Though his fame is not commensurate with his talent, tenor saxophonist Alan Skidmore, who plays in Dublin and Cork this week, remains one of the finest players on the British jazz scene. The son of the late Jimmy Skidmore (whose fine tenor and robust humour enlivened Humphrey Lyttelton's mainstream bands), Alan was transformed stylistically by the influence of John Coltrane. He became part of that cutting-edge generation of British jazz with the likes of John Surman and Mike Osborne, with whom he formed the ground-breaking SOS. Both this and another high-pressure group, SOH - with drummer Tony Oxley and bassist Ali Haurand - took him into post-Coltrane territory and testified to his willingness to take musical risks. But perhaps the most abiding characteristics of this warmly inventive player are the passion, imagination and sheer adaptability he brings to the music. By Ray Comiskey