them into the world music limelight. At the Palazzo Spiegeltent in George Square Gardens you’ll discover that never before in Cajun music has a comparable wealth of skills been brought to the same table. (9.30pm, £15)