IT WILL be a case of "Back with Sax" as opposed to "Back In Black" next week as the renowned contemporary saxophonist Scott Hamilton brings his silky-smooth musical skills to Worcester.

The fifty-year-old performer was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1954 and came along at a time when the kind of jazz he loved was out of fashion and largely out of the public ear.

He grew up with the sounds of such great stylists as Illinois Jacquet and Eddie Lockjaw Davis and it is these influences he drew on to create a rich, sweet sound and impeccable phrasing which were rare commodities among young jazzmen.

Over the years, he has built up a following of admirers and looks set to leave a lasting impression when he plays Huntingdon Hall at 8pm on Thursday, October 21.

The tenor saxophonist first made his mark at the age of 22, when he made his way to New York from Rhode Island in 1976, at a time when jazz was on the decline and the air was alive with the vibrant strains of electric jazz fusion.

The fact the style had had its heyday would be reason enough for many a young jazz musician to find life in the city a bit off-putting, but then Hamilton was from another stable.

But, more enamoured with the likes of swing-era players than forward-thinkers such as John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins, the protg created more than his fair share of controversy as a throwback to the days of Chuck Berry, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster.

This was all several years before Wynton Marsalis and the new jazz renaissance would usher in a rediscovery of mainstream sensibilities.

Initially, his music received criticism, but when the rising star was first signed to Concord Records, he caused a huge tide of excitement and surprise with his early albums - both among devotees of the style and the music world at large.

His first release - Scott Hamilton Is A Good Wind Who Is Blowing Us No III - came in 1977 and was the first in a long line of nearly 30 accomplished albums for the label with his own quintet, containing fellow natives of Providence, Rhode Island.

Hamilton has played in a variety of forms - from performing with small groups and string orchestras, to working in partnership with jazz luminaries such as Ruby Braff, Benny Goodman and Dave McKenna.

However, he feels most at home performing with the small group ensembles that he has led over the past two decades - and his warm tone, wealth of fresh ideas and unerring sense of swing have helped him make every tune he plays uniquely his own.

And, while his music is a knowing nod to the likes of influences such as John Coltrane, audiences in Worcester can expect to be blown away with performances of the music which first brought him to jazz - great heart-felt ballads and blues.

Tickets for the concert at Huntingdon Hall are £12, concessions £11, on 01905 611427.

Belgium's best set to put city in flux

BELGIAN stars Fluxus will be bringing their unique brand of European roots music with jazz and pop when they play Worcester's Huntingdon Hall on Wednesday evening.

Having played together for only three years, the members, pictured left, already have several major concerts in their home country behind them - as well as in Slovenia and Estonia.

They will be ably supported for the evening by Welsh border trio Hoover the Dog, who perform original music full of flair, inventiveness and fun.

Doors open at 8pm and tickets are priced at £10, concessions £9, available by contacting the box office on 01905 611427.

LINKIN PARK/DEPECHE MODE - ENJOY THE SILENCE (MIKE SHINODA REMIX)

Out October 18

I'VE never really been a great fan of remixes - it's like they say, if it's not broken, don't fix it and, likewise, no amount of tampering is going to make a duff track anything but.

Depeche Mode are a different kettle of fish altogether though, being one of the most influential bands of the 1980s.

With this basic foundation, Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda has taken to the mixing desks to come up with an adrenaline-injected remix of their classic tune Enjoy the Silence, neatly repackaged with echoes of his own band's style, for a new generation.

Add an alluring Goldfrapp remix of the Depeche Mode standard, Halo, complete with Sensual Breathing, and you have a good taste of what is to come from their eagerly-awaited Remixes 81-04 two-disc set, out on October 25.

ESTELLE - THE 18TH DAY (album) out October 18 / FREE (single) out now

WITH the hip-hop/soul market already saturated with acts, it'd seem a pretty tough task to crack on to the scene, but Estelle has done this with her debut single 1980, which the music-buying public seem to be eagerly lapping up.

Following on from that is her latest tune Free, an upbeat wake-up call to the nation's youth to do something with their lives, her vocals reminiscent of The Fugees star Lauryn Hill and ably assisted by So Solid's Megaman on the microphone.

The commanding tone of Dance Bitch and persistent beat and authoritative vocals on Go Gone shore up the two singles and suggest this is one girl who knows what she wants and is not going to stop until she gets it.

That's not to say she can't lower the tempo though, and she does ably with the 'old-skool' groove of Dance With Me.

With three UK Hip Hop Awards already under her belt, she has a lot to live up to - but, who knows, she may pull it off with this polished effort.

THE DATSUNS - GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

Out now

YOU wouldn't think from looking at them that such a group of skinny Kiwis would be capable of making such noise.

Hook them up with John Paul Jones of rock titans Led Zeppelin though and that assumption is blown apart.

Girl's Best Friend is the first single from the band and is a romping-stomping monster of a tune, sprinkled with a liberal dose of Led Zep-style guitar riffs to produce the ultimate kick-start to the band's attempts at global domination/world peace/free love (delete as applicable).

CLIENT - CITY

Out now

ELECTRO-pop duo Client, formed while on the road with Depeche Mode in Europe and there's an element of the latter's sound about them.

This is hardly surprising considering their latest album features collaborations with Martin Gore of Depeche Mode fame.

City is a back-to-the-coalface chunk of seductive, dark and raw industrial nose - from the robotic vocals and layers of beats on the first single from the album, Radio, to the bold, brassy I Want You, almost sounding like a clone of nineties band Dubstar.

And that's just it - while pleasant enough, this is ground well trodden but nevertheless is bound to divide the opinion of critics.

PETE MURRAY - SO BEAUTIFUL.

Out now

EVERYONE'S at it these days - actresses, actors, models... and now ex-rugby player Pete Murray puts down the ball to get behind the microphone for this haunting ballad which has already made him a household name in Australia.

It precedes his debut album Feeler here, which has already gone down a treat down under and looks set to do the same here.