Liverpool jazz nights are bringing forward a much younger crowd. But from the first American jazz band landing at the docks here in 1919 to the Cavern Club opening as a jazz club in 1957, the genre features heavily in Liverpool's musical heritage. Now there seems to be a revived interest amongst a younger crowd within the city who are keen to see more jazz.

We have asked some of the city's event promoters, bars, and bands for their take on the recent resurgence of jazz nights in Liverpool.

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Parrjazz:

Artistic director of Parrjazz, Genevieve Lamb, told us her impression of jazz and why Liverpool is a prime location for nights such as these.

Genevieve Said: "I think jazz is a music of expression, a music of protest, and the music worlds ‘freedom of speech ‘ in a sense, this aligns well with the psyche of Liverpool.

"When we first started our Tuesday nights in the city, younger people would often wander in accidentally and then leave full of smiles, saying how they never thought they’d like jazz, but 'it’s amazing!!'

"Basically jazz is a small word which covers a massive genre and unfortunately had fallen victim to a generalisation which wasn’t hip.

"The scene in Liverpool has grown and grown to the point that there is usually a couple of jazz nights on any one week night in town."

She added: "For us as promoters the city is a hard nut to crack when charging an entry fee, which is necessary for more well established touring artists, and also would actually help to raise the wages for the local musicians too – the general gig fee is the same now as it was 30 years ago- imagine that in any other job?

"One thing that is absolutely apparent, is that the acts we bring from all over the UK and the world, to Liverpool, receive a hugely warm, enthusiastic and welcoming audience, and that is always appreciated by them."

The Alchemy Trio:

The Alchemy Trio are a band that are primarily based in Liverpool. Members Barry Dallman, piano, Colin George Lamont, drums, and Grant Russell, bass, have been playing the circuit for just over two years. We spoke to pianist Barry Dallman, who said: " Jazz is the ultimate live music.

"Recorded jazz is actually a poor substitute for live jazz because there’s something special about being in the room while it’s happening."

"Jazz is improvised music and the connection between the musicians and the audience actually shapes the sound and changes the way they play."

Barry explained that when watching jazz the audience is a part of the performance and not just a "passive spectator". When asked about why jazz nights are becoming so popular he said: "There's been a jazz scene in Liverpool for a long time and it certainly predates Merseybeat and the Beatles.

"It has fluctuated in popularity over the years but it does now feel like the scene is becoming more visible and breaking out of the bubble it got trapped in for a while.

"One factor is that there are also a lot of talented younger jazz musicians in the city thanks to the contemporary music courses offered by our colleges and Universities."

He added: "As well as local talent, many of the established musicians on the scene came to Liverpool to study and ended up staying.

" This means the average age of jazz musicians now more closely resembles the demographic of City Centre hospitality venues where most live jazz is happening."

We wanted to know Barry's view, from being a musician as to why jazz is drawing in a younger crowd. He said: "Young people are certainly less instinctively opposed to jazz – largely because they haven’t heard much of it and they don’t perceive it as having any cultural or generational ‘baggage’.

"Their parents were much more likely to be into rock and pop music than jazz so younger audiences are coming to it for the first time without any preconceived ideas of what it is.

"A lot of people who think they don’t like jazz often associate it purely with either 1940's 'be-bop' or 'free jazz', which aren’t the most accessible forms of the music.

"This generation (and even their parents) generally aren’t as aware of that material now so they don’t come to the music with any assumptions."

We asked Barry what drew his interests into becoming a jazz musician in the first place.

Barry said: "In a word, improvisation.

"In jazz we’re improvising constantly, reacting both to the other musicians and the energy in the room.

"This means that even if you play the same tunes, the way you play them changes on every gig and you’re always being challenged.

He added: "It’s like watching football - the rules of the game remain the same, but you never know what’s going to happen - and the best nights carry you on an emotional roller-coaster that will take your breath away."

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Ma Boyle's Alehouse & Eatery:

The iconic waterfront location has long since served a regular jazz night offering. We spoke to owner Iain Hoskins about why Ma Boyle's has chose to host jazz in their venue. Iain said: "We started Jazz nights at Ma Boyle's in late 2015, primarily because it just seemed like the most appropriate thing to do.

"I had remodelled the space using a lot of inspiration from cocktail bars and jazz cellar clubs on the Lower East Side in New York, where I had recently moved back from.

He added: " Ma Boyle's is off circuit, a destination venue - especially five years ago so we needed to give people a reason to seek us out on a Saturday night.

Speaking of why the nights have become so popular Iain said: " Jazz has always been there plugging away, but I think that there's a lot of embryonic nights that have developed in recent years.

"E stablished heavyweights, like Parrjazz, have developed the scene massively, alongside places like LIPA who have been fundamental in bringing through the next generation of Jazz musicians.

"I think after many years in the doldrums it just felt like the right time for jazz to make a comeback, but this time the difference is that you have a generation who are putting their own spin on the genre rather than relying on past masters.

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Viktor Nordberg:

Viktor is a drummer in his own jazz band, Viktor Nordberg Ensemble, he told the ECHO: " Jazz in my humble opinion is a form of music that allows for freedom of self expression and understanding of one self and others, both for the musician performing it and the listener."

He added: "W e have a lot of music students and dance students in the city that frequent these venues, and also friends of these which contributes a lot to the music scene and night life of the city.

"The jazz genre is so diverse with sub categories that there is something for any mood and activity and it’s all there for young people to explore and they do."

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With so many venues offering a jazz night it won't be hard for you to get involved and see for yourself the resurgence of jazz in the city.