AROUND 150 guests, including musicians, vocalists and promoters from across the north, attended the Jazz Yorkshire Awards on Monday at Dean Clough Mills, Halifax.

Welcoming guests at the entrance was the joyful noise of James Lancaster’s New York Brass Band, an eight-piece group of startling youthfulness, skills polished by busking around the region. Obviously not from New York, but good Old York (so good they named it once), the band is one of the newest in the city. Inside the Crossley Gallery, the Yorkshire Jazz Orchestra (YJO) played, with Yorkie Ian Chalk prominent in the trumpet section.

Jazz Yorkshire awarded bass player Paul Baxter composer/arranger of the year, Scarborough won the festival of the year and Scarborough Jazz Club/festival director Mike Gordon won a special award for services to jazz. Pave in Hull won the pub/bar of the Year for its promotion of all styles of jazz by owner Steve Shaw and J-Night’s David Porter.

Your writer won the Jazz Journalist of the Year and YJO conductor Tony Faulkner won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

All details and photos at jazzyorkshire.org However, recent Arts Council cuts have axed all three northern jazz agencies, of which Jazz Yorkshire is one. Decisions on the future will come next month.

Tonight’s jazz choices are a nightmare – where to begin? Get The Blessing are an exciting quartet, featuring bass player Jim Barr and drummer Clive Deamer from trip-hop legends Portishead, plus Jake McMurchie (saxophone/electronics) and trumpeter Pete Judge. The National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, is the venue at 7.30pm (01904 658338).

J-Night brings Clare Teal and her Trio to the York Theatre Royal tonight at 8pm, focusing on the Great British Songbook. Rooted in the jazz tradition of the 1930s and 1940s, Clare wends her way through 100 years of great songwriting.

Your third Friday choice is an evening with Ian Shaw at Wakefield Jazz, A Bit Of A Mouthful (01977 680542). Ian is one of the world’s leading jazz singers and a riveting pianist. His chat betrays his earlier career in comedy, so tonight will be a hoot.

Evidence of David Porter’s J-Night excellence will be next Wednesday at York Theatre Royal. The fully-fledged Buena Vista Social Club piano prodigy Roberto Fonseca leads a new generation of Cuban artists in an original musical landscape of jazz, classical and Afro-Cuban influences. His new CD, Yo (Jazz Village/Harmonia Mundi Records), looks back at Cuba’s African roots, while striking forwards with electronic elements – “a fabulously gifted pianist, composer and bandleader” – The Guardian. Phone 01904 623568 for a three- shows-for-the-price-of-two offer.

Jazz In The Spa was a previous Jazz Yorkshire award-winner and tomorrow night the tireless team presents the AJ Brown Quartet, a first appearance by the talented young saxophone player from Halifax (01937 842544).

Helmsley Arts Centre is a beacon of artistic activity and tomorrow the venue presents a Jazz and Swing Weekend. Two full days of exciting events begin at 2pm tomorrow and end with a Sunday night Salute to Satchmo session at 9.15pm. Full details from 01439 771700.

Sunday jazz in York begins at Kennedy’s Café Bar, Little Stonegate, with the Zezo Olimpio Trio at 1pm (01904 620222) and your Sunday ends in style with the Ian Chalk Quartet at the Phoenix Inn, George Street. Wednesday night’s jam session at the Phoenix is a runaway success, fronted by Chris Moore (piano) and trumpeter James Lancaster (01904 656401).

Scarborough Jazz at the Cask, Cambridge Terrace, runs every Wednesday and next week’s guests will be the Blues Experience, an 11-piece band fronted by guitarist Al Morrison and celebrating the music of BB King, Robert Johnson and more (1723 500570).

Thursday jazz in York is at the Old White Swan, Goodramgate, with the Mardi Gras Band (01904 540911).

• RON Burnett may be the leader of the Mardi Gras Jazz Band in York but he is not one to blow his own trombone, so we will do it for him. The Press’s long-standing jazz correspondent has won the Media Award in the 2012 Jazz Yorkshire Awards, receiving his honour at the presentation ceremony at Dean Clough Mills, Halifax on Monday this week.

The Media Award was awarded by Rob Adams of UK Jazz, who said: “Ron Burnett writes a weekly Jazz Notes column in The Press in York every week, and has done so for many years. This includes news of local events and musicians, reviews of new CDs and if we are lucky, a piece about a particular ‘bee’ that may be in his ‘bonnet’ that week!

“Ron has his own entertaining style, which is always humorous and informative, and as well as commanding enormous respect as a musician and performer, he is a great supporter and promoter of northern artists.”

Congratulations, Ron, from all of us at the Press.