Book now: Trumpeter and jazz musician Theo Croker plays Band on the Wall

Florida’s Theo Croker has a well-earned reputation as an innovative jazz trumpeter, taking the instrument in bold directions through funk, post-bop, and electronica. His grandfather was the revered jazz trumpeter Doc Cheatham, and Croker clearly inherited that virtuoso playing, making a name for himself by performing in more traditional jazz style throughout the 2000s, before branching out in more experimental directions. 2014’s Afro Physicist, for example, brought in elements of hip-hop and was produced by Dee Dee Bridgewater, while 2016’s widely acclaimed Escape Velocity took this even further with funk and acid-jazz sounds on its densely layered tracks. His latest, 2019’s Star People Nation, was produced by Karriem Riggins and won him a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. There’s no better time to catch him than at Manchester’s hallowed jazz centre of Band on the Wall.