Jazz notes

Leader John Addy aims to have a different guest player each week, which adds variety. Tonight's (18th) guest is one of the region's best guitarists, Mike Riley. Based in Leeds, Mike was for many years with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, which had one of the most punishing touring schedules in Christendom. Tour organisers know little of maps and tend to book by date only. As a result, Mike would be heading for London one night, Birmingham the next, Aberdeen the next.

Checking his mileage in a rare idle moment of reflection, Mike discovered that he had covered 20,000 miles in six months. Shortly afterwards, Mike disengaged from the Lawrence Orchestra and now enjoys gigs which see him home in bed with time to spare before dawn.

The new Friday sessions follow the success of Carol Addy's Sunday afternoon sessions with Finesse at the Victoria Vaults, which continue to run from 2-5pm each week.

Other Sunday sessions to tempt you include the Tim New Band, Sunday lunch at the York Hilton and the jam session at the Black Swan, Peasholme Green, from around 8.30pm to closing time. Try to arrive early for these happy, informal sessions at the Black Swan, because they feature some of the best young musicians around. The good vibrations are repeated each Wednesday night with a variety of musicians.

Fifteen years of Jazz at the Crown, Boston Spa, continue tomorrow night with a second appearance by pianist Martin Litton. Martin will present Artistry in Rhythm, his interpretations of classical melodies. Details from 01937 842544.

York's newest pub is the Rook and Gaskill, Lawrence Street, and happily it is becoming a successful venue for live music. On Monday nights, Fine and Mellow features the vocals/piano duo of Nina and Karl with some classic jazz standards.

On Tuesday, Scarborough Jazz at Scholars has a Yorkie invasion of Bob Smeaton (piano), Greg Wadman (trumpet) and your writer (trombone). Details from Dennis Hitch on 01723 362376.

On Thursday, Jazz at the Old White Swan, York, has the resident Don Lodge Band, featuring Mike Riley and Tim New.

There is high excitement for the monthly session of Jazz at the Shire Hall, Howden, on Saturday 26 April, when the big band Jazz Vehicle roars into town. Box office and information from 01430 431535 (Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm).

Looking at the rich and varied music available every week in our region, there is growing concern about the designs which Parliament has on the provision of Public Entertainment Licenses (PEL) for all sorts of venues across England.

Under licensing legislation, any pub, club or hotel is allowed have up to two musicians/ singers performing without the need to apply for a PEL.

Most of the venues above have applied for, and paid for, a PEL in order to provide live music played by larger groups. The Musicians' Union has complained about the cost levied by different local authorities for these PELs, in the hope that England would follow the Scottish example. In Scotland, no PEL is required for live music in pubs, church halls or schools.

Under new legislation going through Parliament, Dr Kim Howells, under secretary in the culture department, aims to increase legislation against live music by insisting all venues providing any live music must have a license.

As Hamish Birchall writes in Musician, the official organ of the Musicians' Union, "the provision of an unlicensed piano in a restaurant becomes a criminal offence, but big-screen TV broadcasts of sport, music, or anything else, no matter how powerfully amplified, are exempt." Similarly, discos.

Hamish quotes Howells in a Daily Telegraph article "maybe it won't work, but no one's found a better way". Hamish points out that: "They have a better way in Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Finland, Denmark and France". All of these survive safely without PELs. York MP Hugh Bailey has lobbied Howells on behalf of the York branch of the MU - add your support by writing now.

Updated: 09:21 Friday, April 18, 2003