I HAVE discussed on occasion in this column the impressive list of attractions staged at The Met, Bury's live arts venue.

Of course, it is the monthly jazz concerts we are most concerned with here but anyone who fancies a good night out and is prepared to travel just a few miles to get one, then a phone call to 0161 761 2216 will bring you an informative coloured brochure, packed with news of top flight entertainers and bands heading for Bury.

Incidentally, I'm not paid a retainer to publicise the Met, nor am I trying to dissuade anyone from attending local venues, but it is my job as a scribbler to try and point punters in the general direction of somewhere worthy of support, and this most certainly fits that description.

The Tuxedo Jazz Band, a swinging six-piece from the Lancashire/Merseyside area, specialise in New Orleans jazz and they have built up a strong and loyal fan base not just in the UK but in Holland and Germany, where they regularly tour. They will be on stage in the Studio Theatre at the Met on Friday, March 7, from 8.30pm. Tickets are £6.

Other singers and bands booked to appear throughout the next few months include Helen Watson (Thursday, March 27); The Savannah Jazz Band (Friday, April 4); The Wabash Jazzmen (Friday, May 2); Alan Price (Friday, May 17); Mark Rogers' Manchester Jazz (Friday, June 6), and Laura Zakian (Friday, July 4).