Launching on Friday 24th July, at the height of Manchester's summer festival season, the 14th manchester jazz festival once again takes its audience on one of the most unique sonic journeys in the UK, with music either premiered at the festival or created specially for it.

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Extending its tradition of nurturing regional talent, this year mjf launches a brand new programme strand, dedicated to the production of very special projects: "mjf originals", a series of exciting, innovative and ambitious creations dreamt up by North West jazz artists and realised by mjf. The first two projects are as exciting as they are different: in Mask (Contact Theatre, 27th and 28th July), violinist Olivia Moore explores Indian-flavoured acoustic and electronic sounds against a visual backdrop of immersive projections; in Ones and Zeros, 'La Gran Descarga' bass player Matt Owens marries the sound worlds of jazz and classical wind quintet (greenroom, 26thJuly).

mjf also welcomes a string of international artists on their first or rare visits to the UK: French young prodigies Alata fuse African rhythmic influences with a retro, over-driven Rhodes sound with a nod to both Bitches Brew and Ravi Shankar. Catch them on a double bill (RNCM, 28th July) with Art of Sound, the fast-emerging piano trio featuring John Law and Asaf Sirkis.

Spanish flautist/tenor player Jorge Pardo (Chick Corea/Astrud Gilberto/Pat Metheny) brings a fiery, genuine Flamenco approach to the sax/bass/drums trio in D'3, on a double bill with the exquisite lyrical piano playing of Italian Enrico Pieranunzi and his trio (RNCM, 31s July).

As an antithesis to the Scandinavian sound of the 'ECM school', the high-octane Atomic (featuring Fredrik Ljundkvist and Paal Nilssen-Love) pay a rare visit to the UK, double-billed with an equally rare treat: the explosive piano trio of Bourne/Davis/Kane, on this date augmented by the powerful tenor and bagpipes (yes, really) of leading UK improviser Paul Dunmall (RNCM, 30thJuly).

New Orleans drum superstar Stanton Moore will make his Manchester debut in the Festival Pavilion, which on the last night of the festival (1stAugust) will celebrate the imminent re-opening of Band on the Wall, the legendary Manchester music venue which is nearing the end of its four-year refurbishment. Its Artistic Director and Jazz FM DJ Mike Chadwick spins some tunes, but not until we've heard from the Manchester Music Makers – Finnish drummer Jonas Backman's tribute to the two great cities.

Running until Saturday 1st August, mjf brings you the best of British and European contemporary jazz all around Manchester city centre: in the bustling St Ann's Square, the festival hub, for the best outdoor live music experience in Manchester; in the deliciously Moorish Octagon Lounge at The Midland Hotel for soul-enhancing coffee jazz sessions; at St Ann's Church for extraordinary acoustic performances; in the shaded Bridgewater Hall foyer for relaxing lunchtimes; and in the landmark wigwam structure of the Festival Pavilion in Albert Square for some very special events.