MY first job as the new Jazz Notes contributor is to thank Ron Burnett for keeping us informed about all of the gigs happening in the area for over 20 years.

I’m sure everyone will agree what a fantastic job Ron has done and I’m sure he’ll still be contributing reviews from time to time.

Now, on to a busy week of gigs! York’s newest jazz venue, The Pavilion Hotel on Fulford Road (01904 622099), is playing host to jazz duos every Thursday from 7pm and tonight it’s my turn on double bass along with the excellent jazz and blues guitarist, Al Morrison. Alternatively, you can head over to The Red Lion Hotel in Poppleton (01905 781141) to hear the Karl Mullen Trio from 8.30pm. Karl will be familiar to many York residents as the boogie-woogie playing pianist who can often be found busking in the city centre. A mix of jazz, blues and boogie is guaranteed to keep you entertained.

Seven Jazz (www.sevenjazz.co.uk) in Leeds have been bringing world class jazz talent to the area for many years and this week is no exception.

The first two bands, which I reviewed for this column, are playing at the venue in the next four days, starting with Jesse Banister’s Playing Out at 7.45pm this evening, followed by Eyeshutight at 1pm on Sunday afternoon.

British saxophone heavyweight Tim Garland is bring his Lighthouse project to Wakefield Jazz (www.wakefieldjazz.org) on Friday at 8.30pm. Garland, who performs regularly with the legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea, brings a quartet comprised of young home grown talent including up and coming guitar virtuoso Ant Law.

On Saturday, The National Centre for Early Music (01904 632220) plays host to the critically acclaimed David-Rees Williams Trio, who present classical repertoire in the format of a jazz piano trio while the popular traditional venue, Boston Spa Jazz Club (01937 842636) sees the visit of Dave Mott’s Jazz Classics at 8pm.

Kennedy’s Bar on Little Stonegate (01904 620222) has been hosting a successful Sunday afternoon jazz session for many years and currently features a variety of guests joining myself on bass and Paul Smith on drums.

This week sees the return of popular vocalist Kate Peters who will also be showing off her piano playing talents. Later in the evening, pianist Chris Moore will be performing at The Phoenix Inn on George Street (01904 656401) with his instrumental quartet, Central Scrutinizers. Chris Moore is a great example of the talented jazz musicians based in York and his band will be playing compositions by post-bop composers such as Wayne Shorter.

Since I can remember, York has had a great weekly jam night. The night currently runs at The Phoenix Inn at 8.30pm every Wednesday. There is always a great atmosphere and players of all abilities are welcome.

Over in Scarborough at The Cask Inn (01723 379818), the Mike Gordon Trio will be backing vocalist Rich Adams and saxophonist Dave Kemp who is also a member of popular York party band, Huge.

That rounds up an action packed week ahead which has provided plenty to write about in my first column.