A free drum and bass masterclass is being held tomorrow by percussionist Philippe Soirat and double bassist Philippe Aerts, in the run-up to the Malta Jazz Festival.

Soirat was born in Menton in 1961. After self-taught beginnings, he studied at the Monaco Conservatory and the Nice Contemporary Music Centre. He settled in Paris in 1986 and moved in the informal jazz school made up of meetings and experiments among musicians. Concerts came thick and fast and he accompanied most musicians on the French and international jazz scene, including Barney Wilen, Ricky Ford, Lee Konitz, Yannick Rieu, Lionel and Stéphane Belmondo, Lou Donaldson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ray Brown, Laurent DeWilde and Mark Turner.

Belgian Aerts started playing double bass at the age of 14, playing with Dixieland bands. Very soon he found himself playing with the best known Belgian jazz musicians at that time: Diederik Wissels, Jan De Haas, Félix Simtaine and Michel Herr Philip Catherine.

The percussion and bass masterclass is being held tomorrow at 5pm at Offbeat Music Bar, Valletta. Classes are free, however, the number of participants is limited. Priority will be given to practising musicians. To sign up, send an e-mail to ruben.balzan@festivalsmalta.org and include your phone number and your chosen masterclass and level.

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