UKFast is making a short series of podcasts from the festival and it’s a real eye opener talking to a lot of the musicians. In a niche genre like Jazz there are a lot of bands making their name solely through live performance, as opposed to album sales. Many of these talents are not shall we say of the Internet generation.

Despite this, they are becoming better known through a collection of websites that bring them to a wider audience. North West Jazz Works and the Manchester Jazz Festival are two resources that are allowing a wider audience to discover musicians and talents that may not have leapt online if left to their own promotion.

If you’re in Manchester this week, I can strongly recommend the free events. Have a look at the calendar to see what’s on when and maybe I’ll see you there.