IN THE city, we have regular access to the arts in various forms. However, if you live in the countryside you may not be so lucky. Rural Arts (ruralarts.org) is a charity which brings artistic performances and workshops to areas which are often neglected on the regular touring circuits.

Jazz vocalist Zoe Gilby will be performing in three North Yorkshire villages as part of the charity’s jazz programme. She brings her quartet to Pickering Memorial Hall this evening, followed by East Cowton village hall on Friday and Grey village hall, Sutton-on-the-Forest on Saturday. The band play a selection of finely tuned jazz standards along with arrangements of artists from the pop and rock spectrum such as Kate Bush and Pink Floyd.

Back into the city, Kate Peters will be singing and playing piano accompanied by myself on bass at the Pavilion Hotel, Fulford Road, from 7pm this evening. There are two more opportunities to hear Kate sing in the next seven days. She will be performing at Kennedy’s Bar, Little Stonegate, at 1pm on Sunday followed by her popular residency at The Phoenix Inn, George Street, at 8.30pm on Monday.

The Phoenix Inn also hosts the Firebird Quartet at 8pm on Sunday, who are fronted by trumpeter Ian Chalk and play a selection of classic swing mixed with original compositions and contemporary jazz works. Then on Wednesday there is the regular jam session at 8.30pm.

The Red Lion Hotel in Poppleton has been successfully hosting jazz evenings for several months and tonight the resident rhythm section are joined by the Huddersfield-based duo of vocalist Julie Edwards and Kevin Dearden on guitar. On Monday, saxophone star Snake Davis joins the Watermelon Men at the hotel and you’d be wise to book tickets for the event. They are £10 and available from the hotel. If you are unable to see Snake and the band on Monday, then you can travel a little further and catch them at The Crown Hotel in Harrogate at 7.30pm on Sunday.

York’s newest jazz venue is Nevermind in Stonebow House. Many readers will know this as the former home of York’s long-running rock club, Fibbers. James Lancaster will be taking his band through a set of cool swing and bebop from 8.30pm tonight all the way up until midnight.

If traditional jazz is more your style, then you can join in the festivities in Bishopthorpe Road on Saturday where your former scribe Ron Burnett will be getting into the party atmosphere with his band through the early afternoon. On Saturday at 8pm, the Frog Island Jazz Band are coming a long way from Essex to play their favourite New Orleans Jazz compositions to the dedicated audience at Boston Spa Jazz Club.

Rounding off the week is the gypsy jazz jam session at The Victoria Vaults, Nunnery Lane, on Wednesday. The jam has a friendly communal atmosphere are all performers are made to feel very welcome.