UK jazz musicians, fans and promoters were devastated to hear that the Arts Council of England (ACE) will pull the plug on Jazz Services, the main body financing tours of national and international musicians.

Many jazz clubs will lose the support which ACE has provided over the years and will have to increase entry fees or risk folding. Wakefield Jazz is just one venue sending out a distress call – just an extra five to ten people at each gig will allow the club to break even over the year.

York has particular problems, with no regular jazz club and most jazz is in pubs with no entry charge. Musicians have to negotiate fees with pub and hotel managers and as recent stories in the press have intimated, the pub trade is not exactly thriving. The income of most local jazz musicians has been frozen for years and depends entirely on sales of food and drink.

The J-Night promotions company and the National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) have retained some funding, so York will continue to enjoy visits from big-name musicians.

Further arts funding casualties are the five musicians from the West End production of War Horse, who were replaced by recorded music. As a letter to the Musicians’ Union journal points out: “Aside from the obvious breach of contract, if the National Theatre follows its own logic, it would pay the actors once, video the whole thing and show it on a big screen.”

In York, Bejazzled and the Mardi Gras Band recently lost a shared residency after 20 years, firstly at the Old White Swan and more recently at Middleton’s Hotel. However, Bejazzled guitarist Don Lodge has found a new place for Thursday night fun at the Red Lion, Poppleton, on the A59 just as you leave York (01904 781141).

It was heartening to see so many familiar faces in the audience at last Thursday’s inaugural session by Bejazzled, many of whom found the Red Lion and free parking more accessible than the city-centre venues. The Thursday jazz continues tonight with the Mardi Gras Band featuring special guest Frank Brooker (saxophone/clarinet/vocals). Wakefield Jazz has bagged Snake Davis’ pianist John Ellis to bring his quartet to the Sports Club tomorrow night (01977 680542).

Jazz in the Spa is a stronghold of traditional jazz and the ingeniously-titled Merseysippi Jazz Band will be the guests on Saturday night (01937 844898). Sunday jazz in York is well served by two excellent bands, beginning at Kennedy’s Café Bar, Little Stonegate, with instrumental jazz from John Marley and Paul Smith at 1pm (01904 620222).

At 8pm the Central Scrutinizers will be at the Phoenix Inn, George Street, playing music by Monk, Mingus and Wayne Shorter, followed on Monday night with great vocals by Kate Peters and her Quartet. Third gig of the week at the Phoenix will be next Wednesday’s jazz jam session. All details of Phoenix jazz on 01904 656401. Scarborough Jazz runs every Wednesday at the Cask Inn, Cambridge Terrace, and next week’s guests will be trumpeter James Lancaster and your writer (trombone) with the resident Mike Gordon Trio (01723 500570). For a weekend of great jazz, head for the Scarborough Jazz Festival (September 26-28, 01723 821888).