JUST over a year ago, the Live Music Act came into effect, which allows performances of live music to audiences of less than 200 without permission from local authorities.

More importantly, it removed the financial levy imposed by authorities for a music licence and many authorities set high fees, an unnecessary burden for small events. The act has made the promotion of live music more attractive and York music fans are the winners, with many more pubs offering free gigs.

Jazz at the Old White Swan, Goodramgate, has been running for around 20 years, but there was a sudden change of policy last year. The Thursday sessions, with Bejazzled and the Mardi Gras Band alternating weekly, were drastically curtailed and cut to just the first Thursday of the month. Tonight is the night at the Swan with the Mardi Gras Band, plus special guest Karl Mullen (01904 540911). The saviour of Thursday jazz was Lady Anne Middleton’s Hotel, Skeldergate, who immediately took on both bands, so tonight at Lady Anne’s (now rebranded as Middletons Hotel) Bejazzled with Mike Riley will be on at 8pm (01904 611570).

Sunday jazz begins at 1pm with John Marley and friends at Kennedy’s Café Bar, Little Stonegate, (01904 620222) and continues with Karl Mullen (piano) and Jen Low (vocals) at the Rook and Gaskill, Lawrence Street, at 7pm (01904 652050). Your final treat on Sunday will be the Central Scrutinizers at the Phoenix Inn, George Street (01904 656401), where you will find the regular jazz jam on Wednesday at 8pm.

Outside of York, tomorrow night Wakefield Jazz presents Peter King and his Quartet. King was the saxophonist the Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts chose to play the lead role with his side project of playing the music of Charlie Parker during the 1990s and he has further played with virtually every key British modern jazz group (01977 680542). Jazz in the Spa has seven-piece New Orleans Heat, playing the traditional jazz of Bunk Johnson and George Lewis (01937 844898).

Scarborough Jazz runs every Wednesday at the Cask Inn, Cambridge Terrace, and next week’s guests will be your writer (trombone), plus trumpeter James Lancaster (01723 500570).

REVIEW

Pat Metheny Unity Group, Kin (Nonesuch) *****

In 2012, for the first time since 1980, Metheny’s Unity Band recorded with a tenor saxophone and the album went on to win his 20th Grammy, shared with Chris Potter (saxophones), long-time collaborator Antonio Sanchez (drums) and Ben Williams (bass).

With the addition of multi-instrumentalist Giulio Carmassi to thicken the ensemble, the band is rebranded as Unity Group and it is a stunner.

Metheny is sometimes accused of over-long noodling, but although On Day One lasts 15 minutes, Sign Of The Season ten minutes and the title track 11 minutes, this is no noodle-fest. The latter utilises the guitar-synth sound familiar from Are You Going With Me (Offramp album, 1981), the solo similarly building in intensity.

Much of the album appears to be through-composed, but there is also much personal creative energy. Stately, anthemic themes and high-energy solos alternate with intimate moments, all to atmospheric effect. One of those albums you play again as soon as it has finished. Unconditionally recommended!