Burnley jazz club looks for new home (From This Is Lancashire)

Burnley jazz club looks for new home

10:00am Saturday 13th February 2010 in

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POPULAR matinee Jazz sessions which have taken place in Burnley every week for 25 years are in danger of ending following the closure of the pub which hosted them.

The ‘Sunday Lunch Jazz’ event at the Sparrow Hawk Hotel has featured performances by some of the genre’s biggest names over the last decade.

But the sessions have been on hold since the landmark hotel closed last month - prompting concerns from regulars.

Organisers are now looking for a new home for the event which was first launched at Burnley Mechanics in the early 1980s.

According to Steve Arnold, who ran the event for nine years, between 30 and 40 Jazz aficionados flocked to the hotel most weeks.

They enjoyed performances in Modern Jazz and Jazz Fusion, while eating a meal or having a few drinks, he said.

Renowned acts including Chameleon, The Exciting Sound of the Freddie Garner Quartet, Gary Boyle, Neil C Young, and John Hargreaves, have all performed at the Colne Road hotel as part of the event.

Mr Arnold, who runs the Hop and Vine Experience shop, in Queen Victoria Road, said the event had developed a cult following.

A number of people had been in touch, urging him to reintroduce the sessions at a new venue, he said.

He added: “It was a way of people getting together and having something to do on a Sunday afternoon. It was convivial and always friendly. We had local bands and some from further away. It was a popular event.

“Over the lunchtime, between 1pm and 3pm, we would have between 30 and 40 people - including a hardcore following - come and it was free to get in. I have had a lot of enquiries about bringing it back and it would be a shame if it ended.

“We’re looking for a new home. It has to be somewhere with no admission charge and ideally it will serve food and have a bar.”

The Sparrow Hawk Hotel, closed after it failed to attract a buyer. It had been on the market for 18 months with a £595,000 price tag.

Anyone who can provide a suitable venue should call Steve on 01282 454970 after 5pm.