NORTHERN Jazz News has some interesting conversations about free jazz – free entry rather than the spontaneous, no-chords variety.

On the one hand, free gigs provide the opportunity for less established bands, whether young jazz graduates or older veteran players, to play in front of an audience and to get their music known. The problem is that people will not go to see the same band at other venues if there is an entry fee.

Is it the case that free gigs, whether supported by pubs, bars or hotels risk developing audiences that don’t value musicians enough to pay to see them? On the jazzbreakfast site, musician Corey Mwamba poses the question does the listening public know quite what a good deal it is getting? York is unique in the region, having a large number of free entry gigs every week, all subsidised by pubs and bars, which means the city is getting a very good deal.

The most comfortable jazz venue is Middleton’s Hotel, Skeldergate, which promotes quality jazz on Thursday and Friday every week with no admission charge. The occasional big name players at the National Centre of Early Music, the Theatre Royal, the Barbican Centre and Grand Opera House usually pull in good crowds, even though tickets can be quite highly priced.

Venture out of York to Jazz in the Spa, Leeds Jazz Club, Hulljazz, Wakefield Jazz and Scarborough Jazz, and audiences are accustomed pay anything from £3 for local players, to £12/£15 for more established names. As the old adage goes – you can make a £1million out of running a jazz club, just start off with £2 million.

Back in York, there is free-entry jazz tonight at 8.30pm with Bejazzled at Middleton’s Hotel, Skeldergate and a second session on Friday 18 April at 8.30pm. Friday’s band was unconfirmed at press time, call 01904 611570 for details.

Sunday jazz in York begins at 1pm at Kennedy’s Café Bar, Little Stonegate (01904 620222) and there will be wild and wacky blues at around 4pm with the rockin’ Blueflies at the Fulford Arms, Fulford Road. Ian Chalk’s Firebird Quartet rounds the day off at the Phoenix Inn, George Street, 8pm (01904 656401).

On Monday, the Kate Peters Quartet will be at the Phoenix at 8.30pm and the great York jazz jam is at the Phoenix on Wednesday night, fronted by Chris Moore (piano) and trumpeter James Lancaster.

Jazz in the Spa on Saturday sees the return of good-time traditional with Mart Rodger Manchester Jazz (01937 844898). Scarborough Jazz runs every Wednesday at the Cask Inn, Cambridge Terrace and next week’s guests will be the Weave, a group of Liverpool’s finest with an unusual front line of guitar and two trumpets (01723 500570).