Jazz gigs of the week: Cheltenham Jazz Festival, various venues

Candi Staton is among the top-draw vocalists at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival (Getty Images)

Jamie Cullum is the guest director, and his top pick is the US saxophonist Chris Potter, who blew the house down with McCoy Tyner at last year's London Jazz Festival.

Nordic jazz, like Scandi-crime, is in the ascendant, and free saxophonist Hanna Paulsberg, avant-noise pop singer/harpist Hilde Marie Kjersem, and Helge Lien's piano trio feature in Songs of the Fjords. Cullum teams up with the soulful Gregory Porter, so spellbinding on Later.

Candi Staton, Imelda May and artist-in-residence Paloma Faith are among the top-draw vocalists; Roberto Fonseca brings his album Yo to the stage; and Bill Frisell brings his Beautiful Dreamers trio.

Among the British stars, there's Kit Downes and Seb Rochford in session, Liam Noble with a new quintet featuring Shabaka Hutchings, and Lighthouse performing music from Libra.

Representing the blues, there's Matt Schofield from the UK, and C W Stoneking, a Jack White favourite, reprising the beautiful noise of the 1920s and 1930s with his Primitive Horn Orchestra.

(0944 880 8094; cheltenham festivals.com/jazz) Wed to 7 May