Hyde Park Book Club - To Be Here Now - Vinyl LP

To Be Here Now is a compilation of new Leeds jazz curated by Ben Powling and Jack Simpson.

The late, great John Peel OBE once said that there were more bands living and working in the LS6 area of Leeds than anywhere else in the country, and the same feels true today. Be Here Now is an attempt to document, preserve and celebrate some of the jazz and improvised music currently being recorded and performed within the Leeds scene.

The jazz compilation was imagined, programmed and compiled by saxophonist Ben Powling and venue owner Jack Simpson at Jack’s café and venue Hyde Park Book Club. Despite being relatively new, Hyde Park Book Club has already established itself as a thriving hub for new and improvised music in the city and many of the bands who feature on Be Here Now, have gigged, rehearsed and even started out at Hyde Park Book Club.

Be Here Now was recorded across a few days, in late 2017 and early 2018, by Will Jackson of Soundworks (a multi-platinum selling production studio) at Jack Simpson’s other venue, Eiger Studios. Will has over 20 years’ experience of recording and working with national artists and brought his expertise to creating a compilation which showcases established groups (who have received regional and national recognition) but also newcomers, for which Be Here Now was their first time recording in a studio. What remains constant is the maturity and tenacity of the music and its performers.