Guardian Music — Tokyo-born musician and activist 'deeply honoured' to organise 10-day Meltdown arts festival at Southbank centreYoko Ono has been named the next curator of the Meltdown festival at the Southbank centre in London. The musician, artist, author and acti... more info

Destination Out — SKIES OF AMERICA Ornette Coleman and Prime Time Verona Jazz Nettles: 1996 (rec. 1987) OC, alto sax;  Bern Nix, Charles Ellerbee, guitar; Al MacDowell, Chris Walker, bass; Calvin Weston, Denardo Coleman, drums; with the Orchestra Sinfonica Dell'Arena... more info

Guardian Music — Ronnie Scott's, LondonThe Soundprints quintet, led by trumpeter Dave Douglas and saxophonist Joe Lovano, played almost two hours straight on their first night at Ronnie Scott's – yet the show felt as if it had passed by in a flash, while boiling w... more info

Guardian Music — Danish-born saxophonist at the heart of the 'new thing' jazz movement of the 1960sWhen the saxophonist John Tchicai, who has died aged 76, performed with local musicians at the Red Rose in Finsbury Park, north London, in 2005, the show was sold out l... more info

Guardian Music — David Byrne has gone from Fear of Music with Talking Heads to theory of music in his new book. Here he tells us about the hidden forces that lie behind everything we listen toIn your new book, How Music Works, you begin by asserting that context is a... more info

Guardian Music — The 1-2-3-4, LondonWith the problems at Bloc and cancellation of Underage, it hasn't been a golden year for festivals in east London. The 1-2-3-4, however, looks as if it may buck the trend, a one-dayer offering the suggestion that relevance is not a... more info

Guardian Music — (Laborie Jazz)When French saxophonist Emile Parisien's band played the Partager festival at Kings Place in 2010, they jammed references from free-jazz and avant-funk to Tristan and Isolde into a 45-minute set with such virtuosity and wit that their c... more info

Guardian Music — (Interrupto)Jazz composers are always trying to balance premeditation with the quirks of improvisation, but Scottish drummer and composer Tom Bancroft has a unique take on the activity – a mix of musical breadth, surreal humour and devotion to the ... more info

Guardian Music — John Fordham continues his monthly column, picking musical milestones from recent weeks. Tell us in the comments below if we've missed anything, and make suggestions for August's slot1) New old album of the month: SleeperTake a quartet featuring a ja... more info

Guardian Music — ECMThis enthralling double album is a previously unreleased concert set from Tokyo in 1979 and features Keith Jarrett's "European quartet" of Jan Garbarek on saxes and flute, fellow Norwegian Jon Christensen on drums and Swedish bassist Palle Daniel... more info