Leeds A Town Like New Orleans

During a meeting at the BBC I suggest the possibility of a pro grame about the Leeds jazz scene. Leeds opened the first dedicated United Kingdom jazz school, established in the early sixties. It was a town with many notable musicians, and a dynamic jazz club scene. The reaction to my suggestion was neutral. However, in nineteen eighty one, would you believe, BBC Television presented a quasi-documentary titled 'Leeds A Town Like New Orleans'. It was freak show, with a couple of exceptions. It was also an indication that jazz was not considered, by the media, to be a music that could stand alone, there had to be a back story. And so it continues.