FOR the entire morning that I know I'm going to interview legendary classical guitarist John Williams, I can't get Cavatina out of my head.

It was his playing on this track, used in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter, which brought him to the attention of a huge, worldwide audience.

Now 63, John (pictured above) is still happily performing after more than 40 years in the business. He has also contributed to films such as A Fish Called Wanda and has collaborated with many musicians including Julian Bream, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Previn, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth.

But the music he will be bringing to The Anvil on Sunday, February 13 - one of only two performances in England - is of a very different ilk.

John will join forces with an old friend from Cameroon, Patrick Bebey, and jazzman John Etheridge, who has worked with musicians such as Stephane Grappelli, Yehudi Menuhin, Andy Summers and Nigel Kennedy.

"It's very difficult to sum up how you choose projects," he begins. "I met the whole Bebey family a few years ago as Francis, Patrick's father, was a friend of mine. I was surprised that, as an African musician from Cameroon born in the 1930s, his first instrument was the classical guitar. That delighted me.

"I did a CD about four years ago called The Magic Box, which was all African music, and Francis sang on it.

"He was a guitarist and musician, storyteller, writer and singer, and also played a lot of the same instruments that Patrick plays, including the thumb piano.

"Then meeting the family, that was a connection. When Francis died, Patrick and I thought it would be really nice to continue doing something.

"Patrick has spent most of his life in Paris. He sings, and also plays all those instruments, so we just thought that the trio would be a nice, intimate little group. The group's name is just an acronym of our surnames, one of those things which came up when we started doing shows last year. Was it easier to say Williams, Etheridge and Bebey, or WEB?!"

And so WEB was born.

"John and I live a stone's throw from each other in London. We're mates, we sort of meet all the time to just be together. Patrick gets on the Eurostar to come over, so sometimes we try to get a couple of dates put together. Coming from Paris is a little bit quicker than going to Manchester! We simply say if something comes up, we'll do it.

"It's not Afro-pop or traditional African music, it's more that the roots of the music that we do are from the area.

"What Patrick does is totally original, and what John and I do is our way of mixing or combining with Patrick.

"He doesn't play guitar at all but his father did. These things happen without you sitting down and saying 'Oh, I must try this, I must explore African music'.

"Sometimes it can be represented as if you're looking around for new areas to have a look at. But this evolved naturally."

Since he played Cavatina, and people began to confuse him with the film composer John Williams - who works with Steven Spielberg - has he ever regretted becoming involved with the recording?

"No, not at all. It's a wonderful tune, a great piece. I was lucky to be the friend of Stanley Myers who wrote it, and it has stuck ever since.

"The confusion with the other John Williams is something that comes up constantly.

"It's a bit annoying sometimes but I have learned to live with it.

"Mostly people think, because of all the film soundtracks and bits in the paper, that I must earn millions. Which is what the other John Williams does. But not me!"

Tickets for WEB are priced at £16.50, with tickets for under-16s and full-time students £12.

To book, contact the box office on 01256 844244, log on to www.theanvil.org.uk or use the ticket fax on 01256 366900.