Described by blues queen Bonnie Raitt as "the ninth wonder of the world", Jon Cleary is one of the best r'n'b artists in New Orleans. And in a city built on music, that is quite a claim.

It's all the more remarkable when you learn that this swaggering, behatted, blues groover is not from Louisiana at all - but from Kent.

A singer, songwriter and pianist of repute, he has played in Raitt's band for 10 years, and leads his own group of native New Orleans musicians - The Absolute Monster Gentlemen - who play this coming week's Monday Blues at the Bullingdon, in Oxford's Cowley Road.

Cleary also has a name as a composer, writing for and playing with the likes of Taj Mahal, BB King, Ryan Adams and Eric Burdon.

Though very much a resident of the Crescent City', having a home in the bohemian Bywater district - now fully repaired after losing part of its roof to Hurricane Katrina - Jon admits he doesn't spend as much time there as he would like.

"We've been on tour for nearly a month and are playing every night. We are doing as many gigs as we can. The only 'off' days are travel days.

"And this has been a year of back-to-back tours. In fact, I've only been there for a few consecutive days since Katrina.

"I do miss New Orleans, though. It's a funky, funky place. And I can't even remember what my wife looks like!"

He is calling from a Travelodge in Oldham - in the rain. "We went to a pub last night," he laughs, "We had to cross a motorway to get to it and it was grotty. It was also chucking it down."

So how did he find himself so far from home, living on the Mississippi River?

"I left England when I was a kid," he explains. "But I didn't expect to be here 30 years later.

"It wasn't the United States that attracted me... it was New Orleans. So when I was 17 I went there as quickly as I could. I had been exposed to New Orleans jazz and r'n'b from my family and loved it.

"But what really appealed to me was the physical decay of the place. It's a town that's seen its heyday and forgotten it.

"It's wonderful to be in a city in a state of collapse. But there's also so much joie de vivre. It's a place where when they bury people, they celebrate with a jazz band."

And what do the locals, with their fierce musical pride, think of this 'limey' interloper? "I've been there for so long they've forgotten where I'm from!" he laughs.

"New Orleans is such a cosmopolitan city anyway, that they don't bat an eyelid when I start playing. They would be more suspicious of someone from New York or California than someone from England."

Jon will be joined in Oxford by bandmates guitarist Derwin 'Big D' Perkins, bassist Cornell C. Williams, and drummers Jeffrey 'Jellybean' Alexander and Edward Christmas.

"Although we write most of our music, we pay tribute to the people that established the tradition back in the day - including everyone from Professor Longhair to Jelly Roll Morton. There's 100 years of linear music to choose from," says Jon.

"And while we might be a quiet band, we are dynamic.

"In fact we will be starting the Oxford show with a Professor Longhair tune - Mardi Gras New Orleans, which will get everyone going."

The Monday Blues takes place at he Bullingdon, in Cowley Road. The show starts at 9pm .