Legendary guitarist John Etheridge opens a new season of Jazz at The Keys gigs in Huddersfield next month.

The former Soft Machine member, who has played with some of the 20th century’s greatest musicians, including Stephane Grappelli and Nigel Kennedy, will be at the Byram Street venue, in the crypt of the parish church, on Saturday, February 11, at 8pm.

It’s a full year since the launch of Jazz at the Keys and its organiser Ben Crosland, himself a jazz bass player, says the venture has been appreciated by a ‘core audience’. However, he noticed that gigs in late spring and early summer were not as well attended as others and so this year Jazz at the Keys will be taking a break from April to July.

Tickets for the first gig with the John Etheridge Trio North are £14, including a pie and pea supper, but the normal ticket price is £10 – with discounts for students.

The programme for spring continues with Alan Barnes and the Ben Crosland Trio on March 25; and Mike Waller and the Iain Dixon Quartet on April 8.