Woody Allen to play Royal Albert Hall with the New Orleans Jazz Band

Tickets for the event are on sale now

Woody Allen plays the clarinet with his New Orleans Jazz Band at Royce Hall in California (Getty)

Wood Allen and the New Orleans Jazz Band will play a rare, one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 2 July, it has been announced.

The venue's website says that the performance will be an "energetic collection of improvisations" and that there will be "no playlist, nor do the musicians know what song Allen, in collaboration with band director Eddy Davis, will call out next".

The band's sound comprises "a diverse collection of early twentieth century popular tunes, hymns, spirituals, marches, blues and rags, and draws inspiration from such legendary artists as Sidney Bechet, George Lewis, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone and of course, Louis Armstrong."

Allen often plays with the band in New York, but their last visit to the UK took place in 2004, at the Eventim Apollo.

While he is best known for his films, Allen often brings his passion for jazz, blues and swing music into his films - arguably best in his film Midnight In Paris, which included music by Sidney Bechet, Froncois Parisi and Stephane Wrembel.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay; Allen famously missed the ceremony and did not accept the award in person, because he was performing a concert that same evening.

Tickets for the event are on sale now