As an enfant terrible Django Bates last played the Proms with Loose Tubes some 26 years ago, but it’s just been announced that the composer/ pianist is to return to the Proms this year to celebrate another great maverick: bebop pioneer Charlie Parker. The concert will also include the UK premiere of a new Bates piece called ‘The Study of Touch’.

Bates will be joined for the concert by his Belovèd Bird trio, the Norbotten big band from Sweden, and Ashley Slater (Freak Power) with a programme of Bird-related tunes.

The BBC Proms this year in addition to the main classical programme, dominated by Daniel Barenboim’s complete Ring cycle with the Staatskapelle Berlin also feature a gospel prom; an appearance by a cappella group Naturally 7; a performance of Frank Zappa’s ‘The Adventures of Greggery Peccary’; an urban classic prom with Jules Buckley leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra bringing together the music of Fazer, Henze, Laura Mvula, Mosolov and Maverick Sabre; and a World  Routes prom featuring Fidan Hajiyeva, Gochaq Askarov, Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba, and Tinariwen. SG
The full programme is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms
Django Bates, above, plays the Proms on 28 August at 10.15