theartsdesk at the 2014 Glasgow Jazz Festival

GLASGOW JAZZ FESTIVAL Happy, hard-swinging variety on the Clyde

Happy, hard-swinging variety on the Clyde

Saturday commuters sprinting for the 17.33 to Ardrossan find themselves dodging an obstacle course of swing-dancing young couples, soundtracked by a pensionable trad jazz band. A shifting crowd of about 100 pause in their journeys at Glasgow Central station to enjoy Penman’s Jazzmen, skilful Scottish veterans comfortable with each other and the demands of this century-old New Orleans music.

10 Questions for Filmmaker Bill Forsyth

BILL FORSYTH The writer-director recalls the making of his much-loved teen comedy romance Gregory's Girl

The writer-director recalls the making of his much-loved teen comedy romance Gregory's Girl

You'll recall the scene where the title comes true in Gregory’s Girl. Gregory, a gawky, puzzled teenager played by John Gordon Sinclair, has finally hooked up with a girl. They spend a long evening dreamily kissing and listing their favourite numbers. “A million and nine," suggests Susan, played by Clare Grogan, after a long last smooch on his doorstep. "How come you know all the good numbers?" says Gregory, and you can hear the witty and the quizzical mingling in his voice, as inextricable as jam stirred into rice pudding.

DVD: That Sinking Feeling

Low-budget Glaswegian crime comedy shines in a new restoration

That Bill Forsyth’s 1979 debut feature is so polished shouldn’t be a surprise; he’d been working on documentaries and short films since the 1960s. Several of these are included as generous bonuses on this disc.

Under the Skin

UNDER THE SKIN Scarlett Johansson's murdering, lonely alien is the heart of a flawed but haunting film

Scarlett Johansson's murdering, lonely alien is the heart of a flawed but haunting film

There are more bizarre, horrific and unnervingly beautiful moments in Jonathan Glazer’s much delayed third film than in the rest of his star Scarlett Johansson’s career. The strap-line - Scarlett as an alien fatally seducing Scottish men - suggests bonkers B-movie elements which Under the Skin has its share of. But by abandoning the hoary s.f.

Hansel and Gretel, Scottish Ballet, Theatre Royal, Glasgow

HANSEL AND GRETEL, SCOTTISH BALLET Sugar-coated Christmas show looks good, but lacks bite

Sugar-coated new Christmas show looks good, but lacks bite

When he became Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet in 2002, Ashley Page’s first creation for the company was a witty, pacy, Nutcracker, the kind of box-office friendly production all companies need to win the hearts of the public and stabilise the finances. The present bad blood between the company board and Page (whose contract was not renewed in 2012 despite a very happy and successful decade at the helm) has now led to the icing of his Nutcracker: Christmas 2014 will instead see a revival of the old 1990s Peter Darrell production.

Sonica, Glasgow

SONICA, GLASGOW You want to know what the future of music looks like? Read on

You want to know what the future of music looks like? Read on

At first it looked like a joke. But, as each muscle spasm, set off by an electric shock, did appear to produce a pained expression in the performer and a subsequent note, one slowly had to accept that these four string quartet players were indeed being electrocuted into performance. The Wigmore Hall, it wasn’t. Sonica, it certainly was.

Emily Barker & the Red Clay Halo/Chris T-T, Oran Mor, Glasgow

EMILY BARKER & THE RED CLAY HALO / CHRIS T-T, ORAN MOR, GLASGOW Aussie folk songstress takes her immersive show on the long and winding road

Aussie folk songstress takes her immersive show on the long and winding road

If Glasgow was to find a little corner for the traditional spirit of vaudeville to live on, it would make sense if it was this one: set the basement of a 19th century church with an audience sitting in lines on gold-painted seats; and two highly accomplished songwriters introducing each other with the sense of ceremony you so rarely find at concerts these days.

CD: RM Hubbert - Breaks & Bone

Scottish guitarist follows award success with another quiet triumph

The debates that come with music awards tend to be more interesting than the institutions themselves, which is why it was so novel to see this year’s SAY Award - the Creative Scotland-backed equivalent of the Mercury Prize - go to a work that was not only innovative but genuinely loved. Though it must have been tempting for RM Hubbert to take some time out and blow the prize money on a Porsche, the Glasgow guitarist - a 20-year veteran of the local music scene - announced his next album two weeks later.

CD: Marnie - Crystal World

CD: MARNIE - CRYSTAL WORLD Ladytron's leading lady shows her full range on a dreamy and varied debut

Ladytron's leading lady shows her full range on a dreamy and varied debut

There have been those who have uncharitably suggested that Crystal World is in fact a sixth Ladytron album rather than the solo debut of the band’s frontwoman, Helen Marnie. It’s an easy, if lazy, conclusion to jump to when said album flirts with many of the same electro-dreampop calling cards and features a bandmate on production credits, but take a trip into Marnie’s world and there is plenty to set it apart.

The Man Who Collected the World: William Burrell, BBC Four

How a world-class art gallery for Glasgow started with an industrialist's private passion

Had the wealthy William Burrell had a son, Glasgow might not have acquired the world-class art collection that the shipping entrepreneur amassed during his long life. But with the birth of a sole daughter came both ambitions and suspicion – he raised Marion to succeed to his art empire, then imagined every suitor to be a gold-digger, breaking off her third engagement with a public announcement in the newspaper that took even her by surprise.