SAXOPHONIST Dave O’Higgins first visited Dorchester Arts last autumn with the sensational Darius Brubeck Quartet.

He makes a welcome return to the Corn Exchange with the Dave O’Higgins Quartet on Friday. (6)

Dave’s saxophone sound is highly personal and recognisable, with a clear sense of melodic development and adventure. He has a wide palette, from Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane and Joe Henderson through to Stanley Turrentine and Michael Brecker.

The quartet has been together for five years – Sebastian de Krom (drums), Geoff Gascoyne (bass), and Graham Harvey/Rob Barron (piano).

They are a band that is unashamed to swing, drawing on blues and functional harmonies and the great tome of jazz vocabulary.

Dave O’Higgins has been a popular figure on the UK and international jazz scene for 30 years now, with countless recordings as sideman and 19 albums as leader under his belt. The most impressive names on the CV are surely Frank Sinatra (the last London appearance - a week at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992) and a tour and album with Ray Charles (Strong Love Affair).

*The Dave O’Higgins Quartet, Dorchester Corn Exchange, Friday October 6, 8pm. Call the box office for tickets.