NOT content with playing the leading festivals of Wales, Ross on Wye and Brecon Jazz, Van 'the man' Morrison plays a one-off show in St David's Hall on Friday September 7.

The acclaimed performer of many colours begins the autumn season with a celebration of his Celtic roots, jazz, skiffle and blues leanings that will take his audience on an emotional rollercoaster past Gloria, Brown Eyed Girl, And It Stoned Me and Dweller on the Threshold.

Every music lover knows at least one corner of Van Morrison's repertoire, having written some of the world's famous music, such as Astral Weeks and hits like Moondance, Tupelo Honey, Avalon Sunset, Days Like This and Precious Time.

His career has spanned nearly four decades which is reflected in the diverse range of ages at his gigs, with everyone from seasoned fans there from the beginning to new generations discovering Astral Weeks for the first time.

His wide audience allows the singer to perform at a wide variety of different venues and festivals, from the serious jazz festivals above to the Glastonbury festival in the 1990s.

Although a solo star, Van Morrison has played in a string of different bands including Them in the 1960s with the hits Here Comes the Night, Gloria and Baby Please Don't Go, in the 1970s with the Crusaders, although the project was scrapped, and the Chieftains briefly in the late 1980s.

Van Morrison has made more collaborations in recent years than most artists manage in a lifetime, which has made for some interesting and unexpected results.

One of his latest albums was recorded with Linda Gale Lewis titled You Win Again, and he appears on one track of Mark Knopfler's Sailing to Philadelphia, titled the Last Laugh.

Live, he recently played concerts with legendary blues singer Bobby Bland and toured with Linda Gale Lewis.

His album with John Lee Hooker, Don't Look Back, won a Grammy award. The recent death of the blues legend was said to have moved Van Morrison greatly.

* Tickets for Van Morrison in St David's Hall, Cardiff, on Friday, September 7, are £21 and £23.50. Dial (029) 2087 8444.