COMING next to the charming 14th century StLawrence Chapel in Ashburton is an upwardly mobile London-born jazz singer who incorporates Gospel, rock, pop, contemporary Christian, R&B and blues into his arrangements.

This Sunday sees the arrival of the Aimua Eghobamien Quartet, an innovative bunch who combine fresh and unusual arrangements of the like of Ellington, Monk, Gershwin, Stevie Wonder and Bon Jovi, alongside their own haunting and original compositions.

Delve into Aimua's personal background and it's not difficult to figure out where all his influences come from. While his father had a passion for world music from British pop to calypso, he himself has lived on three different continents, experiencing first hand Nigerian drums and folk, European pop and American R&B.

Drawing inspiration from Nina Simone, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and Fela Kuti, he studied jazz vocal performance and creative writing at University in New York. There he enjoyed voice coaching with Mark Oswald, one of the Metropolitan Opera's leading teachers and became a member of Barry Harris's Jazz Ensemble Choir and the Times Square Church Choir.

Over time, he has developed a style of delivery that is elegant and truthful, simple yet sophisticated and very much his own.

Aimua (pictured right) and his band will be performing tracks from his debut album Poured Gently, which the London Jazz Times said showcased his "jazz vocals with absolute gentleness…" adding that Aiuma is a "true, thoroughly exciting original". For more details about the show go to www.ashburtonlive.co.uk and to find out more about Aiuma visit www.myspace.com/aimua.